Along with the roofing boom has come an increase in the illegal dumping of shingles.

Some roofers seem to be dumping old shingles in out-of-the-way places, rather than pay the tipping fee at the landfill. That transfers the responsibility to either a private property owner or the taxpayers of Floyd County, depending on where they are left.

It will cost Pleasant Valley South Baptist Church at least $500 to clean up the load of shingles dumped on its lot in southern Floyd County.

The Rev. Warren Jones said the money comes directly out of the fund for mission trips and charitable church activities — such as helping the church’s pianist Miriam Moon, whose Powder Springs home was in the path of the flooding last week.

“Her house was completely destroyed,” Jones said. “I would much rather that money go to her and her family than for getting shingles off that lot.”

A rule of thumb is that local companies are the way to go when looking for a roofer.

But there’s so much roofing demand these days that locally owned companies have had to hire out-of-town workers — who may or may not be legitimate, Sheriff Tim Burkhalter said.

Building Inspection typically issues about 50 roofing permits a month, but there have been about 5,000 in the five months following the April 10 hailstorm.

Burkhalter said homeowners can protect themselves from scams by making sure the roofing company has insurance and a permit from the Rome-Floyd County Building Inspection Department, and by checking references from previous work.

Companies often ask for half the money up front to pay for materials, and Chief Building Official Howard Gibson said that’s normal.

“But don’t pay the full amount until the job has been inspected and approved,” he said.

It’s important for homeowners to notify inspectors immediately if they suspect there may be a building code issue with completed work — then inspectors can put those suspect jobs at the top of their to-do list, Gibson said.

Inspectors have tracked down contractors who did shoddy work and, so far, everyone they’ve found has gone back and fixed their work, he added.

As far as all-out roofing scams, police say they’ve been rare, especially in light of the booming business.

“We’ve had a couple of complaints when people have come out bidding on roof jobs and not fulfilling the work,” Floyd County Police Chief Bill Shiflett said. “But we’ve heard more about illegal dumping.”

But that’s a hard case to crack.

The problem is that the crime scene is generally found long after the fact, and without witnesses, it’s hard to track the garbage to the source. Investigators do their best to sift through the leavings for check stubs, bills and other evidence that could help identify the culprits.

“It’s amazing what we find at a dumping site,” Gibson said.

If they’re caught, Gibson said they are prosecuted under a state law that makes dumping roofing materials a felony — punishable with a fine up to $25,000 and five years in prison.

“We’re not opposed to asking for the maximum fine,” he said. “When we take dumping cases to court we ask for as much as we can get out of fines.”

The legal alternative, dumping at a landfill, is a relatively inexpensive venture. The Walker Mountain Landfill receives shingle materials at a rate of $25.75 per ton for tarped loads and $35.55 per ton for non-tarped loads.

To report dumping, citizens can call building inspection at 706-236-4481 or the crime line at 706-236-5000.

The call can be anonymous, but Gibson said if they see dumping taking place, a picture could provide the much-needed evidence to prosecute these crimes.