Hail Damage Roof Inspection: What the Roofer Checks and Records

A hail damage roof inspection is a close look at the roof by a licensed roofer or inspector, not by you. They check what around the house records hail size and direction, go over every slope, count hits in sample areas called test squares, check inside, and write it up with photos. This Old House (updated April 2026) says a roof inspection takes “anywhere from 45 minutes to four hours” and puts the average cost at $331, with most homeowners paying $125 to $571. It is not the adjuster’s visit: the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) notes that the adjuster works for the insurer paying the claim.

Before the inspector arrives

From the ground, write down the storm date and time, photograph what you can see from the yard or a window, and note any new ceiling stains. TDI’s advice after hail is to “take pictures and video of the damage” and to “save all receipts” for temporary repairs; a cover over a hole is a job for a roofer, not for you on a ladder. The hail damage check helps you sort what you saw.

What the inspector checks, step by step

1. Around the house. After the April 5, 2003, Dallas–Fort Worth storm, the survey team described in a 2004 paper by Haag Engineering and co-authors filled out a form at each site with the roof covering’s type and age and “the sizes and directions of hail spatter/scuff marks” and dents on metal and wood. The team found dented aluminum fins on air conditioners a reliable guide to hail size and to the angle the hail fell at.

2. Soft metal on the roof. Vent caps and lead pipe sleeves dent easily. Haag measured the widest dents “from rim-to-rim,” and “occasionally, chalk was rubbed over the dent to better determine its perimeter.” Dents are rough guides: in ice-ball tests Haag reported, box-vent dents came out about half the ball’s diameter and flue-cap dents about twice. Because old dents never go away, the inspector has to tie them to this storm.

3. Every slope of the roof. Haag’s 2004 paper on asphalt shingles says “the entire roof must be examined,” because poorly supported shingles at ridges, rakes, eaves and valleys, and shingle edges, break more easily. The inspector looks for the marks hail leaves on each roof type: bruises found by pressing, punctures, tears, split wood, broken tile, dents in metal. IBHS says ridge caps on asphalt shingle roofs “are especially vulnerable.” The inspector also rules out look-alikes such as blisters, wear and foot scuffs.

4. Test squares. Haag added “examining test squares in order to quantify the damage” to its procedure in 1983, and its engineers published the method in 1999: the number of hail-damaged shingles counted “in each test square on each directional roof slope” decides whether that slope is repaired or replaced. In a May 2026 Claims Journal article, Giancarlo Grant, a consultant with BRG, calls the 10-by-10-foot square the long-time “industry standard” and warns that one square is only a sample: “Zero observed hits do not prove the roof is undamaged,” and squares placed where damage “looks worst” can overstate it. We found no source that sets one hit count for replacement; ask how many squares were marked, where, and what count was used.

5. Inside the house. This Old House says the inspector checks “ceilings, attic, and interior walls for water staining, holes, mold, rot.” Fixr says an attic check “should be included,” though some companies charge extra.

6. Ladder, drone or infrared. In a standard inspection, This Old House says, “a professional uses a ladder to examine the roof in person.” Fixr suggests a drone for an “exceptionally steep roof” or several stories, and says infrared inspections, which look for hidden moisture, are “primarily reserved for commercial roofs.”

What a useful inspection report includes

A roof sketch is worth asking for when the cause of marks is in doubt. When marks might be man-made, Haag’s engineers draw a roof plan and plot each mark, because “any pattern or grouping of shingle marks quickly becomes apparent”: hail leaves a random spread, typically heaviest on the slope facing the storm, while tool marks usually bunch in lines or groups.

A roofer’s inspection vs the adjuster’s

The two visits answer different questions: a roofer tells you what is damaged and what fixing it would take. The adjuster, TDI says, “will review what happened and estimate the claims payment” and “may inspect the damages” or look at photos. TDI suggests being there when the adjuster inspects so nothing is missed. If you disagree with the estimate, tell the company why and send supporting documents, “such as a contractor’s estimate for the repairs.” TDI also says to show contractors the insurer’s estimate and to raise “any differences or other damage the contractor or shop found that the adjuster didn’t.”

Some states limit a roofer’s role in the claim. Minnesota Statutes §325E.66 bars residential contractors on insurance-paid jobs from offering compensation for “allowing the residential contractor to conduct an inspection,” from giving you a repair agreement without “a good faith estimate of the itemized and detailed cost of services and materials,” and from interpreting policy provisions, advising on coverage or adjusting a claim unless licensed as a public adjuster. Rules differ by state; ask your insurer or your state’s insurance or contractor licensing agency. For the claim itself, see the claim steps.

Choosing who inspects

• License. Minnesota requires a license even for roofing work alone on homes of one to four units, and its Department of Labor and Industry tells homeowners to check the license online before signing any document. Licensing rules for roofers vary, so check with your state.
• Insurance or bond. TDI says to verify name, address, phone and references, and that the contractor “has insurance or a bond.”
• Who knocked first. IBHS says to “avoid unsolicited offers to inspect or repair your roof,” and TDI says to avoid contractors going door-to-door.
• Signing at the inspection. Minnesota’s labor department warns that, generally speaking, “if a homeowner signs a piece of paper it is a contract, regardless of what the salesperson says.”
• Inspection and repair from one company. If the company that inspects also wants the repair job, get other bids: This Old House says to watch out for inspectors who offer to do repairs themselves, and TDI suggests “at least three written bids to compare.”

There is more on vetting a contractor after a storm.

How long it takes and what it costs

This Old House says detailed reports with photos and recommendations “can add to the total cost.” Its guide figures draw on Angi and Fixr data, so they overlap with Fixr’s; the $220 comes from a separate This Old House article on hail repair.

Common questions

Questions to ask your inspector

• Is this your inspection or the insurer’s, and who gets the report?
• How many test squares did you mark, on which slopes, and what did you count in each?
• What hail size do the AC fins and vents show, and does it match the storm date?
• Which marks are functional damage, and which are cosmetic or older?
• Will the report include photos, a roof sketch and an itemized repair list?
• What is your license number, and who insures your company?

To see how often hail has been reported in your county, open the hail history tool.