Hail Claims on a Minnesota Roof: How the Process Runs
Updated 2026-10 · Minneapolis, MN
Before anything else
This guide describes how claims commonly run, not what your policy covers. MPLS Roofing Pros is an advertising and referral service, not a contractor and not an adjuster, and cannot interpret any insurance policy. Minnesota law does not allow the roofing company to interpret it either. Your insurer or agent is the only one who can tell you what you are covered for.
Why the stakes went up
Hail is expensive in Minnesota. The state topped State Farm's hail claims in 2022 with close to $800 million in damage. A 2023 storm caused more than $1 billion in property damage across the Twin Cities and central Minnesota. The Insurance Federation of Minnesota reports the average hail claim has nearly doubled in a decade to almost $30,000. In response, some insurers now pay only the depreciated value of a roof 10 or 15 years old, and wind and hail deductibles have risen. Many homeowners find this out only when the settlement letter arrives.
How it usually goes
1. Look before you file
A licensed local roofer checks the roof and tells you whether there is real functional damage: bruised mats, fractured shingles, broken seals. Dented gutters alone may not be enough. Filing a claim for damage that is not there still goes on your record.
2. File, and read the deadline
Policies set their own deadline for reporting storm damage, often counted from the storm date. Note the date of the storm and keep your photos.
3. The adjuster visit
The insurer sends an adjuster to inspect. You can have your roofer there, which is common and useful, but the roofer is there to point out damage and answer questions about the roof, not to argue coverage.
4. The estimate and depreciation
On a replacement-cost policy, many insurers pay the depreciated amount first and the rest once the work is done. On an actual-cash-value policy, the depreciated amount may be all there is. Compare the adjuster's line items with the roofer's: missed items such as ice barrier, flashing and code-required work are commonly added in a supplement.
What Minnesota law says
Minn. Stat. 325E.66 bars a residential roofer paid from insurance proceeds from promising to pay or rebate your deductible, paying you for referrals or other services as an inducement, giving you an agreement without a good-faith itemised estimate, and interpreting your policy or adjusting the claim unless licensed as a public adjuster.
Minn. Stat. 326B.811 lets you cancel an insurance-contingent roofing contract within 72 hours of being told your claim was denied. Payments must be returned within ten days of cancellation, though a contractor that did emergency work is entitled to be paid for it.
Storm went through your neighbourhood? Get a free look before you file, so you know whether there is a claim worth making.
Where to go next
Common questions
Will my premium go up if I file?
Ask your insurer or agent. It varies by company and claim history.
Can I keep the insurance money and not replace the roof?
That depends on the policy and any mortgage on the house; lenders are often named on the cheque. Ask your insurer before deciding.
What is a supplement?
An additional request to the insurer for items missed in the first estimate, usually code-required items found once the work starts.