Hiring

Roofing Contractors in Overland Park: 12 Questions to Ask First

By Overland Park Roof Repair · September 9, 2026 · 7 min read

Roofing contractors Overland Park homeowners hire fall into two groups: the ones who were here last year and will be here next year, and the ones whose phone number stops working in August. After a hail event you can't tell them apart from the yard signs. You can tell them apart with a dozen questions, and none of them take long.

Paperwork

1. What is your Kansas roofing registration number?

Kansas doesn't issue a state roofing license, but roofing contractors must register with the Kansas Attorney General's office. Ask for the registration number and check it with the Attorney General's office before you sign. Your city may have its own contractor or permit rules — check with its building department. A roofer who gets vague here is done — don't bother with the other eleven. For what it's worth, this guide holds its referrals to the same line: We only use roofers registered with the Kansas Attorney General — ask for their roofing registration number.

2. Can I see the insurance certificate itself?

A registration number doesn't tell you today's coverage. Ask for a certificate of insurance and call the agent to confirm it. Ask about workers' compensation too: if a worker is hurt on your roof and the company has no coverage, you want to know before it happens what your own policy would do — check your policy or ask your agent.

3. Where is your office?

A street address in Johnson County or the Kansas City metro, not a PO box or a "local office" that turns out to be a hotel. Look it up on a map. Ask how long they've worked this area — not to get a sales pitch, but to hear whether they name neighborhoods and streets like someone who's been on the roofs.

Money

4. Are you going to pay or waive my deductible?

The right answer is no. Your deductible is yours to pay. A roofer who offers to cover, waive or rebate it is a red flag — offers like that can break Kansas law and your policy terms. If you're unsure, ask your insurer or the Kansas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division. The wrong answer is any version of yes. Storm chaser roofing scams in Kansas often start with this offer.

The job

5. Will you pull the permit?

Whether a re-roof needs a permit, and what the code requires (layers, eave membrane, chimney crickets), depends on your city — check with the City of Overland Park's building department (or your city's), and make sure the permit is on the quote. A roofer who says it's not worth the hassle may be planning to skip the inspection for a reason.

6. Who will actually be on my roof?

Most roofing companies use subcontracted crews; that's normal. What matters is whether the company's foreman is on site, whether the same crew does their jobs regularly, and who you call if something's wrong at 4 p.m. on install day. "My guys" is fine. "A crew" with no name is not.

The quote

7. What exactly is in the quote?

Ask for it line by line. A real roof estimate in Overland Park lists tear-off, decking price per sheet, ice-and-water membrane and where it goes, underlayment type, drip edge, shingle brand and product name, pipe boots and flashing, ventilation, permit, cleanup, and the workmanship term. The cheap quote is usually cheap because two or three of those are missing. The cost page shows what each should cost.

8. Which shingle, and is it Class 4?

Product name, not just brand. In Johnson County a Class 4 impact-resistant shingle is the sensible default on any replacement — the premium is $1,000–$3,000. Some Kansas carriers offer a premium credit for a Class 4 roof; ask your agent for the figure before you choose, and ask the roofer for the product paperwork your agent wants. See the Class 4 page.

9. What do you do at the eaves and valleys?

The answer should include ice-and-water membrane at the eaves, in the valleys and around penetrations, and new flashing. Freeze-thaw winters here put water under the first two courses of shingles every February. A roofer who reuses old flashing or runs felt to the edge is building a roof for a different climate.

10. What's the workmanship warranty, in writing?

Manufacturer warranties cover defective shingles, which is rare. Workmanship warranties cover the install, which is where roofs actually fail. Get the workmanship term in years, in writing, from the roofer who installs it. Then ask yourself whether the company will exist long enough to honor it.

11. When do you want money?

Reasonable: a modest deposit when materials are scheduled, balance on completion or after the final inspection. Unreasonable: full payment up front. A large deposit before materials arrive is a red flag; ask how the payments are staged. On an insurance job, ask how the payment schedule lines up with your insurer's payments — check your policy or ask your agent.

Afterward

12. Will you come back?

Not the warranty — the small stuff. A ridge cap that lifts in the first wind, a nail in the driveway, a downspout that got knocked loose. Ask what happens. The best roofers in Overland Park are the ones you can call in October about a roof they did in May and get a person who remembers the house.

Questions for install day

Ask these once you've narrowed it down to one roofer:

• What time does the crew arrive, and how many days do you expect?
• What happens if rain moves in after the tear-off has started?
• Where will the dumpster sit, and how will you protect the driveway and the plants?
• Will you run a magnet over the yard and driveway for nails before you leave?
• Who on site can I talk to during the day, by name?

Clear answers here usually mean a roofer who has done this many times.

If it's only a repair

A repair doesn't need all twelve questions, but a few still matter. Ask where exactly the water is getting in, and whether you'll see a photo. Ask whether the price is fixed or depends on what's found under the shingles. Ask what happens if the same spot leaks again within the year. And ask whether anything else on the roof is close to failing, so you're not surprised in the spring.

Questions about a claim job

If insurance is paying, ask how the roofer handles it. The right answers are simple: they give you a written estimate, you deal with your insurer, and the deductible is yours. A roofer who wants to talk to your insurer for you, or to sign anything tied to the claim, is going past their role.

Questions after the job is done

Once the roof is finished, a few more questions are worth asking before the final payment. Has the permit been closed out, if one was pulled? Can I have the shingle product name and the manufacturer's warranty paperwork? Is the workmanship term on the final invoice? Did anyone check the attic for nails or daylight? Keep the answers with your house papers; the next buyer or inspector will want them.

How to ask without it getting awkward

Send the same list by email to every roofer you're considering, and ask for answers in writing. It's normal, it's fair to everyone, and it gives you something to compare side by side. A roofer who is comfortable with the questions is usually comfortable being held to the answers. One who treats them as an insult has told you something useful.

The short version

The about page explains what this guide requires of the roofers it refers, and the hail damage page covers the claim process from the homeowner's side.