Utah gets hit with hail more than most people expect. The Wasatch Front — Salt Lake City, Provo, Layton, Ogden — takes regular hailstorms every spring and summer. In 2024 and 2025, several storms dropped golf-ball-sized hail across northern Utah. After a storm like that, your roof takes a beating even if you cannot see the damage from the ground.
Hail damage to a roof is not always obvious right away. It does not always mean a big hole or a visible crack. Most of the time the damage is subtle — and it gets worse over the next few months if you leave it.
Here is exactly what to do after a hailstorm in Utah, step by step.
Step 1: Do Not Go on the Roof Yourself
We know the first instinct is to climb up and check. But right after a storm, the roof is wet, slippery, and you do not know what has been damaged. A fall from a roof is a serious injury. Let a professional handle the inspection — they have the right gear and know what to look for.
What you can do right away: walk around the outside of your house. Check your gutters for shingle granules — they look like coarse dark sand. Look for dents on your gutters, downspouts, AC unit, and window screens. If those things are dented, your roof almost certainly took hits too.
Step 2: Take Photos Right Away
Before anything gets cleaned up or repaired, take photos of everything. Your gutters, your yard, any fallen branches, and whatever you can see of the roof from the ground. If water is coming in inside the house, photograph that too.
The date and time on your photos matters for your insurance claim. Your phone camera does this automatically. Do not wait — the sooner you document the damage, the smoother your claim will be.
Step 3: Call a Roofer Before You Call Your Insurance Company
This surprises a lot of homeowners in Utah, but calling a roofer first is the smarter move. Here is why:
Insurance adjusters are there to protect the insurance company, not you. A roofer who works with insurance claims every day knows exactly what damage to document, how to measure it properly, and how to make sure nothing gets missed. If you let the insurance adjuster do the inspection alone, you might get a low offer that does not cover the full cost of replacement.
At Right Way Roofing, we come out for free, inspect the roof, document all the damage, and then walk you through the insurance process. We have done this hundreds of times across Utah. It costs you nothing extra — we get paid through your insurance claim, not out of your pocket.
Step 4: File Your Claim Quickly
Utah homeowners insurance claims for storm damage have time limits. Most policies give you 1 year from the date of the storm, but some are shorter. Do not sit on it.
When you file, have ready: the date of the storm, your timestamped photos, a written damage report from your roofer if you have one, and your policy number. If possible, have your roofer present when the insurance adjuster comes to inspect. A good roofer will point out damage the adjuster might miss — and that can mean a much better payout.
What Hail Damage Actually Looks Like on a Roof
On asphalt shingles, hail damage shows up as:
- Dark spots or circles where granules were knocked off and the black asphalt underneath is exposed
- Soft spots or bruising — press lightly and the shingle feels spongy underneath instead of firm
- Random circular dents across the roof surface
- Cracked or split shingles from larger hail hits
- Granules in gutters and downspouts — once the granules are gone, Utah’s strong sun breaks down shingles fast
On metal roofs, hail shows up as visible dents. On flat TPO roofs, look for punctures, tears, or cracked seams around edges and drains.
Will Insurance Pay for a New Roof?
If the damage is real and caused by the storm — yes, usually. But there are two types of policies that pay very differently:
- RCV — Replacement Cost Value: Pays for a full new roof minus your deductible. This is what you want.
- ACV — Actual Cash Value: Pays the current depreciated value of your roof. On a 15-year-old roof, that payout could be 40-50% less than what a new roof actually costs.
Check your policy before a storm hits. If you have ACV coverage, talk to your insurance agent about upgrading — the premium difference is usually small but the difference in a claim payout is huge.
Watch Out for Storm Chasers
After any big hailstorm in Utah, out-of-state roofing crews show up fast. They go door to door, promise quick work, ask for a big deposit upfront, and sometimes disappear — or finish the job badly with no local warranty to fall back on.
Always hire a local Utah-licensed roofing contractor. Check their license at the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) website. A real local company has a physical address, years of reviews, and will still be around if something goes wrong two years from now.
How Long Does It Take From Storm to Finished Roof?
The actual roof work takes 1 to 3 days. But the full timeline usually looks like this:
- Day 1–3: Storm hits, you call a roofer, they inspect and document
- Day 3–7: You file the insurance claim
- Week 2–3: Insurance adjuster visits, claim gets approved
- Week 3–4: Materials ordered, job scheduled
- Week 4–5: Roof replaced — 1 to 3 days of work
The insurance approval is the slow part. Having a roofer involved from day one with complete documentation speeds this up.
Common Questions About Storm Damage Roofing in Utah
How do I know if my roof has hail damage?
Check your gutters for granules and look for dents on your AC unit and gutters. Then call a roofer for a proper roof inspection — hail damage is often not visible from the ground and gets worse over time if you leave it.
How long do I have to file a hail damage claim in Utah?
Most Utah home insurance policies give you 1 year from the date of the storm. Some are shorter. Read your policy and file as soon as possible.
Do I have to pay anything out of pocket?
Only your deductible — usually $500 to $2,500. If a contractor offers to waive your deductible, that is insurance fraud in Utah. Walk away.
Can I pick my own roofer for an insurance claim?
Yes. Your insurance pays the claim but you choose the contractor. You do not have to use whoever your insurance company suggests. Pick a local Utah-licensed roofer you trust.
Call Right Way Roofing at (801) 510-0255 for a free storm damage inspection. We serve Salt Lake City, Provo, Orem, Layton, Ogden, Sandy, Draper, West Jordan, South Jordan, and all of northern Utah. We will check your roof, tell you honestly what we find, and help you through the insurance claim — at no charge to you.