Blue emergency tarp covering part of the roof on a brick home after a storm, with a fallen limb on the wet lawn

Roofing in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth tells homeowners in writing what a re-roof needs, from permits to drip edge. Call one free number any hour and get put through to an independent roofing company that takes Fort Worth calls.

Call (469) 649-7066 Fort Worth re-roof rules

A city that answers the roofing questions in writing

Roofing in Fort Worth, TX starts with a document most homeowners never open. The city's Development Services department publishes a residential roofing FAQ, and it settles several arguments that come up between homeowners, roofers and adjusters: when a permit is needed, whether old decking must go, and which edge details every new roof gets.

Fort Worth also has the storm record to explain why those questions come up so often. The May 1995 Mayfest supercell and the March 2000 downtown tornado both hit this city, and spring hail still rolls in from the west most years. When a whole street needs roofs at once, it helps to know the rules before the first knock on the door.

DFW Expert Roofers is not one of the roofing companies in Fort Worth. It is a free phone line. An automated assistant answers at any hour, asks about the damage and your part of town, and then hands the call to an independent, locally owned roofing company that takes Fort Worth calls. From there the roofer handles the inspection, the written price and the job itself, and it bills you, not the line.

Roofers laying new plywood decking and underlayment during a re-roof, with old shingles still on part of the roof

Fort Worth's re-roofing rules, side by side

These points come from the City of Fort Worth roofing FAQ and its residential permitting page. The FAQ follows the 2021 International Residential Code as amended locally, so confirm the current version with Development Services before work starts.

Situation on a one or two family home	What the city says	What to ask the roofer
New shingles only, no decking replaced	No building permit needed, but the code limits how many shingle layers a roof may have	Will you tear off to the deck or lay over, and how many layers are on the roof now?
Any decking, sheathing, lathing, rafters or ridge boards replaced	A building permit is required	Who pulls the permit, and how is replacement decking priced?
Existing decking in good shape	A roof that met code when built still complies; sound sheathing does not have to be replaced	Can I see photos of every sheet you plan to replace?
New decking going on	No new layer of decking over an existing layer	Will the old decking come off where new decking goes on?
Thin decking on 24 inch rafters	3/8 inch plywood or OSB is still allowed when the span rating is 24/0	What span rating is on the panels you are using?
Drip edge and crickets	Required when re-roofing if they are not already there	Are drip edge and any needed crickets listed in the written scope?
Ice barrier underlayment	Not required locally, since the area has no history of ice damming	If you recommend it in valleys anyway, why, and what does it add?

Whoever pulls a Fort Worth building permit must hold a Contractor Registration with Development Services. The exception is a homeowner pulling a homestead permit for their own house, which this site does not suggest for roof work. Ask any roofer for the name its registration is under, and make sure the permit is filed under that same name.

Two storms Fort Worth still measures others against

Ask anyone who has lived in Tarrant County for a while about hail, and the Mayfest storm usually comes up. Here is what the National Weather Service records about the two big ones.

May 5, 1995, the Mayfest storm. A high-precipitation supercell moved in from west of the city and struck the Mayfest festival in Fort Worth around 7:10 p.m. The Weather Service lists hail to softball size, gusts near 70 mph and rain falling at up to 2.25 inches in 15 minutes. Its case study puts damage at about two billion dollars across Tarrant and Dallas counties, which still ranks it among the costliest hailstorms on record.
March 28, 2000, the downtown tornado. A tornado touched down about four miles west of downtown, followed West 7th Street, badly damaged the Cash America building and broke thousands of windows in downtown towers. Two people died. The same storms dropped hail that severely damaged roofs and cars in Lake Worth and Saginaw, according to the Weather Service review.

Neither storm is likely to repeat exactly, but they explain the pattern. Fort Worth sits on the western side of the metroplex, so spring storms building over the plains often reach it before they reach Dallas. A roof here can take hail that bruises shingles without leaving a mark you can see from the yard, which is why a careful roofer looks at vents, gutters and soft metal as well as the shingles themselves.

After a Fort Worth hailstorm

Stay on the ground. Look from the yard and the street, and note any shingles, ridge caps or vent covers that came down.
Photograph everything. Dented gutters, hail on the lawn, ceiling stains inside. Date the photos.
Call your insurer. Ask how wind and hail claims work on your policy, how large the deductible is, and whether an older roof is paid out at full replacement value or depreciated value.
Have one roofer look. Plenty of roofers look at storm damage without charging; ask about that when you are connected. Ask for photos of what it finds.

