Roofer screening questions: roof systems, fall protection, age rules and crew fit
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Roofer screening questions should find out which roof systems the candidate has installed (asphalt shingle, low-slope membrane, metal, tile), in which role (laborer, installer, lead, service tech), and whether they use fall protection as a habit or only when someone is watching. Then confirm the knockouts the law sets, starting with age, and the practical ones: early starts, travel to sites and a full day of carrying material on a pitch. Candidates who have done the work describe sequence and detail; candidates who have watched describe results.
This bank is for residential and commercial roofing contractors and the agencies that staff them. Solar installers work on many of the same roofs; the solar installer screening questions cover racking and electrical work. Framing and decking crews overlap with the carpenter screening questions.
Match the roof before you match the roofer
| Work type | What the job is | Screen for |
|---|---|---|
| Residential steep-slope (shingle) | Tear-off, deck repair, underlayment, shingles, flashing, cleanup, often in a single day | Sequence, flashing details, nail placement, speed, homeowner sites |
| Commercial low-slope | TPO, PVC, EPDM, modified bitumen or built-up systems, insulation, edge metal | Seam welding or adhesives, probing seams, warning lines, larger crews |
| Metal | Standing seam or exposed fastener panels, trim, sometimes on-site panel forming | Panel handling in wind, trim details, fastener patterns |
| Tile and slate | Heavy, fragile material, specialized flashing | Walking technique, breakage, staging loads |
| Repair and service | Leak calls, inspections, small repairs, often working alone | Diagnosis, photos and reporting, customer contact, driving |
The rules that shape the screen
As of October 2026, from federal regulations and state law (not legal advice):
- Age. Hazardous Occupations Order 16 bars minors under 18 from all occupations in roofing operations and all work on or about a roof, including painting and coating existing roofs and related ground work. Registered apprentices and student-learners can be exempt under the conditions in 29 CFR 570.50.
- Fall protection. 29 CFR 1926.501 requires it at 6 feet or more. On low-slope roofs (4 in 12 or less), employers may use guardrails, nets, personal fall arrest, or a warning line combined with one of those or with a safety monitor; on roofs 50 feet wide or less, a safety monitoring system alone is permitted. On steep roofs (over 4 in 12), the options are guardrails with toeboards, nets or personal fall arrest.
- Training. Under 1926.503, the employer trains each worker exposed to fall hazards and keeps a written certification with the worker's name, training dates and the trainer's or employer's signature.
- Ladders. Portable ladder side rails must extend at least 3 feet above the upper landing, or the ladder must be secured with a grab device provided (1926.1053(b)(1)).
- OSHA-10. OSHA calls its outreach training voluntary, but Nevada requires construction workers to get an OSHA-10 card within 15 days of hire (NRS 618.983), and New York (Labor Law 220-h, public work of $250,000 or more) and Connecticut (CGS 31-53b) require 10-hour training on covered public projects. New York City requires Site Safety Training cards on many sites.
Contractor licensing usually sits with the business. California's C-39 Roofing classification and Florida's certified and registered roofing contractors are licenses for the company or its qualifier, and Florida exempts employees acting within the scope of their employer's license (F.S. 489.103). Ask the client only if they need the hire to qualify a license.
Knockout questions
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Are you at least 18? (Or, for an apprenticeship, are you enrolled in a registered program?) | Yes. Ask only whether they meet the minimum, never a date of birth. | Any hesitation on a roofing crew; the law does not allow it. |
| 2. Crews meet at the shop at [6 a.m.] and drive to sites up to [distance] away, with Saturdays in season. Can you do that? | Yes, with how they get to the shop. | No way to reach the shop on time, for a role with no ride. |
| 3. The job means climbing ladders, working on pitches up to [x in 12] and carrying bundles of about [weight]. Can you do that, with or without accommodation? | Yes, often with the heaviest systems they have carried. | None from the answer itself. Do not ask about health. |
| 4. Everyone on our roofs wears a harness on steep slopes and works inside warning lines on flat roofs. Is that how you have worked? | Yes, and they describe their own harness and anchor. | "We never bothered on low pitches" or "It slows you down." |
Roof system questions
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| 5. Walk me through a shingle reroof from tear-off to cleanup. | Protects landscaping, tears off, inspects and replaces bad decking, drip edge, ice and water barrier at eaves and valleys where required, underlayment, starter, shingles to the manufacturer's nailing pattern, flashing, ridge vent, magnet sweep. | Skips decking inspection and flashing, or "goes over the old layer" without checking whether it is allowed. |
| 6. How do you flash a wall where the roof meets siding, and a chimney? | Step flashing woven with each course, counterflashing on masonry, kickout at the roof edge. | "Caulk it" as the main answer. |
| 7. On a low-slope job, which membranes have you installed, and how did you check seams? | Names the system, the welder or adhesive, test welds at the start of the day, probing seams after cooling. | Claims commercial experience but cannot name a membrane. |
