Short answer: As of October 2026, the five highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Rochester, MN metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Weather Shield Home Experts LLC (86.3), Renner Roofing Inc (81.4), Ryan Windows & Siding Inc (73.3), All Craft Exteriors (70.4), Redemptive Roofing LLC (65.2). All of them carry a verifiable manufacturer certification, every rating here was cross-checked against an independent record, and no money changed hands for any placement.
The Roofing Brief scored 11 certified roofing contractors serving the Rochester metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top five individually to confirm its record. The four-county Rochester metro logged 217 hail reports in ten years, 135 of them at an inch or more, and May alone accounts for 82. Minnesota examines its roofers, and every ranked firm below holds an active state licence checked on the Department of Labor and Industry’s own register. The detail that matters most here is which licence: all five hold the residential building contractor licence rather than the roofer-only one, and that is the licence the state Contractor Recovery Fund stands behind. Since 1 May 2025 the City of Rochester has also required a permit and three inspections on every residential reroof.
Hail, codes and what they cost a Rochester, MN homeowner
The hail is steady and the wind can be extreme. Across 2016 to 2025 Dodge, Fillmore, Olmsted and Wabasha counties logged 217 hail reports, 135 at an inch or more and 11 at two inches or more, with a largest stone of 2.75 inches; 252 thunderstorm wind reports, 43 at 58 knots or more; and 31 tornadoes. On 4 June 2019 baseball hail fell in Kasson, breaking vehicle windows and damaging the siding on houses, and the same system sent a short-lived EF1 tornado through south west Rochester that partially removed the roof of one home. On 15 December 2021 a rare December outbreak brought a 77 mph gust at Rochester airport and 85 mph at Plainview, and one person was killed near Rochester.
Minnesota licenses residential roofing at state level. Under Minn. Stat. 326B.805 a person doing residential roofing for pay must be licensed as a residential roofer, residential building contractor or residential remodeler, and the licence requires a qualifying person who passes a written exam at 70 percent. Every licensee carries liability cover of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate. A roofer-only licensee must also post a $15,000 bond. The Contractor Recovery Fund pays a homeowner up to $100,000 per licensee, but Minn. Stat. 326B.81 excludes residential roofer licences from it, and the fund pays only on judgments for work that requires a building contractor or remodeler licence.
The insurance-claim rules are strong. Minn. Stat. 325E.66 bars a contractor doing insurance-funded work from advertising or promising to pay all or part of your deductible or offering compensation for an insurance referral, and if the contractor breaks that rule the insurer is not obliged to consider its estimate. Minn. Stat. 326B.811 lets you cancel an insurance-funded roofing contract within 72 hours of the insurer notifying you that the claim has been denied, with payments returned within ten days.
The code is the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code, in force since 31 March 2020. R905.1.2 requires an ice barrier of two cemented layers or a self-adhering bitumen sheet from the lowest roof edges to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, and Minnesota Rules 1303.1700 put all four metro counties at a 50 pound ground snow load. Rochester’s housing is young for the region, with a median year built of 1989 in the city and Olmsted County against 1966 in Fillmore County, so much of the city’s work is second-generation replacement on post-1980 houses.
The 5 best roofers in Rochester, MN
Scored 2026-10-04. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Rochester is 4.736, across a pool of 11 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weather Shield Home Experts LLC | 86.3 | President’s Club | 4.8 (91) | 4.777 | not published | Rochester, MN |
| 2 | Renner Roofing Inc | 81.4 | President’s Club | 4.9 (181) | 4.865 | 2018 | Red Wing, MN |
| 3 | Ryan Windows & Siding Inc | 73.3 | Master Elite | 4.8 (112) | 4.78 | 1992 | Oronoco, MN |
| 4 | All Craft Exteriors | 70.4 | Certified | 4.9 (355) | 4.88 | not published | Rochester, MN |
| 5 | Redemptive Roofing LLC | 65.2 | Certified | 4.9 (77) | 4.836 | not published | Rochester, MN |
1. Weather Shield Home Experts LLC — TRB Score 86.3
Weather Shield Home Experts LLC is based in Rochester, MN, led by Matt Kraus, Owner, BBB accredited since 20 April 2022, A rating, two complaints closed in three years, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: President’s Club (GAF), Minnesota residential building contractor licence BC792804, verified with no enforcement flag. Certification by more than one manufacturer is uncommon and requires meeting each programme’s separate standards for insurance, training and track record.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 31.1 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 10.2 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 86.3 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Residential Building Contractor licence BC792804, issued 11 April 2022, expiring 31 March 2028, no enforcement flag; the number on its website matches.. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry register
- Accredited since 20 April 2022 with an A rating and two complaints closed in three years.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Roofing and home exteriors.
