One-story brick ranch homes with shingle roofs under mature shade trees

Roofing in Garland, Texas

Garland has its own re-roof rules, its own power company and a long stretch of postwar houses now on later roofs. One free number reaches an independent roofing company that takes Garland calls.

Call (469) 649-7066 Garland permit rules

A big postwar city with its own rules

Roofing in Garland, TX is shaped by three things that are particular to this city: a building department with a written re-roof rule, a city-owned electric utility, and housing that grew in a rush after World War II and again in the far north decades later.

The rush is easy to see in the numbers. Garland had roughly 38,500 residents by 1960 and about 81,500 by 1970, and the city limits pushed east toward Lake Ray Hubbard as farmland was annexed. Many streets in south and central Garland were built in that run. A house from 1962 has been through several roofs since, and some of those jobs stacked new shingles over old ones.

North Garland tells a different story. The Firewheel area takes its name from Firewheel Golf Park, the city course built in 1983, and most of its neighborhoods went up from the late 1990s on. Firewheel Town Center, the open-air shopping center at the President George Bush Turnpike and State Highway 78, opened in 2005. Those homes are on their first or second roof.

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

Garland re-roof permits, layer limits and roofer registration

The City of Garland puts its roofing rules in writing on a dedicated re-roofing page and in its contractor registration form. Here is what they say, in the order a job runs into them.

The $2,000 line. Garland requires a permit for roof repairs valued at $2,000 or more. A full replacement is above that line, and so is a large storm repair. Small fixes below it may not need one; ask Building Inspections if you are unsure.
The roofer registers first. Roofers register with the city as general contractors. The form asks for the owner's or principal's driver's license and a certificate of insurance with general liability of no less than $300,000, with the City of Garland listed as certificate holder.
Paperwork for the permit. The application needs a copy of the signed contract for the roof work or the insurance adjuster's scope. That makes it worth reading your contract closely before you sign it, since the city will see it too.
Two layers, then a tear-off. Citing the residential code, the city allows up to two layers of shingles. A roof that already has two must be stripped to the deck before new shingles go on.
Material changes count. Switching from shingles to another material needs a permit as well, and the page sets metal roofing at 26 gauge or heavier, installed to the maker's specifications.

The city's re-roofing page listed the permit fee at $175 when this page was written. Fees and rules change, so confirm the current version with Garland Building Inspections, 800 Main Street, 972-205-2300.

December 26, 2015, and what Garland learned about roofs

On the evening after Christmas in 2015, a tornado formed in Sunnyvale and moved northeast through Garland and into Rowlett. The National Weather Service office in Fort Worth rated it EF-4 in Garland, estimated peak winds of 170 to 180 mph, and mapped a path about 13 miles long. The worst of it struck where Interstate 30 meets the President George Bush Turnpike. NWS Fort Worth lists it as the deadliest December tornado on record in Dallas County, with ten deaths: nine in Garland and one in Rowlett.

No roof survives a direct hit from a storm like that, and no installer should claim one will. The lesson Garland owners took from it is smaller and more useful. Houses at the edge of a tornado's path, and houses hit by ordinary spring thunderstorms, lose shingles along the eaves, rakes and ridge, where wind gets underneath first. How the edges are fastened and sealed matters more than most people realize until a storm tests it.

Homeowner on a front lawn taking photos of the roof of a two-story brick home

After a strong storm, look from the ground first. Shingle pieces on the lawn, bare strips at the roof edge, a bent vent cap or a fresh stain on a ceiling are all reasons to call. Take dated photos, then call your insurer before any permanent repair, so an adjuster can see the damage as it was.

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 Garland Power and Light at 972-205-3000 (or Oncor if it serves your address), 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 Garland callers ask about

Calls from Garland tend to follow the housing. Older streets bring tear-offs and leaks around decades-old flashing; the Firewheel side brings first replacements; spring storms bring wind damage everywhere.

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.

Wind Damage Roof Repair in Dallas

Straight-line winds and downbursts across DFW: how wind lifts, creases and strips shingles, what ridge and edge damage looks like, and what wind ratings mean.

