Government Program
Does USDA Section 504 pay for a new roof?
By All Purpose Anytime Services LLC
For homeowners in a USDA eligible rural area who cannot get affordable credit anywhere else, it can. USDA Rural Development's Section 504 Home Repair program lends, and for some owners grants, money to fix health and safety problems, and a leaking roof is one of them. USDA's own examples include a homeowner who fixed a leaking roof to keep out water damage and mold.
How much it pays
USDA lists a grant of up to $10,000 and a loan of up to $40,000 at 1 percent fixed over 20 years. A homeowner who qualifies for both can combine them, up to $50,000.
Roof repair and roof replacement count as health and safety repairs. These figures were current as of October 2026, and USDA decides who qualifies and for what.
Who can get it
You have to own the house, live in it, and be in an area USDA considers rural. You also have to be unable to get affordable credit somewhere else.
The grant part has two more conditions. You must be 62 or older, and your income must count as very low for your county. Younger owners can still look at the 1 percent loan.
USDA's map decides which addresses are rural, and parts of the outer counties in our area may fall inside it. Check your address with USDA Rural Development before you count on the money.
When the contractor gets paid
USDA pays the contractor after the final inspection. So the work is finished and inspected before any money moves, and the scope has to be clear from the start.
What we can do
USDA has not enrolled us as a participating contractor. Your application is yours to file, and only USDA can approve it. We can walk the roof, photograph the part that failed and send a written estimate that names each item and its price, within 24 to 48 hours of the visit.
Most leaks we see come from one detail, a pipe boot, a valley or chimney flashing, and fixing that one detail may cost far less than a whole roof. You will know which it is before you apply. If USDA lets you choose the contractor, we can do the work. We are bonded and insured and send a certificate of insurance on request.
Services this program can pay for
A leaking roof is the example USDA itself gives, so start with leak repair. When the roof is past fixing, the loan and grant reach a full replacement, and smaller jobs fall under roof repair.
Where this comes from
Section 504 Home Repair Loans and Grants, run by USDA Rural Development. Figures as of October 2026.
Get the roof priced in writing
Tell us where the house is and what the roof is doing. We book a visit and send an itemized written estimate afterward.
We take insurance jobs. Financing may be available for qualifying projects.
Need a written roof scope?
We photograph the roof and itemize the repair or replacement in writing.