· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Roofers
Roof warranties are two separate promises from two separate parties, and they are easy to hear as one. The manufacturer warrants the shingle against manufacturing defects. The roofer warrants the installation, and the shingle maker says so plainly: Atlas Roofing’s standard shingle warranty puts faulty or improper application first on its list of what it will not pay for, and TAMKO’s shingle warranty warns that telling your contractor about a problem does not count as telling TAMKO.
What the manufacturer covers
Manufacturing defects in the shingle itself, and only the ones that stop it doing its job. TAMKO pays when a defect causes the shingles to fail to shed water and has directly caused leaks; Atlas covers defects that materially affect the shingles’ performance or that cause leaks. Neither document names delamination or granule loss, and Atlas specifically excludes granule loss in the first six months, since some excess granules wash off any newly applied roof.
The headline term is prorated after an opening period, too. On TAMKO’s laminated shingles that full-coverage period is ten years and includes reasonable labor to install replacement shingles. After it, TAMKO pays toward replacement shingles alone, reduced by 2% for each year elapsed, and is not responsible for any cost of labor. Atlas’s chart shows the same ten years on its lifetime-rated shingles, and once they pass, Atlas pays nothing toward tear-off or installing the new shingles.
What does a roofer’s workmanship warranty cover?
Installation error: flashing details, nailing pattern, valley construction, penetration sealing. The shingle warranties leave all of that to the contractor. Atlas’s coverage, even in its full-coverage years, does not include roof deck repairs, flashing or metal work, and TAMKO excludes shingles that were improperly applied or not installed in strict accordance with its application instructions. That gap matters because, as we explain in where roofs actually leak, most of the leaks we trace get in at flashing and penetrations rather than out in the shingle field.
Its value therefore depends on the contractor still being in business when you need it. A long workmanship warranty from a company that has only been roofing a few years is a promise about the future, so ask how long they have worked under the same name and what their warranty says about leaks at flashing.
What can quietly void a roof warranty?
Poor attic ventilation is excluded by both manufacturer warranties we read. Atlas excludes damage caused by inadequate attic ventilation and sets a minimum of one square foot of net free vent area for every 150 of attic floor, or one per 300 with a vapor barrier on the warm side of the ceiling or at least half the venting near the ridge, and TAMKO excludes shingles installed without adequate ventilation. If the attic cooked the shingles, the manufacturer treats that as the installation and the house, not the product. Our post on attic ventilation in Nashville covers how we check it.
The enhanced system warranties add their own conditions. TAMKO’s ProShield system warranty does not apply to shingles laid over an existing roof and needs TAMKO-branded accessories from at least three product categories, and Atlas’s Signature Select system warranty will not accept substitution or non-Atlas products. If you are weighing a second layer over the old one, our post on roofing over old shingles sets out the trade.
- Attic ventilation below the manufacturer’s minimum
- A roof-over, where a system warranty calls for a full tear-off
- Off-brand accessories under a system warranty
- Damage from foot traffic on the roof
- Hail, tornadoes and wind above the shingle’s rated speed
What to ask before signing
Ask whether the warranty is registered with the manufacturer and get the confirmation. TAMKO’s system warranty is not valid until it is registered, a TAMKO Pro Certified Contractor has to register it within 90 days of finishing the roof, and if any eligibility requirement is missed, only the standard warranty on the shingle wrapper stays in effect. Atlas, by contrast, does not require registration for its standard shingle coverage.
Ask how each warranty transfers, since a buyer may ask at resale. TAMKO’s standard warranty on laminated shingles can be transferred once, in the first five years, with written notice within thirty days of the sale; Atlas’s transfers once in the first fifteen years on its premium lifetime lines, with a $100 fee paid within sixty days. Ask the same of the workmanship warranty, and get it in writing rather than as a line on the estimate. When you ask us for a free estimate on a roof replacement, put these questions to us as well.
Sources
- Atlas Roofing Corporation, Limited Shingle Warranty, residential (ATL-257316-00, installs on or after 5/1/2026) — Warrants against manufacturing defects; excludes faulty or improper application, inadequate attic ventilation (with the 1/150 and 1/300 vent ratios), granule loss in the first six months, foot traffic, hail, tornado and wind above the rated speed; no deck, flashing or metal work costs; 10-year non-prorated period, no tear-off or installation cost after it; wind warranty 15 years on lifetime shingles, shingles only, no labor; lifetime means the original owner, not the roof; registration not required; one transfer in 15 years with a $100 fee within 60 days; 30-day claim notice, photographs and two samples, no claim for shingles replaced before inspection
- TAMKO Building Products, Fiberglass/Asphalt Shingle Limited Warranty (effective January 1, 2025) — Notice to your contractor is not notice to TAMKO; remedy when a manufacturing defect causes leaks; 10-year Full Start period with labor, then 2% a year proration and no labor; excludes improper application, inadequate ventilation, hail, tornado, other storms and wind beyond the Limited Wind Warranty; 15-year wind warranty term on laminated shingles for defect-caused blow-offs; no flashing or metal work costs; lifetime runs while the original owner or a purchaser owns the building; one transfer in five years with notice within 30 days; 30-day claim notice, photographs and two samples; difficult to predict how long shingles last
- TAMKO Building Products, ProShield Enhanced Limited System Warranty — Not valid until registered; registration by a TAMKO Pro Certified Contractor within 90 days; no roof-overs; TAMKO-branded accessories from at least three categories; if an eligibility requirement is not met, only the standard shingle wrapper warranty remains
- Atlas Roofing Corporation, Signature Select Roofing System Warranty (installs on or after 6/1/2026) — Substitution products or non-Atlas products do not qualify for the system warranty; installations must be registered
FAQ
What a Roof Warranty Does Not Cover — questions
Is a lifetime shingle really a lifetime roof?
No. On a single-family house, Atlas defines lifetime as the lifetime of the original property owner, not the roof, and TAMKO’s runs only as long as the original owner, or one buyer it was transferred to, owns the building. Both are prorated after the opening years. TAMKO itself says it is difficult to predict how long shingles will last, because weather, sun, tree debris and other factors all play a part.
Does a warranty cover storm damage?
Mostly no. Both shingle warranties we read exclude hail, tornadoes and other storms, along with wind gusts above the speed the shingle is rated for. Each does carry a limited wind warranty for gusts below that rating, fifteen years on their lifetime-rated shingles: Atlas’s replaces the damaged shingles but not the labor, and TAMKO’s applies when a manufacturing defect let the shingles blow off. A workmanship warranty covers how the roof was put on, so hail and fallen limbs usually go to the homeowner’s insurer instead.
What happens to my warranty if the roofer goes out of business?
The workmanship warranty is a promise from the contractor, so it is only as good as the company that gave it. The manufacturer warranty is written to you as the owner rather than to the roofer, but it covers only manufacturing defects. Both Atlas and TAMKO want notice within thirty days of finding the problem and may ask for photographs and two sample shingles, and Atlas will deny a claim for shingles replaced before it has been notified and inspected, so do not let anyone tear them off first.
Do new roofs come with a warranty?
Yes, two separate ones. The shingle maker warrants the shingle against manufacturing defects, prorated after an opening period, and the roofer warrants the installation, which is where flashing, nailing and valleys fall. Some system warranties also have to be registered by the contractor, so ask for the registration confirmation and get the workmanship terms in writing.