What Rainline Marin is
Rainline Marin is a free referral service. When you call the number on this site, your call is routed to an independent, locally operating roofing contractor who works in your area. That contractor is a separate business. They talk with you about the leak, inspect the roof, explain what they find, put the proposed work in writing and do the repair if you decide to hire them.
The site itself is a library of guides written for the way roofs fail in this part of the North Bay: short, intense winters after long dry summers, flat Eichler roofs in Terra Linda and Lucas Valley, redwood shade and moss in Mill Valley and Larkspur, and older homes with chimneys and complex rooflines in San Anselmo and Petaluma. The goal is that you understand your leak a little better before the roofer arrives.
How calls are matched
Calls are routed through a call-tracking service based on where you are calling about. The service connects you with a roofing contractor who has said they work in that area and takes calls of this kind. Depending on demand and the time of your call, the connection may go to different contractors, and sometimes no one may be available right away.
We do not rank contractors, take bids on your behalf or promise a particular company. You are free to talk with the roofer, ask questions, get other opinions and decide whether to go ahead.
What you can expect on the call
- Questions about your town, roof type, where the water is showing and when it started.
- A conversation about whether anything is urgent, such as water near wiring or an open hole.
- If you agree, a visit to inspect the roof and the ceiling or attic.
- A written scope of work before any repair begins.
Before you hire anyone, ask for their California contractor license number and look it up with the Contractors State License Board, ask for proof of liability insurance, and ask whether the job needs a permit or, in mapped fire hazard areas, Class A materials. The storm damage page has more on spotting contractors who show up uninvited after big storms.
Why a Marin-specific line
Roof leaks here follow a pattern that generic advice misses. Novato averages about 25 inches of rain a year and Mill Valley and San Anselmo close to 47, almost all of it between November and March, after months with barely a drop. Sealants and vent boots dry out over the summer, leaves and needles fill valleys and drains, and the first big storm finds every weak spot at once. Add the county's large number of flat-roofed Eichler homes, the fire-area rules that apply to larger reroofs in the hills, and the tree cover in the southern canyons, and the right questions for a Marin roof are different from those for a roof in a wetter or flatter place.
The guides on this site are written with that in mind, from moss and debris on shaded roofs to skylights and chimneys. They are general information, not a roofing inspection, and a contractor who sees your roof in person is the one who can tell you what it needs.
What Rainline Marin does not do
- We do not inspect roofs, repair roofs or send crews.
- We do not employ roofers or hold a contractor license.
- We do not set prices, collect payment for repairs or guarantee anyone's work.
- We are not an emergency service. If a tree has hit your house, you smell smoke, or the structure looks unsafe, leave and call 911.
Any agreement for an inspection or repair is between you and the contractor. Their terms, warranties and scheduling are their own.
Referral disclosure
Rainline Marin is a free referral service that connects callers with independent, locally operating roofing contractors. The contractors who receive calls may pay to be connected with homeowners. That arrangement does not change what you pay; it is how the line and the guides on this site are funded. We do not perform roofing work.
To learn more about your leak before calling, start with the leak checker on the home page, or read about flat and Eichler roofs. When you are ready, the contact page has the number.