The short answer
Published 2026 figures put a new asphalt shingle roof on a typical Arkansas home at roughly $5,500 to $9,000. This Old House's Arkansas average for asphalt is $5,536, and Roof Observations prices a 1,700 square foot architectural shingle roof, tear-off included, at $8,925. Metal and impact-rated shingles cost more. Your own price comes from measuring your roof.
How much does a new roof cost in Arkansas in 2026?
Arkansas is one of the cheaper states to reroof a house. This Old House's Arkansas roof cost guide, updated May 2026, puts the average new roof in the state at $6,934, with a budget roof averaging $5,536 and a premium roof $16,575. It puts Texas at $8,634 and Tennessee at $8,518, so Arkansas homeowners pay less than their neighbors for the same job.
Roof Observations' Arkansas roof cost guide prices by the square foot of roof instead, and it counts tearing off the old roof in every price. For a 1,700 square foot roof, it lists $8,160 for 3-tab shingles and $8,925 for architectural shingles. For a national comparison, HomeGuide's roof replacement cost guide puts the national average for an asphalt shingle roof at $10,800, with most jobs between $5,700 and $16,000.
The guides don't agree to the dollar because they measure different things. One averages whole jobs by home size, one prices a set roof area, and one is national. Read them as published ranges that tell you whether a quote is in the right neighborhood, not as the price of your roof. The rest of this post explains what moves a quote up or down.
Roof replacement cost by material in Arkansas
The material is the biggest choice you make. Here are Roof Observations' published Arkansas prices for the roofs most homes in Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas get, for a 1,700 square foot roof with tear-off included.
| Roof | Per square foot | 1,700 sq ft roof |
|---|---|---|
| 3-tab asphalt shingles | $4.80 | $8,160 |
| Architectural asphalt shingles | $5.25 | $8,925 |
| Premium asphalt shingles | $6.55 | $11,135 |
| Exposed-fastener steel panels | $7.05 | $11,985 |
| Exposed-fastener steel, PVDF paint | $8.80 | $14,960 |
| Standing seam steel | $10.90 | $18,530 |
| Standing seam steel, PVDF paint | $13.60 | $23,120 |
Source: Roof Observations, Arkansas roof cost guide, 2026. Published ranges, not a quote.
Architectural shingles (also called laminated or dimensional) are thicker than 3-tab shingles and, according to HomeGuide, last longer, for only a little more money. TAMKO Heritage and TAMKO Titan XT, two of the shingles we install, are both architectural shingles; you can see them on our TAMKO Heritage and TAMKO Titan XT pages. Impact-rated Class 4 shingles cost more than standard ones and can lower your insurance bill, which our post on Class 4 shingles and insurance discounts covers. Metal roofs have their own post on metal roof costs in Arkansas.
How roofers measure a roof: squares, pitch and stories
Roofers price by the square. One square is 100 square feet of roof. A roof is always bigger than the floor under it, because it slopes and hangs over the walls. HomeGuide's table shows a 2,000 square foot single-story house with a 6:12 pitch (the roof rises 6 inches for every 12 inches across) has about 2,235 square feet of roof, or a little over 22 squares.
HomeGuide breaks a reroof down per square like this:
| Part of the job | Published range per square |
|---|---|
| Tearing off the old roof | $100 to $300 |
| Roofing materials | $100 to $250 |
| Labor to install | $200 to $350 |
| Total | $400 to $900 |
Source: HomeGuide, roof replacement cost, national figures.
Three things push the price per square up. A steep roof, over 6:12, needs extra safety gear and slower work. A two-story house takes more time to load and work on than a ranch. And a cut-up roof with valleys, dormers, chimneys and skylights takes more flashing and more cutting than a simple roof with two flat sides, even when the square footage is the same. That's why two houses on the same street can get quotes thousands of dollars apart.
What does a new roof cost for a 1,500, 2,000 or 2,500 square foot house?
Most people know their home's square footage, not their roof's. HomeGuide's table converts one to the other for a single-story house with a 6:12 pitch, and lists its national price range for an asphalt shingle roof on each. The last column applies Roof Observations' Arkansas price for architectural shingles, $5.25 per square foot of roof with tear-off, to the same roof sizes.
| House size | Roof size | HomeGuide national range | At the Arkansas architectural price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 1,120 sq ft | $3,500 to $6,700 | $5,880 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 1,675 sq ft | $5,000 to $10,100 | $8,794 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 2,235 sq ft | $6,700 to $13,400 | $11,734 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 2,795 sq ft | $8,500 to $16,800 | $14,674 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 3,355 sq ft | $10,100 to $20,100 | $17,614 |
Sources: HomeGuide, roof replacement cost (roof size and national range) and Roof Observations, Arkansas roof cost guide ($5.25 per square foot). Published ranges, not a quote.
