Short answer: As of September 2026, the five highest-scoring roofing contractors in the York-Hanover, PA metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Joyland Roofing, LLC (92.3), DePalma Construction, Inc., trading as DePalma Roofing & Construction (90.3), TC Backer Construction LLC (86.8), CR3 American Exteriors (80.6), The Grace Family Roofing Company (80.2). 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 8 certified roofing contractors serving the York metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top five individually to confirm its record. York County has one of the highest average contractor ratings in this programme at 4.90 and a pool where five of the top six hold GAF’s Master Elite tier or above. It also sits in a state whose construction code does not list roofing among the work that always needs a permit, so whether anyone inspects the job depends on the municipality. In York the compensating factor is unusual: the county has a dense concentration of long-established family roofing firms, one of them fourth-generation since 1924, and the local Community Choice award has gone to the same contractor four years running. Reputation does the job an inspector does elsewhere.
What a York roof is up against
Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code requires a permit to alter or repair a residential building but exempts an ordinary repair, and its exemption list does not name roofing, so a like-for-like covering replacement often proceeds unpermitted while some municipalities require one anyway. The relevant section is 34 Pa. Code 403.62. In practice that means a standard shingle replacement in York, Hanover, Red Lion or Dover may never be seen by a municipal inspector, so ask your borough or township before you assume one is coming. The written contract, the manufacturer certification and the warranty are the whole framework, which is why this ranking is built on certification rather than advertising.
The code still binds even without an inspection. Pennsylvania requires an ice barrier under the residential code: a self-adhering polymer-modified bitumen membrane, or two cemented layers of underlayment, from the lowest roof edge to a point at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, extended to 36 inches measured along the slope on roofs of 8:12 pitch or steeper. York’s older brick and frame stock is frequently steeper than 8:12, so ask specifically which rule applies to your roof.
Pennsylvania does require Home Improvement Contractor registration with the Office of the Attorney General for anyone doing more than $5,000 of residential work a year. It involves no competency exam, but it does require minimum insurance and a compliant written contract, and the registration number must appear on every contract, estimate and advertisement. The Attorney General runs a free public search showing whether a registration is active and whether complaints have been filed. A quote with no HIC number on it is telling you something.
The storm record is moderate and wind-led: 28 hail reports against 211 severe wind and high wind reports across the decade, $6.6 million in reported damage, and a largest stone of 1.75 inches in September 2024. Impact-rated shingles are not the priority here. Nailing pattern, edge metal and ventilation are.
The 5 best roofers in York, PA
Scored 2026-09-24. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for York is 4.9, across a pool of 8 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joyland Roofing, LLC | 92.3 | President’s Club | 4.9 (764) | 4.9 | 1991 | Elizabethtown, PA |
| 2 | DePalma Construction, Inc., trading as DePalma Roofing & Construction | 90.3 | President’s Club | 4.9 (505) | 4.9 | not published | Dillsburg, PA |
| 3 | TC Backer Construction LLC | 86.8 | President’s Club | 4.7 (253) | 4.733 | not published | York, PA |
| 4 | CR3 American Exteriors | 80.6 | Master Elite | 4.9 (703) | 4.9 | not published | Hanover, PA |
| 5 | The Grace Family Roofing Company | 80.2 | Master Elite | 5.0 (117) | 4.97 | not published | Shrewsbury, PA |
1. Joyland Roofing, LLC — TRB Score 92.3
Joyland Roofing, LLC is based in Elizabethtown, PA, in business since 1991, BBB accredited, A+ rating, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 36.0 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 6.3 | 10 |
| Total | 92.3 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated BBB accredited business, family owned and serving the region since 1991. BBB
- 731 reviews on Birdeye. Birdeye
- Long review history on Angi. Angi
What they actually do. Roofing and exteriors across the York, Lancaster and Harrisburg corridor.
Why it ranks here. 764 registry reviews at 4.9 corroborated by 731 elsewhere, with President’s Club certification and 35 years trading. The deepest evidence base in this pool.
Best fit for: Northern York County and the Susquehanna corridor.
What we would want clarified. Fifteen miles from the metro centre, across the river in Lancaster County. It also ranks on the Lancaster and Harrisburg pages, because Elizabethtown genuinely sits between all three. 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 (717) 990-7848, 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. DePalma Construction, Inc., trading as DePalma Roofing & Construction — TRB Score 90.3
Trades as DePalma Construction, Inc., trading as DePalma Roofing & Construction; listed on the GAF registry as DePalma Construction Inc.
