Hail Damage on a New Roof: Insurance, Warranty or Roofer?

Your homeowners insurance pays. The shingle warranty leaves hail out, and so does the roofer’s workmanship warranty.

A young roof is the best roof to claim on. Insurers that cut payment on older roofs do it by roof age, and a roof one or two years old is nowhere near the cutoff. You still pay the wind and hail deductible.

Does homeowners insurance cover hail on a new roof?

Yes, when hail is a covered loss under your policy. What changes with roof age is how much it pays.

Replacement cost coverage pays for a new roof, minus your deductible. Actual cash value pays only what the roof was worth on storm day. Many insurers pay replacement cost until a set roof age and cash value after it. Western National, a South Dakota insurer, switches to cash value on wind and hail roof losses at 10 years.

The deductible is the part you carry. On many policies it is a percentage of the home’s insured value: 1% on a $400,000 home is $4,000. Here is how a roof claim runs in South Dakota, step by step.

Will the shingle warranty pay for hail damage?

No. Every major maker leaves it out, even on Class 4 shingles.

GAF’s warranty for shingles installed after 1 January 2025 excludes “acts of nature, such as hail, fire, or winds” above the rated speed. Owens Corning’s Duration data sheet says hail damage is specifically excluded. IKO says the Class 4 rating on its Nordic shingle is no performance guarantee.

A shingle warranty covers manufacturing defects. Here is what a shingle warranty actually covers, maker by maker.

Does the roofer’s workmanship warranty cover hail?

No. A workmanship warranty covers mistakes in how the roof was put on.

Owens Corning’s Platinum Protection warranty, which includes workmanship, defines it as any defective installation that causes leaks or hurts how the roof performs. Its list of what is not covered starts with “Acts of God, such as hail, strong storms” and wind over the rated speed. For the first two years, fixing install errors is the installing contractor’s job under that warranty.

So a new roof that leaks with no storm in sight is a workmanship question, and the first call goes to the roofer. A new roof with hail dents is an insurance question.

A roofer’s own warranty is a promise about labor, set by the roofer. Read what a roofer’s workmanship warranty covers before you call yours about storm damage.

One wrinkle on new roofs: GAF says shingles put on in fall or winter may not seal until the next spring, and unsealed shingles blow off more easily. If wind took shingles off a new roof in its first winter, ask the roofer and the insurer both.

What if the adjuster says my new roof was installed wrong?

Then the claim moves from the insurer to the roofer. Roof endorsements can exclude poor installation, and the shingle maker excludes damage caused by improper fastening.

Ask the adjuster to put the finding in writing, with photos. Send it to the roofer who did the job, and ask for their answer in writing too.

If both sides point at each other, here is what to do when a roof claim is denied.

Can a new Class 4 roof still get hail damage?

Yes. Class 4 is a lab result on a new shingle. In the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety’s November 2025 scorecard of 24 impact-rated products, most rated Good and none rated Excellent.

The rating can still save money on the policy. State Farm offers a roofing discount in South Dakota for certain impact-resistant products, with a signed roofing installation certification form. Homeowners of America gives an added discount for a new Class 3 or Class 4 roof in South Dakota. Neither publishes the amount.

We found nothing on whether either insurer keeps the discount after a hail claim. If the roof is replaced, ask your agent what paperwork the new roof needs to qualify again.

Metal roofs carry another catch. Western National’s South Dakota policies treat cosmetic damage to any metal part of a roof as excluded.

How do I prove when my roof was installed and what is on it?

Keep the paper from the job in one folder. GAF requires proof of the install date and that you owned the house at the time before it will look at a warranty claim.

• The contract and final invoice, with the shingle maker, product line and color.
• The warranty registration. Owens Corning’s Platinum warranty must be registered by the contractor within 60 days of installation.
• The city permit. A reshingle in Sioux Falls needs a $40 permit (2026 fee schedule). The city’s building permit database lists each permit by address, with the date, contractor and value, for the last five years.
• A bundle wrapper and photos from install day.

Outside city limits, ask your town or county office what record it keeps.

Bought a house with a new roof? Ask the seller for the same folder. GAF’s warranty transfers only once, and the new owner has to notify GAF in writing within one year after the sale.

What should I do after hail hits a new roof?

Photograph the damage from the ground the same day, then call the roofer who put the roof on. They know what was installed and can tell new hits from install marks.

Get a written inspection, then report the claim inside your policy’s deadline. One South Dakota insurer requires notice of hail damage within one year after the storm. Here is what hail damage looks like on shingles.

Questions about hail damage on a new roof

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