Buyer's Guide
How to choose a metal roofing contractor in Wisconsin
Eight objective checks that work on any company — including us. Apply them to every quote you collect; in a hail market that fills with out-of-state trucks every summer, the differences stop being subtle quickly.
1. Ask for the DSPS Dwelling Contractor certification — Wisconsin has no roofing license
Wisconsin does not license roofers as a trade. What it does require, for a permit on a one- or two-family home under the Uniform Dwelling Code, is that the contractor hold Dwelling Contractor certification from the Department of Safety and Professional Services, with a certified Dwelling Contractor Qualifier on staff. That is the credential to ask for, and it is checkable on the DSPS credential lookup — read the status and expiry, not just that a number exists. A contractor who cannot produce it cannot lawfully pull your permit. Ask us the same question: at the estimate we put in writing who pulls your permit and under which credential, and the entity's Minnesota and Illinois contractor licenses are in the footer of every page here.
2. Ask when the license and the insurance expire — not just whether they exist
A license number is a snapshot. Pull the record up on your phone at the kitchen table and read the status and expiry date, and ask for the certificate of insurance to be sent directly from the insurer rather than as a photo of a piece of paper. If a roof is going on in October and the coverage runs out in November, that is a conversation worth having before the deposit, not after.
3. After a hailstorm, slow down
The week after a storm southern Wisconsin fills with out-of-state trucks offering free inspections and insurance-paid roofs. Some are fine. Many will be gone by the time the first leak appears. Two things to know: Wisconsin law (Wis. Stat. § 100.65) prohibits a contractor from promising to pay or rebate your insurance deductible, and gives you the right to cancel an insurance-funded roofing contract within three business days of learning the claim was denied — a company that skips either is telling you how it operates; and a contractor who insists you sign before the adjuster has been out is working for its schedule, not your claim. Ask where the crews come from and whether they will still be reachable in February. Ours come from Roseville, Minnesota, and have for over twenty years.
4. Read the warranty as if the exclusions are the document
Most roofing warranties prorate sharply after the first decade, and the exclusions are where the real terms live. Ask four things: does the coverage reduce over time? Is there a wind figure written down, and is it tied to installation to the manufacturer's specification? Does it transfer to the next owner, on what terms and within what window? And what is excluded? Be suspicious of anyone who tells you their warranty covers ice damming — ours excludes it, and so does almost every roofing warranty in the state, because ice damming is driven by heat escaping through your roof deck rather than by the roof covering. A contractor who says that out loud is telling you how the building actually works.
5. Make them answer the ice dam question properly
This is the highest-signal question you can ask a roofer in Wisconsin. The right answer starts in the attic: ice dams form when heat loss through the deck melts snow that then refreezes at the cold eave, so insulation levels, air sealing and ventilation come before the choice of covering. A metal roof helps — a smooth interlocked surface sheds sooner, and aluminum does not rot when water does back up — but no roof covering eliminates ice damming, and anyone who promises that is either wrong or selling. If the estimate does not mention your attic at all, it is an estimate for the surface, not for the problem.
6. Ask for the impact rating, and what it means on your policy
Hail is why so many southern Wisconsin roofs are replaced early. Ask what impact class the roof covering carries under UL 2218 — Class 4, verified via Intertek, is the highest, and the test is a 2-inch steel ball dropped twice on the same spot with no crack in the panel — and ask your own insurer, not the roofer, what a Class 4 roof does to your premium and to the cosmetic-damage terms of your policy. Carriers differ. A roofer who quotes you an insurance discount figure is guessing on someone else's behalf. The system we install is Class 4 rated; we will show you the listing, and we will not tell you what your carrier will do with it.
7. Ask what the fasteners look like — seriously
This one question separates systems. Exposed gasketed screws through the weather surface work loose through forty freeze-thaw cycles a winter and leak years before the panel itself fails, and every one of them is a spot for hail to find. Concealed-fastener, mechanically interlocked panels avoid both, and there is nothing for a July derecho to get under. If the answer involves visible screws, ask what the maintenance schedule looks like in year twelve.
8. Ask who actually manufactures the panels, and where the snow is going to land
Many metal roofs are re-branded panels from commodity mills. Ask for the manufacturer by name and for the published certifications, then check them. The system we install is manufactured by Interlock Roofing Ltd. — heavy-gauge aluminum with up to 95% recycled content at 0.4–0.7 lb per square foot depending on profile, four-way interlocking with concealed fasteners, UL 2218 Class 4 verified via Intertek, Class A Fire Rated Available as a complete assembly, minimum 3/12 slope on every profile. Then ask where the snow goes: a roof that sheds is doing its job, which means somebody has to decide where it ends up. Snow guards over entries, walkways, decks and the spot where you park are a design decision made at the estimate, not an accessory added after the first slide. If nobody walks the ground around your house with you, that conversation has not happened.
Contractor-vetting questions, answered
How do I check whether a roofing contractor is certified in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin has no roofing license; the credential is DSPS Dwelling Contractor certification, which a contractor needs to pull a permit on a one- or two-family home. Search the DSPS credential lookup by company name and read the status and expiry date, not just that a number exists. Ask for the certificate of insurance to come from the insurer directly.
What questions should I ask a metal roofing company in Wisconsin?
Five with the highest signal: What is your DSPS Dwelling Contractor certification, and where do your crews actually come from? Does the warranty prorate, does it transfer, and what does it exclude? Are the fasteners exposed or concealed? What impact class is the roof covering? And where are the snow guards going? Confident answers to all five are rare, and telling.
Can a metal roof stop ice dams?
No roof covering stops ice damming, and any contractor who says otherwise should worry you. Ice dams are driven by heat loss through the roof deck, so they are an insulation, air-sealing and ventilation problem first. Metal helps — a smooth interlocked surface sheds sooner and aluminum does not rot when water backs up — but ice damming is a stated exclusion in our warranty, and we would rather tell you that at the estimate.
Is it legal for a roofer to pay my insurance deductible in Wisconsin?
No. Wisconsin Statutes § 100.65 prohibits a contractor from promising to pay, waive or rebate an insurance deductible on a roofing job, and requires that an insurance-funded contract can be cancelled within three business days of the claim being denied. A company that offers to cover your deductible is breaking state law to win your job, and that tells you what else it will cut. Pay your deductible, and choose the contractor on the roof, the certification and the warranty.
What is the difference between an installer and a certified installer?
Certification means the manufacturer trained the crews, stands behind the installation and registers the warranty. Interlock Industries (Midwest) Inc. is the certified and exclusive installer of the Interlock® Lifetime Roofing System in Wisconsin, in business since 2001 and installing in Wisconsin since 2003.
Should I get multiple metal roofing quotes?
Yes — and normalise them before you compare. A cheaper quote with exposed fasteners, a prorated warranty and no impact rating in a hail market is not the same product at a lower price; it is a different and shorter-lived roof. Compare systems, warranty terms, licenses and impact class, then compare price.
Where do your crews actually come from?
Roseville, Minnesota. There is no Wisconsin office, and we would rather say so than let you find out from the truck. It is about four hours to Madison and four and a half to Milwaukee, and the crews have been making the drive since 2003 — 602 Wisconsin installs on record. If you are somewhere else in the state, call and we will tell you honestly whether the schedule works.
Ready when you are — bring this checklist to the estimate.
