Texas does not license roofing contractors. There is no state board, no licence number, no public register. For a homeowner trying to tell a good roofer from a bad one, there is nothing official to check.
That absence is exactly why the state regulates what roofers may say instead. And one of the most common sentences on Texas roofing websites sits on the wrong side of it.
The rule
Texas Insurance Code Chapter 707 prohibits a roofing contractor from advertising or promising to pay, waive, absorb, rebate or otherwise offset an insurance deductible. Reported penalties run to a fine of up to $2,000 and up to six months in jail.
It is worth being precise about what is caught, because contractors often assume a rewording solves it. These are all the same offer:
- “We’ll cover your deductible”
- “No out-of-pocket cost to you”
- “Insurance pays 100%”
- “We’ll work with your deductible”
- “Free roof if you’re approved”
If the homeowner reads it as “I will not pay my deductible”, changing the phrasing does not change the substance.
The second rule people miss
Insurance Code §4102.163 restricts a contractor from acting as a public insurance adjuster on a property they are contracted to repair. In practice that means being careful about what you claim to do with the insurer — “we handle your claim for you” and “we negotiate with your adjuster” are riskier phrases than they sound.
Documenting damage, meeting the adjuster on site and providing an estimate is normal contractor work. Representing the homeowner in the claim is not.
What to say instead
The honest version converts better anyway, because it makes you the credible one in a category people are warned about:
- Free inspection with a written report, photographs included
- We document the damage properly so your claim is supported
- We meet your adjuster on site
- Clear written estimate before anything starts
- Deductible explained in plain English — what it is and when it is due
That last one is genuinely useful. Plenty of homeowners do not understand how a deductible works on a storm claim. Explaining it is a service, and it separates you from whoever is promising to make it disappear.
Why this matters more after a storm
A hail event brings out-of-area crews with ad budgets a local roofer cannot match. They leave; you do not. The homeowner comparing you against them has no state licence to check, so what they have is your website — and a site making an illegal offer reads exactly like the operator they were warned about.
Audit your own copy
Open your site and search it for the word “deductible”. Check the homepage, storm damage page, any landing pages from old ad campaigns, and your Google Business Profile description. It usually turns up in more than one place.
We rewrite this as a matter of course — here is how we structure a compliant roofing site for roofers in Paris, TX, and the SEO side of the same problem.
We build websites, we are not your lawyer or your licensing board. Rules change and enforcement varies. Confirm your own obligations with the relevant authority before relying on anything here.