Construction
Roofer Job Description
Roofers install, repair, and replace roofing systems on residential and commercial buildings, working with asphalt shingles, modified bitumen, TPO, EPDM, metal panels, and built-up roofing systems. The work is physically demanding, weather-dependent, and requires both precision installation and strict adherence to fall protection requirements.
Last updated
Role at a glance
- Typical education
- Apprenticeship (JATC) or on-the-job training
- Typical experience
- Entry-level (0-2 years) to experienced
- Key certifications
- OSHA 10 Construction, GAF Master Elite, NRCA ProCertification, TPO/PVC welding certification
- Top employer types
- Residential roofing contractors, commercial roofing companies, homebuilders, solar installation firms
- Growth outlook
- Significant replacement wave underway due to aging building stock and weather-driven demand
- AI impact (through 2030)
- Largely unaffected; an in-person, physically demanding trade involving manual installation and weather-dependent labor that AI cannot displace.
Duties and responsibilities
- Remove existing roofing materials: shingles, membrane, flashing, and underlayment before tear-off and replacement
- Install roof deck sheathing, underlayment, and ice and water shield per manufacturer specifications and local code
- Apply asphalt shingles with correct nail pattern, exposure, and flashing integration at valleys, ridges, and penetrations
- Install single-ply membrane roofing (TPO, EPDM) using heat welding, adhesive, or ballasted attachment methods
- Apply modified bitumen and built-up roofing (BUR) systems including mopping, torch-down, and self-adhered cap sheets
- Flash and waterproof roof penetrations including pipes, HVAC curbs, skylights, and parapet walls
- Install metal flashings, counter-flashings, coping caps, edge metal, and drip edges to prevent water infiltration
- Inspect completed roofing for bubbles, wrinkles, open seams, and improper drains; correct deficiencies before job sign-off
- Set up and comply with fall protection systems: guardrails, personal fall arrest, warning line systems, and safety monitors
- Maintain and clean equipment including kettles, torches, welding equipment, and hand tools after each use
Overview
Roofers install and maintain one of the most critical systems in any building — the barrier that keeps everything inside dry. The work is done outdoors, at elevation, in direct weather, and the product has to perform for decades without leaking. There's a kind of simplicity to the job's standard: either the roof keeps water out or it doesn't, and the customer will definitely know the difference.
On residential re-roofing work, which makes up a large share of the industry's volume, the day starts early. Tear-off crews strip existing shingles, inspect the deck for rot or damage, replace damaged sheeting, and set up for the new installation. The installation sequence — starter strip, underlayment, flashing at all penetrations and valleys, field shingles, ridge cap — has to follow the manufacturer's installation requirements to maintain the warranty. Shingle roofers who cut corners on nail pattern, exposure, or flashing get callbacks, and callbacks kill productivity.
Commercial membrane work is slower and more detail-intensive. TPO seam welding requires maintaining proper temperature and speed across every linear foot of seam on a roof that might have 50,000 square feet of membrane. Seam quality is tested by probing with a screwdriver — an open seam fails immediately. Penetration details — the places where pipes, drains, and HVAC curbs interrupt the membrane — are where most commercial roof failures originate, and experienced roofers give them disproportionate attention.
Fall protection is part of every roofer's daily setup. Whether it's setting up warning line systems on a flat commercial roof, installing guardrails on a residential peak, or tying off to a roof anchor, the system has to be in place before anyone works at the roof edge. The industry's safety record has improved significantly as OSHA enforcement and contractor programs have made fall protection culturally normal rather than optional.
Qualifications
Entry paths:
- JATC (Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee) through the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers — 3-year apprenticeship with classroom and field training
- Direct hire as a laborer with roofing contractors, advancing through demonstrated skill and reliability
- Roofing trade school programs (rare; most training is on the job)
Certifications:
- OSHA 10 Construction (standard requirement at many commercial contractors)
- Manufacturer certifications: GAF Master Elite, Owens Corning Platinum Preferred, Johns Manville Contractor programs
- NRCA (National Roofing Contractors Association) ProCertification for commercial roofers
- Hot work permit authorization for torch-applied membrane systems
- Welding certification for TPO/PVC heat-welded seams (major commercial contractors)
Physical requirements:
- Comfortable working at elevation — residential steep slope and commercial roofs both require comfort with heights
- Heavy lifting: shingle bundles run 65–80 lbs; roofing equipment is heavy
- Working in hot, sunny conditions — rooftop temperatures in summer can exceed 140°F on dark membrane
- Good balance and agility on sloped surfaces
Technical knowledge:
- Roofing systems: asphalt shingles, TPO, EPDM, modified bitumen, metal panels, built-up roofing
- Flashing systems: step flashing, counter-flashing, lead pipe jacks, HVAC curb flashing, expansion joints
- Drainage: internal drain systems, scuppers, overflow protection
- Fall protection systems: guardrail requirements, personal fall arrest system selection and inspection
- Reading roofing specifications and manufacturer technical bulletins
Career outlook
Demand for roofers is driven by both new construction and replacement activity. New construction creates a one-time installation need; the replacement cycle creates ongoing demand as roofs age out. Commercial flat roofing systems have 15–25 year useful lives; residential shingle systems run 20–30 years. Given the volume of commercial and residential construction that occurred in the 1990s–2010s, a significant replacement wave is underway.
