Roof Maintenance Checklist: What to Do Each Season

Roof maintenance is a twice-yearly look from the ground and the attic, gutter and debris clearing on the schedule your trees and climate set, and a check after every major storm. The routine below groups those checks by season, names what not to do, and lists the records worth keeping.

None of it requires walking on the roof. Maintenance is scheduled looking and clearing from safe places; anything that needs hands on the roof surface is a repair decision.

The Year at a Glance

The NRCA’s consumer resources page notes that “biannual inspections often can uncover cracked, warped or missing shingles.” Twice a year is the backbone of the routine. Spring finds what winter did, and fall prepares the roof for the months when repairs are hardest to schedule.

On top of the spring and fall dates, repeat the ground and attic check after any severe storm. How to do a self-check safely and read what you find is covered in the homeowner’s roof self-inspection.

The after-storm check has its own rules. Wait until the wind has dropped and local authorities say it is safe to be outside, stay well away from any downed or sagging wire, and do the whole check from the ground and the attic. Photograph each slope and any debris before anything is moved or cleaned up, because those photos are the record an insurer or roofer may ask for.

Spring and Summer Checks

Spring is for finding winter damage. Loose or deteriorated flashing is one of the conditions HUD’s Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide asks inspectors to look for, and it belongs on your binocular scan from the yard along with the shingles: each slope, each chimney and wall joint, each valley, and the gutter line. If the scan shows shingles that curl, cup or blister, what curling and cupping mean and when blisters matter help you decide whether to log the condition or call a roofer.

Summer brings growth and animals. Dark streaks and moss show up on shaded slopes; whether they need cleaning, and which methods your material can take, is the subject of cleaning a roof without damaging it, and what the streaks and moss are is covered separately. Birds and squirrels look for gaps at vents, fascia and soffits during nesting season. If you hear noises in the attic or see a chewed opening, follow the steps in dealing with animal damage before sealing anything.

Trim branches that touch or hang over the roof. They scrape shingles in wind, drop debris into valleys, and give animals a bridge. Leave large limbs and any branch near a power line to a tree professional.

Fall and Winter Checks

Fall is gutter season wherever leaf-dropping trees stand near the house. Clean gutters after the leaves are down, from a properly set ladder, and check the roof edge while you are at gutter height; gutter cleaning and edge checks gives the steps and the schedule drivers.

In wildfire country, debris is a fire risk as well as a drainage problem. The Firewise fact sheet Reduce Your Roof’s Vulnerability to Wildfire says to “regularly remove vegetative debris from your roof and gutters.” Clear it from the ground or a ladder, not from the roof.

Winter checks are about load and ice. FEMA’s Snow Load Safety Guide (P-957) lists warning signs of an overstressed roof, including sagging roof members, popping, cracking and creaking noises, and doors or windows that can no longer be opened or closed; if you see them, follow what to do when the house shows strain. It notes that snow can be removed from the ground, “removing the risk to people on a hazardous roof,” and says roof snow removal “should be performed by a licensed, insured professional roofing contractor.” If ice dams form, the safe options are in ice dam removal; chipping at the ice is not one of them.

Extra Routines for Metal, Tile and Flat Roofs

Shingle roofs set the baseline above. Three other roof types add checks of their own.

Metal roofs need a twice-yearly look at the rubber washers on exposed screws, the sealant at laps and flashings, and any scratch that reaches bare metal; the metal roof inspection points list the checks by panel type.

Tile roofs should be checked from the ground only, because tiles crack under foot traffic. Look for cracked or slipped tiles after storms, and see tile roof repair for what a leak under sound tiles means.

Flat and low-slope roofs need a look after rain, from an upper window or a ladder at the roof edge, for water that does not drain, and a check of seams and blisters; patching flat roof membranes covers repairs by membrane type, and flat roof drainage covers ponding.

What Not to Do to a Roof You Maintain

Some well-meant chores damage roofs or people. Leave these off the list:

• Do not walk the roof to inspect it. Binoculars, a zoom camera and the attic show what a routine check needs.
• Do not chip or pry ice from the roof or gutters.
• Do not clear snow from the roof surface. From the ground, use a roof rake with care; the University of Minnesota Extension page on dealing with and preventing ice dams notes that a roof rake and push broom “may damage the roofing materials.” Keep the rake’s pole away from overhead lines, including the service line to the house.
• Do not pressure wash or scrub a roof before checking which methods its material allows.
• Do not caulk over a leak you cannot trace. Where sealant belongs and where it hides problems explains why caulk over a flashing joint fails.
• Do not set a ladder near overhead power lines; the ladder safety guide gives the clearance distance.

Building the Calendar for Your Own House

The table at the top is the baseline. Your house adds to it in three ways: the roof types it has, the trees around it and the weather it gets. Write those three facts down, then add one line to the calendar for each.

Hypothetical example: an invented house has an asphalt shingle main roof, a low-slope membrane porch roof, two large oaks over the back slope and cold, snowy winters. Its calendar becomes:

Each added line is a check this guide already describes, placed in the season when it matters for that house. A metal or tile roof would add the routines from the section above in the same way.

Maintenance Records Worth Keeping

A roof’s paperwork matters when you file a warranty claim, an insurance claim, or sell the house. Keep these in one folder or one digital album:

1. A dated photo of each slope, taken from the same spots each spring and fall
2. Photos of any damage, taken before cleanup or repair
3. Invoices and receipts for every repair, cleaning and gutter service
4. The shingle or roofing manufacturer’s warranty, and any registration confirmation
5. The roofer’s workmanship warranty and contract
6. Permit records and the final inspection sign-off from the last re-roof

Warranty notice windows are short and set by each manufacturer. As one example, the GAF Shingle & Accessory Limited Warranty (form RESWT160L-0426, for GAF products installed after January 1, 2025) says to “notify GAF about any claim within 30 days after you notice a problem.” Read your own manufacturer’s warranty and write its notice window on the folder.

Is It Still Maintenance, or Time to Call a Roofer?

If you can see the issue from the ground or the attic and there is no leak, log it with a dated photo and watch it at the next check. If there is a leak, visible damage, or the fix needs someone on the roof surface, it has become a repair.

From there, four pages take over. What you can safely repair yourself sorts tasks by where you would stand. How damaged shingles are replaced shows what correct work looks like, and why patched shingles look different sets expectations for appearance. When repairs keep coming, repair versus replacement gives a cost-per-year way to decide.

Your next step: put the two inspection dates on the calendar and take the first set of slope photos this week.

This guide is general information for U.S. homeowners, not legal, insurance, tax, or engineering advice. Codes, laws, and policy terms vary by location and change over time; confirm details with your local building department, your insurer, or a licensed professional.

Sources

• Resources (warranties, maintenance, weather events), National Roofing Contractors Association
• Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide, HUD Office of Policy Development and Research
• Reduce Your Roof’s Vulnerability to Wildfire, IBHS and Firewise USA partners (hosted by Texas A&M Forest Service)
• Snow Load Safety Guide, FEMA P-957, Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Dealing with and preventing ice dams, University of Minnesota Extension
• GAF Shingle & Accessory Limited Warranty (RESWT160L-0426), GAF