Booking a roof inspection after a hail storm is easy; judging it is harder. An inspection is only as useful as the report it produces. Two roofers can walk the same roof on the same afternoon and hand you very different documents: one a page of photographs, causes and measurements, the other a single line saying the roof “needs replacing”.
This guide describes what a thorough post-hail inspection covers, from the ground to the attic, and what the written report should contain when it reaches you. It is meant to help you judge the quality of an inspection, not to replace one, and nothing in it asks you to climb onto a roof.
What should a roof inspection after a hail storm include?
A roof inspection after a hail storm should cover four areas: the storm itself, the outside of the house, the roof surface, and the attic. It should end with a written report that names each finding, its cause, its location and a photograph, and that separates hail damage from wear, blistering and installation faults.
- The storm record. The date of the storm and how it was confirmed.
- The ground-level walk. Gutters, downspouts, siding, window trim, fences and anything else soft enough to dent.
- The roof surface. Every slope, plus vents, flashing, ridge and valleys, inspected by someone with fall protection.
- The attic. The underside of the roof deck, especially around flashing points and penetrations.
- The report. Findings, causes, photographs, and a recommendation that follows from them.
An inspection that skips straight to the shingles and then to a price has left out most of the evidence.
Why does the storm date matter in the report?
The storm date ties the damage to an event. Without it, a report cannot easily show that the marks on your roof came from one specific storm rather than years of wear. A good report records the date you give, and the inspector can check it against public weather records before treating it as fact.
Hail in the Plano area is not rare. The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Storm Events Database is a public record of reported severe weather, searchable by date and place. Its raw data files list 310 hail reports on 62 separate days across the Plano area from 2016 to 2025. Hail of 2 inches or larger was reported on 17 of those days, all of them between March and June, or in September.
Those figures are reports, not a full count of every storm. They still show that a roof in the Plano area can see more than one hail day in a decade, so a report should name the storm it is assessing.
Look for the storm date at the top of the report, a note on how it was checked, and any older damage flagged separately rather than folded into the new event.
What should the inspector check from the ground first?
Before anyone climbs, the inspector should walk the whole house and look at soft metal and other surfaces that show hail clearly. Fresh dents in gutters, downspouts, vent caps and window wraps, spatter marks on paint, and granules collected at downspout outlets all show that hail reached the house and suggest its direction.
The ground walk is fast and it is evidence in its own right. A good inspector records:
- Gutters and downspouts. Dents, their size and their spacing.
- Window trim, screens and siding. Damage on one side of the house and not the others points to wind direction during the storm.
- Fences, outdoor units and other metal. Further confirmation that hail fell here.
- Debris and limbs. Branches suggest impacts that are not hail at all.
The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) advises property owners to make their own first inspection from the ground or through upstairs windows, using binoculars, and says property owners should never climb onto a roof. You can do this part yourself and hand your dated photographs to the inspector.
Dented soft metal is a reason to look closely at the roof, not proof of shingle damage.
What does a thorough roof surface inspection cover?
On the roof, the inspector should examine every slope, not just the side that faced the storm, and record hits on shingles, ridge caps, vents, flashing and skylights. Shingle damage takes several forms, from granule loss and dents to cracks and tears, and the report should say which form was found where.
When the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) tests shingles for its hail impact-resistant shingle ratings, it assesses damage ranging from granule loss, dents and surface cracks to a fully compromised shingle. A careful inspector looks for the same range on your roof. The details matter because IBHS’s water leakage study found a clear relationship between the size of a dent and how much water leaked through. Small dents let in negligible water. Large dents let in a great deal. Tears allowed large amounts of water as their severity increased.
A thorough roof inspection covers:
| Area | What the inspector looks for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Field shingles, every slope | Dents, fractures, tears, exposed mat, granule loss in impact patterns | Damage that can let water through |
| Vents and vent caps | Dents, cracks, broken housings | Penetrations are common leak points |
| Flashing and pipe boots | Dents, cracked boots, loosened metal | Where the roof meets walls, chimneys and pipes |
| Skylights | Cracked lenses or frames, damaged flashing | Both a leak point and a safety issue |
| Sealant bond between shingles | Shingles lifted or no longer sealed | Affects wind resistance after the storm |
IBHS research on asphalt shingle durability found that sealant strength is a critical factor in resisting wind damage, particularly after hail impact. A roof that looks intact after hail can still be weaker against the next wind storm.
A report that says “hail damage throughout” without saying where or how much was found is hard to check.
How should a report separate hail damage from wear and blistering?
The report should name a cause for each finding: hail, wind, normal ageing, blistering, foot traffic, or installation. Hail hits are random, often match dents in nearby soft metal, and have a storm date. Wear and blistering build up over time and have no single date. Each finding with no cause is a gap.
Many older roofs show storm damage and normal ageing on the same slopes. A good report keeps them apart:
- Each photograph is captioned with a cause, not just a location.
- Hail findings are linked to the storm date, and to the ground-level evidence on that side of the house.
- Ageing findings are described as ageing, for example even granule thinning, curling or brittleness, without being counted as storm damage.
- Uncertain findings are marked as uncertain, rather than assigned to whichever cause suits the recommendation.
For a detailed look at how these marks differ, see our guide to telling hail damage from blistering and normal wear. If you want to understand why some storms damage a roof and others do not, our guide to what size hail damages a roof explains the role of stone size and roof type.
What should the inspector look for in the attic?
