Storm Damage Roof Checklist for Fort Collins Homeowners
The afternoon cells that build over the foothills and roll east across Fort Collins between May and August don't announce themselves much. Twenty minutes of hail, a yard full of shredded cottonwood leaves, and by dinner the sun is out and there's a truck with out-of-state plates idling at the end of the street. Roof damage from storm hail rarely shows from the ground, and what you do in the next 48 hours decides whether you end up with a roof paid for by your insurer or a denied claim and a contract you can't get out of. Here's the checklist.
Before you look at the roof
Stay off it. Bruised shingles can't be seen from the ground and are hard to see from a ladder. There's nothing you'll learn up there that's worth a fall, and hail-loosened granules on a wet slope are like ball bearings.
Photograph the ground evidence while it's fresh. Hailstones on the lawn next to a tape measure or a coin. Dents in the gutters and downspouts. Torn window screens. Splatter marks on the fence and the siding. Chips out of the deck stain. Dings in the car. Note the time and date. This is the evidence that hail of a damaging size fell on your property, and it fades fast — stones melt, and the neighbors' roofs get replaced.
What to check from the ground for storm damage to the roof
Walk the house with a pair of binoculars.
- Gutters and downspouts: dents the size of a fingertip or larger mean hail of an inch or more, which is what bruises shingles
- Roof vents, turtle vents, and the furnace flue cap: soft aluminum, dents show clearly
- Ridge caps: cracked or missing caps, or pieces on the lawn
- Granules: piles at the bottom of downspouts and in the splash blocks. Some granule loss after any storm is normal on an older roof; a lot of it is a sign the mat took hits
- The AC condenser: bent fins on the side that faced the storm
- Windward slope: the wind ahead of a hail cell comes from the west or northwest here, so the slopes facing that way get the most hail and any creased or lifted shingles from the gust front
What to check in the attic
If it rained hard after the hail, go into the attic with a flashlight and look for fresh wet spots on the underside of the decking, especially around pipe penetrations and in valleys. Hail that cracks a shingle through can leak the same day; bruising usually doesn't leak until the exposed asphalt weathers open over a year or two. Our post on finding a leak from inside shows what to look for.
Get an inspection before you call the insurer
This is the step most people skip. An insurance claim can go on your record whether it's paid or not (ask your agent how your carrier handles that), and a claim for damage that turns out to be wear is the worst outcome — nothing paid, and a mark against the house. So have a roofer walk the roof first and give you a written repair estimate with photos. Many adjusters count hits in a 10-by-10-foot test square; the threshold varies by insurer. If the roof is only scuffed, a good roofer will tell you, and you'll have photos on file in case it leaks later.
If it's a claim
- Photograph the damage yourself and call your insurer or agent. Get the claim number and the adjuster's name.
- Know who does what. A roofer can give you a written repair estimate and photos, but in Colorado only a public adjuster licensed by the Colorado Division of Insurance can negotiate a claim for you.
- Read your declarations page. Many Colorado policies carry a separate wind-and-hail deductible set as a percentage of dwelling coverage, and some pay actual cash value rather than replacement cost on older roofs — check your policy or ask your agent. Know your number before the estimate arrives.
- Get the adjuster's scope in writing and compare it to the roofer's estimate. If something looks missing, ask your insurer how to request a re-inspection.
The hail damage and claims page walks through the whole process.
What not to do
Don't sign anything on the doorstep. The crews working Harmony Road and Timberline the morning after a storm carry contingency agreements and assignments of benefits. A contingency agreement locks you into that company if the claim is approved, before you've seen a price or checked a license.
Don't accept a deductible offer. Colorado law bars a roofer from paying, waiving or rebating your deductible. Never accept an offer to cover it — insurers treat it as fraud, and it can put your claim at risk. Colorado has a consumer-protection law for residential roofing work paid through insurance (C.R.S. 6-22-101 and following); ask your insurer or an attorney how it applies to your job.
Don't let anyone on the roof who won't show a contractor license and an insurance certificate. Colorado has no statewide roofing license. The City of Fort Collins licenses roofing contractors — check a roofer's license with the city before you sign. Other towns and Larimer and Weld County set their own rules; check with that building department. Our post on questions to ask a roofing contractor has the full list.
Don't wait until spring. Bruises weather and become harder to attribute to a specific storm, and many policies set a deadline for filing hail claims — check yours. Get the inspection within a few weeks.
If water is coming in right now
Put a bucket under it, poke a small hole in a bulging ceiling to let the water out in a controlled way, shut off any circuit with a wet fixture, and call a roofer for a tarp. Emergency tarping runs $300–$700 and is often covered as mitigation — ask your insurer. Keep the receipt.
Keep a one-page storm record
Memory fades in a week. Write this down the same day and keep it with your photos:
- The date and time the hail started and stopped
- The largest stone you saw, and what you measured it against
- Which side of the house took the most hits
- A list of every photo and what it shows
- Who you called, when, and what they said, including your insurer and any roofer
If the claim runs for months, this page is what keeps your story straight.
Damage beyond the roof
The same storm that bruised the shingles may have hit other parts of the house. Look at, and photograph:
- Siding and trim, especially vinyl, which cracks, and painted wood, which chips
- Window screens, window wraps and skylight domes
- The AC condenser fins and the furnace flue cap
- Fences, deck boards, outdoor furniture and the car
Show all of it to your insurer or agent. It may belong on the same claim, and it helps confirm the size of the hail that fell on your property.
Your neighbors' roofs don't decide yours
When half the street has new-roof signs in the yard, it is tempting to assume yours is due too. Each roof is judged on its own damage, and older or newer shingles react to the same hail differently. Get your own estimate with photos of your own slopes. If the roof is fine, you have saved yourself a claim on your record.
Once the claim is settled
Pick the roofer the same way you would for a cash job: a license you checked with the city, a written contract with the shingle line named, the permit question answered, and the workmanship term in years. The payout doesn't change any of that. Ask about Class 4 shingles before the order goes in, since a replacement after hail is the cheapest time to upgrade.
If the estimate says the roof is fine
That's good news, and it's worth keeping on file. Save the estimate and the photos with your storm record. If a leak shows up next spring, you'll be able to show what the roof looked like right after the storm.
Need roof work in Fort Collins?
Call for a free estimate. Mon–Sat 7am–7pm.