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A standard visual residential roof inspection typically runs $120 to $300 in most US markets, drone inspections $150 to $400, insurance and storm damage reports $200 to $500, real estate certifications $200 to $450, and infrared moisture scans $400 to $800. The Roof Inspection Cost Calculator starts from those bands and adjusts them for your building height, roof pitch and access difficulty, total roof size, and regional cost level, with an optional attic and interior check added on top. Many roofing contractors inspect free when you are considering replacement, because the visit doubles as a sales call; independent inspectors charge a fee but have no work to sell, which is why lenders and insurers prefer their reports. Whichever you use, confirm that a written report with dated photographs is included — that document is what actually supports an insurance claim or a sale.
A roof inspection is priced by the roof size and the access, and it comes in several forms — a visual walk-over, a drone survey, or a full report with moisture readings and thermal imaging.
| Type | What it covers | When it is right |
|---|---|---|
| Visual, from ground and attic | Obvious damage, flashing, ventilation, stains | Routine seasonal check |
| Walk-over | Everything above plus the covering underfoot | Before buying, after a storm |
| Drone survey | Full covering imagery without walking it | Steep, fragile or very large roofs |
| Infrared / thermal | Trapped moisture in the deck or insulation | Low-slope roofs, suspected wet insulation |
| Moisture probe / core cut | Confirms what thermal shows | Commercial roofs before a major decision |
Many contractors offer them, and a genuine one is useful. Be wary of any inspection that produces urgent damage nobody can show you, of pressure to sign an assignment of benefits on the spot, and of storm-chasing crews working door to door after weather. A written report with dated photographs is what a real inspection produces.
It is priced by roof size and access, and rises with pitch, height and the covering. A written report with dated photographs costs more than a verbal opinion and is what an insurer or a buyer will want.
Before buying a house, after hail or high wind, before a solar installation, when the roof nears the end of its rated life, and whenever a warranty or insurance claim needs documenting.
A genuine one is useful. Be wary of urgent damage nobody can photograph, pressure to sign an assignment of benefits on the spot, and crews working door to door after a storm.
Thermal imaging that finds trapped moisture in the deck or insulation by the heat it retains. It is used mainly on low-slope roofs, and findings are normally confirmed with a moisture probe or a core cut.
Need the whole roof at once? The free roofing calculator works out roof area, squares, shingle bundles, underlayment, drip edge, ridge cap and installed cost from one set of measurements.