Homeowners insurance usually covers sudden roof damage from hail, wind or a fallen tree. It does not cover a roof that has worn out. South Dakota law also sets rules for roofers who work on storm claims.
This page is general information. It is not insurance advice or legal advice. Your policy and your insurer decide what is covered.
Does homeowners insurance cover a new roof?
Insurance covers a new roof only when a covered event, such as hail or wind, damaged the old one. It does not pay to replace a roof because it is old. Policies differ. Some pay full replacement cost, some pay a depreciated amount on older roofs, and some exclude cosmetic damage to metal. Read your declarations page or ask your agent.
Does insurance cover a leak from an old roof?
Usually not. Policies generally exclude wear and tear, old age and lack of maintenance. If an old roof leaks with no storm behind it, the roof repair is normally yours to pay. Sudden water damage inside the house may be treated differently. Your insurer decides.
How do I know if my roof has hail or wind damage?
Hail or wind damage shows in specific ways, and some of it can be seen from the ground. Look for these.
- Dents in gutters, downspouts, vents and metal flashing.
- Round dark spots on shingles where granules were knocked off.
- Granules piled at the downspouts after the storm.
- Shingles missing, creased or flipped back, mostly at edges and ridges.
- Dented siding, torn window screens and marks on the air conditioner fins.
Hail bruises can be hard to see and can take months to leak. An inspection with photos settles it. HomeGuide publishes no price for hail or wind damage repair, so we give none.
How does a roof insurance claim work?
A roof claim works in steps.
- Document the damage with dated photos and stop any active leak.
- Report the claim to your insurer and get a claim number.
- An adjuster inspects the roof and writes an estimate.
- The insurer sends a first payment, less your deductible and often less depreciation.
- You choose a roofer and sign a contract for the work.
- The roof is replaced or repaired.
- On a replacement cost policy, the held-back depreciation is paid after you show the work was done.
We provide inspection photos and a written quote for you to share with the insurer. The insurer decides coverage and the amount.
What is the difference between actual cash value and replacement cost?
Actual cash value pays what the old roof was worth after depreciation. Replacement cost pays what a new roof of like kind costs today. On a 15-year-old roof the difference can be large. Many replacement cost policies pay the actual cash value first and the rest when the work is finished. Some policies switch roofs to actual cash value at a certain age.
Should I call the roofer or the insurance company first?
Either order works, but an inspection first often saves a claim that goes nowhere. If a roofer finds little or no storm damage, you have not opened a claim for nothing. If the roof is open and leaking, report it to your insurer right away and have it tarped. Do not sign a contract just to get an inspection.
Can a roofer pay or waive my deductible?
No. South Dakota law says a contractor providing residential roofing goods and services may not advertise or promise to pay or rebate all or part of an insurance deductible (SDCL 37-24-50). The deductible is your share of the loss. A roofer who offers to cover it is breaking that law, and the offer is a reason to choose someone else.
A roofer knocked on my door after a storm. What should I do?
Take your time, and sign nothing at the door. After hail, out-of-town crews knock on doors across Sioux Falls. Some do good work and some leave before problems show.
- Ask for the City of Sioux Falls roofing license and check it with Building Services.
- Ask for a South Dakota excise tax license. The Attorney General's office says everyone selling products or services in the state must have a current sales or contractor's excise tax license.
- Ask for a local address and proof of liability insurance.
- Do not sign a form that hands over your claim rights just to get a free inspection.
- Get a second quote from a company that will be here next year.
You also have cancellation rights. A door-to-door sale can be cancelled until midnight of the third business day (SDCL 37-24-5.1 to 5.3). A storm repair contract that is to be paid by insurance can be cancelled within 72 hours of signing, or within 72 hours of being told the insurer denied the claim (SDCL 37-24-51).
The adjuster's number is lower than my roofer's quote. Who pays the difference?
Compare the two line by line before you assume anyone is wrong. The adjuster may have left out items such as ice barrier, drip edge, flashing, the permit or a steep-roof charge, or measured fewer squares. Send your insurer the roofer's itemized quote and photos and ask for a review or a second inspection. The discussion about coverage is between you and your insurer. If the insurer adds nothing, you pay the difference between what it approved and the roofer's price, unless the roofer and you agree to change the scope. A roofer cannot make the gap disappear by absorbing your deductible.
How long do I have to file a roof claim?
