New Roof Leaking After the First Rain: What to Do
A new roof that leaks in its first rains is first a question for the roofer who put it on. The shingle manufacturers' standard warranties cover defects in their products; GAF's and Owens Corning's both exclude damage caused by improper installation, and Owens Corning's also excludes leaks through metal work, counterflashing and pipe boots that aren't its products. Contain the water, photograph the leak and the ceiling with dates, and tell the installer in writing the same day, asking when they'll come. If the roof carries a manufacturer's system warranty that covers installation, notify the manufacturer too, within 30 days of noticing the problem, and don't let anyone repair or replace the new roofing before it has been looked at. And make sure it's the roof at all: windows, plumbing and an attic air conditioner can leak in the first wet season too.
This page is about a roof put on in the last few years, mostly asphalt shingles, in California. It covers what to do and in what order; it isn't legal advice on a particular contract. Finding exactly where water gets in is covered in how to find a roof leak, and what each kind of roof warranty covers is in roofing warranties explained.
Who answers for what
Who fixes a leak in a new roof, and at whose cost, depends on what caused it. The roofer, the shingle maker and your insurer each cover a different kind of failure.
| What caused the leak | Who answers for it | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| How the roof was put on: flashing, fastening, underlayment, details | The installer, under its workmanship warranty | Written notice to the installer, with photos |
| The same, on a roof with a registered system warranty that includes installation, such as GAF's Golden Pledge or Owens Corning's Platinum Protection | The installer, and the manufacturer under that warranty | Also notify the manufacturer within 30 days of noticing the problem |
| A defect in the shingles themselves | The manufacturer, under its material warranty | A claim within 30 days, and no repair or replacement before the manufacturer has been told |
| A storm, a fallen branch or wind beyond the shingle's rated speed | Neither warranty: it's a question for your homeowners insurance | Report it to the insurer and protect the house from further damage |
| Something other than the roof: a window, plumbing, an attic air conditioner | Whoever installed or maintains that part of the house | Sort it out with the clues in the next sections |
Today: contain it and write it down
1. Catch the water and move what it can damage; if water is near light fixtures or the ceiling is sagging, follow the safety steps in what to do when the roof leaks in a storm. Stay off the roof.
- Photograph and film it while it's wet: the drip, the ceiling, anything damaged, and the roof above from the ground. Note the date, the time and how hard it was raining.
- Mark the stain. A pencil line around its edge with the date shows later whether it grew, and after what.
- Keep everything together: the contract, the invoice that names the products, any warranty papers, the permit record and your photos of the finished job, if you took any.
Make sure it's the roof
The first heavy rain tests the whole house, not just the new roofing. A stain under a window, on a wall with no roof directly above it, or one that grows on dry days points somewhere else: the window or the wall, the plumbing, or the condensate drain of an air conditioner in the attic. How to tell them apart is in ceiling water stain: roof, plumbing or AC. If it follows the rain and shows on the top floor, under the roof, treat it as the roof until the installer shows otherwise.
Tell the installer, in writing
Call if you like, but send the notice in writing too, by email or text, with the photos, the date it started, where it shows and the job's address and date, and ask when they'll come to look. A written notice gives you a dated record, and California's Contractors State License Board (CSLB) asks, when a homeowner files a complaint, whether the contractor was formally notified first; it publishes a guide with a sample letter in English and Spanish.
The installer's workmanship warranty is the promise that covers how the roof was put on. Its length and terms are whatever your contract says; CertainTeed's homeowner guide puts typical contractor workmanship warranties at one to five years, and the CSLB tells homeowners to get any warranty for labor and materials in writing.
A good response looks at the roof before it argues about the cause. On a 2022 job in Echo Park, when water showed up under a low-slope section of a roof we'd worked on the year before, our roofer went out within three days to look rather than to quote; the section was opened so the deck under it could be checked, then rebuilt at our cost.
If the manufacturer's warranty covers installation
Most new shingle roofs come with the manufacturer's standard material warranty, and that one doesn't pay for installation mistakes. The manufacturers' registered system warranties are different at their top tiers:
- GAF's Golden Pledge covers misapplication of GAF products and of the flashings at valleys, dormers, chimneys, sidewalls and plumbing vents.