DePalma Construction, Inc., trading as DePalma Roofing & Construction is based in Dillsburg, PA, led by Dominic DePalma, BBB accredited since 18 December 2013, A+ rating, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 36.0 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 14.1 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 5.3 | 10 |
| Total | 90.3 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited since 18 December 2013, a 13-year record. BBB
- Reviewed on Zillow under the named principal Dominic DePalma. Zillow
- Independent review listing. Directorii
What they actually do. Residential roofing and construction across northern York County and the West Shore.
Why it ranks here. 505 registry reviews at 4.9 with President’s Club certification and thirteen years of unbroken A+ accreditation.
Best fit for: Dillsburg, Dover and northern York County homeowners.
What we would want clarified. Nineteen miles from the metro centre. 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 (717) 638-1468, 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. TC Backer Construction LLC — TRB Score 86.8
TC Backer Construction LLC is based in York, PA, BBB profile on record, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 29.3 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 12.5 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 86.8 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- BBB business profile on record. BBB
- Named Community Choice Best Roofer four years running. Local award
- Active member of the York Builders Association and the York County Economic Alliance. Trade body
What they actually do. Roofing, siding, gutters and emergency services across Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.
Why it ranks here. The highest-scoring contractor actually based in York, with President’s Club certification, 253 registry reviews and four consecutive Community Choice Best Roofer awards. A locally voted award has to be re-earned every year, which is a different kind of evidence from a rating.
Best fit for: York city homeowners, and anyone weighting sustained local recognition.
What we would want clarified. At 4.7 the rating sits below others here, against a metro mean of 4.90. 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 (223) 877-8485, 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. CR3 American Exteriors — TRB Score 80.6
CR3 American Exteriors is based in Hanover, PA, Not BBB accredited, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 36.0 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 14.8 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 5.8 | 10 |
| Total | 80.6 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- BBB profile on record; the company is not accredited. BBB
- Listed on Angi with a review history. Angi
- Listed on HomeAdvisor with a review history. HomeAdvisor
What they actually do. Roofing, siding, windows, doors and gutters across south-central Pennsylvania.
Why it ranks here. 703 registry reviews at 4.9, the second-deepest record in the pool, covering the Hanover and western county area that the York city firms reach less often.
Best fit for: Hanover, Spring Grove and western York County homeowners.
What we would want clarified. Not BBB accredited, so there is no complaint record to read, and the business operates through a franchising structure rather than as a single independent firm. Ask who will actually be on your roof and get the Pennsylvania HIC registration number. 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 (223) 400-8886, 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. The Grace Family Roofing Company — TRB Score 80.2
The Grace Family Roofing Company is based in Shrewsbury, PA, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Master Elite (GAF), CertainTeed ShingleMaster. 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 | 38.8 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 10.8 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 6.6 | 10 |
| Total | 80.2 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Fourth-generation family roofing business tracing its trade to 1924. Company
- GAF Master Elite and CertainTeed ShingleMaster certified. Certifications
- Listed on Nextdoor with local reviews. Nextdoor
What they actually do. Residential roofing across southern York County.
Why it ranks here. A clean 5.0 across 117 registry reviews, dual certification with GAF and CertainTeed, and four generations of roofing back to 1924. In a state where nobody inspects the work, a family trading name that has survived a century locally is a real form of accountability.
Best fit for: Shrewsbury, Glen Rock and southern York County homeowners near the Maryland line.
What we would want clarified. No BBB profile or rating was locatable. Ask for the Pennsylvania HIC registration number and check it on the Attorney General’s search. 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 (223) 877-8644, 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.
The 211 wind reports that shape a York 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 1 county of the York-Hanover, PA statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 28 hail reports, 211 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 5 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $6.6 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on York in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 September 2024 | 1.75 in | Grangeville | York |
| 4 June 2020 | 1.5 in | Loganville | York |
| 10 May 2018 | 1.5 in | Stewartstown | York |
| 15 April 2024 | 1.5 in | Hungerford | York |
| 21 September 2024 | 1.5 in | Mt Wolf | York |
| 16 March 2025 | 1.25 in | Bandana | York |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 22 September 2024 near Grangeville, measured at 1.75 inches. That is ping-pong-ball sized, enough to bruise asphalt shingles and shorten a roof’s life without necessarily looking dramatic from the ground.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 74 knots, about 85 mph, near Stewartstown on 2 November 2018. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 5 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF1 near Hallam on 25 February 2017.
