How we source every number,
and why it's dated.
Roofing data drifts constantly. Material costs move with commodity prices. Solar incentives sunset without notice. Insurance carriers update underwriting. Here's how we keep RoofingTechPro accurate — and how to spot it when we've drifted.
Primary sources by category
Hail and wind risk tiers: NOAA Storm Events database, 2015–2025 aggregate. We bin states into Extreme / High / Moderate / Low based on hail-event count + average max stone size. Wind tiering uses a hybrid of NOAA hurricane track aggregate and NWS-confirmed tornado count.
Climate zones: 2021 IECC Climate Zone Map (federal, definitive). Used to inform material spec recommendations and ventilation requirements.
Replacement cost ranges: Regional cost-of-living adjustment applied to a national 2,000 sqft asphalt-architectural baseline derived from RoofingContractor magazine’s 2025/2026 regional cost surveys, RoofingCalculator.com state ranges, and (when available) state-licensed contractor association published averages. Marked “2026 estimate” because contractor labor + material commodity prices drift quarterly.
Common materials by share: RoofingContractor industry surveys + ARMA shipment data, regionalized.
Contractor licensing: State contractor licensing boards (CSLB-equivalents) — direct verification per state. Marked “state,” “county,” or “none.”
Solar incentives 2026: DSIRE state policy registry (NC State / N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center), cross-checked against state utility commission orders for net-metering rules. The federal Section 25D residential ITC expired 12/31/2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — every page reflects that.
Material lifespans: Manufacturer warranty spec (Owens Corning, GAF, CertainTeed, IKO for asphalt; ATAS, McElroy, Berridge for metal; Eagle, Boral for tile) cross-checked against IBHS lifespan studies and field-failure aggregations. Manufacturer warranty is a ceiling; we annotate the typical real-world outcome below it.
How we date figures
Every dollar figure on the site is dated. When you see “$12,500 (2026 estimate),” that’s the regional median we calculated for 2026. When the regional cost surveys update or commodity prices shift materially, the figure updates here.
Per-state pages show a “last verified” date in their data block. If a figure is more than 12 months old, a banner above the number flags it.
Verification staging
Initial launch: most state pages flag verified: false while data flows from regional aggregates. Editorial verification is staged in batches of 10 states, prioritized by traffic volume. Each verified state cites at least two independent sources for cost ranges and the state contractor licensing board URL for licensing posture.
What we don’t do
We don’t publish estimates dressed as facts. We don’t aggregate national medians and present them as state figures. We don’t scrape old articles for numbers. We don’t accept paid placements for contractors, manufacturers, or insurance carriers. We don’t list roofers without independent vetting (insurance, license, references, complaint history).
And we don’t pretend the federal residential solar ITC still exists.
Not a contractor quote, not an adjuster opinion
RoofingTechPro is reference. The cost ranges are regional medians; they cannot account for your specific roof’s slope, layers, deck condition, chimney count, or skylight detail. The insurance-claim guidance describes general framework; a binding decision requires your specific policy language, deductible, and claim history. Any consequential decision should involve an actual contractor, public adjuster, or attorney as appropriate.
Corrections
If you spot a number that doesn’t match your state’s current data — or a contractor practice that’s shifted in the field — email [email protected] with the source. We log every correction in the page’s footer and update within 48 hours.