Colorado Hail Season: How to Prepare Your Roof and What to Do After a Storm

When hail season runs — and why Colorado gets hit so hard

The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA) puts Colorado's damaging hail season at mid-April to mid-September. The reason is geography: NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory identifies "hail alley" — the region where Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming meet — as averaging seven to nine hail days per year, and RMIIA notes the Front Range sits in its heart, receiving the highest frequency of large hail in North America.

The insurance numbers follow. Per RMIIA, Colorado residents can usually count on three or four catastrophic hailstorms every year (catastrophic meaning at least $25 million in insured damage), hailstorms caused more than $5 billion in insured damage in Colorado over the last ten years, and up to one-half of a Colorado homeowners insurance premium may go toward hail and wind damage costs. The costliest on record, the May 8, 2017 Denver-metro storm, caused roughly $2.3 billion in damage when it occurred. Nearly all of the state's ten most expensive hailstorms centered on the Denver metro — see the Denver, Aurora, and Colorado Springs city hubs for local permitting and supplier context.

Prepare your roof before the season

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) warns that a roof already in need of repair is more vulnerable in severe weather, and recommends having a licensed roofing company inspect for: curling, loose, missing, or torn shingles; cracked or unattached tile; dented metal panels, loose fasteners, or deteriorated washers; compromised vents, skylights, and chimneys; and leaking valleys and seams. Damaged flashing and heavy granule loss on asphalt shingles are the same kind of pre-existing weakness a hailstorm will find.

Two more IBHS maintenance items pay off in hail country: keep gutters and downspouts clear so water drains, diverting it at least 3 to 4 feet from the foundation, and trim tree branches that overhang the roof or could become airborne in a storm.

Finally, prepare the paperwork, not just the roof. Photograph your roof and exterior while they are undamaged, and review your policy now: the Colorado Division of Insurance notes that many homeowners policies carry a separate wind/hail deductible set as a percentage of your dwelling coverage (for example 1%, 2%, or 5%) — on a Front Range home that can be thousands of dollars out of pocket — and that whether your policy pays actual cash value or replacement cost materially changes what you receive. Both concepts are unpacked in How to File a Roof Insurance Claim After Hail.

If you are reroofing anyway, buy impact resistance

IBHS reports that roofs in severe hail-prone areas often must be replaced every 7 to 10 years. If a replacement is coming either way, the marginal cost of a UL 2218 Class 4 impact-resistant covering is the cheapest hail preparation available — Colorado's insurance commissioner has specifically advised homeowners replacing a hail-damaged roof to ask their insurer what premium discounts or future deductible savings are available for hail-resistant materials. Browse every rated option in the Class 4 materials hub, read what the rating does and does not promise in the Class 4 buyer's guide, and weigh the price step in What Does a New Roof Cost in Colorado?.

During the storm

Stay inside. RMIIA's first post-storm instruction is actually a during-storm one: do not go out in the storm to try to protect your property — hail that damages a roof can injure you. For scale, NOAA classifies hail as severe at 1 inch (quarter size) or larger, and a single storm's hail swath can run miles wide; Colorado's record stone (August 13, 2019, per RMIIA) measured 4.85 inches. Cars, patio furniture, and grills can be moved or covered before a forecast storm; the roof rides it out either way.

After the storm: a step-by-step checklist

Compiled from RMIIA's post-storm guidance and the Colorado Division of Insurance's consumer advisories:

1. Wait until it is safe, then assess from the ground — do not climb on the roof.
2. Read the yard before the roof. RMIIA's tells: trees, shrubs, and plants stripped of foliage; dents in patio covers, screens, gutters, downspouts, or soft aluminum roof vents; dents or cracked glass on cars. Any of these means the roof may be damaged too.
3. Photograph and document everything. The Division of Insurance notes many insurers let you submit photos with your claim. Note the storm date and time.
4. Mitigate further damage — tarp roof openings and cover broken windows so water cannot enter, and save receipts for what you spend; RMIIA advises submitting them to your insurer for reimbursement.
5. Start the claim as soon as you can. The Division of Insurance says to contact your insurance company or agent promptly; your policy sets the reporting window.
6. Treat door-knockers with caution. After major hail events, contractors flock to Colorado. The Division of Insurance warns about post-storm "storm chaser" solicitations: check references, prefer established local contractors, and get everything in writing. Its #NoRoofScams campaign exists precisely because of this pattern.
7. Know your statutory rights before signing. Under C.R.S. § 6-22-105 a roofer may not pay, waive, or rebate your deductible ("free roof" offers are illegal in Colorado), your contract must be in writing, and you may rescind within 72 hours of written notice that your claim was denied in whole or in part — the full walkthrough is in the hail insurance claim guide.
8. Let only the adjuster and your chosen roofer on the roof. RMIIA recommends selecting a reputable repair company after the adjuster has surveyed the damage — not before.
9. Verify licensing and the permit. Colorado has no statewide roofing license, and a reroof is permitted work — confirm your contractor is registered with your local authority such as Denver or Aurora, per Roofing Permit Requirements Across Denver Metro.
10. Ask for an itemized settlement explanation. The Division of Insurance advises requesting an itemized explanation of the offer, getting any denial in writing with the policy language it rests on, and remembering the first repair estimate is not always final — insurers can issue supplements when contractors find additional damage.

Deadlines and your legal backstop

Two clocks matter after a Colorado hailstorm. The first is your policy's claim-reporting window, which varies by insurer — the Division of Insurance's standing advice is to start the claim as soon as you can, and prompt reporting also keeps the damage attributable to a specific storm date. The second is the deadline to sue over a disputed claim: under C.R.S. § 10-4-110.8(12), since January 1, 2014 an insurer may not issue or renew a Colorado homeowners policy that requires the policyholder to file suit in a shorter period than the applicable statute of limitations allows. If you hit a wall with your insurer, the Division of Insurance consumer services team (303-894-7490) takes questions and complaints.