Roof Replacement FAQ for Savannah, GA
Homeowners and landlords in Savannah, Georgia and across Chatham County tend to ask the same handful of things before replacing a roof. The answers below cover cost, permits, historic homes, insurance and how this referral site fits in.
Roof Questions, Answered
These answers are general. Your roofer, your insurer and the local permit office have the final word on your own house.
Who pays for the referral, and is this site a roofer?
It isn't a roofer. It is a referral service: your request is handed to one independent roofer near you, and that company pays the site a fee for each one it receives. You aren't charged, and you aren't offered anything in exchange. The site does no roofing, gives no prices, signs no contracts and stays out of insurance claims.
Does Georgia license roofers?
No. Georgia leaves roofing out of its contractor licensing, so there's no state number to look up. Ask the roofer to show liability coverage, workers' comp for any employees, and a current local business tax certificate, which the City of Savannah expects every business in town to hold. Get references and a signed, written contract too.
Will a new roof in Savannah need a permit?
Plan on one. Roofing appears on the City's list of jobs that require a building permit, which Development Services issues. Outside city limits, Chatham County uses a separate roofing permit form, and the nearby towns each keep their own permit desk. The roofer should pull the permit. Whether old layers have to come off first is for the roofer and the permit office to decide.
My house is in a historic district. What changes?
The city's local historic districts are the Landmark, Mid-City, Victorian and Cuyler-Brownsville districts. Changes to the outside of a building there usually require a Certificate of Appropriateness. Downtown, roof repair or replacement is one of the items MPC staff review. Talk with the MPC or the City's Historic Preservation Office before any tear-off, since skipping that step can make the job pricier later.
What does a new roof cost around here?
One 2026 guide from RoofObservations puts Georgia architectural shingles, per sq ft, at about $5.55 and Georgia standing-seam metal, per sq ft, at about $11.50, tear-off included. Those are statewide averages, not Savannah prices. Steep pitches, extra layers, rotten decking and historic-district rules all push the total up. The cost guide lists all five rows.
Will the roofer handle my insurance claim?
No. Georgia law bars a roofer from negotiating your claim unless that roofer also holds a public adjuster license from the Georgia Insurance Commissioner. What a roofer can do is photograph the damage and write up what the repair costs. The settlement is worked out by you and your insurer, or by a public adjuster or lawyer you bring in.
Can a roofer pay or cover my deductible?
No. You pay your own deductible, and the Georgia Attorney General says roofers may not pay it, listing such an offer as a red flag. Policies near the coast often set a different deductible for hurricanes or named storms. It's listed on the declarations page, so it's worth looking up ahead of time.
Can I back out after signing a contract?
Georgia gives two cancel rights. If a roofing contract will be paid by an insurance claim and the insurer turns down all or part of the claim in a written notice, you can still cancel through the fifth business day after that notice, up to midnight. Separately, if a salesperson sold you the job in your home, whether by knocking on the door or by appointment, you get three business days to cancel.
Which towns does the site cover?
Savannah and Chatham County, including Pooler, GA, Port Wentworth, GA and Tybee Island, GA. It also reaches Liberty County's Hinesville, GA and Effingham County's Rincon, GA. Each one is its own city with its own permit office.
Didn't See Your Question?
Send a request and ask the roofer directly during the visit, or use the contact form for questions about the site itself. The Georgia roofing rules page goes deeper on contracts and claims.
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