Roof Warranties Explained: What Each One Covers

It covers asphalt shingle roofs on single-family houses. Warranty documents change, so the one that applies to your roof is the one dated for when its shingles were bought or installed: read your own copy. Who pays to take solar panels off a roof for warranty work is covered in roof, solar and installer warranties, and why a warranty term isn't a promise of service life is in when to replace tile roof underlayment.

• The manufacturer's material warranty comes with the shingles. It covers manufacturing defects, plus wind and algae coverage on its own terms. It doesn't cover damage caused by the installation.
• The manufacturer's system warranty is an upgrade a manufacturer sells only through contractors it has credentialed, for a roof built mostly from its own components and registered with it. It lengthens the full-coverage years, adds tear-off and disposal, and at the top tiers covers installation errors too. What those credentials mean is in what a roofer's manufacturer certification means.
• The contractor's workmanship warranty is the roofer's own promise to fix leaks and failures caused by how the roof was put on. CertainTeed's homeowner guide puts typical contractor workmanship warranties at one to five years. California's Contractors State License Board (CSLB) tells homeowners to get any warranty for labor and materials in writing.

A leak from a crooked flashing at a chimney is a workmanship failure. A shingle that cracks or loses its granules early from a defect is a material failure. Hail, a fallen branch or a wind gust above the rated speed is neither: both warranties exclude it, and it's a question for the homeowner's insurance policy.

Owens Corning's 2026 documents apply to shingles bought after August 1, 2026; earlier roofs fall under the version in force when theirs were bought. The GAF Silver and Golden Pledge documents are the samples GAF publishes; the registered warranty issued for a roof is the one that counts. How the four brands' flagship shingles compare on full coverage, wind and algae terms is in GAF vs Owens Corning vs CertainTeed vs Malarkey.

Lifetime is ownership. GAF defines "Lifetime" as as long as you, the original owner, or a second owner the warranty was properly transferred to, own the property, and limits it to a single-family detached house owned by individuals; other buildings get 40 years. Owens Corning's Limited Lifetime runs "for as long as Owner owns home."

Full coverage comes first, then proration. During GAF's 10-year Smart Choice period on its standard warranty, GAF pays the full reasonable cost of labor to repair or re-cover defective GAF products and supplies the replacement products, but it won't pay to tear them off or dispose of them. After that, labor is no longer covered, and the materials are reduced for the use you've had. GAF's own example: a claim on Lifetime shingles 25 years after installation is reduced by 300 of 600 months, or 50%; from year 41 GAF's contribution is 20%. Owens Corning's standard warranty works the same way in outline: material and labor in the 10-year TRU PROtection period, then a prorated amount for defects that cause leaks.

System warranties stretch the first period. The registered tiers extend the full-coverage years to 50 for most lifetime shingles and add the labor to tear off and dispose of the old material when a repair needs it. That's the coverage a homeowner usually imagines a "lifetime" roof has.

• Damage from installation errors under the standard warranties: GAF excludes improper fastening or application not in strict accordance with its instructions where that caused the damage; Owens Corning excludes improper or faulty installation, which must follow its written instructions and local building codes.
• Inadequate ventilation. GAF excludes it outright, and Owens Corning's system tiers require a ventilated roof deck; both define a failure to install adequate ventilation as outside the warranty, not an installation error they'll cover.
• Weather beyond the warranty. GAF excludes hail, fire, and wind over the rated speed: 110 mph for its standard shingles, or 130 mph with its special installation of extra nails and starter strips at the eaves and rakes. Owens Corning's standard wind coverage is 130 mph on most of its lines.
• Foot traffic and falling objects, and damage to the building's structure, interior or other parts: chimneys, siding, gutters, counterflashing.
• Other products. Each manufacturer covers its own products; underlayment, metal, flashing and decking from another brand aren't part of its warranty.

Registration. The standard material warranties come with the shingles. The system tiers have to be registered by the contractor: GAF's Silver and Golden Pledge within 45 days of installation (GAF asks you to call if you haven't received the warranty within 60 days), and Owens Corning's System, Preferred and Platinum Protection within 60 days. GAF's Pledge warranties don't take effect until the eligibility requirements are met, the warranty is registered to you, and the contractor has been paid in full.

The first two years. Under GAF's Pledge warranties and Owens Corning's Preferred and Platinum Protection, an application error discovered or discoverable in the first two years is the installing contractor's to repair; the manufacturer steps in if the contractor is unable or unwilling.

Transfer when you sell. Each warranty transfers once, on its own terms:

• GAF standard: the second owner notifies GAF in writing within one year of the sale; a transfer within the 10-year Smart Choice period keeps the same coverage, a later one shrinks to two years.
• GAF Pledge: a transfer within the first 20 years keeps the same coverage.
• Owens Corning standard: the second owner contacts Owens Corning within 60 days of the sale with proof of purchase, the installation date and the ownership history.
• Owens Corning system tiers: a transfer within the first 20 years (15 for Supreme) passes the rest of the full-coverage period; under Platinum Protection the workmanship period becomes 25 years from the original installation.
• CertainTeed: transferable once, to the next owner, at no charge, during the SureStart period.

A buyer of a house with a recent roof should ask the seller for the warranty document and the registration, and make the transfer notice in time.

1. Notify the manufacturer within 30 days of noticing the problem. GAF takes claims online, by phone, by email or by mail, and notes that telling your contractor, dealer or builder isn't notice to GAF.
2. Show the installation date and ownership, or the transfer.
3. Expect to send photos and samples, at your expense, for testing.
4. Don't repair or replace first. GAF warns that a claim may be denied if the products are repaired or replaced before you notify it or before it finishes its evaluation; if a repair can't wait, give GAF reasonable notice.

Keep the warranty document, the registration, the contract and the invoice that names the products, and the permit record with its final. They're what a claim, or a sale, asks for. Which papers to keep from a re-roof is covered in checking that a re-roof permit was finaled. What to do, in order, when a new roof leaks in its first rains is in new roof leaking after the first rain.

1. How many years of full coverage, and does it include tear-off and disposal?
2. Who covers installation errors, and for how long? The roofer's own warranty, a manufacturer's top tier, or both; in writing, as the CSLB advises.
3. Is the roofer credentialed for the tier on the bid? A system tier needs the manufacturer's contractor status, and the contractor registers it.
4. What does the roof need to qualify? Owens Corning's system tiers require the whole roof, a ventilated deck and code-approved underlayment; GAF's wind coverage at the higher speed needs its special installation.
5. If solar is on the roof or planned, who pays to take the array off for a warranty repair, as covered in roof, solar and installer warranties.

How to check the roofer's license, insurance and contract is in how to choose a roofing contractor in California, and what happens on the job in the roof replacement process.

Cali Energy holds California contractor license #1032379, with C-39 Roofing, B General Building and C-10 Electrical, the classification that covers solar. Our roofing work and terms are on our roofing page.

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 9, 2026.

1. GAF, Shingle & Accessory Limited Warranty (RESWT160)
2. GAF, Silver Pledge Limited Warranty (sample)
3. GAF, Golden Pledge Limited Warranty (sample)
4. Owens Corning, Standard Product Limited Lifetime Warranty
5. Owens Corning, System Protection Limited Lifetime Warranty
6. Owens Corning, Preferred Protection Limited Lifetime Warranty
7. Owens Corning, Platinum Protection Limited Lifetime Warranty
8. Owens Corning, Roofing shingle warranties
9. CertainTeed, Roofing 101: Worry-Free Warranties
10. CertainTeed, My Roof Warranty: What It Is and What It Covers
11. Contractors State License Board, What is a contract (home improvement contracts)