| 8. On a metal roof, how did you handle panels in wind and cut trim? | Two-person carries, staging, never leaving panels loose, snips or a nibbler rather than an abrasive wheel where the manufacturer says so. | Has only watched metal crews. |
| 9. You find soft decking across half the roof after tear-off. What do you do? | Stops, tells the lead, photographs it so the office can talk to the customer about the change. | Shingles over it to finish the day. |
Fall protection and site safety questions
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| 10. How did you set your anchor and tie off on your last steep roof? | Installs the anchor into framing per the instructions before going up the slope, inspects harness and lanyard, keeps the line short and out of the way. | Cannot describe the anchor, or ties off to a vent pipe. |
| 11. How do you set and climb a ladder to the roof? | Firm base, about one foot out for every four up, at least 3 feet above the eave, tied off, three points of contact, materials hoisted rather than carried up. | Carries bundles up the ladder with one hand. |
| 12. On a flat roof, where do skylights, hatches and edges fit into your day? | Covers or guards skylights and openings, respects warning lines, knows who is the safety monitor if one is used. | Has walked backward toward an edge while rolling material. |
| 13. What do you do when it starts to rain or the wind picks up mid-tear-off? | Dries in what is open, secures loose material, gets off the roof when the lead calls it. | Keeps working on wet felt to finish. |
Crew and production questions
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| 14. How many squares did your crew install on a normal day, how many people, and what was your part? | A number of squares, a crew size, a role. Example: "Five of us did about 30 squares of architectural shingles on a simple roof; I ran the starter and field." | A crew total claimed as personal output. |
| 15. What tools do you bring, and which do you expect the company to supply? | Lists hand tools, knows the company usually supplies nail guns, compressors and fall protection. | Owns no basic tools for an installer role. |
| 16. A homeowner comes out angry about nails in the driveway. What do you do? | Stays polite, gets the lead, runs the magnet sweep again. | Argues or ignores them. |
Treat production figures with care: squares per day depend on pitch, cut-up, tear-off layers and crew size, so compare only against similar roofs the client actually does.
A 10-minute phone-screen flow
- Minute 0 to 1: roof types, crew role, start time, season, pay (hourly or piece rate) and transport.
- Minutes 1 to 3: knockouts 1 to 4.
- Minutes 3 to 6: question 5 or 7, depending on the work, plus 9.
- Minutes 6 to 8: questions 10 and 11.
- Minutes 8 to 10: question 14, then the next step: a paid working trial with the crew lead.
A paid trial day on a real roof tells a lead more than any interview, provided the candidate has been through the client's fall protection training first. See how to run a job trial day.
Scoring the screen
Pass or fail: 18 or older (or a registered apprentice under the exemption); can make the start time and travel; can do the physical work, with or without accommodation; accepts the client's fall protection rules; holds any OSHA-10 or site card the job location requires, or can get it in time.
Scored 0 to 2 each (10 possible):
- Roof system match.
- Sequence and flashing detail.
- Fall protection habits described in specifics.
- Judgment on decking, weather and stopping work.
- Production claims that fit the crew size and roof type.
Legal cautions
This section summarizes rules as of October 2026 and is not legal advice.
- Age: ask only whether the candidate is 18 or older, which the roofing ban makes a job requirement.
- Physical demands: describe the work and ask whether they can do it with or without accommodation. Do not ask about injuries, workers' compensation claims or medical history before an offer.
- Drug testing: many roofing contractors test, but state laws on cannabis and testing differ; see drug testing laws in hiring.
- Work authorization and language: ask whether the candidate is authorized to work in the U.S., not where they are from, and ask about English only if the job requires it. The full list is in illegal interview questions.
Questions people ask
Can a 16- or 17-year-old work for a roofing company?
Not on roofing work. Hazardous Occupations Order 16 at 29 CFR 570.67 bars anyone under 18 from all occupations in roofing operations and all work on or about a roof, including related ground jobs. There is a limited exemption for registered apprentices and student-learners under the conditions in 29 CFR 570.50.
At what height does a roofer need fall protection?
Under OSHA's construction standard, 29 CFR 1926.501(b), fall protection is required for work on roofs with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet or more above a lower level. Low-slope roofs allow guardrails, nets, personal fall arrest or certain warning-line combinations, while steep roofs require guardrails with toeboards, nets or personal fall arrest.
Do roofers need an OSHA 10 card?
Not under federal OSHA rules, which treat outreach training as voluntary. Some states and cities require it: Nevada requires construction workers to hold an OSHA-10 card within 15 days of hire, and New York and Connecticut require 10-hour training on certain public works projects. Check the job location.
Does a roofer need a contractor license?
The business usually does, not the crew. California licenses roofing contractors under the C-39 classification and Florida certifies or registers roofing contractors, while Florida law exempts employees working within the scope of their employer's license. Ask the client whether the role must act as a license qualifier.