Why it ranks here. The top score in the metro on President’s Club certification and a 4.8 across 91 reviews, a Rochester business on Broadway Avenue that publishes its state licence number on its own site, and that number matches the register exactly.
Best fit for: A Rochester reroof from the highest-scoring certified local firm.
What we would want clarified. Its record is shorter than its BBB start date suggests: BBB gives a business start of February 2011 under an alternate name, but the current licence dates from April 2022 and we found no earlier licence under either name. BBB rates it A rather than A+ and records two complaints closed in three years, whose detail we did not review. Certification tier and reviews are unverified. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (507) 718-1802, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
2. Renner Roofing Inc — TRB Score 81.4
Renner Roofing Inc is based in Red Wing, MN, in business since 2018, led by Nick A. Renner, Owner, BBB accredited since 31 December 2024, A+ rating, no complaints, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: President’s Club (GAF), Minnesota residential building contractor licence BC735974, verified with no enforcement flag. Certification by more than one manufacturer is uncommon and requires meeting each programme’s separate standards for insurance, training and track record.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 34.6 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 11.7 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 0.1 | 10 |
| Total | 81.4 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Residential Building Contractor licence BC735974, issued 25 January 2018, expiring 31 March 2027, no enforcement flag. A Qualifying Builder credential in the owner’s name dates from December 2017.. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry register
- Accredited since 31 December 2024 with an A+ rating and no complaints.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Residential roofing across southern Minnesota.
Why it ranks here. President’s Club certification and a 4.9 across 181 reviews, the deepest record among the ranked firms, with a clean state licence since 2018.
Best fit for: Wabasha County addresses such as Lake City and Wabasha, which it names.
What we would want clarified. It is a Red Wing firm, in Goodhue County about 50 miles from Rochester, and its named service-area pages do not include Rochester or Olmsted County. They do include Lake City and Wabasha, which are inside this metro, plus a general claim to serve all of southern Minnesota. If you are in Rochester itself, confirm it will take the job and how far its crews travel. Certification tier and reviews are unverified. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (612) 770-1094, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
3. Ryan Windows & Siding Inc — TRB Score 73.3
Ryan Windows & Siding Inc is based in Oronoco, MN, in business since 1992, led by Bruce Ryan, Owner; Austin Ryan, VP Sales and Marketing; Lee Fuhrmeister, General Manager, BBB accredited since 19 January 1995, A+ rating, no complaints, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Master Elite (GAF), Minnesota residential building contractor licence BC008077, verified since 1992. Certification by more than one manufacturer is uncommon and requires meeting each programme’s separate standards for insurance, training and track record.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 31.2 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 10.7 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 7.4 | 10 |
| Total | 73.3 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Residential Building Contractor licence BC008077, issued 20 November 1992, expiring 31 March 2028, no enforcement flag.. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry register
- Accredited since 19 January 1995 with an A+ rating and no complaints.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Windows, siding and roofing.
Why it ranks here. The oldest licence in the pool, held since November 1992, BBB accredited since 1995 without a complaint, Master Elite certified, and based in Oronoco just north of Rochester in Olmsted County.
Best fit for: Jobs combining a roof with windows or siding, from the longest-licensed firm here.
