Georgia Roofing Rules: What Homeowners Should Know
Replacing a roof in Peachtree City, GA comes with a few state laws and local steps worth knowing before you sign anything. This page sums them up in plain words: who checks the roofer, who files any permit, how to back out of an insurance job, and where to call with questions.
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Georgia keeps its roofing rules short, which leaves more of the checking to you. This is a summary of public law, not legal advice.
- No state roofing license. Georgia does not license roofers, so you confirm insurance and a local business license yourself.
- Permits depend on your address. Peachtree City, unincorporated Fayette County, Georgia and each nearby town handle permits their own way.
- Insurance jobs carry a cancel right. After a written claim denial, you get five business days to cancel the roofing contract.
- Your deductible is yours. The Georgia Attorney General calls an offer to cover it a warning sign.
- Roofers stay out of the claim. A roofer may document damage but can't negotiate with your insurer.
Who Can Legally Roof in GA
Georgia has no state license for roofing work, so no state exam stands between a seller and your roof. Peachtree City's permit pages mention state licensing, but that line covers residential and general contractors, not roofers as a trade. Neither the city nor Fayette County publishes a license, bond or insurance rule for roofers.
The city's building page reminds owners that they are ultimately responsible for their own property. Before you sign, ask for the items below and keep copies.
- Liability insurance. A current certificate, plus workers' comp if the roofer has employees on your roof.
- A local business license. Often called an occupational tax certificate. Ask which city or county issued it.
- An itemized written contract. Materials, tear-off, decking, cleanup and the payment schedule, each on its own line.
- Written warranties. Manufacturer and labor coverage on paper, with the manufacturer warranty registered.
- A local address and references. A real place of business and a few recent customers you can call.
- Decking photos. Pictures of the wood deck once the old roof comes off.
- Fair payment terms. Georgia's Attorney General warns against roofers who want cash only or the whole price before work starts.
Watch for Deductible Offers
When insurance helps pay for a new roof, the deductible stays your share. The Georgia Attorney General lists a roofer's offer to pay, waive or absorb it as a red flag. If a roofer raises the idea, treat it as a reason to slow down.
Who handles the claim
Georgia bars a residential roofer from negotiating your claim, or advertising that it will, unless it is a licensed public adjuster (O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.12). O.C.G.A. § 33-23-43.8(k) also keeps contractors from acting as public adjusters on their own jobs. A roofer can still photograph damage and write an estimate; what gets paid is settled between you and your insurance company. To check a public adjuster's license or report insurance fraud, call the Insurance Commissioner at 1-800-656-2298.
Contract Cancellation, Explained
Georgia gives homeowners a set exit on roofing contracts paid with insurance money. If your insurer says in writing that all or part of the claim won't be paid, you may cancel. That window closes at midnight of the fifth business day after the written notice reaches you. Until then the roofer can't make you pay, apart from emergency work you agreed to. The contract should spell this out, so read that part before signing.
After a declared disaster
A newer law, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393(b)(36), took effect on July 1, 2025. For a year after the Governor declares a disaster, a contractor can't take control of your insurance payment for the damage. The money stays with you, and the roofer is paid under the contract.
Roof Upgrade Incentives
Class 4 impact-rated shingles and roofs built to the FORTIFIED standard are options, not requirements, in Peachtree City and across Georgia. Many insurers lower premiums for a stronger roof, and each sets its own amount, so call your agent before choosing materials and ask what paperwork they need. Georgia has no state roof grant, so be wary of anyone who promises one.
Local Rules Around Peachtree City
Permit rules shift with your address, even a few miles apart. Whoever files a permit answers to the inspector, and that should be your roofer, not you.
Peachtree City
The city has not posted a plain rule on re-roof permits. Ask your roofer whether your job needs a city permit and who will file it; the Building Department at (770) 487-8901 can tell you. The city does say permitted projects "must not be started until after the permit has been approved, paid, and picked up," so any needed permit comes first.
Unincorporated Fayette County
Fayette County Building Safety (770-305-5403) covers homes outside city and town limits. The county exempts roof work only when the new material is identical to the old and sheathing work stays at or under 128 square feet. So a switch from shingles to metal, or a lot of new decking, needs a county permit. This rule does not reach Peachtree City, Fayetteville, GA or Tyrone.
Fayetteville, GA
Building and Inspections at City Hall (770-719-4067) publishes a residential re-roof guide. Check the guide or call before work begins.
Tyrone, GA
Permit questions go to (678) 216-0641, and Town Hall is (770) 487-4038. The town's residential permit checklist asks for the contractor's occupational tax certificate.
Senoia, GA
Call Senoia City Hall at (770) 599-3679. The city has a Historic Preservation Committee, so if your home sits in the historic downtown area, ask City Hall whether roof changes need review.
Newnan, GA and Coweta County
Inside city limits, call the Newnan Building Department at 678-673-5413; the city requires a business license for anyone paid to work there. Outside city limits, Coweta County handles permits at 770-254-2660.
Sharpsburg, GA
It depends on whether you live inside town limits: the Town of Sharpsburg at (770) 251-4171, or Coweta County for addresses outside the town.
HOA rules
Some Peachtree City neighborhoods have an active HOA with exterior rules; others have none. If yours does, check your HOA documents and get color and material approval in writing before work starts.
Door-to-door sellers
Peachtree City requires door-to-door sellers to hold a solicitor's permit issued through the police department, so ask to see it. Fayetteville, GA sellers get a city permit through City Hall's business license office and then the police. Unincorporated Fayette County solicitors apply through the Sheriff's Office, and Newnan's carry a police ID badge.
The Fine Print, Asked
Does Georgia check roofers before they can work?
No. With no state roofing license or exam, nobody at the state level screens a roofer before the first job. That is why the insurance certificate, local business license and written contract matter. We don't check roofers either: we pass your request to one independent local roofer, and the checking stays with you.
Can I cancel a roofing contract just because I changed my mind?
Georgia's special cancel right is tied to insurance jobs: it opens when your insurer denies all or part of the claim in writing. Outside that case, your rights depend mostly on what the contract says. Read the cancellation terms before you sign, ask about anything unclear, and keep a signed copy for your records.
Is this site part of the city or a government office?
No. Roof Replacement Peachtree City GA is a free referral service, not a roofing company or a public agency. We do no roofing work, give no prices and sign no contracts. A roofer may pay us for the introduction; you never pay anything, and the offices above are listed so you can reach them yourself.
Sources
Where to report a problem
If a roofer won't honor a contract or you suspect a scam, contact the Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at 404-651-8600 or 1-800-869-1123. For insurance questions, including checking a public adjuster, call 1-800-656-2298.
What this page relies on
All read on 2026-10-06.
- Georgia Code sections cited above, including Senate Bill 201 (Act 71 of 2025).
- Georgia Attorney General consumer alerts (2024, 2026) and the Secretary of State policy on specialty contractors.
- City of Peachtree City Building Permits and Permits pages.
- Fayette County, Georgia residential permit exemption list and Solicitor Application Packet.
- City of Fayetteville, GA Building and Inspections and Peddlers and Solicitors pages.
- Tyrone permit checklist, Senoia building page, Newnan permit and canvassing forms, Sharpsburg permit form, Coweta County Building Permits.
Questions About the Rules?
Rules make more sense once someone sees your roof and address. Send a request and one independent local roofer can inspect it, explain the permit and HOA steps for your home and write up an estimate. The referral costs you nothing.