Who pulls the permit, and why it matters
A roof replacement generally needs a permit, and in a state this size every city and town still runs its own building department with its own counter and its own pace. Who goes to that counter matters more than it sounds.
Three ways it appears in a quote
Included, and the contractor applies. Billed separately, and the contractor applies. Or left to the owner, which means you apply.
The first two are ordinary. The third is worth pausing on, because applying for the permit makes you the party responsible for the work in the eyes of the town — for a job you are not performing.
Why a contractor might prefer you to do it
Sometimes it is genuinely simpler, particularly on a small job. Sometimes it is not, and it is worth asking plainly whether the business is registered and insured in a way that lets it pull permits in your town.
You do not need to be adversarial about it. The question answers itself quickly, and the answer tells you what kind of business you are dealing with.
What the permit is worth to you afterwards
It creates a record that the work happened, was inspected, and was signed off. On a multi-family that record is worth real money at sale, and on any house it is what a future buyer’s inspector will look for.
A roof done without one is not necessarily a bad roof. It is a roof with no documentation, and documentation costs less than any other part of the job.
Next step: What a complete replacement quote covers