Roofing Contract Template (2026): 9 Sections That Hold Up

Roofing has the highest contract stakes in home services: five-figure tickets, insurance companies as the third party in half the deals, and a door-knocking storm economy that state legislatures keep writing new rules for. A generic "service agreement" off a legal-template site handles none of that. Here is the structure that does.

The template

Copy the skeleton into your document tool and fill the brackets. The clause-by-clause notes after it explain what each section is protecting you from.

ROOFING CONTRACT

1. Parties. [COMPANY NAME], License #[STATE LICENSE], insured by [CARRIER, POLICY #] ("Contractor") and [CUSTOMER NAME] ("Owner"), for the property at [ADDRESS]. Date: [DATE].

2. Scope of work. Tear-off of [# layers]; installation of [MANUFACTURER, PRODUCT LINE, COLOR] shingles; [UNDERLAYMENT TYPE]; ice and water shield at [locations per code]; [DRIP EDGE, FLASHING, VENTILATION items]. Excluded: [wood replacement beyond X boards, billed at $X/board; skylights; gutters].

3. Price and payment. Total: $[AMOUNT]. Deposit of [X]% on signing; [X]% on material delivery; balance on completion and final walkthrough. Late balances accrue 1.5%/month.

4. Insurance claim provision (storm work). Work proceeds per the insurance scope of loss for claim #[CLAIM]. Owner's out-of-pocket obligation is limited to the deductible of $[AMOUNT] plus any upgrades elected in writing. Supplements approved by the carrier become part of this contract price.

5. Right to cancel. Owner may cancel without penalty within [3+ per state] business days of signing, per [STATE STATUTE / FTC Cooling-Off Rule]. [If storm/insurance work: state-specific insured-work cancellation language here.]

6. Change orders. No verbal changes. Additional work proceeds only on a signed change order stating the price.

7. Warranty. Contractor warrants workmanship for [X] years. Materials carry the manufacturer's warranty of [X] years, registered to Owner. Warranty excludes [storm damage, foot traffic, alterations by others].

8. Property protection and cleanup. Contractor will protect landscaping and openings, perform daily site cleanup, and complete a magnetic nail sweep of lawn and drive. Owner will [move vehicles, mark sprinklers/known hazards].

9. Disputes and termination. [Mediation/arbitration venue]; prevailing-party fees; either party's termination rights on material breach with [X] days written notice.

Signatures: ______________ (Owner, date) ______________ (Contractor, date)

The clauses that get fought over

The materials-specific scope. "Install new roof" is how disputes start. Naming the manufacturer, product line, and underlayment does two jobs: it blocks the cheap-shingle bait-and-switch accusation, and it blocks the customer who decides mid-job they meant the designer line. The wood-replacement exclusion with a per-board price is the single most valuable line in section 2; decking surprises are the most common change order in roofing.

The payment schedule. Milestone-based, never date-based, and the final payment lands after the walkthrough, not before. Several states cap deposits on home improvement contracts (and cap them lower on insured storm work), so check yours before writing 50% down.

The insurance provision. On storm work, this section is the whole ballgame. It ties the contract price to the carrier's approved scope, caps the homeowner's exposure at their deductible plus elected upgrades, and folds approved supplements into the price so the supplement work isn't done for free. Two hard warnings: paying or rebating a customer's deductible is illegal in a growing list of states, and "contingency agreements" signed before the claim is approved are regulated or restricted in several storm states. This is exactly where your attorney earns their fee.

The right to cancel. The FTC Cooling-Off Rule gives customers three business days on door-to-door sales, and many storm states extend or duplicate it for insurance-funded roofing, sometimes with required font sizes and exact statutory wording. Getting this clause wrong can make the whole contract voidable, which is the harshest penalty available for a formatting error.

The warranty split. Separating your workmanship years from the manufacturer's material decades prevents the call, seven years out, that treats you as the warrantor of a shingle defect. Registering the manufacturer warranty in the owner's name is cheap goodwill and shows well in reviews.

Storm work: the extra layer

If canvassing after weather is part of your model, three practices keep the contract (and your license) out of trouble:

• Sequence the paperwork: inspection report first, insurance approval second, contract with the section 4 language third. Signing a full contract before claim approval is where states with contingency rules bite.
• Put the deductible in writing exactly once, in section 4, as owed. Every text and voicemail about "taking care of" the deductible is discoverable.
• Give the rescission notice on its own page with its own signature line. It reads as consumer protection because it is, and companies that hand it over confidently close at higher rates than the ones that mumble past it.

Roofing's storm reputation is exactly why paper professionalism converts: the homeowner comparing you to the pickup truck with a magnetic sign is looking for a reason to trust someone. A licensed contractor with a nine-section contract and an unhurried cancellation notice is that reason. It is the same trust math behind your reviews and your website, and it is why the established local companies win the storm season that fly-by-nights start.

Pair it with the rest of the paper stack

The contract is one of three documents that get you paid: the estimate that sets scope, this contract that locks it, and the invoice that collects it, with matching numbers across all three. If your operation is at the size where those documents live in software rather than a folder, the roofing-specific options are ranked in our best CRM for roofers guide. And for the demand side of the business, start with roofing SEO and how to get more roofing leads.