Hail Damage on Your Roof: What to Check From the Ground

Updated 2026-10-24 · Sources checked

"But he showed me a picture that one of my shingles is missing! Can hail do that or did he rip off my single?"

A homeowner who started a thread on r/Roofing asked that after a roofer they had not called went up on their roof. Hail leaves a pattern: on shingles, random impact marks, soft spots you can feel and cracks¹, and on metal around the house, dents and spatter marks¹. You can look for the second kind from the ground. The shingle check is for a pro.

Quick answer:

Look from the ground at the A/C unit, gutters, metal flashing, downspouts and patio furniture for impact dents¹.
Take pictures and video of the damage and make a list of what you find inside and outside the house².
Read your policy³, then ask your agent if the deductible for wind and hail damage is different from your other deductible⁴.
Contact your insurance company or a roofer you choose, not one who shows up uninvited⁵.

On this page

What does hail damage look like?
How can I check from below?
Things that get mistaken for hail damage
If you were told it is hail, or told it is not
If the roofer can't come today
Is it worth putting in a claim?
When to call, and whom

What you find from the ground is yours to keep. It gives you something to compare with whatever a roofer tells you later.

What does hail damage look like?

Whether it is serious starts with the pattern of marks, not with one dent. These are the signs, from the roof down to the things around it.

Random impact marks on shingles. On asphalt shingles, hail leaves a random pattern of impact marks¹.
Bruises. These are soft spots you can feel when pressing on the shingle¹. Since pressing means having someone up on your roof, that is a pro's check.
Cracks or breaks in shingles where hail has struck¹.
Marks on other things around the house. On items like the A/C unit or gutters, collateral damage confirms a hail event occurred¹, which helps tell hail from normal wear and tear. It is not, by itself, enough to warrant an entire roof replacement.
Dents in a metal roof. They change the look of a roof, and there is currently no evidence that dents affect how it works⁶.

Does hail the size you saw actually hurt a roof? What size hail damages a roof.

How can I check from below?

Work from inside out, and never from the roof. One list covers the check and what to photograph:

The room: look at the ceilings for anything new since the storm, and put it on your list of damage inside the house².
The attic: look for anything new from the attic access, and add it to the same list.
The ground: walk around the house and photograph each dented item listed in the signs above, plus the list of damage outside².

If you saw the hail, write down its size by comparison. A penny is 3/4 inch, a quarter 1 inch, a half dollar 1 1/4 inches, a golf ball 1 3/4 inches⁷. That also answers whether 2-inch hail matters: hail of at least 1.75 inches sits in the "considerable" damage-threat category⁸ for storm warnings.

Can hail damage hide from the ground? Yes, in the sense that the ground only shows part of it. Dents on the A/C unit confirm that hail came¹, but bruises and cracks on shingles are found on the roof, by a pro.

Found dents around the house and want someone to check the shingles up close? Whether a free storm inspection is safe to accept.

Things that get mistaken for hail damage

Granule loss on its own. Granule loss by itself is not considered functional damage⁹.
Problems from the factory. Localized granule loss, blisters and color variations⁹ are manufacturing issues that can look like hail. The list is an example, not a test.
Normal wear. Dents on metal around the house are what help distinguish hail from normal wear and tear¹. If the roof has marks but nothing around the house is dented, ask a roofer to clarify how they came to the conclusion that it is hail.

On an old roof the two blur together. One commenter put it this way: "The roof is so bad it may be hard to say what’s hail and what is damage is old or not hail."

If you were told it is hail, or told it is not

Told that losing granules means hail. Granule loss alone does not settle it, because it is not considered functional damage by itself⁹. Ask what else was found.
Told that the damage is only cosmetic. One commenter wrote: "You do not have to replace your roof just because it has damage. Most of them time it’s purely cosmetic". For a metal roof, there is currently no evidence that dents affect how it works⁶. Ask your insurer how your policy treats dents that only change the look.
Told by a roofer who knocked that you have hail damage. Contact your insurance company or a roofer you choose, not one who shows up uninvited⁵.

If the roofer can't come today

If something is open to the weather, a tarp is the temporary fix¹⁰. A roofer you chose should put it on.
If you file a claim, do not make permanent repairs until your insurance company sees the damage¹⁰.
In Connecticut, for example, insist on a written estimate before repairs begin, and sign no contract before the adjuster has examined the damage¹¹. Wherever you live, ask your insurer whether a similar rule applies.

Is it worth putting in a claim?

Sometimes not. Homeowners policies typically cover roof damage from a covered peril such as wind, hail or falling trees¹², but your own policy sets the details. What matters next is your deductible, the amount you pay before the insurer pays anything. Get repair estimates: if the cost of repairs is about the same or less than your deductible, you may decide it is not worth filing a claim¹³.

Roof age matters too. An actual cash value policy pays the amount needed to replace the item minus depreciation¹⁴, so an older roof gets less.

Example: in Texas, with a $4,000 deductible and a $10,000 roof replacement, an actual cash value policy pays $4,500 on a 5-year-old roof and $0 on a 20-year-old roof¹⁵. Your numbers will differ. Wherever you live, ask your insurer whether your policy pays actual cash value or replacement cost. Before you decide to wait and see, ask your insurer how long you have to file a claim³.

Wondering whether just asking your insurer counts as a claim? Should you file a hail damage roof insurance claim.

When to call, and whom

Do the preparation first: your photos, your list, your deductible. If you are unsure whether the damage is more than the deductible, a written estimate from a roofer you chose yourself helps you decide¹³. The shingles are what a roofer can check that you cannot from the ground.

After a roofer has gone up on your roof and before you agree to any work, ask for the photos and the price in writing. You can send this:

Please send a photo of each mark you found and where it is on the roof, and tell me why you think it is hail and not age. Please also put in writing the price of any hidden damage you find once the work starts.

If a roofer pushes you to sign today or won't put this in writing, that is an answer too: weigh it against the bids that do.