Hail Damage Roof Inspection: What Utah Homeowners Need to Document

Alright, first things first: hail damage looks different on different roofing materials. What you're looking for on asphalt shingles isn't the same as what you're checking on a metal roof or tile roof.

Asphalt Shingle Hail Damage (Most Common in Utah)
About 80% of Utah homes have asphalt shingles, so let's start here. Hail hits create what we call "bruising"--dark spots where the hail impact compressed the shingle and knocked off the protective granules. You'll see a circular or elliptical mark with exposed black asphalt underneath. Sometimes there's a small dent you can feel with your finger.

The thing is, these bruises don't always show up immediately. And from the ground? Forget it. You need to be up on the roof or at least looking closely with binoculars from an elevated position. I've seen homeowners swear their roof was fine, only to have me find 50+ hail impacts once I got up there.

Fresh hail damage has sharp, clean edges. Old weathering or granule loss looks more diffuse and random. Insurance adjusters know the difference, so you need to document the fresh, distinct impacts.

Metal Roofing Hail Damage
Metal roofs show hail damage as dents--plain and simple. On standing seam or corrugated metal, you'll see round dimples where hail hit. The good news? These are easier to spot than asphalt damage. The bad news? Insurance companies often claim small dents are "cosmetic only" unless they've actually compromised the panel's protective coating or created potential leak points.

Last summer I inspected a metal roof in Bountiful after a severe hailstorm. The homeowner could see the dents but wasn't sure if they mattered. We documented 200+ impacts, several of which had cracked the paint coating. Insurance paid for a full roof replacement because those coating cracks would've led to rust and early failure. That's functional damage, not cosmetic.

Tile and Slate Hail Damage
If you've got concrete or clay tiles (less common in Utah but still around), hail damage shows up as cracks or broken tiles. These are usually obvious--you'll see cracked tiles or pieces on the ground. With slate, hail can create small fractures that might not be visible but weaken the slate enough that it'll break during the next freeze-thaw cycle.

Look, I don't want you climbing on your roof. That's dangerous--especially right after a storm when things might be wet or damaged. But there's plenty you can check from the ground that'll tell you if you've got hail damage worth investigating.

If you suspect damage, schedule a free inspection so you can document everything properly. We can help with roof repairs, insurance claim documentation, and next steps if replacement is warranted.

Check Your Gutters First
This is huge. After a hailstorm, walk around your house and look in the gutters. See excessive granule accumulation--like more than usual? That's a red flag. Hail knocks granules off shingles, and they wash down into gutters. If your gutters are full of dark, sand-like granules after a storm, you've got damage.

I tell homeowners to run their hands along the inside of the gutters. If you pull out handfuls of granules, your roof took a beating. Take photos of this--adjusters use granule loss as evidence of hail damage.

Look for Collateral Damage
Hail doesn't just hit roofs. Walk around and check everything: Mailboxes, ac units, cars, deck railings, siding, downspouts, gutters themselves. If you see dents on your car hood or pockmarks on your vinyl siding, your roof got hit too--guaranteed. Document all of this. It proves the storm's intensity.

Last April in Sandy, a homeowner told me he didn't think his roof had any damage. But his deck had dozens of small divots, his AC unit was dented, and his mailbox looked like someone took a hammer to it. Sure enough, when we got on the roof, we found extensive hail damage. All that collateral damage became evidence for his insurance claim.

Check Soft Metal Roof Components
Even if you have asphalt shingles, your roof has metal components: vents, flashing, drip edge. These are softer than shingles and show hail damage more easily. Use binoculars to check your roof vents--if they're dented, your shingles definitely got hit.

Look at Neighbor Roofs
Hailstorms don't skip houses. If three neighbors on your street are getting new roofs because of hail damage, you probably have damage too. I've worked entire neighborhoods where every single roof got replaced after major hail events. Don't assume you lucked out--get it checked.

Okay, so you've checked from the ground and you've got red flags. Now what? You call a professional roofer for a detailed inspection. Here's what we do--and why trying to DIY this part usually ends badly.

We Check Every Section Methodically
When I inspect a roof for hail damage, I walk every square foot. Not kidding. I start at one end and work systematically across the entire roof, looking at individual shingles, checking slopes, examining valleys and ridges. Most homeowners who climb up there take a quick look around and call it good. That's not enough.

Hail damage isn't always evenly distributed. Sometimes the front slope got hammered while the back slope is fine, depending on wind direction during the storm. Sometimes just the west-facing slopes show damage because that's where the storm came from. You need someone who knows where to look and what patterns to expect.

We Measure and Document Impact Density
Insurance companies don't just want to know "there's hail damage." They want to know how much. So we count impacts in specific test squares--usually 10x10 foot sections. If we find 8+ impacts per 100 square feet, that's typically considered enough damage to warrant full roof replacement rather than just spot repairs.

I use a specific documentation method: I take photos of representative damage areas, mark test squares with chalk, count impacts, and create a detailed report with roof measurements, material type, age, pitch, and damage density. Insurance adjusters take this seriously because it's thorough and professional.

We Check Hidden Areas
There are parts of your roof you'll never see from a ladder or the ground: ridges, valleys, areas behind chimneys, slopes hidden by upper roof sections. These areas often take the worst damage because they're exposed differently to hail trajectories. We check everything.

