Hail damage and insurance claims
Hail Damage Roof Replacement in Dallas: Insurance Claims, Adjusters and Metal Roofs
After hail, report the damage to your insurer, photograph everything, and keep repairs temporary until the adjuster has seen the roof. If it needs replacing, Permanent Metal Roofing Systems inspects it, documents what we find and writes an itemized estimate for a metal roof. Your insurer decides what the policy covers; this page explains the Texas rules behind each step.
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After a hailstorm, what comes first?
Stay off the roof, note the storm date, and build a photo record before anything is repaired.
- Write down the date and time; NOAA’s Storm Events Database can later confirm hail near you.
- From the ground, photograph dented vents, flashing, window screens, fences and AC fins, plus a few stones beside a coin if any remain.
- Check ceilings and the attic for stains, drips or wet insulation.
- Stop active leaks with a tarp or other temporary repair, and keep every receipt.
- Report the claim promptly. TDI notes that many policies set a filing deadline, and some allow one year.
- Hold off on permanent repairs. TDI warns that a company might deny a claim if they are made before it sees the damage.
This page is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Your policy wording controls, and coverage decisions belong to your insurer. TDI’s home insurance guide is the plain-English reference.
How is hail damage documented on a roof?
With photos that show where each mark is and how big it is, tied to roof measurements and a written list that adjusters and appraisers can follow.
We photograph every slope, then close-ups with a scale in the frame: bruised shingles, dented vents and flashing, split seams or punctured panels. Adjusters often count hits in a marked test area per slope, so we note which slopes faced the storm.
You get the photos, the measurements and an itemized replacement estimate, and you decide what goes to your insurer. Under TDI guidance, a contractor may give an insurer or its adjuster an estimate and discuss it, with other technical details.
What happens when the adjuster comes out?
The adjuster inspects in person or from photos and writes an estimate; then the insurer accepts or rejects the claim, and a rejection must be in writing with reasons. TDI suggests being there for the inspection, ideally with your contractor.
Get the adjuster’s contact details, take notes on every call, and ask for the adjuster’s estimate to compare line by line with ours. Roof size, slope count, tear-off layers and flashing are where estimates usually differ.
| Claim step | Texas timing, per TDI |
|---|---|
| Insurer accepts or rejects the claim | Within 15 business days after it has everything it asked you for |
| Insurer needs more time | Up to 45 days, if it tells you why |
| After a weather catastrophe | TDI can add 15 more days |
| Insurer pays once it agrees | Within five business days |
| Mortgage company receives the check | Must contact you within 10 days |
Source: TDI, steps to getting your insurance claim paid. Surplus lines carriers follow different payment timing.
What we do at the meeting, and what we cannot do
If you ask us to attend, we walk the roof with the adjuster, point out what we documented and explain our estimate. Texas Insurance Code 4102.163 bars a contractor doing the work from acting as your public adjuster, so we do not negotiate your settlement or speak for you on coverage. You can hire a licensed public adjuster for that role.
Who pays the deductible on a Texas roof claim?
You do. HB 2102 took effect on September 1, 2019, and under it the deductible is the policyholder’s to pay. A contractor who offers to cover it, discount it away or hand back part of it as a rebate commits a Class B misdemeanor.
Permanent Metal Roofing Systems does not waive, rebate or absorb deductibles. Insurers may ask for proof you paid yours, and a roofing contract paid from an insurance settlement generally has to state that the deductible is yours. An offer to skip it is a red flag about the rest of that bid.
In Texas, the wind and hail deductible is normally a slice of your dwelling limit, anywhere from 1 to 5 percent, and North Texas policies now most often use 2 percent. Your declarations page shows yours.
How do ACV and RCV policies pay for a roof?
Replacement cost value (RCV) covers a new roof of like kind and quality, minus your deductible, usually in two payments. Actual cash value (ACV) also subtracts depreciation for the roof’s age, and that amount does not come back.
| Replacement cost value (RCV) | Actual cash value (ACV) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it pays | Like kind and quality, less the deductible | That amount less depreciation |
| Depreciation | Held back, then paid once the work is done | Kept by the insurer |
| Payments | Usually two; the second follows the completed-work invoice | Usually one |
| Watch for | A deadline to finish the work and claim the second payment | A roof schedule tied to age or material |
Industry data on the ten biggest U.S. insurers shows ACV roof schedules on 60 percent of their policies in 2025, up from 10 percent in 2015, and Texas insurers commonly move older roofs to ACV at renewal. See the Office of Public Insurance Counsel’s ACV vs. RCV page.
Will insurance pay for a metal roof if you had shingles?
Usually it pays for what you had: a replacement-cost claim values a shingle roof as new shingles, and the step up to metal is yours.
That step is worth weighing because hail keeps coming: for 11 straight years, NICB analysis has ranked Texas first among states for major hail events. Shingles here commonly wear out in fifteen to twenty years, while metal roofs installed by professionals typically run 40 to 70 years in Texas. Compare standing seam and other systems on our residential metal roofing page.
Tell your insurer about the upgrade before work starts and ask what it needs to release the full claim. Our itemized estimate makes the difference easy to see.