What we would want clarified. Windows and siding come first by its own description and its BBB category; roofing is one of several product lines rather than the core trade. For a straightforward reroof, a roofing-first firm may suit you better. Certification tier and reviews are unverified. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (507) 281-6363, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
4. All Craft Exteriors — TRB Score 70.4
All Craft Exteriors is based in Rochester, MN, led by Brent Beck, Owner, BBB accredited since 17 October 2013, A+ rating, no complaints, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Certified (GAF), Minnesota residential building contractor licence BC654400, verified with no enforcement flag. Certification by more than one manufacturer is uncommon and requires meeting each programme’s separate standards for insurance, training and track record.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 35.2 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 13.2 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 70.4 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Residential Building Contractor licence BC654400, issued 12 September 2012, expiring 31 March 2028, no enforcement flag.. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry register
- Accredited since 17 October 2013 with an A+ rating and no complaints.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Roofing, windows, siding and gutters.
Why it ranks here. A 4.9 across 355 reviews, the second deepest record here, from a Rochester-based exterior contractor with a clean licence since 2012 and BBB accreditation since 2013.
Best fit for: Exterior packages and roofing from an established Rochester firm.
What we would want clarified. Roofing is one of four headline services alongside windows, siding and gutters rather than its sole focus. Its start year differs slightly between BBB and the licence, so we publish none. Do not confuse it with All Craftsmen Exteriors LLC of Burnsville, an unrelated firm. Certification tier and reviews are unverified. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (507) 424-3323, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
5. Redemptive Roofing LLC — TRB Score 65.2
Redemptive Roofing LLC is based in Rochester, MN, led by Luke Rudlong, Owner, Not accredited; A+ rating, no complaints, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Certified (GAF), Minnesota residential building contractor licence BC707807, verified with no enforcement flag, Owner’s Qualifying Roofer credential since 2010, Owens Corning network listing. Certification by more than one manufacturer is uncommon and requires meeting each programme’s separate standards for insurance, training and track record.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 33.4 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 9.8 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 65.2 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Residential Building Contractor licence BC707807, issued 3 May 2016, expiring 31 March 2028, no enforcement flag. The owner also holds an examined Qualifying Roofer credential since 2010.. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry register
- Rated A+ though not accredited, no complaints.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Residential roofing.
Why it ranks here. The only roofing-first firm among the ranked five, and the only one whose owner personally holds Minnesota’s examined Qualifying Roofer credential, since 2010, alongside the building contractor licence that brings the Recovery Fund. That combination, a roofing exam passed by the owner and the broader licence, is the strongest credential pairing available in Minnesota. It also sits in Owens Corning’s network.
Best fit for: Homeowners who want the person who passed the roofing exam to own the company.
What we would want clarified. It holds base-tier certification and is not BBB accredited, which is why it ranks fifth. Its BBB start date of 2009 predates the current licence, and its site’s 25 plus years refers to experience rather than company age. Certification tier and reviews are unverified. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (507) 251-6283, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
Other licensed Rochester roofers our ranking cannot see
Five certified firms clear our evidence floor here. These three Rochester roofers hold an active Minnesota residential building contractor licence with no enforcement flag on the state register, and an Owens Corning network listing. They are not scored and we are not recommending them. We checked and left out three other local firms because their licences carry an enforcement flag.
