A mounting bracket system for a vehicle roof, and a method for its attachment to a vehicle having a side rail including a drip well, is contemplated in which no drilling of holes or other permanent modifications to the vehicle roof is required, and in which each individual mounting bracket may be independently fixed in place without requiring any structural support from interconnections with any other mounting bracket via crossbars or other interconnections. In this regard, a number of problems associated with prior mounting bracket systems may be overcome.