Last fall in Draper, I found severe hail damage on a north-facing slope that was completely invisible from the street. The homeowner had no idea. But that damage would've led to leaks within two years. We documented it, filed the claim, insurance approved a full replacement. That's why you hire pros.

Listen, you can have severe hail damage, but if you don't document it properly, your insurance claim might get denied. I've seen it happen. Homeowners take a few blurry photos, file a claim, and wonder why the adjuster says there's no damage. Documentation matters--a lot.

Photo Documentation (Do This Right)
Take wide shots showing the overall roof condition. Then take close-ups of individual hail impacts--get close enough that the impact is clearly visible but include a reference object for scale (a quarter works great). Photograph multiple impacts from different roof sections to show the damage is widespread.

And here's a pro tip: take photos in good lighting. Morning or late afternoon sunlight creates shadows that make hail bruises more visible. Midday overhead sun flattens everything and hides damage. I can't tell you how many times I've re-photographed the same roof at different times of day to get clearer images for insurance claims.

Video Walk-Through
In addition to photos, I often do a video walk-through, narrating what I'm seeing: "Here's a hail impact... here's another... you can see the granule loss... here's the exposed asphalt..." Insurance adjusters can see the extent of damage more clearly in video than in still photos sometimes.

Written Documentation
Create a written summary: Date and time of the hailstorm (check weather records if you're not sure), estimated hail size (baseball, golf ball, ping pong ball--be specific), impact locations (all slopes, specific areas, etc.), and a summary of damage found. This goes with your photos when you file the claim.

Save Weather Data
Go to the National Weather Service website and pull storm reports for your area on the hail date. If they recorded 1.5-inch hail in your zip code, that's ammunition for your claim. I helped a homeowner in West Jordan whose adjuster tried to claim the hail was "too small to cause damage." We showed NWS data proving 2-inch hail fell that day. Claim approved.

Alright, I've seen a lot of hail damage claims over the years--successful ones and total disasters. Here are the mistakes that cost Utah homeowners thousands.

Mistake #1: Waiting Too Long to Inspect
You'd be amazed how many people wait weeks or even months after a hailstorm to check their roof. By then, normal weathering has obscured the damage, or they can't remember exactly when the storm was. Insurance companies love to deny claims filed months after the fact--they claim you can't prove when the damage occurred.

Rule of thumb: inspect within 72 hours of any significant hailstorm. File your claim within a week if you find damage. The faster you move, the harder it is for insurance to deny on timing grounds.

Mistake #2: Trusting a Quick Ground-Level Look
"I looked from my driveway and didn't see anything, so I figured I was fine." Wrong. As I said earlier, hail damage is often invisible from the ground. You need to actually get up there or hire someone who will.

I can't count how many times I've inspected roofs where homeowners thought they had no damage, only to find 100+ impacts once we got up close. Don't guess. Get it inspected properly.

Mistake #3: Not Documenting Collateral Damage
People focus on the roof and forget about everything else. But if your car got dented, your deck has pockmarks, your gutters are dinged, and your AC unit got hit--document all of it. This proves storm intensity and supports your roof claim.

I worked with a family in Riverton whose initial roof claim was denied because the adjuster claimed the damage was "minimal." We went back with photos of their dented car, damaged siding, and pockmarked patio furniture--all clearly from the same hailstorm. Suddenly the adjuster couldn't deny that severe hail had hit the property. Claim approved on appeal.

Mistake #4: Hiring the Wrong Contractor
Be careful who you let on your roof. "Storm chasers" roll into Utah neighborhoods after hail events, knock on doors, and promise to get you a new roof. Some are legit. Many aren't. They rush inspections, miss damage, or worse--claim damage exists when it doesn't and pressure you into contracts.

Work with established local roofers who have a physical business address, good reviews, proper licensing, and insurance. We're not going anywhere, and our reputation depends on honest work.

Not all hail damage leads to a full roof replacement. And honestly? That's okay. Sometimes the damage is minimal, localized, or genuinely cosmetic. Here's how insurance companies decide.

Impact Density Matters
Insurance adjusters use a "test square" method. They examine 100-square-foot sections and count impacts. If there are fewer than 8-10 impacts per test square, and the damage is limited to just one slope, they might approve spot repairs instead of full replacement.

This happened to a client in Murray last year. She had hail damage, but it was concentrated on one west-facing slope with about 6 impacts per test square. Insurance paid to replace that one slope--about $4,000 instead of $15,000 for the whole roof. Not ideal, but fair given the damage level.

Cosmetic vs. Functional Damage
Here's where it gets tricky. Some insurance policies exclude "cosmetic only" damage. A few small dents on metal roofing that don't affect functionality? Cosmetic. Widespread hail bruising on shingles that exposes the asphalt mat and accelerates deterioration? Functional.

The key is showing the damage affects the roof's performance or lifespan. If hail impacts have knocked off enough granules that UV exposure will cause premature failure, that's functional. If the hits have created micro-cracks that'll leak in two years, that's functional. Document this in your claim.

Age Matters (Unfortunately)
If your roof is 20+ years old and near the end of its expected lifespan anyway, insurance companies get stingy. They'll argue the roof was going to fail soon regardless of hail damage. This is frustrating, but it's reality.

Best you can do is document that the hail created new, acute damage--not just accelerated existing wear. Show before-and-after if possible (or reference older photos if you have them). Prove the storm caused the problem, not just age.