Door-Knocking Roofers After a Twin Cities Storm

Updated 2026-10 · Minneapolis, MN

The week after the storm

Within days of a big hailstorm in the metro, trucks with out-of-state plates appear, yard signs go up on every third lawn, and someone is at the door offering a free inspection. The Minnesota Department of Commerce has warned about exactly this: out-of-town contractors can be hard to find once a problem turns up, and may not hold a Minnesota licence at all. If the roof leaks after the next storm, a company with no Minnesota licence and no local office may simply be gone.

Not every knock is a scam

Canvassing after a storm is legal, and some reputable local firms do it, because most homeowners cannot safely get on their own roofs to check. The answer is to verify, not to refuse everyone. A legitimate company will be fine with every check below.

Five checks before you sign

• Look up the company on the Minnesota DLI licence lookup by the exact name on the contract. It should be an active residential roofer or contractor licence.
• Ask for a local address you could visit, and a local phone number that is not a mobile.
• Get a written, itemised estimate. For an insurance job Minnesota requires one.
• Read the contract for the bold 72-hour cancellation notice and the detachable form. Minnesota requires both on insurance-paid roofing contracts.
• Do not pay a large deposit up front, and never sign the same day under pressure.

Offers that are not allowed

If anyone offers to "take care of your deductible", pay you to put their sign in the yard, pay you for referring neighbours, or tells you what your policy covers and that they will handle the insurer, they are describing practices Minnesota law prohibits for residential roofers on insurance work. The Commissioner of Labor and Industry enforces those rules, and the insured or the insurer can sue over them. That is a reason to close the door, politely.

If you already signed

If the contract depends on your insurance claim and the claim is denied, you have 72 hours from the denial notice to cancel in writing, sent to the address in the contract. Notice by mail counts once it is posted. If the claim is approved and you are unhappy with the company, read the contract's own terms and talk to your insurer before the work starts.

Where to go next

• How a hail claim runs
• Choosing a roofing company
• Hail damage to roofs