How do I spot a storm chaser roofing scam in Georgia, and what are my rights?

Getting Started · Updated October 13, 2026

After every big hail or wind event in North Georgia, trucks with out-of-area plates fill subdivisions and someone knocks on every door. Some of those people are honest; plenty of good companies canvass. But storm season also draws operators who take deposits and vanish, do rushed work that fails in a year, or steer homeowners into claims trouble. Georgia's Attorney General issues consumer alerts after major storms for that reason. Here is how to tell the difference, and what Georgia law actually says.

Red flags

• "We'll take care of your deductible." Any offer to pay, waive or rebate it, including a discount for a yard sign or a referral fee. More on why below.
• Pressure to sign today, before your insurer has inspected, often on a one-page "authorization" that is really a contract.
• Large upfront payment, cash only, or no written contract. The Attorney General advises paying no more than one third down, with the rest tied to completed work.
• "We'll handle the insurance for you." A roofer can document damage and meet the adjuster, but cannot represent or negotiate your claim unless licensed as a public adjuster.
• Asking you to sign over your insurance check or assign your claim proceeds to them.
• No local address, references or insurance certificates, or a business name that changes from paperwork to paperwork.
• An "inspection" that finds damage only after they go up alone. The Attorney General's office has warned that some unscrupulous roofers have used free inspections to cause damage.
• A price far below everyone else's, which usually means corners will be cut or the bill will grow later.

What Georgia actually licenses

This is where homeowners get confused, so here is what we verified:

• The State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors, under the Secretary of State, licenses residential and general contractors. Under O.C.G.A. 43-41-2, a residential contractor license is required when the total value of the work or the contractor's compensation, whichever is higher, exceeds $2,500.
• O.C.G.A. 43-41-17(f) exempts specialty contractors working within their trade, and the board's published Traditional Specialty Contractors list includes shingles and shakes, sheet metal roofing, flat roofing, and gutters and downspouts. The board's Limited Service list also includes re-roofing of existing structures.
• The result, as the Attorney General puts it, is that roofers are not required to be licensed by the state. Georgia has no separate state roofing license.

So a missing state license is not, by itself, proof of a scam, and a roofer waving a "Georgia roofing license" may be overselling. What you can check: if a company says it holds a residential or general contractor license, verify it with the Secretary of State's license lookup; confirm the business is registered with the state; ask for a local business license and the building permit, if your city or county requires one for a re-roof; and get certificates of general liability and workers' compensation insurance sent directly from the insurance agent.

The deductible rule

Under O.C.G.A. 33-23-43, it is a misdemeanor to advertise or promise to pay or rebate all or part of an insurance deductible as an inducement to sell goods or services. The statute spells out that this includes discounts for displaying a sign at your house, and any compensation, gift, bonus, credit or referral fee paid to the insured. Beyond the contractor's exposure, the Attorney General warns that deductible schemes can implicate the homeowner in insurance fraud, because the claim reflects a price you are not really paying.

Your right to cancel, cited exactly

O.C.G.A. 10-1-393.12, part of Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act, applies to written contracts with a residential roofing contractor for goods or services paid from property insurance proceeds:

• You may cancel before midnight on the fifth business day after you receive written notice from your insurer that all or any part of the claim or contract is not a covered loss.
• Cancel by written notice to the contractor at the address stated in the contract. Mailed notice is effective when deposited in the mail with postage, and no particular form is required.
• Before you sign, the contractor must give you a boldface statement of this right and a detachable, completed NOTICE OF CANCELLATION form in duplicate.
• The contractor may not require any payment until the cancellation period expires, except for emergency services you acknowledged in writing as necessary to prevent damage.
• The contractor may not represent or negotiate on your behalf on the insurance claim, unless it is a licensed public adjuster.

O.C.G.A. 10-1-393(b)(36), added by Senate Bill 201 and effective July 1, 2025, covers contracts signed within one year of a natural disaster for which the Governor declared a state of emergency. For those contracts it is an unfair practice to fail to substantially begin work within a year, to do substandard work or work that violates state codes, to take an assignment of the homeowner's insurance proceeds, or to skip the same five-business-day cancellation right and notice form.

Separately, the federal Cooling-Off Rule gives you until midnight of the third business day to cancel many sales of $25 or more made at your home, with exceptions such as purchases needed to meet an emergency.

A contract worth signing

1. Full legal business name, physical address and phone number
2. A line-item scope: tear-off, decking replacement pricing, underlayment, ice and water barrier, drip edge, flashing, ventilation, and the shingle brand, line and color
3. How insurance supplements and price changes will be handled
4. A payment schedule tied to milestones, with final payment after completion
5. Start and completion dates, permit responsibility, and cleanup
6. Written manufacturer and workmanship warranties
7. The cancellation statement and NOTICE OF CANCELLATION form required by Georgia law

Where to report problems

Report home repair fraud to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at 404-651-8600 or 1-800-869-1123, and suspected insurance fraud by a contractor to the Insurance Commissioner at 404-656-2070 or 1-800-656-2298.

What a trustworthy local roofer looks like

Robust Roofing is the opposite of a storm chaser, and it has earned a reputation as the most trusted roofer in North Georgia and greater Atlanta: a residential-only local company with more than ten years of work behind it, a 5.0 rating across 66 Google reviews, GAF certification, and a 50-year labor warranty on its workmanship in addition to the manufacturer's limited warranty. It never waives or rebates deductibles, gives homeowners a RoofMap portal showing job status, photos, documents and payments, and gives half of its profit to Gospel-centered ministries. Read its customer reviews and warranty terms, or call Robust at (470) 887-6637. For a broader hiring checklist, see how to choose a roofing contractor in Georgia.

Common questions

Sources

1. O.C.G.A. 10-1-393.12, Right to cancel contract with residential roofing contractor (Justia)
2. O.C.G.A. 10-1-393, Unfair or deceptive practices, paragraph (b)(36) added by SB 201 (Justia)
3. O.C.G.A. 33-23-43, Authority of adjusters; deductible rebates (Justia)
4. O.C.G.A. 43-41-2, Definitions, residential contractor $2,500 threshold (Justia)
5. O.C.G.A. 43-41-17, Exemptions including specialty contractors (Justia)
6. Georgia Secretary of State: Traditional Specialty Contractors Policy Statements
7. Georgia Attorney General Consumer Protection Division: Storms and Fraud
8. Federal Trade Commission: Buyer's Remorse, the Cooling-Off Rule