Homeowner reading a printed roofing contract at a kitchen table beside a coffee mug

Leave the roof to the roofer. A wet or storm-hit roof is slippery, and damaged decking can give way, so keep off it and keep the ladder put away. Stay clear of any downed power line and report it to Oncor or your local electric utility, or call 911. Inside, pull furniture and electronics away from the drip, set out a bucket or towels, and keep everyone out of a room where the ceiling is sagging. Take photos from the yard and from inside, then call your insurance company and a roofer.

Roofing work Fort Worth callers ask about

Fort Worth runs from prewar bungalows near downtown to new subdivisions around Alliance, plus a large stock of shops, warehouses and strip centers. Calls cover all of it, and these pages explain each kind of job.

Roof Repair in Dallas

Pipe boots, flashing, lifted shingles and hail bruises: which problems are true repairs, when Dallas needs a permit, and what to ask before a roofer starts.

Roof Replacement in Dallas

The Dallas re-roof permit, tear-off versus overlay, what belongs under the shingles, Class 4 shingle credits, HOA limits and a line-by-line way to compare bids.

Storm Damage Roof Repair in Dallas

After a North Texas thunderstorm or tornado: what storm repair covers, the order things happen in, Dallas permit rules and how to avoid storm chasers.

Hail Damage Roof Repair in Dallas

Hail sizes that hurt shingles, signs you can spot from the yard, how a roofer decides between repair and a new roof, and what Class 4 ratings mean.

Commercial Roofing in Dallas

Warehouses, strip centers, offices and churches. Membrane systems compared, how Dallas permits a commercial re-roof, the energy code's cool roof rule, and what owners should ask.

Metal Roofing in Dallas

Standing seam or screw-down panels, what a Class 4 hail rating means for a Texas policy, picking a color, city and HOA rules, and published DFW cost figures with their sources.

Historic districts add a step

Some Fort Worth homes sit in locally designated historic districts, and there the roof is part of the look the city protects. The design standards for the Fairmount/Southside Historic District, for example, say original tile and slate roofs are to be maintained, that a metal roof needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, and that standing seam metal may go on secondary slopes while R-panel and rib-panel profiles are not allowed. The city's historic roofing guidance ties a Certificate of Appropriateness to exterior work that requires a building permit. Carver Heights has its own published design guidelines.

If your house is in a historic district, call the city's historic preservation staff before you pick a material, and ask the roofer whether it has worked under these guidelines before. A shingle that matches what is there now is usually the simplest path; anything different should be cleared first.

Older one-story frame house with a gray shingle roof and a front porch beside a quiet road

Why Fort Worth homeowners use the line

Storm weeks bring out-of-town trucks

After hail crosses Tarrant County, door knockers follow. Calling one number connects you with a locally owned company that works in Fort Worth, and you can check its city registration before signing.

The decking question

Whether decking gets replaced decides whether a permit is needed and moves the price. A roofer who knows the city FAQ can explain its plan in those terms.

A big city with every roof type

Tile and slate in older districts, composition shingles across the suburbs, metal on shops and low-slope membranes on commercial buildings. Say which you have when the assistant asks.

Answered at 2 a.m. too

The assistant takes calls around the clock. When the roofer is tied up, it is sent your name, number, part of town, what happened and how urgent it is, and it calls you.

Questions to ask before you hire a roofer in Fort Worth

What name is your Fort Worth Contractor Registration under, and will the permit be pulled in that name if decking is replaced?
How many shingle layers are on my roof now, and will you tear off to the deck?
If rotten or broken decking turns up, what does each sheet cost, and will I see a photo of it first?
Are drip edge, crickets and the underlayment listed in the written scope?
Will your insurance agent email me your liability certificate?
For a home in a historic district: have you worked under the city's preservation guidelines, and does my material need a Certificate of Appropriateness?
What does your workmanship warranty cover, and will you register the shingle manufacturer's warranty in my name?

No state license for roofers. Texas does not license roofing contractors. A 2025 bill that would have had the state license re-roofers (HB 3344) cleared a House committee but never got a floor vote, and it died when the session ended. That puts the checking on you: ask for a certificate of liability insurance sent to you by the roofer's insurance agent or insurer, a written contract that lists the full scope, the permit or contractor registration your city requires, addresses of nearby jobs, and proof the shingle warranty was registered. The line does none of this checking for you. How to check a roofer in Texas.