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 2 November 2018 event near Stewartstown, reproduced verbatim:
Straightline winds associated with a microburst damaged a handful of structures in Hopewell Township, just north of Stewartstown. Maximum winds were estimated to be 75 to 85 mph, with a maximum path width of 200 yards and a path length over three miles.
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 July (66), August (49), June (40). The worst years on record were 2023 (45), 2020 (35), 2019 (28). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in York, 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. Hail is not the governing risk in York. Weight your decision toward wind rating, ventilation and flashing detail rather than paying extra for impact-rated shingles.
What to verify before a York contractor starts
There is no state roofing licence in PA. Pennsylvania issues no state roofing licence. Instead, under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, any contractor doing more than $5,000 of residential home improvement work a year must register as a Home Improvement Contractor with the Office of the Attorney General.
HIC registration requires minimum insurance of $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage, a HICPA-compliant written contract, and the registration number printed on every contract, estimate and advertisement. It is a registration, not a competency exam.
That absence is the most important fact on this page. Where a state issues no credential, a manufacturer certification that can be revoked is the only quality signal a homeowner can actually check, which is why this ranking is built on certification rather than star ratings.
Check here: Pennsylvania Attorney General contractor search. The Attorney General’s search confirms whether the registration is active, when it expires, and whether complaints have been filed. A quote with no HIC number on it is not HICPA compliant.
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.
How deep the York certified market really is
8 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the York-Hanover, PA statistical area, of which 3 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 2,818 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.9. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 471,240, a change of 3.24% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these York rankings were produced
Every contractor in the York-Hanover, PA 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 8 certified contractors, of whom 3 hold President’s Club standing and 5 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.9. 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: September 2026. Scoring run: 2026-09-24. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
The questions that come up most in York
Who is the best roofer in York, PA?
Joyland Roofing, LLC of Elizabethtown, PA scores highest in the York metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 92.3 out of 100 as of September 2026. It holds President’s Club certification with a 4.9 rating across 764 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the four companies behind it score within 12.1 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve York?
8 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the York-Hanover, PA statistical area as of September 2026, of which 3 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does York get?
The York-Hanover, PA statistical area recorded 20 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 0 of 2 inches or larger between 2016 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Events Database. The largest hailstone reported measured 1.75 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 York in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the York-Hanover, PA statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 1.75 inches, reported near Grangeville on 22 September 2024. That is ping-pong-ball sized, enough to bruise asphalt shingles and shorten a roof’s life without necessarily looking dramatic from the ground. Across the decade the metro recorded 28 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $6.6 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in York?
Severe-weather reports in the York-Hanover, PA statistical area cluster in July, August, 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 PA?
Pennsylvania issues no state roofing licence. Instead, under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, any contractor doing more than $5,000 of residential home improvement work a year must register as a Home Improvement Contractor with the Office of the Attorney General. HIC registration requires minimum insurance of $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage, a HICPA-compliant written contract, and the registration number printed on every contract, estimate and advertisement. It is a registration, not a competency exam.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in York?
The Attorney General’s search confirms whether the registration is active, when it expires, and whether complaints have been filed. A quote with no HIC number on it is not HICPA compliant.
Is York a hard market to find a good roofer in?
York County has one of the highest average contractor ratings in this programme at 4.90 and a pool where five of the top six hold GAF’s Master Elite tier or above. It also sits in a state whose construction code does not list roofing among the work that always needs a permit, so whether anyone inspects the job depends on the municipality. In York the compensating factor is unusual: the county has a dense concentration of long-established family roofing firms, one of them fourth-generation since 1924, and the local Community Choice award has gone to the same contractor four years running. Reputation does the job an inspector does elsewhere.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in York?
Wind, by a wide margin. The York-Hanover, PA statistical area logged 211 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 20 hail reports of an inch or more between 2016 and 2025. Wind damage shows up at the rake, ridge and edge rather than across the field of the roof, so the fastening schedule and edge detail matter more here than the impact rating of the shingle.
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 Harrisburg, PA, about 23 miles from York
- Best roofers in Lancaster, PA, about 23 miles from York
- Best roofers in Reading, PA, another PA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Allentown, PA, another PA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Springfield, MA, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Fort Wayne, IN, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Hagerstown, MD, also scored, about 57 miles away
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 York, PA: The Roofing Brief Contractor Score.” Published September 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.