Can a Class 4 metal roof lower your premium?
It can, but your insurer picks the amount. Under TDI’s roofing discount guidance, a roof covering has to pass UL 2218 before it can earn an impact-resistant credit, with the biggest credit going to Class 4, while each company sets the size of its credit and the documents it accepts.
In 2025 and 2026, carriers reported credits between about 5 and 35 percent of what homeowners pay for wind and hail coverage. Among the systems we install, EDCO rates ArrowLine Shake Class 4, and DECRA lists Class 4 ratings on its stone-coated steel lines. More on our Class 4 metal roofing page and in our roof discount guide.
Are hail dents on a metal roof covered?
Not if your policy carries a cosmetic damage exclusion. These endorsements drop coverage for hail marks that change how a roof looks without letting water in or keeping it from working.
TDI approved an optional endorsement of this kind, HO-145, in 1998 for policies taking an impact-resistant roof credit, and many carriers now attach their own versions widely. Texas courts have reached different results on how far they go. Read yours before you choose metal, and ask your agent whether coverage without it is offered.
Heavier 24-gauge steel dents less readily than 26-gauge, and striated panels or a stone-coated surface help hide small marks.
Which storm-chaser warning signs should DFW homeowners know?
Watch for uninvited door knocks after a storm, pressure to sign that day, and any deductible offer. The Texas Attorney General and TDI both warn about them.
- Out-of-town crews who show up unasked, often with “leftover materials” from a nearby job
- Demands for cash, or for full payment before the work is done
- Asking you to endorse your insurance check to the contractor
- An offer to “handle your claim” or negotiate with your insurer while also doing the roof, which Texas does not allow
- A contract with blanks, or an estimate with no company name, address and phone number
Collect two or more written bids, check references, and let the adjuster see the roof before you sign anything. Under Business and Commerce Code Chapter 601, a contract signed at home after a door-to-door pitch can generally be canceled within three business days. The Attorney General’s office takes roofing scam reports at 800-621-0508.
No state license exists for Texas roofers. Locally, the City of Dallas makes roofers register under Chapter 52 and Fort Worth runs its own yearly contractor registration, so ask to see it.
Hail claims and metal roofs in Dallas-Fort Worth
Big hail is a regular event here. Baseball-size stones fell in parts of the Metroplex during the May 28, 2024 storm, and State Farm logged 3,389 home claims within days. Preliminary reports from April 28, 2026 described 4.5-inch hail around Cresson and Godley, southwest of Fort Worth.
A whole-roof replacement needs a permit in Dallas and Fort Worth, and many suburban HOAs review roof materials. State law (Property Code 202.011) limits how an HOA can restrict impact-resistant roofing that matches the neighborhood’s look; our HOA approval guide explains what to submit.
We schedule hail inspections from our Mesquite office across the region, including Dallas, Plano, Frisco and Fort Worth. If the damage is limited to a few details, a metal roof repair may be all you need.
The Lifetime Non-Prorated Limited Warranty on our standing seam roofs backs labor and material and is transferable one time if you sell; acts of God like hail, tornadoes, fire or flood are excluded as insurance matters. Full terms are on our warranties page.
Hail damage and insurance claim questions
Should I call my insurance company or a roofer first after hail?
Both, but start the claim early, because many policies set a filing deadline. A roofer’s inspection tells you whether there is damage worth claiming. Keep repairs temporary until the adjuster has seen the roof.
Can PMRS meet my insurance adjuster?
Yes, if you ask us to. We walk the roof with the adjuster, show what we documented and explain our estimate. Texas law does not let a contractor doing the work act as your public adjuster, so we do not negotiate your settlement or speak for you on coverage.
Can a roofer pay or waive my deductible in Texas?
No. The deductible is yours to pay under Texas law. For a contractor, offering to skip it, cover it or refund part of it is a criminal offense, and your insurer may ask for proof that you paid it.
Will my insurance pay for a metal roof if I had shingles?
Usually the claim is figured on replacing what you had with like kind and quality, and the extra for metal is yours. Tell your insurer about the upgrade before work starts and ask what it needs to release the full claim.
Is there a deadline to file a roof hail claim in Texas?
Yes, and it is written into your policy. TDI notes that some policies allow one year unless you show good cause for a delay, and an early claim makes the damage easier to tie to the storm.
What if I disagree with the adjuster’s estimate?
Send your insurer the documentation behind your position, such as photos and a second estimate. Disputes over the amount can go to appraisal under most policies, you can file a complaint with TDI at 800-252-3439, and you may hire a licensed public adjuster.
Get a hail inspection and a written estimate
Tell us when the storm hit and what roof you have now. We will inspect, photograph what we find and give you an itemized estimate for a metal roof.
Get Your Free Metal Roof Estimate
Tell us about your roof. Our Mesquite office calls back the same business day to set up a free measurement and an itemized written estimate.
Prefer to talk now? Call (469) 466-2421.
Know your roof and your policy before the next storm
Call (469) 466-2421. The office answers the phone and calls back the same business day.