Your deductible is yours to pay. The Texas Department of Insurance warns that a contractor may not waive your deductible, rebate it, or pad the estimate to cover it, and that a contract of $1,000 or more paid with insurance money must include a notice that you owe the deductible. Your insurer may ask for proof you paid it. A contractor also may not act as a public adjuster on a property it works on or may work on. If a roofer offers to "take care of" the deductible, hire someone else.

Not sure whether your Fort Worth job needs a permit or whether the hail did enough damage for a claim? Call and describe the roof. The roofing company you are connected with sees it in person and puts its estimate in writing.

Call (469) 649-7066

How a Fort Worth call is handled

Dial the lineAn automated assistant picks up (469) 649-7066 any time and asks what you need. The same number also takes air conditioning, heating and pressure washing calls, so say "roof".
Tell it about the roofHail, a drip in the ceiling, shingles in the yard, a tree limb, or an aging roof you want checked, plus your town and how soon you need someone.
Get transferredThe call goes to an independent roofing company that is locally owned and works in Dallas-Fort Worth. It hears a quick summary of your call before it answers.
Work with that companyIt inspects, prices and does the job, and you pay it (or your insurer does, as you arrange). If it cannot pick up, it gets your name, number, town and need so it can call you back.

About this line: DFW Expert Roofers is a free phone line, not a roofing contractor. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local roofing company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. Calling the line costs you nothing. See how a call is handled.

Near Fort Worth, and worth reading

Other towns the line covers

What Fort Worth homeowners ask about roofing

Is a city permit needed for a new roof in Fort Worth?

It depends on what comes off. The city's roofing FAQ says swapping shingles on a one or two family home does not need a building permit, although the code limits how many layers of shingles a roof may carry. Once any decking, sheathing, lathing boards, rafters or ridge boards are replaced, a building permit is required. Ask the roofer to state in the contract whether decking may be replaced and who will pull the permit if it is.

Must Fort Worth roofers register with the city?

Yes, if it pulls a permit. Fort Worth Development Services requires a valid Contractor Registration from any business that obtains a building permit, and the main exception is a homeowner working on their own homestead. With no state license for roofers in Texas, that registration is one of the few official records you can ask about. Our guide on checking a roofer in Texas lists the rest.

Will the whole roof deck have to be replaced to meet the new code?

Not according to the city. Fort Worth's roofing FAQ says a roof that met code when it was built still complies, and sheathing in good condition does not need to be replaced. It also notes that 3/8 inch plywood or OSB is still allowed on rafters 24 inches apart when the panel's span rating is 24/0. If a quote replaces every sheet, ask to see photos of the damaged ones and a price per sheet.

Is ice and water shield required on a Fort Worth roof?

The city's local amendments do not require an ice barrier underlayment, because the area has no history of ice damming. Drip edge and crickets are a different story: the FAQ says they are required when re-roofing if the roof does not already have them. A roofer may still suggest a membrane in valleys or around chimneys. Ask what it costs and why, and get it written into the scope.

What are the best roofing companies in Fort Worth?

This line does not rank or name companies, and no website can tell you which roofer will do your roof well. What you can check: the company's Fort Worth contractor registration, a certificate of liability insurance sent by its insurer, recent addresses you can drive by, and a written scope that follows the city's rules. Calling the number here connects you with one independent, locally owned roofing company that takes Fort Worth calls.

Is it legal for a Fort Worth roofer to cover my deductible?

No. Texas law bars a contractor from waiving, rebating or absorbing your deductible or inflating an estimate to cover it, and when insurance money funds a roofing contract of at least $1,000, the paperwork has to tell you the deductible is still yours. A roofer also may not negotiate your claim as a public adjuster. The Texas roof insurance claim guide walks through what to ask your insurer.

Fort Worth roof leaking or hail-hit? Call the free line

Say what the roof is doing and which town you are in. The automated assistant passes you to an independent roofing company that is locally owned and works in DFW. That company comes out, looks at the roof and prices the job itself.

Call (469) 649-7066

Picks up day or nightStorms here often hit in the evening. The assistant answers at 2 a.m. the same as at noon.
Costs you nothingThe line sends no bill. Any price you hear comes from the roofer, and you can ask for it on paper.
Check before you hireTexas issues no roofing license, so ask for an insurance certificate, a written contract and the permit your city requires.
Your call to makeListen to what the roofer found, read the estimate, and say yes only when it adds up.