Cleveland roofing in numbers
| What we measured | Cleveland |
|---|---|
| Roofing permits, three years | 4,923 |
| Firms | 586 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months | 298 |
| Usual filed value | $10,500 |
| Middle half of firms' usual value | $8,000 to $12,850 |
| Usual days from permit to final | 91 |
| Closed (permits a year or more old) | 78.3% |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm (10+ permits) | 62.2% / 93.3% |
| Firms under 70% closed | 25 of 97 |
Roofing here is seasonal: the filing index runs from 35 in January to 135 in October (100 is an average month), so a quote in early autumn is a quote into the busiest stretch: put a start date in the contract. Prices by job size are on the Cleveland roofing cost page; repair or replace is in roof repair vs replacement.
Which license a Cleveland roofer needs
None from the State. Ohio's OCILB licenses five trades (electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics and refrigeration), and its consumer guide says "In Ohio, residential contractors are not required to be licensed" (Division of Industrial Compliance, read 22 October 2026). Cleveland fills part of the gap: the Department of Building & Housing registers building contractors, and its FAQ says you can confirm a contractor's registration by calling 216-664-2884 (City of Cleveland, read 23 October 2026). We found no online registration search.
So the check takes a phone call and a permit search: call the number above with the roofer's business name, then search the firm's past jobs on the City's Permit Portal. A roofer that claims an "Ohio roofing license" is describing something Ohio does not issue. More in the Cleveland contractor license lookup.
The permit rule for a Cleveland reroof
The City's FAQ lists reroofing among the jobs that need a permit: "a permit is required to reroof; apply siding; install gutters, doors and windows". The exception is minor repair: replacing shingles with the same material is allowed without a permit when "the scope of replacement is limited to 10 percent" (City of Cleveland, read 23 October 2026). A full tear-off is not a repair. The roofer pulls the permit; the FTC lists a contractor who asks the homeowner to get the permits as a scam sign (FTC, read October 2026).
Once the job is booked, search your address on the Permit Tracker (no login, refreshed daily) or the Permit Portal; the roofing permit should name your roofer. Other cities' rules are in do I need a permit for roof replacement.
Red flags in the Cleveland record
- A closed share under 62.2%. That is the 10th-percentile line among the 97 roofers with 10 or more Cleveland permits; 25 close under 70%. Ask about the open ones by address.
- One permit and gone. 278 roofing firms (47.4%) filed exactly one permit in three years. After a storm, ask for three Cleveland addresses you can look up.
- A firm that went quiet. 25 roofing firms with 5 or more permits filed none in the last 12 months; a workmanship warranty from one is hard to use.
- A price far outside $8,000 to $12,850. A big difference needs a reason (several layers to tear off, decking, a flat section), not a refusal.
- No registration confirmed by the City. Without a state license, the registration is the only credential there is.
The busiest Cleveland roofers in the last 12 months
Ranked by Cleveland roofing permits in the last 12 months of the window. Volume, not quality: a busy firm has more records to read.
| Firm | Permits, last 12 months | Permits, three years |
|---|---|---|
| Third Estimate Corporation | 67 | 177 |
| I. Iman Enterprises LLC. | 67 | 117 |
| Aba Builders LLC | 61 | 167 |
| Barbera Home LLC | 54 | 153 |
| Crooked River Home Services Co. | 50 | 87 |
The five busiest hold just 15.6% of the city's roofing permits, and their closed shares differ by more than 25 points. The compare list shows each firm's closed share and usual value.
See every Cleveland roofer by permits closed →
What the Cleveland record does not tell you
A closed permit means the City's inspection passed or the permit was closed; it does not check the shingle maker's installation spec or warranty registration. We hold no Cleveland registration list, so our pages show no license status for any roofer. Insurance never appears on a permit; ask for a certificate naming you. Our file is the City of Cleveland only, not the suburbs. The national checklist is in hiring a roofer, and Ohio rules in how to check a contractor's license in Ohio.
How we know this
Permits are City of Cleveland issued building permits classified as roofing, on homes, 2023-10 to 2026-09. "Closed" uses permits a year or more old with a final inspection approved or the permit closed; days to final is the median from the applications' status history. Percentile and under-70% figures use roofing firms with 10 or more permits; the filed-value range uses firms with 3 or more. The busiest-firm table ranks by permits in the last 12 months. No license status is shown. Rules are quoted from OCILB (read 22 October 2026) and City of Cleveland pages (read 22 and 23 October 2026).
Numbers come from City of Cleveland building permits, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How do I choose a roofer in Cleveland?
Confirm the roofer's City of Cleveland contractor registration by phone, make sure it pulls the reroof permit in its own name, and read its Cleveland record: 78.3% of roofing permits a year or more old had closed, and the 10th-percentile busy roofer closed 62.2%.
- Does a roofer need a license in Cleveland, Ohio?
Not a state one: Ohio's OCILB licenses only electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics and refrigeration contractors, and says residential contractors are not required to be licensed. Cleveland registers building contractors itself; its FAQ says you can confirm a registration on 216-664-2884.
- Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Cleveland?
Yes. The City's Building & Housing FAQ says a permit is required to reroof. Minor repairs that replace shingles with the same material are exempt only when they are limited to 10 percent of the roof.
- How much does a new roof cost in Cleveland?
The usual Cleveland roofing permit was filed at $10,500, and the middle half of roofers usually file between $8,000 and $12,850. That is the value written on the permit, not a quote.
- Who are the busiest roofers in Cleveland?
By permits in the last 12 months, Third Estimate Corporation and I. Iman Enterprises LLC. led with 67 each. The five busiest hold only 15.6% of Cleveland roofing permits, so the market is spread across hundreds of firms.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Hiring a roofer: 5 red flags and 10 questions, checked against roofing permits in 28 cities
- How many contractor quotes should you get? Three, and how to tell if they're in range
- Contractor red flags, including the three you can see in the public record
- Hiring a roofer in Cape Coral: the DBPR license, City registration, and what the roofing permits show
- Hiring a roofer in Orlando: the DBPR license, the roof permit, and what 9,800 roofing permits show
For one city
- Verifying licensed contractors — Ohio Division of Industrial Compliance (OCILB) (2026-10-22)
- Department of Building & Housing FAQs — City of Cleveland (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Construction Permitting — City of Cleveland (2026-10-22)
- City of Cleveland Permit Portal (Accela) (2026-10-22)
- Permit Tracker — City of Cleveland (2026-10-22)
- How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam — FTC Consumer Advice (accessed 2026-10-20)