How much does a new roof cost in Mobile?
2026 prices for the Mobile area by roofing system and house size, what makes one roof cost more than the one next door, how the state grant and the insurance discount change the math, and what a real written quote should include.
The short answer
For a typical Mobile house of 1,800 to 2,400 square feet of living space (a roof of roughly 22 to 30 squares with the overhangs and pitch), a 2026 architectural shingle replacement runs about $10,500 to $17,000. Built to the FORTIFIED Roof standard with the evaluator's certificate, $12,000 to $19,500. Exposed-fastener metal (5V crimp or R-panel), $15,000 to $26,000. Standing-seam metal, $24,000 to $42,000. Those figures include tear-off and disposal, a decking allowance, synthetic underlayment, ice-and-water membrane in the valleys, new flashing and pipe boots, ridge venting, the permit and cleanup. Below them is what moves the number, and the one line that can take $10,000 off it.
Prices by system
| System (1,800–2,400 sq ft home) | Typical 2026 price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural shingles, Class H | $10,500 – $17,000 | Most Mobile replacements |
| Architectural shingles, FORTIFIED Roof | $12,000 – $19,500 | Sealed deck, ring-shank nails, adhered starter, evaluator |
| Premium designer shingles | $13,000 – $22,000 | Heavier, thicker, longer warranty |
| 5V crimp or R-panel metal | $15,000 – $26,000 | 26-gauge Galvalume, exposed fasteners |
| Standing-seam metal | $24,000 – $42,000 | Galvalume or Kynar, concealed fasteners |
| Standing seam, FORTIFIED | $26,000 – $44,000 | Tested to site pressures |
| Per square (100 sq ft), shingles installed | $425 – $650 | Complete, with tear-off |
| Per square, standing seam installed | $950 – $1,500 | Complete, with tear-off |
What moves the price
Decking. Every replacement includes an allowance for a few sheets of soft OSB; in Mobile's humidity a 20-year-old roof almost always has some, usually under old leaks, around the chimney and along the eaves where the gutters overflowed. Beyond the allowance it's $85 to $140 a sheet. Old plank decking in Midtown and Prichard that's too gapped to seal gets re-sheathed, which can add $2,000 to $5,000 on a big roof. Layers. A second layer of shingles under the first adds $1,200 to $2,500 in tear-off and disposal; a third is more. Pitch and complexity. An 8/12 or steeper roof needs staging and harnesses and cuts slower; a roof with many hips, valleys, dormers and penetrations has more waste and more flashing. Expect 10 to 25 percent over a plain gable ranch. Size. Mobile's big Spring Hill and Fairhope roofs of 40 to 60 squares scale up accordingly. Material. The shingle line, the gauge and coating of metal, and the fastener type. Access. A tight Midtown lot where the dumpster can't get near the house, or a raised coastal house, costs more labor.
The $10,000 line
Alabama is the only state that will pay you to build a roof for hurricanes. The Strengthen Alabama Homes program, run by the Department of Insurance and funded by the insurance industry, pays 100 percent of the FORTIFIED mitigation cost up to $10,000 for a primary residence in Mobile or Baldwin County, with no income test, in quarterly application windows (in 2026, Mobile on January 6, April 7, July 7 and October 6; Baldwin two days after each). The FORTIFIED upgrade on a shingle replacement is about $1,500 to $2,500, so the grant typically covers all of it and a good part of the basic roof. On top of that, Alabama law requires insurers to offer a discount for the designation, and IBHS reports 25 to 35 percent off the wind portion of the premium for FORTIFIED Roof with most Alabama carriers. Read FORTIFIED roofs and the Alabama grant.
Permits and the other small lines
Mobile County Public Works charges 0.5 percent of the contract for a re-roof permit on its July 2026 fee schedule, issued on a contract or signed estimate on the contractor's letterhead with the HBLB roofer license number; the City of Mobile's building department (251-208-7696) handles permits inside the city limits, and Daphne, Fairhope, Spanish Fort, Saraland, Semmes and the other cities issue their own. Expect a line for the permit, a line for disposal (a 20-square tear-off is about 3 tons of shingles), and, on a FORTIFIED job, the evaluator's fee of $400 to $700, which we include in the figures above.
What a real quote includes
Alabama's Home Builders Licensure Board says quotes and contracts for roofing are required to be in writing, and a real one is itemized: tear-off and disposal, the decking allowance and the per-sheet price beyond it, the underlayment and membrane, the drip edge and starter, the shingle or panel line by name and rating (Class H for shingles), the flashing and boots, the vents, the permit, the cleanup, the workmanship warranty and the manufacturer's warranty, and the HBLB license number and insurance. If a quote is a single number on a business card, or the roofer offers to "take care of" your deductible, keep looking. Read how to check an Alabama roofer.
Repair or replace?
A roof with ten years left and one leak is a repair, usually $200 to $1,400. A roof with brittle, curling, algae-streaked shingles, multiple leaks, or hurricane damage across several slopes is a replacement, and the math gets easier when the grant is open: a FORTIFIED replacement with $10,000 of state money and a 25-to-35-percent wind discount often costs less over five years than patching. We'll give you both numbers in writing and tell you which we'd pick for our own house.
Common questions
Why is my quote higher than my neighbor's?
Decking, layers, pitch, complexity and access are the usual reasons, and the shingle line. Ask both roofers for itemized quotes; the differences will be on specific lines, not in the air.
Is the cheapest quote a bad idea?
Not automatically, but check what it leaves out: a decking allowance, ice-and-water in the valleys, new flashing instead of reused, six nails per shingle, a permit, and an HBLB license number. A quote that skips those is cheaper because the roof will be worse.
Does the grant cover the whole roof?
It covers the FORTIFIED mitigation cost up to $10,000. On a modest house that's most of the roof; on a large one it's the upgrade and a good share of the base. Either way it's money no other state gives.
Can I finance a roof?
Yes. We can connect you with third-party financing with fixed monthly payments, and after a storm the claim pays most of a covered replacement. See insurance and financing.
When is the best time of year to replace a roof in Mobile?
October through May, outside hurricane season and the summer afternoon storms. Grant windows open in January, April, July and October, so timing a replacement to one in the cooler months works well.
Related: Roof replacement · FORTIFIED roof · Metal roofing · Architectural shingles