Weather events are accelerating roof replacement activity. Hail storms, hurricanes, and winter ice damage drive insurance-funded replacement volume that tracks storm activity rather than economic cycles. In hail-prone markets (Texas, Colorado, the central plains), storm-chasing roofing contractors generate high volumes of residential replacement work that can compress entire years of replacement activity into weeks after a major storm.
The residential roofing labor market is tight. Roofing is physically demanding, weather-dependent, and has high injury rates compared to other construction trades — factors that reduce the pool of workers willing to do it long-term. Production roofing for homebuilders, which involves repetitive installation of the same shingle systems on similar homes, turns over staff quickly but provides good entry-level training for workers who want to advance into commercial or specialty roofing.
For roofers who develop commercial membrane skills — particularly TPO welding, sheet metal work, and multi-system roofing on complex commercial buildings — compensation and job security improve substantially. Lead mechanics and foremen on commercial roofing projects earn $70K–$90K in most markets, and the overlap between roofing, waterproofing, and building envelope work creates a wide career path.
Photovoltaic roofing integration is an emerging specialization. Roofers who understand both roofing systems and solar installation are positioned for growing demand as building-integrated PV products continue developing.
Sample cover letter
Dear Hiring Manager,
I'm applying for the Roofer position at [Company]. I've been in the roofing trade for six years — two years in residential shingles to learn the basics, then four years focused on commercial low-slope work with [Contractor], primarily TPO and modified bitumen on industrial and institutional projects.
My current work centers on large commercial roof replacement jobs: tear-off, deck inspection and repair, new insulation and cover board, and single-ply membrane installation. I'm experienced with hot-air welding on TPO using Leister and Miller Weld Master equipment, and I've passed seam quality audits on all jobs where we had third-party inspection. The detail work — penetration boots, inside and outside corners, expansion joints — is where I spend the most time and attention, because that's where leaks start if you're not careful.
Last spring I was the lead mechanic on a 60,000-square-foot warehouse re-roofing project where the owner had an extremely compressed schedule — they needed the membrane in place before their inventory arrived. We ran a two-crew system for the membrane phase, which required me to coordinate welding equipment positioning and overlap sequences between crews across two roof sections. We finished the membrane 10 days ahead of the milestone.
I'm looking for a commercial roofing contractor with a variety of project types — I'd like more exposure to standing seam metal and vegetative roof systems to round out my experience. [Company]'s project portfolio looks like the right environment for that.
[Your Name]
Frequently asked questions
- What does a Roofer do?
- Roofers install, repair, and replace roofing systems on residential and commercial buildings, working with asphalt shingles, modified bitumen, TPO, EPDM, metal panels, and built-up roofing systems. The work is physically demanding, weather-dependent, and requires both precision installation and strict adherence to fall protection requirements.
- What are the main duties of a Roofer?
- Core duties include: remove existing roofing materials: shingles, membrane, flashing, and underlayment before tear-off and replacement; install roof deck sheathing, underlayment, and ice and water shield per manufacturer specifications and local code; and apply asphalt shingles with correct nail pattern, exposure, and flashing integration at valleys, ridges, and penetrations.
- What types of roofing systems do Roofers work on?
- Residential roofers primarily work with asphalt shingles, though wood shake, tile, and metal are common in some markets. Commercial roofers work with low-slope membrane systems: TPO and EPDM (single-ply), modified bitumen, built-up roofing, and spray polyurethane foam (SPF). Metal roofing — standing seam, ribbed panels — spans both residential and commercial. Many roofers specialize in one system category.
- Is roofing among the more dangerous construction trades?
- Roofing consistently appears in BLS data as one of the construction occupations with the highest fall fatality rates. Falls from roofs are preventable with proper fall protection systems — guardrails, personal fall arrest, or safety monitors — and OSHA 1926 Subpart M requires fall protection on any work surface 6 feet or more above a lower level. Roofers who consistently use their fall protection have significantly better safety records.
- Do Roofers need a license?
- Licensing requirements vary by state and municipality. Florida, Arizona, and several other states require contractor licensing for roofing work above a certain dollar threshold. Some states require journeyman roofer cards for anyone who pulls a permit. Many states have no roofing-specific license. Workers should check state contractor licensing board requirements before working independently.
- What is the difference between commercial and residential roofing?
- Residential roofing is predominantly steep-slope work (asphalt shingles, tile, metal) and involves more variable shapes — hips, valleys, dormers. Commercial roofing is mostly low-slope membrane work on flat or slightly pitched roofs — larger, simpler geometry but with more complex penetration details and more demanding waterproofing standards. The skills have overlap but the systems are distinct.
- How is roofing technology changing in 2025–2026?
- Drone inspection is reducing the time and fall exposure required to assess roof conditions before replacement or repair. Photovoltaic-integrated roofing (Tesla Solar Roof, GAF Timberline Solar) is creating new installation requirements that combine roofing and electrical skills. TPO manufacturers have improved seam technology, and self-adhered membranes continue to expand as alternatives to torched and hot-mopped application.
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