Two cautions. A two-story house has a smaller roof than a ranch with the same square footage, because the floors stack under one roof, but it costs more per square to work on. And a roof steeper than 6:12 has more square feet than the table shows, while a cut-up roof costs more per square. Your measured roof size, in squares, is the number that sets your price.
What can add to a roof replacement quote?
Most of the surprise on a roof bill comes from what's under the shingles. These are the extras worth asking about before you sign.
Rotten or soft decking
The decking (also called sheathing) is the wood the shingles are nailed to. Nobody can see all of it until the old roof is off, so quotes usually price it per sheet or per square foot in case some needs replacing. HomeGuide lists roof decking at $2 to $5 per square foot installed. Ask for that price in writing so a few bad sheets don't turn into a surprise.
Extra layers
If your house already has two layers of shingles, both come off, and that costs more than one. HomeGuide puts tearing off shingles at $1 to $3 per square foot, depending on how many layers there are, and notes most cities limit a roof to two layers.
Underlayment, flashing and vents
Underlayment is the water barrier between the deck and the shingles; HomeGuide lists it at $0.10 to $0.80 per square foot for the material. New flashing around chimneys and walls, and new vents, are usually part of a full replacement. Check that your quote says so.
The permit
HomeGuide puts roof permits at $100 to $500 depending on the city. Rules differ from one city to the next, and unincorporated county land can differ from the cities, so ask whether your quote includes the permit and who pulls it.
How much does a flat or TPO roof replacement cost?
Flat and low-slope roofs on porches, additions and commercial buildings use membranes instead of shingles. HomeGuide puts a flat roof replacement at $3 to $11 per square foot, or $4,000 to $16,800 for a typical job, depending on the size and the material. Its installed prices per square foot for the common choices:
| Flat roof material | Installed, per square foot |
|---|---|
| TPO membrane | $4.00 to $10.00 |
| EPDM rubber membrane | $3.50 to $10.00 |
| Modified bitumen | $4.00 to $7.50 |
| Built-up (tar and gravel) | $3.50 to $7.50 |
| Rolled asphalt | $2.00 to $5.00 |
Source: HomeGuide, roof replacement cost, national figures.
HomeGuide notes rolled asphalt is the cheapest but has the shortest life. TPO is the white single-ply membrane you see on many commercial roofs, and it's the flat roof we install; our TPO roofing and commercial roofing pages have more. On a flat roof, ask the same questions as on a shingle roof: what happens to the old layers, what's under them, and what the price per square foot of any wet insulation or decking will be.
Will insurance pay for a new roof in Arkansas?
Only for damage from a covered event like hail or wind, not for age. American Family Insurance's guide to roof damage coverage, updated July 2026, puts it plainly: insurance may help when a covered event caused the damage, and it doesn't cover normal wear and tear. A roof that's simply worn out is yours to replace.
If a storm did the damage, how much you get depends on your policy. A replacement cost policy pays to replace the roof at today's price. An actual cash value policy takes off an amount for the roof's age and wear first, and many policies have a separate wind and hail deductible, a flat amount or a percentage of your home's insured value; the insurer Openly's guide to wind and hail deductibles gives 1, 2 or 5 percent as examples. On a home insured for $250,000, a 2 percent deductible is $5,000.
The Arkansas Insurance Department's post-storm tips say to have the roof inspected by a trusted roofer first and to file the claim if the damage is much larger than your deductible. They also warn that replacement cost policies require the work to be finished within six months of the date of loss to get back the money held back from the first check. Our post on what to do after hail damages your roof walks through a claim step by step.
How to compare roofing quotes in Fort Smith and NWA
Line the quotes up item by item, not just by the total. A lower number often leaves something out. A written quote should list:
- The shingle or metal panel by brand and line, and the color
- Tear-off of every existing layer, and haul-away
- The price per sheet or per square foot for any decking that has to be replaced
- Underlayment, drip edge, flashing, pipe boots and vents
- Permit and cleanup, including a magnet sweep for nails
- The workmanship warranty in writing, and who registers the manufacturer's warranty
The Arkansas Insurance Department also gives this advice for storm repairs: get more than one bid, check references, check the contractor's license with the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board, don't pay in full before the work is done, never sign a contract with blank spaces, and avoid anyone who offers to waive your deductible.
Ramos Roofing Plus gives free estimates across Fort Smith, Northwest Arkansas, the River Valley and eastern Oklahoma, and backs new roofs with a 5 to 10 year workmanship warranty. You can read how a job runs on our roof replacement page.
About Ramos Roofing Plus
Ramos Roofing Plus is a second-generation, family-owned roofing and siding company in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in business since 2000. We put on shingle, metal and TPO roofs and siding across Northwest Arkansas, the Arkansas River Valley and eastern Oklahoma, and back new roofs with a 5 to 10 year workmanship warranty. More about us.