How do you find out when a roof was replaced?
Short answer. The most reliable source is the building permit history kept by your city or county, which many Georgia jurisdictions let you search online by address. Other good sources are the seller's disclosure, past inspection and appraisal reports, the previous owner or their roofer, manufacturer warranty registration, and your insurance records.
Where to look, in order
- Permit records. Search your city or county building department's portal by address and look for reroof or roofing permits. Some offices answer by phone or email. Keep in mind that not every Georgia jurisdiction requires a roofing permit, so a missing permit does not prove the roof is original. See roofing permits in Georgia.
- Your closing file. The seller's property disclosure used in many Georgia sales asks about the roof's age and repairs, and the buyer's home inspection report usually estimates it.
- Insurance records. Your insurer may have a roof year on file from underwriting, and your agent can tell you what it says. That matters, because roof age affects coverage. More at roof age and insurance.
- The previous owner. A quick message through your agent or a neighbor often gets the roofer's name and the year.
- Warranty registration. If the roof was registered with the shingle manufacturer, the manufacturer may be able to confirm the installation date for the address.
- Neighbors. In subdivisions, many roofs were replaced after the same hailstorm. Ask when theirs were done.
- Aerial imagery. Historical satellite views in free mapping tools sometimes show the roof color changing between two dates.
Write it down once you know
Save the date, the contractor, the product name and color, and the warranty documents in one place. You will need them for insurance applications, a future sale and any repair that requires matching shingles.