HomeRoof Inspection in Sioux Falls

Roof inspection in Sioux Falls

Get your roof inspected after hail or high wind, before you buy a house, and once the shingles near the end of their life. A good inspection ends with dated photos and a written report you can hand to your insurer.

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What to get in writing

When should I get a roof inspection?

After any storm that could have marked the roof, and at a few moments when a surprise would cost you.

  • After hail or high wind. NOAA logged hail on 3 to 9 days a year from 2015 to 2025 across Minnehaha, Lincoln, Turner and McCook counties, nearly all from April to August. Damaging wind is just as common in some years. Here is what hail and wind do to roofs here.
  • Before you buy a house. About 35% of Sioux Falls homes were built before 1980 (Census, 2020 to 2024), so many are on their second or third roof. You want to know which one before you close.
  • When the roof is getting old. Shingle life is quoted at about 20 years for 3-tab and 30 for architectural. About 22,400 homes in the metro went up between 2000 and 2009, including 37% of Harrisburg and 30% of Brandon. Any still on the original roof have shingles 17 to 26 years old.
  • After ice dams. Sioux Falls averages 45.3 inches of snow and about 97 days a year that freeze and thaw. Water backed up behind an ice dam can work under shingles and into the attic.

What does a roof inspector look at?

The shingles, everything that seals the gaps between them, and the attic underneath. A full inspection covers these:

  • Shingles. Granule loss, soft bruised spots, cracks, and tabs that are lifted, creased or gone.
  • Flashing. The metal around the chimney, vents, skylights, valleys and walls, where water finds its way in.
  • Soft metal. Dents in vents, gutters and downspouts, which show how big the hail was.
  • Gutters. Piles of granules mean shingles are shedding their top layer.
  • Decking. Soft or spongy spots underfoot point to rot below the shingles.
  • Attic. Water stains, damp insulation, daylight through the boards, and whether the attic vents are clear.
  • Layers. How many layers of shingles are on the roof now.

Layers matter at replacement time. The model building code bars a new layer over two or more existing ones, and we found no Sioux Falls change to that rule. Sioux Falls Building Services can confirm it.

The city’s code table also lists an ice barrier underlayment as required in Sioux Falls. On a recent reroof, ask the inspector whether one went in at the eaves.

Are free roof inspections worth it?

They can be, if you know what you are getting. In Sioux Falls, free inspections are advertised by roofing contractors and lead sites, and the contractor hopes to win the job.

Ask before the visit: will the inspector get on the roof, go into the attic, take photos and leave a written report? A two-minute look from the driveway followed by a contract to sign is a sales call.

Be most careful right after a storm. The South Dakota Attorney General’s office warns about traveling repair crews after big storms, most recently in June 2026, and the BBB in Minnesota and North Dakota calls a contractor who shows up “unannounced, uninvited” the top red flag.

If you do sign a storm repair contract on the spot, South Dakota lets you cancel it within 72 hours. Here is how that right and the rest of a roof claim work. To check who you are dealing with, use the steps for checking a roofer in Sioux Falls.

What should I get in writing after a roof inspection?

Photos and a condition report, both dated. Ask for:

  • Photos of each side of the roof and close-ups of every problem, with the date.
  • A written report that names each problem and what caused it: hail, wind, age or installation.
  • A plain call on repair or replacement, with the reason.
  • The number of shingle layers and the condition of the decking, if the inspector could see it.
  • The inspector’s name and business name. Inside Sioux Falls city limits, the contractor’s city roofing license too.

A verbal “you need a new roof” is not something you can show an adjuster, a buyer or a second roofer.

How does a roof inspection help an insurance claim?

It tells you whether to file at all. Your insurer still sends its own adjuster, so the report is your side of the story.

Some wind and hail deductibles are a percentage of the home’s insured value. At 1% on the median Sioux Falls home value of $292,400, you pay the first $2,924. If the damage costs less than that to fix, a claim pays you nothing.

Roof age matters too. One South Dakota insurer pays only actual cash value on wind and hail roof losses once the roof is 10 or more years old (2024).

Dated photos taken right after a storm also help you tie the damage to that storm. Insurers can treat slow damage from years of small hail as wear and tear.

What happens after the inspection?

You decide between fixing it and replacing it. A few lifted tabs or a cracked boot around a vent pipe is a roof repair. Widespread hail bruising or an old roof losing granules everywhere points to a roof replacement.

A reshingle inside Sioux Falls needs a city permit, a flat $40 under the 2026 fee schedule. Get a second opinion on any big job.

Questions about roof inspections in Sioux Falls

How much does a roof inspection cost in Sioux Falls?

We found no published local price. Some roofing contractors and lead sites in Sioux Falls advertise free inspections. Ask any inspector for the price before the visit.

Yes. About 35% of Sioux Falls homes were built before 1980, and a roof near the end of its life is a cost you want to know about before you close.

After every hail or high-wind storm, before you buy or sell, and every year or so once the roof nears the end of its life.

From the ground, yes: look for missing or lifted shingles, dented vents and gutters, and granules piled at the downspouts. Leave climbing on the roof to the inspector.

Get a free roof quote

Tell us about the job, with the date of the last storm, and a local roofing contractor will call, text or email to set up a visit. The quote is free.


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