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Guide

Hail damage and roof insurance claims

Roofing demand spikes after hail because a hail roof is usually an insurance roof. This guide explains the general shape of a claim so you can read a quote, a settlement letter or an adjuster's report with the Index numbers beside you. It is general information, not legal or insurance advice; your policy wording controls.

State guides

North Carolina is live. Other states are added as they are activated on the Index.

What is usually covered

A standard homeowner policy covers sudden, accidental damage from a named peril: hail, wind, a fallen tree, fire. It does not cover a roof that has simply worn out, was badly installed, or was left leaking. The practical line an adjuster draws is between storm damage (bruised or fractured shingles, granule loss in a spatter pattern, dented soft metals such as vents and gutters, all on the storm-facing slopes) and age or neglect (uniform granule loss, curling, blistering, previous repairs).

Replacement cost vs actual cash value

Two ways a roof can be paid. Replacement cost value (RCV) pays what it costs to replace the roof with like kind and quality, usually in two payments: the depreciated amount up front and the withheld depreciation once the work is done and invoiced. Actual cash value (ACV) pays the replacement cost minus depreciation for age and condition, and the homeowner covers the rest. Many insurers have moved older roofs, or roofs in hail-prone areas, to ACV schedules or to a separate, higher wind-and-hail deductible. Check the declarations page for the words "roof surfacing", "ACV" or "wind/hail deductible".

The deductible

The deductible comes off the settlement, not off the contractor's bill, and a percentage deductible is a percentage of the dwelling coverage, not of the roof. A 2% deductible on a $400,000 dwelling limit is $8,000, which on a roof costing $12,500 at the US typical for 25 squares is most of the job. A contractor who offers to "cover" or "waive" the deductible is offering insurance fraud; walk away.

The sequence

  1. Document: date of the storm, photos from the ground, any interior leaks. Do not go on the roof.
  2. Check the county record: the calculator's address lookup shows NOAA hail events for the county with dates and stone size. That supports the date of loss; it does not prove the roof was hit.
  3. Get an inspection from a licensed roofer before or alongside the adjuster. Ask for a written report with photos of each slope.
  4. File the claim within the policy's notice period (often one year for hail and wind, sometimes shorter).
  5. Compare the adjuster's scope to the Index: the settlement should show a square count and a per-square price. Put the adjuster's per-square figure against the state and metro Index for your area, and against a written quote.
  6. Choose the roofer, then sign. Read any "assignment of benefits" or "contingency agreement" before signing; some hand the claim to the contractor.

Using the Index on a claim

The Index is per square for installation only, at national material prices with labor scaled to your area. A settlement usually also carries tear-off ($100 to $300 per square per layer in our tables), permit ($100 to $500), disposal and a line for damaged flashing or vents. If a settlement's per-square figure sits below the low end of the Index for your metro, that is a reason to ask the adjuster how it was built, not proof it is wrong. Prices do vary within a metro.

Written by the Thomas Town Digital editorial team, 2026 Q3. General information only. We match homeowners with roofers; we do not roof and we do not adjust claims.