Guides

Roof Inspection Checklist for Roofers (With Report Template)

What to check on every roof, area by area, how to photograph it, the OSHA and code numbers that matter, and a report template that turns the inspection into a quote.

Ijharul Islam October 21, 2026 8 min read

A roof inspection checklist, in short, covers six areas in order: the ground walk-around, the roof field, flashing, penetrations, gutters and drainage, and the attic and interior. Photograph each defect with a wide and a close-up shot. When you're working 6 feet or more above a lower level on a home, OSHA's residential construction rule calls for guardrails, nets or a personal fall arrest system.

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Most roof inspection checklists online are written for homeowners or facility managers. This one is for the roofer doing the inspection to win the job: what to look at, in what order, what to photograph, and how to write it up so the customer understands the quote that follows. Use it as a job checklist your crew ticks off on every inspection, so two inspectors on the same roof find the same things. Building codes vary by jurisdiction; the code sections below are from the 2021 International Residential Code, so check which edition and local amendments apply where you work.

Key takeaways

Work in the same order every time: ground, field, flashing, penetrations, gutters, attic, interior.
Safety first: 6 feet is OSHA's fall protection trigger for residential construction; ladders extend 3 feet above the landing.
Count the layers. The IRC doesn't allow a recover where the roof already has two or more layers.
Get in the attic. Stains, daylight and blocked vents explain what the shingles can't.
Two photos per defect: one wide for location, one close for detail.
Rate every finding as urgent, repair or monitor, and quote from the report the same day.

What safety rules apply before you get on the roof?

The key rule is OSHA's fall protection standard: employees doing residential construction work 6 feet or more above a lower level must be protected by guardrails, a safety net or a personal fall arrest system, unless the employer can show these are infeasible and uses a written fall protection plan instead. OSHA defines a steep roof as one with a slope greater than 4 in 12; on steep roofs with unprotected edges 6 feet or more up, the options are guardrails with toeboards, nets or personal fall arrest. If your app reads the slope in degrees, the free roof pitch calculator converts it to rise per 12.

Ladder: side rails extend at least 3 feet above the roof edge, or the ladder is secured at the top with a grab rail; set it at about 1 foot out for every 4 feet of working length.
Skylights count as holes: OSHA requires protection from falling through holes, including skylights, more than 6 feet above a lower level.
Don't walk it if it's wet, icy, very steep or soft underfoot. Inspect from the ladder, with binoculars, or with a drone flown under the FAA's rules.

What should a roof inspection checklist include?

A roof inspection checklist should include every part of the roof system that can let water in or shorten the roof's life, not just the shingles. Work through these areas in order:

1. Ground walk-around

Check	Look for
Roof lines	Sagging ridge or deck, wavy planes
Shingles from the ground	Missing tabs, color patches, curling, debris
Fascia and soffit	Rot, stains, gaps, animal entry, blocked soffit vents
Downspouts	Discharge close to the foundation, erosion, disconnected sections
Trees	Branches over or touching the roof

2. Roof field

Check	Look for
Asphalt shingles	Missing, creased or lifted shingles; granule loss; blisters; exposed or popped nails; hail or wind marks
Deck	Soft spots or sponginess underfoot
Layers	Number of existing layers, counted at the eave or a rake edge
Low-slope sections	Ponding, blisters, open seams, punctures, cracked coating
Ridge and hip caps	Cracked, loose or missing caps

Layers matter for the quote: under IRC R908.3.1.1, a roof recover isn't allowed where the existing roof has two or more applications of any covering, is water-soaked or too deteriorated to act as a base, or is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. That means a tear-off.

3. Flashing

Check	Look for
Chimney	Step and counter flashing loose, rusted or sealed with caulk only; cracked crown
Walls and dormers	Missing step flashing or kick-out flashing at the eave end
Valleys	Worn shingles, debris, cracked metal
Drip edge	Missing, bent or rusted; fascia rot behind it

4. Penetrations

Check	Look for
Pipe boots	Cracked rubber collars, missing nails or exposed fasteners
Vents and fans	Damaged hoods, rust, missing screens, poor seal
Skylights	Cracked glazing, failed flashing, condensation or stains inside
Satellite, solar and antenna mounts	Lag bolts through shingles without flashing, sealant only

5. Gutters and drainage

Check	Look for
Gutters	Clogs, sagging, pulled hangers, standing water, granules collecting
Eaves	Signs of ice damming: stains or damaged shingles along the eave
Low-slope drains and scuppers	Blocked outlets, ponding around drains