Roof Inspection in Dallas

When a DFW roof is worth inspecting, a sample outline of a good roof report, and how a roofer's storm check differs from a licensed home inspector's visit.

Four Garland situations that lead to a call

A third layer is not an option

On a 1950s or 1960s house, the roof may already carry two layers. Under Garland's two-layer limit, the next job is a full tear-off, and that is when soft or rotted decking finally shows up.

The adjuster's scope goes to the city

Garland accepts the insurance adjuster's scope with the permit application. Homeowners with an open claim often want a roofer who will work from that scope and explain any difference between it and the estimate.

A newer house, a first replacement

Homes built in the Firewheel area from the late 1990s on are reaching the age when a first roof wears out. If your street has a homeowners association that reviews shingle color, a roofer can tell you what to submit before the job is booked.

Wind from the east

Garland reaches east to Lake Ray Hubbard, and open water gives a storm nothing to slow it down. After a hard blow, lifted tabs and loose ridge caps are worth a look from the yard, wherever in the city you live.

What to ask a roofer working in Garland

Are you registered with the City of Garland as a general contractor, and is the city listed on your insurance certificate?
Counting from the deck up, how many shingle layers does this house carry, and is removing every one of them in the price?
Whose name goes on the Garland permit, and can I have the permit number before tear-off day?
If this is an insurance job, are you working from the adjuster's scope, and where does your estimate differ from it?
If rotten decking turns up under the old roof, what does each replaced sheet cost, and do I see photos before you swap it?
How will you fasten the shingles at the eaves, rakes and ridge, and what wind rating does the product carry?
Put your labor warranty on paper: which defects, how many years? And who files the manufacturer's warranty registration?

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

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.

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.

How a call from Garland is handled

DFW Expert Roofers does not inspect, quote or repair roofs. It is a phone line. Here is what happens when you dial it from a Garland address.

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.

Not sure whether your job crosses the $2,000 permit line, or whether the roof already has two layers? Call and describe it. The Garland roofing company you are connected with sees the roof in person and puts its estimate in writing.

Call (469) 649-7066

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 Garland, and worth reading

Other towns the line covers

Questions Garland homeowners ask about roofing

Does Garland TX require a permit for a new roof?

Yes, in most cases. The City of Garland's re-roofing page says a permit is needed when roof repairs are valued at $2,000 or more, and a full replacement is well past that. The application needs a copy of the signed contract or the insurance adjuster's scope. The roofer normally pulls the permit, since it must be registered with the city first. Ask for the permit number before the old shingles come off.

How do I know a roofing company is registered with the City of Garland?

Garland files roofers under its general contractor registration. The application asks for a certificate of insurance with at least $300,000 in general liability that names the City of Garland as certificate holder. Before you sign, have the company show you that certificate and tell you when its city registration was filed. Building Inspections at 800 Main Street (972-205-2300) can answer questions about a company's status. The guide to checking a Texas roofer covers the rest.

Can a roofer put new shingles over my old ones in Garland?

Only if the roof has one layer now. Garland's re-roofing page, citing the residential code, allows up to two layers of shingles. If a roof already has two, the next job means tearing everything off and starting over at the deck. Many Garland houses date from the 1950s through the 1970s, so ask the roofer how many layers are up there before you compare quotes, because a tear-off changes the price.

Who do I call about a power line on my roof in Garland?

Stay well away from it and call 911. Much of Garland gets its power from Garland Power and Light, the city-owned utility, which takes downed line and outage reports at 972-205-3000 or 833-403-2106. Some addresses are served by Oncor instead, so use the number on your electric bill. Never let anyone, including a roofer, work near a line until the utility clears it.

Is the roofing line a Garland roofing company?

No. DFW Expert Roofers is a free phone line and nothing more. A recorded assistant picks up at any hour, takes down the problem and your part of Garland, then passes the call to an independent roofer, locally owned, that serves the city. From there the roofer handles the inspection, the price and the job, and that company sends you its invoice. A connected company may pay the line for the referral. See how a call works.

A Garland roof that needs attention? 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.