- Owens Corning's Platinum Protection includes workmanship, which it defines as any defective installation of the Owens Corning roofing system that causes leaks or materially affects the roof's performance.
If your roof has one of these, notify the manufacturer as well as the roofer. Both GAF and Owens Corning require a claim within 30 days after you notice the problem, and GAF notes that telling your contractor isn't notice to GAF. GAF also warns that a claim may be denied if the products are repaired or replaced before you've notified it or before it has finished evaluating the claim; if a repair can't wait, give the manufacturer reasonable notice first. Which tier you have is on the warranty registration, since the system tiers are registered by the contractor, as explained in roofing warranties explained.
What the installer should check
A re-roof has to meet California's residential code, and the code sets where the details go; those details are the first places to check:
- Flashings that should have been replaced. Existing flashings, edgings, vents and similar parts that are rusted, damaged or deteriorated have to be replaced on a re-roof, not reused (CRC R908.5).
- Every intersection and opening. Flashing goes where the roof meets a wall, wherever the slope or direction changes, and around openings, with a kickout flashing where an eave runs into a side wall (R903.2.1), and a cricket behind a chimney more than 30 inches wide (R903.2.2).
- Low-slope sections of a shingle roof. Between 2:12 and 4:12, the underlayment goes on double (R905.2.2).
- The edges. A drip edge at the eaves and rakes, with the underlayment lapped the right way over and under it (R905.2.8.5).
- Solar panels put back on. Each mount reinstalled on the new roof is a new penetration with its own flashing; who answers for a leak at one is covered in roof warranty vs solar warranty.
The code's baseline is that the roof assembly, installed to the code and the manufacturer's instructions, protects the building (CRC R903.1). A new roof that lets water in hasn't done that yet, whatever the cause turns out to be.
If the installer doesn't respond
Send a second written notice, dated, saying what you've already sent and when. If that gets no answer:
- The CSLB. It handles violations of the contractors' license law for up to four years from the act, and a willful departure in any material respect from accepted trade standards for good and workmanlike construction is a cause for discipline under the Business and Professions Code (section 7109). The CSLB is clear that its investigation isn't about getting your money back and doesn't guarantee restitution; for that, it points homeowners to the courts, with a guide to small claims for limited amounts.
- Your homeowners insurance, if the leak has damaged the inside of the house. Whether that's covered depends on the policy; the California Department of Insurance says to report water damage promptly.
- The permit record. A re-roof done under a permit should end with a final; a final inspection isn't a promise the roof won't leak, but an open permit is one more thing to settle with the installer now. How to check it is in checking that a re-roof permit was finaled.
Frequently asked
Is it normal for a new roof to leak?
Who pays to fix a leak in a new roof?
Will the shingle warranty cover a leak in a new roof?
How long do I have to report a new roof leak?
Can I hire a different roofer to fix it?
What if the roofer says it isn't the roof?
Related reading
Sources & methodology
Code sections, rules and figures on this page come from the primary sources below. Codes, local requirements and product terms change; each was verified October 5, 2026.
- GAF, Shingle & Accessory Limited Warranty (RESWT160)
- GAF, Golden Pledge Limited Warranty (sample)
- Owens Corning, Standard Product Limited Lifetime Warranty
- Owens Corning, Platinum Protection Limited Lifetime Warranty
- Contractors State License Board, Filing a Construction Complaint
- California Business and Professions Code, section 7109
- California Residential Code 2025, Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies (R903.1, R903.2.1, R903.2.2, R905.2.2, R905.2.8.5, R908.5)
If we put your roof on, we come back and fix it
Call (323) 844-7777. If we installed your roof, we come out to find the leak and fix it as our written workmanship warranty says. If another company did, we can look and tell you in writing what we find, so you can take it to them. Have ready the date of the job, your photos, when it leaked and the warranty papers you were given.
Prepared by Cali Energy, October 5, 2026. This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, financial, engineering, or utility advice. Rates, incentives, codes, permit requirements, equipment specifications, prices, and program terms may change; figures and timelines are estimates, not guarantees. Confirm current requirements with the applicable utility, AHJ, program administrator, manufacturer, or a licensed professional. See our Content Disclaimer. Cali Energy · 19201 Parthenia St, Unit E, Northridge, CA 91324 · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39)