Territories by ZIP Code vs Custom Polygons for Roofing

Every sales manager starts with ZIP code territories because they are the easiest thing to draw. Every sales manager eventually switches to custom polygons because ZIP codes lie. The truth is you probably want both, used for different layers of your operation.

Why ZIPs Feel Easy

ZIP codes are familiar. Everyone has one. You can assign a rep to "75024" and nobody has to open a map. The CRM tracks leads by ZIP. Marketing targets ZIP codes. Insurance adjusters think in ZIPs. There is real operational convenience here.

For a 2-rep shop working 4 ZIPs, ZIP territories are fine. The margin of error is small enough that the operational simplicity wins.

Where ZIPs Break

The problems start as soon as your team grows past 4 reps or your market density varies.

Unequal Door Counts

ZIP 75024 has 14,000 residential parcels. ZIP 75201 has 3,800. If you assign one rep to each, one rep has 3.7x the opportunity of the other. No amount of rep talent fixes that imbalance.

Disjoint Shapes

ZIP codes are not contiguous. ZIP 79936 in El Paso has pockets that are 8 miles apart. A rep assigned to 79936 has to drive across other ZIPs to cover their territory. Gas, time, and frustration.

ZIP+4 Complications

Standard 5-digit ZIPs can be further subdivided into ZIP+4 codes. USPS uses ZIP+4 for mail routing, but most CRMs do not. If a ZIP splits right down the middle of a neighborhood, you are stuck either assigning the whole ZIP to one rep or building custom rules for specific streets within the ZIP.

Boundary Drift

ZIP codes change. USPS redraws boundaries every 2 to 3 years. Your territory map based on 2023 ZIP shapes will have errors by 2026.

Why Polygons Win for Precision

A custom polygon is a shape you draw on a map, defined by a list of latitude/longitude points. Polygons can be any shape. They follow natural boundaries (highways, rivers, subdivisions). They contain exactly the doors you want.

Benefits:

• Equal door counts, because you draw them that way
• Contiguous shapes that follow driving routes
• Easy to shrink or expand around storm swaths
• Stable, because you control the boundaries

Why Polygons Are Harder

The cost of polygons is management overhead. You have to actually draw them. Updating them requires tools. If your CRM does not support polygon-based territory assignment, you are stuck pasting GeoJSON into spreadsheets. That is how most teams end up back on ZIPs.

Polygon tools that do work:

• RoofKnockers has a drag-to-draw polygon editor with live door count as you reshape
• SalesRabbit supports polygon territories with manual assignment
• Google My Maps works for drawing but does not integrate with sales data

The Hybrid Approach

Most mature roofing teams end up running a hybrid. Use ZIPs for the high-level layer and polygons for the rep-level assignment.

Sample Hybrid Setup

LayerScopeUse MarketMultiple ZIPsMarketing spend allocation, GL reporting Region2 to 4 ZIPsManager-level performance tracking TerritoryCustom polygon within ZIPsIndividual rep assignment RouteSub-polygon within territoryDaily rep routing

This gives you the familiar ZIP-level reporting for marketing and management, plus the precision of polygons for actual rep assignment.

Storm Work Needs Polygons

NOAA hail swaths do not follow ZIP boundaries. A 10-mile-long hail path might cut through 6 ZIPs, catching parts of each. ZIP-based territories for storm work mean your reps are either leaving damaged homes unworked (because they are outside the ZIP) or working undamaged homes (because they are inside the ZIP).

For storm operations, draw polygons that follow the actual hail swath. Update within 24 hours of the storm. Reassign reps to match.

Exporting Territory Data

Whichever model you pick, make sure the data exports. GeoJSON is the standard. CSV with coordinate lists also works. You need this for backups, for handoffs when a rep leaves, and for switching tools if you ever change your CRM.

See also: territory data export and backup and how to draw sales territories for roofing.

FAQ

Can we start with ZIPs and migrate to polygons later?

Yes. Most teams do. Start with ZIPs for the first 6 to 12 months, then layer polygons on top once your team is large enough that ZIP imbalances become a problem.

How do we handle ZIP changes mid-year?

USPS announces ZIP boundary changes in advance. Subscribe to USPS City/State alerts. When a ZIP changes, update affected territories within 30 days.

Are there tools that auto-generate polygons by door count?

RoofKnockers has a balance tool that redraws polygons to match a target door count. Useful when you add a new rep and need to carve out a territory without rebalancing the whole team.