Roofing Rules in Georgia: What Savannah, GA Homeowners Should Know
Before a new roof goes on a home in Savannah, GA, a handful of Georgia laws and local offices shape what you sign, what you pay and who approves the work. Here is a plain summary for owners and landlords across Chatham County, with links to the official pages behind each point.
What Matters Most
Most of the protection in a Georgia roofing job rests with the homeowner, because the state leaves roofing out of its contractor licensing. Your own checks, a written contract and a permit pulled by the roofer do the real work. The sections below cover checking a roofer, the deductible, two ways to back out of a deal, what insurers may offer for a stronger roof, and which office handles your permit.
This is a summary of public law, not legal advice. Rules change, so read the linked pages before you sign anything.
Verifying a Roofer
Georgia's state board covers residential and general contractors, and roofing work falls outside it, so there is no state roofing license to look up. If a roofer quotes a license number, ask what kind of work it covers. With no state check in place, the homework is yours.
Inside city limits, the City of Savannah requires every business operating there to hold a current Business Tax Certificate. Ask to see the roofer's certificate along with proof of liability insurance and, if the company has employees, workers' compensation coverage. A fixed local address and a few recent customers you can reach are fair requests too. The rule is on the City of Savannah business tax page.
Get the whole agreement on paper before the first shingle comes off. A sound contract names the price, scope, materials, start and finish dates, who pulls the permit, and what happens if damaged decking turns up. The maker's warranty and the roofer's workmanship warranty belong in writing too.
Georgia sets no cap on roofing deposits, so spread payments across the job instead of handing over most of the money before materials arrive.
The Deductible Rule
When insurance helps pay for a new roof, the deductible on your policy is your share, and you pay it yourself. The Georgia Attorney General's consumer office lists a roofer's offer to cover it as a red flag and says roofers may not pay it. Coastal policies may also carry a separate hurricane or named-storm deductible, so check your declarations page on a calm day instead of after a storm.
Under O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.12, a roofer may not negotiate an insurance claim on your behalf unless it is also a licensed public adjuster. A roofer can still photograph damage, measure the roof and write an estimate you pass to your insurer. Settling the claim stays between you and the insurance company, or a public adjuster or attorney you decide to hire.
Public adjusters hold licenses from the Georgia Insurance Commissioner, whose consumer staff also take questions about how a claim is being handled. Start at the Georgia Insurance Commissioner consumer resources page.
Cancelling After a Claim Denial
Georgia gives homeowners a way out of a roofing contract that depends on an insurance payout. If your insurer sends written notice that it has denied the claim, in whole or in part, you get five business days from that notice to cancel the contract. The window closes at midnight on the last of those days. Cancel in writing, keep a dated copy, and note the day the denial letter arrived.
A second right covers sales made at your home. When a seller pitches the job at your door or in your living room and you agree on the spot, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-6 generally lets you cancel within three business days.
Storm-Resistant Roof Programs
Georgia has no state grant for roof upgrades that this site can point to. Your own insurer may help instead: some companies give credits for wind-resistant or impact-rated roofing, each on its own terms, and none of it is guaranteed. Before you pick materials, ask your agent whether a stronger roof would change your premium and what proof the company wants.
A 2025 Georgia law bars contractors from taking a transfer of a homeowner's insurance proceeds for a year after a Governor-declared disaster, so keep any claim payment in your own name and never hand it over to a roofer.
City Permits and Local Rules
Inside the City of Savannah, roofing appears on the list of work that needs a building permit, issued through Development Services (912-651-6510). The roofer should pull that permit in its own name. Whether old layers must come off is decided by the roofer and the permit office once someone has looked at the roof. See the City of Savannah residential permit page.
The city's local historic districts, Landmark, Victorian, Mid-City and Cuyler-Brownsville, add a step. Exterior work there typically needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, and in the Downtown Historic District a roof repair or replacement is a staff-review item on the MPC's application. Ask the Historic Preservation Office (912-651-1457) or the MPC before the roof comes off, because work done without approval can cost more to put right later.
Outside city limits, unincorporated Chatham County has its own roofing permit application, handled by Building Safety & Regulatory Services (912-201-4300). Nearby towns each run a separate office:
Each office sets its own process, so check with the one that covers your address.
Questions on the Rules
Does a roofer need a state license to work on my Savannah home?
No. Georgia issues no roofing license, so there is no state number to check for this kind of work. Inside the city, the company still needs a Business Tax Certificate like any business. Ask for proof of liability insurance, workers' compensation if it has employees, references you can reach and a written contract.
Who pulls the roofing permit in Savannah?
The roofer should. The City lists roofing among work that needs a building permit, and a roofer who asks you to pull it is shifting responsibility for the job onto you. In a historic district the Certificate of Appropriateness comes first, so raise it with the Historic Preservation Office or the MPC before work is scheduled.
Can a roofer help with my insurance claim?
Only up to a point. A roofer can document damage with photos and measurements and give you a written estimate to share with your insurer. Negotiating the claim is off limits unless the roofer is also a licensed public adjuster. You can deal with the insurer yourself or hire a public adjuster or attorney.
Where do I take a complaint about a roofer?
Business practices, such as a deposit taken for work that never started, go to the Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division. Questions about how an insurer is handling your claim go to the Georgia Insurance Commissioner. For a permit or historic-district concern inside the city, start with Development Services or the Historic Preservation Office.
Sources
Each source below was read on 2026-10-10.
Ask About Your Situation
Knowing the rules is half the job; the other half is a real price for your own roof. Use the form to send a request, and it goes to a single independent roofer near Savannah who can look at the roof and put an estimate in writing. That roofing company pays this site for each referral. You never pay the site or receive anything from it, and the site does no roofing work.