| Company | Verified credential |
|---|---|
| Gary Kline Roofing, Inc. | Minnesota licence BC676913, issued 2014, no enforcement flag; Owens Corning Preferred Contractor; BBB accredited since 11 March 1997 at A+, business started 1991, no complaints closed in three years. |
| Priority Construction Services | AG Pros II LLC, Minnesota licence BC636273, issued 2009, no enforcement flag; Owens Corning top tier; BBB accredited since 18 August 2010 at A+. |
| Gray Duck Roofing LLC | Minnesota licence BC800910, issued November 2022, no enforcement flag; Owens Corning Preferred Contractor on 11th Avenue NW, Rochester. |
The 135 hail reports behind a Rochester, MN roof
Aggregate hail counts tell you very little about a specific roof. These are the individual events: every severe-weather report logged by the National Weather Service across the 4 counties of the Rochester, MN statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 217 hail reports, 252 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 31 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $6.7 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Rochester in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 June 2019 | 2.75 in | Kasson | Dodge |
| 4 June 2019 | 2.5 in | Dodge Center | Dodge |
| 11 May 2022 | 2.5 in | Plainview | Wabasha |
| 11 May 2022 | 2.5 in | Hammond | Wabasha |
| 17 June 2021 | 2.5 in | Conception | Wabasha |
| 4 June 2019 | 2.0 in | Dodge Center | Dodge |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 4 June 2019 near Kasson, measured at 2.75 inches. That is baseball sized, comfortably past the point where a roof is written off rather than repaired.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 74 knots, about 85 mph, near Plainview on 15 December 2021. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 31 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF1 near Oak Center on 5 July 2016.
What the National Weather Service wrote about it
The NWS logs a written account of each severe-weather episode. This is its description of the 19 July 2017 event near Claremont, reproduced verbatim:
A turkey farm north of Claremont sustained roof damage to two buildings, but no turkeys were hurt. Power lines were also blown down.
That is the kind of damage a roof in this metro has to be specified against, described by the agency that recorded it rather than by a contractor selling the repair.
When it happens. Severe weather reports cluster in May (120), July (115), June (92). The worst years on record were 2017 (85), 2022 (67), 2021 (64). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Rochester, the months outside that window are when crews are least stretched and least likely to be triaging emergency callouts ahead of your job.
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, county-level detail files 2016 to 2025, filtered to the counties of this statistical area by The Roofing Brief. Damage figures are as reported to the NWS and undercount insured losses.
What to do with this. Rochester sees enough damaging hail that a Class 4 impact-rated shingle is worth pricing, though not automatically worth buying. Get both quotes and weigh the premium against any insurance discount.
Hail almost every spring, and the licence that decides who stands behind the job
The four-county metro logged 217 hail reports in 2016 to 2025, roughly three times the count around Appleton over the same years, and May alone accounts for 82 of them. Hail here is not an occasional disaster; it is the ordinary spring weather, and most roofs in Rochester will see damaging hail several times over their life.
That makes the question of who stands behind a roofing job unusually practical. Minnesota examines its roofers: the qualifying person for any licence must pass a written exam at 70 percent before the state will issue it. But there are two kinds of licence a roofing firm can hold, and they are backed differently. A residential roofer licence, the narrow one, is backed by a $15,000 bond. A residential building contractor or remodeler licence is backed by the state Contractor Recovery Fund, which can pay a homeowner up to $100,000 per licensee, with a $550,000 cap in total.
The statute draws that line explicitly. Minn. Stat. 326B.81 subjects residential roofers to every part of the licensing law except the recovery fund in section 326B.89, and 326B.89 pays only on a final judgment for work that requires licensure as a residential building contractor or residential remodeler. A homeowner who hires a roofer-only licensee, and later wins a judgment it cannot collect, looks to the bond rather than the fund.
On the Department of Labor and Industry’s register export dated 3 October 2026, of 59,290 records, 224 are residential roofer contractor licences against more than 15,000 residential building contractor licences. All five firms ranked below hold the building contractor licence, so on the face of the register the fund stands behind each of them. Whether a roofing-only job done by a building contractor licensee qualifies for the fund is something the statute leaves open, and you should not assume it either way.
The city now adds its own check. Since 1 May 2025 every residential reroof in the City of Rochester, including single-family homes, duplexes and townhouses, needs a permit with sheathing, underlayment and final inspections, at a flat $100 on the 2026 fee schedule. Three inspections on a reroof is more than most cities in this programme require, and the sheathing inspection in particular is the one moment an independent person looks at the deck under your new roof. Ask for the licence number, look it up, note its type, and make sure the permit is pulled.