6. Attic and interior

Check	Look for
Underside of deck	Water stains, daylight, delamination, mold, nail tips frosted or rusted
Ventilation	Net free vent area against the 1/150 rule; soffit vents blocked by insulation
Insulation	Wet or compressed spots below stains
Exhaust fans	Bath or kitchen fans venting into the attic instead of outside
Ceilings and walls	Stains, peeling paint or cracks under suspect areas

For ventilation, IRC R806.2 sets the minimum net free ventilating area at 1/150 of the vented space, or 1/300 when the exception's conditions are met (40% to 50% of the vent area high in the attic, within 3 feet of the ridge, and in climate zones 6 to 8 a Class I or II vapor retarder). R806.3 requires at least a 1-inch space between insulation and sheathing at the vents. On a tear-off in an area with a history of ice damming, R905.1.2 requires an ice barrier from the eave to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line; quote it where it applies.

How should you photograph a roof inspection?

Photograph a roof inspection so someone who wasn't there can find every defect: a wide shot that shows where it is, then a close-up that shows what it is. A shot list that works:

Front of the house with the address visible, then each elevation.
Each roof slope, wide, named by direction (north slope, garage, rear dormer).
Each defect: wide, then close, with a tape measure, coin or chalk circle for scale.
Every flashing and penetration, even the good ones, so the report shows you checked.
Gutters, fascia and the attic, including vent openings and any stains.

Number the photos and use the numbers in the report, so “cracked pipe boot, photo 14” points to one picture.

What goes in a roof inspection report template?

A roof inspection report template needs the property details, a findings table with a photo for each item, a plain summary and your recommendation. Keep it to what a homeowner can act on:

Section	Fields
Header	Customer, address, date, inspector, weather, how inspected (walked, ladder, drone)
Roof facts	Covering type, approximate age, number of layers, pitch, ventilation type
Findings	Location \| issue \| severity (urgent, repair, monitor) \| photo number \| recommendation
Attic and interior	Stains, ventilation, insulation, exhaust fans
Summary	Overall condition in one paragraph, without guaranteeing remaining life
Options	Repair, partial replacement or full replacement, each with a price
Sign-off	Inspector name, license number where required, signature

How do you turn a roof inspection into a quote?

Turn the inspection into a quote by pricing the report's options straight away, while the photos and findings are fresh. Urgent items become the repair option; a roof near the end of its life gets a replacement option built with our guide on how to estimate a roofing job. Present them as good, better, best options: repair the urgent items, repair plus the flashing and ventilation fixes, or replace. Then follow up on a schedule; our guide to following up on unsold estimates has the scripts. When the customer says yes, put the job in writing with our roofing contract template.

Where CrewRobin fits

In CrewRobin you can build this checklist as a job type checklist, and technicians tick each step off in My day, the phone-friendly web page, with a photo per step. Photos can be marked up with arrows, circles, freehand and text, you choose before and after photos to show on the customer's private page, and you can print or save the job sheet as a PDF to use as the report. There are no measurement tools, and quotes don't carry photos, so send the job sheet alongside the good, better, best quote. See how it works for roofers.

Frequently asked questions

What is included in a roof inspection checklist?

A full checklist covers the ground walk-around, the roof field (shingles or membrane, deck, layers, ridge), flashing, penetrations such as pipe boots, vents and skylights, gutters and drainage, and the attic and interior for stains, ventilation and insulation.

What fall protection do roofers need during an inspection?

OSHA's residential construction rule calls for guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems for work 6 feet or more above a lower level, unless the employer shows these are infeasible and uses a written fall protection plan. Ladders must extend 3 feet above the landing or be secured at the top.

How many layers of shingles are allowed?

Under the 2021 International Residential Code, a recover isn't allowed where the roof already has two or more layers of any covering, so a third layer means a tear-off. Local codes can differ, so check your jurisdiction.

How much attic ventilation does a roof need?

IRC R806.2 sets the minimum net free ventilating area at 1/150 of the vented attic space, or 1/300 when the code's conditions on high vents and, in cold climate zones, a vapor retarder are met.

Should roofers charge for a roof inspection?

It depends on your market and the purpose. Some roofers offer free inspections to win replacement work and charge for detailed written reports. If you charge, say whether the fee is credited to the job.

Put it to work this week

Turn your roof inspection checklist into a job checklist with a photo per step, then send the quote the same day. CrewRobin is free until your first 10 booked jobs, no card up front. Start free or see pricing.

Sources

Figures from outside CrewRobin were checked against these pages in October 2026. Most industry benchmarks come from vendors and agencies, so treat them as ranges, not rules.

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