If a roofer handed you a "lifetime warranty" and you filed it away without reading it, you're like most people. Here's the short version: you almost certainly have two separate warranties, they cover completely different things, and neither one covers the damage Arkansas homeowners are most likely to have. Knowing the difference matters most at two moments — when something goes wrong, and when you sell the house.
The manufacturer warranty comes from whoever made the shingles — GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed, Atlas. It covers defective materials. If the shingles themselves fail prematurely because of how they were made, this is the warranty that pays.
The workmanship warranty comes from the roofing contractor. It covers installation — nails driven at the wrong angle or depth, flashing done poorly around a chimney, valleys cut wrong, ventilation left inadequate.
Here's the part that surprises people: the overwhelming majority of roof problems are installation problems, not manufacturing defects. Shingles from a major brand rarely fail on their own. So the workmanship warranty — usually shorter, less advertised, and from a local company — is the one doing most of the real work protecting you.
That's also why it's worth asking any roofer for the workmanship warranty term in writing before you sign. One year and twenty-five years are both common in Central Arkansas, and the difference tells you a lot about the company.
Not the lifetime of the roof, and not your lifetime. On most shingle warranties, "lifetime" means as long as the original owner owns the home — which ends the day you sell.
There's a second catch. Most standard limited warranties include an initial period of full, non-prorated coverage, after which the payout prorates down based on the roof's age. Ten years into a prorated warranty, a claim may only be worth a fraction of what replacement costs. Pull out your actual warranty document and look for the words "non-prorated period" — that's the number that matters.
No. This is the single biggest misconception about roof warranties in Little Rock, and it costs people money.
Warranties cover defects — in the material or in the installation. Hail, straight-line wind, a fallen limb, and ice damage are insurance claims, not warranty claims. In a state that gets hit as often as Arkansas does, that distinction decides who you call. If a spring storm bruised your shingles, you're calling your insurer, not the manufacturer. (Our guide on whether homeowners insurance covers roof replacement walks through that side of it.)
More things than you'd expect, and most of them are avoidable:
Partly — and only if you move fast:
If you're listing your home, a transferred roof warranty is a real selling point. Put the paperwork with your disclosures and start the transfer at closing, not a month later. Our guide to roof inspections when buying or selling covers the rest of what changes hands with the house.
A workmanship warranty is only as good as the company standing behind it. In Arkansas, residential roofing work valued at $2,000 or more requires the contractor to be registered or licensed through the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board — typically a Residential Roofer Registration, or a Residential Builder or Remodeler license.
A 10-year workmanship warranty from an unregistered out-of-state crew that showed up after a hailstorm is a piece of paper, not a warranty. Verify the registration before you sign, not after the leak. Our guide to spotting a roofing scam shows how.
Ask any roofer for three things on paper: the exact shingle going on your roof (manufacturer and product line), the length and terms of their own workmanship warranty, and whether they're offering a standard or an enhanced system warranty. If they can't produce all three, that's your answer.
Tell us about your roof, and we'll connect you with a local roofing pro for an inspection and a written, line-item estimate that spells out both warranties. Free to use, no obligation.
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