The Rochester reroof: storms, licences and inspections
| Item | Figure or rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hail reports, 2016 to 2025 | 217, of which 135 at an inch or more; May accounts for 82 | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Largest hailstone | 2.75 inches, Kasson, 4 June 2019 | NWS La Crosse |
| Highest gust, 15 December 2021 | 77 mph at Rochester airport; 85 mph at Plainview | NWS La Crosse |
| Licence exam | Required of the qualifying person, 70 percent to pass | Minn. Stat. 326B.83; DLI exam guide |
| Roofer-only licence backing | $15,000 bond; excluded from the Recovery Fund | Minn. Stat. 326B.86, 326B.81 |
| Building contractor licence backing | Contractor Recovery Fund, up to $100,000 per licensee | Minn. Stat. 326B.89 |
| Roofer-only licences on the register | 224 of 59,290 records | DLI register export, 3 October 2026 |
| Reroof permit, City of Rochester | Required since 1 May 2025; sheathing, underlayment and final inspections; $100 | City of Rochester |
| Deductible rebate by a contractor | Prohibited | Minn. Stat. 325E.66 |
| Cancellation after a denial | Within 72 hours | Minn. Stat. 326B.811 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database and NWS La Crosse narratives; Minnesota Statutes 325E.66, 326B.802 to 326B.89 and 326B.811; Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry register export of 3 October 2026 and exam guide; 2020 Minnesota Residential Code; Minnesota Rules 1303.1700; City of Rochester permit page and 2026 Master Fee Schedule; US Census Bureau ACS.
What to verify before a Rochester, MN contractor starts
Licensing is required in MN. Minnesota requires a Residential Roofer licence from the Department of Labor and Industry for any residential roofing work on one to four family dwellings, unless the contractor holds a Residential Building Contractor or Residential Remodeler licence instead.
The licence requires a designated Qualifying Person who passes the roofer examination, at 70 percent, and documents roofing experience. Every licensee must carry liability cover of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate. A residential roofer licensee must also post a bond of at least $15,000 under Minn. Stat. 326B.86. The state Contractor Recovery Fund, which pays up to $100,000 per claimant, covers only contracts requiring a residential building contractor or remodeler licence: Minn. Stat. 326B.81 excludes roofer-only licences from it.
Check here: Minnesota DLI licence lookup. Check which licence the firm holds, not just that it is licensed. A residential building contractor or remodeler licence brings the Recovery Fund behind it; a roofer-only licence is backed by its $15,000 bond instead. Minn. Stat. 326B.811 also lets you cancel an insurance-funded roofing contract within 72 hours of the insurer denying the claim. Hiring an unlicensed firm forfeits both protections.
Four checks to run before you sign anything, in any state.
- Verify certification at the source. Use the GAF verification tool rather than trusting a badge image on a company website.
- Get the certificate of insurance from the insurer, not the contractor, and confirm general liability and workers compensation are both active on the day work starts.
- Confirm who pulls the permit. If a contractor asks you to pull it as the homeowner, that moves liability onto you. Decline.
- Get warranty terms in writing before any deposit, and check the manufacturer warranty being promised actually requires the certification tier the contractor holds.
The Rochester, MN market behind this ranking
11 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Rochester, MN statistical area, of which 2 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 1,916 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.736. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 230,742, a change of 1.95% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Rochester, MN rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Rochester, MN pool was scored out of 100 on four published components: certification tier, a Bayesian adjusted rating, review depth and distance from the metro centre. In this metro that meant scoring 11 certified contractors, of whom 2 hold President’s Club standing and 1 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.736. The top five were then researched individually against Better Business Bureau records, state licence registers and manufacturer directories. Good and bad findings are published together, and no contractor paid for a place here.
The full method, the weightings, what the GAF certification tiers actually mean, who is eligible to be ranked and what we do not claim are all set out on our roofer ranking methodology page. Last updated: October 2026. Scoring run: 2026-10-04. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
Common questions about roofers in Rochester, MN
Who is the best roofer in Rochester, MN?