In the attic, the inspector looks at the underside of the roof deck for water stains, damp or darkened wood, wet insulation, rusty nail tips and light where there should be none. Particular attention goes to flashing points and penetrations, which ARMA calls the most vulnerable points on a roof.
The attic shows whether water is already getting in, and where. ARMA’s homeowner guidance says to inspect the underside of the roof deck from the attic to detect leaks, and to check carefully at all flashing points for evidence of leakage such as water stains. The same ARMA guidance notes that a vented attic should show light at the ridge vent or static vents near the top of the roof.
The attic section of the report should say:
- Whether active or old water stains were found, with photographs and locations.
- Whether those stains line up with damage found on the roof above them.
- Whether insulation is wet and over how large an area.
- Whether something else explains the moisture, such as an air-conditioning drain line.
If water has already reached insulation or drywall, drying it quickly matters more than the paperwork. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advises drying water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth.
What belongs in the written inspection report?
A written inspection report should contain the address, inspection date, storm date, roof type, an overview photograph of each slope, every finding with a location, cause and close-up photograph, the attic findings, and a recommendation that follows from those findings. It should also say what the inspector could not see or reach.
Use this as a checklist when a report arrives:
| Section | What it should contain | Warning sign if missing |
|---|---|---|
| Header | Address, inspection date, inspector’s company, storm date | You cannot tell which storm or which visit it describes |
| Roof description | Material, approximate age if known, number of layers if visible | Recommendation has no context |
| Slope overview photos | One wide photograph of every slope | You cannot tell whether every slope was inspected |
| Findings | Each one with location, cause and a close-up photograph | Damage is asserted, not shown |
| Attic | Stains, moisture, ventilation notes | Leaks not tied to roof findings |
| Limits | Areas not accessed or not visible, and why | Report overstates what was seen |
| Recommendation | Repair, replacement, monitoring or no work, with reasons | A conclusion with nothing behind it |
The “limits” row marks an honest report. Steep or wet slopes can stop an inspector reaching an area, and a report that says so is more reliable than one that implies otherwise. Keep the report with your own photographs so later inspections can be compared with it.
How do you know the recommendation follows from the findings?
A sound recommendation is the logical end of the findings. If the report shows widespread hail fractures across several slopes, a replacement conversation follows. If it shows a handful of damaged shingles on one slope and a dented vent cap, a repair follows. If the findings and the recommendation do not match, ask why.
Read the findings first, then check them against the recommendation:
- Does the scale match? Damage on one slope rarely justifies work on all of them without an explanation.
- Does the cause match? A replacement justified by “hail” should show hail findings, not just ageing.
- Does the roof’s age come into it? An older roof with brittle shingles may not survive a repair well, and a report can say so plainly.
IBHS notes, in its short-term roof aging research, that early testing shows natural short-term weathering can measurably reduce hail impact performance, and repeated hail exposure can accelerate this decline. A roof hit by more than one storm deserves a report that considers its history.
Who should carry out the inspection, and what should you ask?
Choose an inspector who goes on the roof with fall protection, photographs every finding, writes down a cause for each one, and gives you the report before asking you to sign anything. In Plano, anyone pulling a building permit for the work must be registered with the city as a contractor.
Plano’s Ordinance No. 2025-6-15 adopts the 2024 International Residential Code and requires a permit applicant to be registered as a contractor with the city. Homeowners may obtain permits for work at their own residence without registering. The city lists its current codes on its Building Codes and Ordinances page. Confirm current permit requirements with Plano Building Inspections before work starts.
Before booking, ask whether the inspector will walk every slope, photograph each finding with a cause beside it, check the attic, and deliver the written report before any contract.
If you would like an inspection that follows this standard, Roofing Repair Plano’s roof inspection service includes photographs of each finding and a written explanation, whether the result is a repair, a replacement or no work at all. For the wider picture of preparing a home for hail and handling the aftermath, see our guide to protecting a Plano home from hail, insurance problems and roof costs.
Frequently asked questions
How soon after a hail storm should I get a roof inspection?
Arrange one once the storm has passed and it is safe, ideally while the damage and the storm date are fresh. Photograph gutters, vents and ceilings yourself first. Check your homeowners policy and confirm any claim deadlines with your insurer, because those deadlines are set by the policy, not by the roofer.
What does a roof inspection after hail include?
It covers the storm date, a ground-level walk checking gutters, siding and soft metal, an inspection of every roof slope and its vents and flashing, and a look at the attic. It ends with a written report listing each finding with its location, cause and photograph, and a recommendation.
Can I inspect my roof for hail damage myself?
You can check from the ground, from upstairs windows and from the attic hatch, looking for dented gutters, granules at downspouts and ceiling stains. ARMA advises property owners never to climb onto a roof. Confirming damage to the shingles themselves is a job for a professional with fall protection.
What should a hail inspection report show?
It should show the address, inspection and storm dates, the roof type, a wide photograph of every slope, each finding with location, cause and close-up photograph, attic findings, any areas the inspector could not reach, and a recommendation that clearly follows from the findings listed above it.
Does a roofer’s inspection decide my insurance claim?
No. The report is evidence of the roof’s condition. Your policy and your insurer decide coverage and payment. Share the report with your insurer, keep copies of everything, and confirm deadlines and next steps with the insurer directly rather than relying on general guidance.
Why might two roofers’ hail reports disagree?
They may have sampled different areas, judged causes differently, or not separated hail from ageing. Compare the photographs, locations and stated causes, not just the conclusions. A report that shows its evidence and its limits is easier to trust than one that gives only a recommendation.