Your policy sets it. We could not confirm a single South Dakota deadline for reporting storm damage, so we do not quote one. Policies require prompt notice, and some set a fixed period from the date of the storm. Read the conditions section or ask your agent, and report damage soon. Waiting also makes it harder to show which storm did it.
Will a claim raise my premium?
It can, but that depends on your insurer. Companies set their own rating rules. After a major hail storm, rates may rise for a whole area whether or not you file. Ask your agent how a weather claim is treated on your policy before you decide. Ask too whether a Class 4 impact-resistant roof earns a discount, and get the answer in writing.
What size hail damages a roof?
As a general guide, hail of about one inch across, the size of a quarter, is where damage to asphalt shingles starts to be common. Smaller hail can still hurt an old, brittle roof, and hail driven by strong wind hits harder than its size suggests. Larger stones can break the mat of a newer shingle. Size alone does not settle a claim. The insurer looks for bruises that broke the shingle, not only lost granules.
Will insurance pay for the whole roof or only the damaged part?
It depends on how far the damage goes and on your policy. If hail bruised every slope, insurers usually pay for the whole roof. If wind took shingles from one slope, many pay to repair that slope only. The adjuster's report says which. If you think damage was missed on other slopes, send photos and ask for a second inspection.
The damaged shingles are discontinued and will not match. Does insurance have to replace the whole roof?
Not always. When the damaged shingles are discontinued, a repair cannot match, and how the insurer must handle that depends on the wording of your policy. Some policies pay to replace enough to give a reasonable match. Others limit or exclude matching. We could not confirm a South Dakota rule that settles it, so we do not quote one. Ask your insurer for its position in writing, and ask your roofer for a letter stating that the shingle is no longer made.
How does recoverable depreciation work?
Recoverable depreciation is the part of a replacement cost claim that the insurer holds back until the work is done. The first payment is the roof's depreciated value less your deductible. After the roof is finished, you send the final invoice, and the insurer releases the amount it held. On an actual cash value policy the depreciation is not recoverable. Check your policy for a deadline to finish the work and claim the rest.
Why is my wind and hail deductible a percentage?
A percentage deductible is common in hail country because insurers use it to share the cost of storm claims. It is a percentage of your dwelling coverage, not of the damage. Multiply the insured value of the house on your declarations page by the percentage to see the dollar amount. It is often much larger than the flat deductible that applies to other losses. Ask your agent whether a flat deductible is offered and what it would cost.
15 shingles are gone and my deductible is $2,500. Is it worth filing a claim?
Usually not, if those 15 shingles are the only damage. HomeGuide's 2026 national figure for replacing up to 25 shingles is $100 to $300, which is not our quote but is far below a $2,500 deductible. The insurer would pay nothing, and you would still have a claim on your record. Have the roof inspected first. If the inspection finds creased shingles or hail damage across the roof, the sums change and a claim may make sense.
What should I do before the adjuster comes?
Before the adjuster comes, gather your evidence and make the roof easy to inspect.
- Note the date of the storm.
- Take dated photos of the roof from the ground, of dented gutters and vents, and of any stains inside.
- Keep receipts for tarping or emergency repairs.
- Find your declarations page and note the deductible.
- Do not make permanent repairs yet, apart from stopping leaks.
- Ask the adjuster for a copy of the estimate.
Many owners ask a roofer to be at the inspection to point out damage. The adjuster and the insurer decide the claim.
My roof claim was denied. What can I do, and do I need a public adjuster?
Ask for the denial in writing with the policy wording it relies on. Then send new evidence, such as a roofer's photo report, and ask for a second inspection. If that fails, you can complain to the South Dakota Division of Insurance, which takes complaints about insurers and adjusters. A public adjuster works for you on the claim and is paid a share of the payout, so one makes sense only on a large, disputed claim. We could not confirm South Dakota's licensing rules for public adjusters. Ask the Division of Insurance before you hire one. An attorney is the other route.
Should I sign an assignment of benefits or let the roofer deal with my insurance?
Be careful with an assignment of benefits. It hands your rights under the claim, and sometimes the payment, to the contractor. Once signed, you may lose your say in how the claim is settled. A roofer can meet the adjuster and send photos and a quote without one. Read any form before you sign, and remember the 72-hour cancellation right for insurance-paid storm contracts noted above. We give you the photos and the quote. The claim stays yours. This is general information, not legal advice.
A free roof inspection with photos and a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your roof. Call (605) 273-7260 or send the form on this page.