Weather Shield Home Experts LLC of Rochester, MN scores highest in the Rochester metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 86.3 out of 100 as of October 2026. It holds President’s Club certification with a 4.8 rating across 91 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the four companies behind it score within 21.1 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Rochester?
11 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Rochester, MN statistical area as of October 2026, of which 2 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Rochester get?
The Rochester, MN statistical area recorded 135 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 11 of 2 inches or larger between 2016 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Events Database. The largest hailstone reported measured 2.75 inches.
Did any contractor pay to appear on this list?
No. The Roofing Brief takes no placement fees, no lead fees and no affiliate commission from any roofing contractor. Ranking comes entirely from the published formula applied to public registry data, followed by an individual research pass on the top five.
What was the worst hailstorm in Rochester in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Rochester, MN statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 2.75 inches, reported near Kasson on 4 June 2019. That is baseball sized, comfortably past the point where a roof is written off rather than repaired. Across the decade the metro recorded 217 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $6.7 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Rochester?
Severe-weather reports in the Rochester, MN statistical area cluster in May, July, June, on the NOAA record for 2016 to 2025. Scheduling discretionary work away from that window tends to get you a better crew and a faster start, because nobody is juggling emergency callouts.
Do roofers need a licence in MN?
Minnesota requires a Residential Roofer licence from the Department of Labor and Industry for any residential roofing work on one to four family dwellings, unless the contractor holds a Residential Building Contractor or Residential Remodeler licence instead. The licence requires a designated Qualifying Person who passes the roofer examination, at 70 percent, and documents roofing experience. Every licensee must carry liability cover of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate. A residential roofer licensee must also post a bond of at least $15,000 under Minn. Stat. 326B.86. The state Contractor Recovery Fund, which pays up to $100,000 per claimant, covers only contracts requiring a residential building contractor or remodeler licence: Minn. Stat. 326B.81 excludes roofer-only licences from it.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Rochester?
Check which licence the firm holds, not just that it is licensed. A residential building contractor or remodeler licence brings the Recovery Fund behind it; a roofer-only licence is backed by its $15,000 bond instead. Minn. Stat. 326B.811 also lets you cancel an insurance-funded roofing contract within 72 hours of the insurer denying the claim. Hiring an unlicensed firm forfeits both protections.
Hail almost every spring, and the licence that decides who stands behind the job?
The four-county metro logged 217 hail reports in 2016 to 2025, roughly three times the count around Appleton over the same years, and May alone accounts for 82 of them. Hail here is not an occasional disaster; it is the ordinary spring weather, and most roofs in Rochester will see damaging hail several times over their life.
Is Rochester a hard market to find a good roofer in?
The four-county Rochester metro logged 217 hail reports in ten years, 135 of them at an inch or more, and May alone accounts for 82. Minnesota examines its roofers, and every ranked firm below holds an active state licence checked on the Department of Labor and Industry’s own register. The detail that matters most here is which licence: all five hold the residential building contractor licence rather than the roofer-only one, and that is the licence the state Contractor Recovery Fund stands behind. Since 1 May 2025 the City of Rochester has also required a permit and three inspections on every residential reroof.
Roofer rankings for other metros
The Roofing Brief scores certified roofing contractors in the 400 largest U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan areas on the same formula.
- Best roofers in Minneapolis, MN, about 76 miles from Rochester
- Best roofers in St. Cloud, MN, another MN metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Duluth, MN, another MN metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Lafayette, IN, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Burlington, VT, a metro of comparable size
See the full index of all 400 metro roofer rankings, or read how to find and vet a roofing contractor anywhere in the country.
Cite this analysis
The Roofing Brief. “Best Roofers in Rochester, MN: The Roofing Brief Contractor Score.” Published October 2026. Inputs: GAF certification registry; NOAA Storm Events Database 2016-2025; U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 population estimates; Better Business Bureau and independent review-platform records for each ranked contractor.