Hail Damage Roof Inspection Checklist for Contractors

By StormAuditor Editorial Team · Published 2026-09-28 · Updated 2026-09-28

Based on public NOAA and National Weather Service records, published under StormAuditor's methodology and data-source standards. Radar-derived hail sizes are estimates unless attributed to a ground report.

Damage-threshold ranges in this article are general guidance synthesized from industry and federal research — IBHS building-performance research, NWS severe criteria, and product standards such as UL 2218 (hail impact resistance) and ASTM D3161/D7158 (shingle wind ratings). Actual performance depends on product rating, age, installation quality, exposure, and impact characteristics — thresholds describe when damage becomes possible, not when it occurs.

A step-by-step order of work for roofers and field inspectors: research the storm date, read the collateral, work the roof slope by slope, photograph to a standard, and write a summary that says only what the evidence supports.

The homeowner meets you in the driveway and says half the street got new roofs after last spring's storm. Before the ladder comes off the truck, a hail damage roof inspection checklist keeps the next hour organized, consistent, and easy for a reviewer to follow.

This checklist runs in the order a careful inspector works: desk research, ground-level collateral, the roof itself, photos, and the written summary. Owners documenting their own property should start with our guide for property owners.

Before you climb: desk research

1. Pin down the candidate storm date. Ask the owner when they noticed the storm, then cross-check it against NWS warnings, SPC storm reports, and the NCEI Storm Events Database. Owners often remember the wrong week, and one area can take several hail days in a season.

2. Pull the address's weather history. List every candidate date for the property, not only the one the owner named.

3. Note the estimated hail size and its source. Record the estimated maximum size for each date, whether a warning polygon or radar hail swath covered the address, and how far away the nearest ground reports were. File it as an estimate, not a finding.

4. Collect roof facts. Ask for the install year, prior repairs, number of layers, and whether the shingles carry a UL 2218 impact rating. Class 4 is the highest tier of that standard.

Those numbers set expectations, not conclusions. Asphalt shingles typically begin showing functional hail damage around 1.00 to 1.25 inch impacts, and softer or older shingles can bruise at smaller sizes. Metal roofing tends to dent cosmetically at about 1.00 inch and larger but rarely fails functionally until roughly 1.75 inches. Roof age, condition, product rating, and installation all shift those typical ranges. The National Weather Service classifies hail of 1.00 inch or larger as severe, which is a meteorological criterion, not a damage threshold.

Ground-level collateral checks

Walk the full perimeter before you climb. Soft metals and painted surfaces record hail well and show which direction the storm came from.

1. Gutters and downspouts. Look for dents along gutter tops and downspout faces, and note which elevations carry them.

2. AC condenser fins. Hail combs fins on exposed sides. Fins bent by lawn equipment usually sit low and in one spot.

3. Soft metals. Check meter covers, light fixtures, mailboxes, and window wraps. Fresh spatter marks fade over time, so photograph them early.

4. Window screens. Tears and dimpled mesh on screens facing the storm are useful directional clues.

5. Siding. Record cracked vinyl, dented aluminum, and chipped paint by elevation.

6. Vehicles and outdoor items. Count them only if they were on site during the storm.

Collateral does not tell you whether a roof is damaged. It tells you that hail fell and from which side, which tells you where to spend your time.

On the roof

Safety comes first

Use fall protection according to your company's safety plan and the rules where you work: harness and anchor on steep or high roofs, a tied-off ladder, and three points of contact. Never inspect during a storm or with one approaching, and skip wet or frosty roofs. Hot shingles scuff under boots, and those scuffs can later pass for impact marks.

Work slope by slope

1. Label every slope first. Use compass directions or front, rear, left, and right, and keep the same labels in photos and notes.

2. Start with roof metals. Ridge vents, box vents, turbine vents, pipe collars, flashing, and drip edge show dents and spatter that indicate impact size and direction for this roof.

3. Use test squares where the job calls for them. Many inspectors and adjusters mark a defined area on each directional slope, chalk every hit inside it, and count. The practice keeps anyone from building a case on one dramatic spot and lets a second reviewer follow the count. Use the square size and count standard your reviewer expects, and record both.

4. Chalk, photograph, then touch. Circle each candidate hit, photograph it, and press gently with a thumb.

Telling hail bruising from everything else

• Hail bruising: random distribution, a soft spot that gives under light pressure, and displaced granules exposing asphalt. It often concentrates on windward slopes and matches the size seen on nearby metals.
• Blistering: raised bubbles or popped craters from trapped moisture, often clustered on sun-exposed slopes, with sharp edges and no matching marks on metal.
• Manufacturing defects: flaking or marks that repeat in the same spot on many shingles and appear on every slope regardless of storm direction.
• Wear and weathering: even granule loss, curling, and cracking spread across the roof rather than impact-shaped marks.
• Mechanical damage: linear scuffs, tool drops, and limb abrasion, often near access points or trees.

When a mark is ambiguous, say so. An honest "undetermined" holds up better than a guess.

Photo documentation standards

1. Establish the property. Start with the front elevation and house number, then each elevation.

2. Shoot overview, mid, and close-up. For each slope, take a wide shot with the slope label visible, a mid-range shot of the test square, and close-ups of individual hits.

3. Put scale in every close-up. A tape measure or ruler laid beside the mark lets a reviewer judge size.

4. Keep date and time stamps. Leave camera metadata on and never strip it from originals.

5. Put the slope label in the frame. Chalk it on the roof or hold a card, so any single photo still makes sense.

Writing the inspection summary

A good summary reads the same no matter who picks it up. Include the address, inspection date, who was present, and conditions; the storm dates researched, sources, and estimated hail sizes, labeled as estimates; the roof's material, approximate age, and impact rating if known; collateral findings by elevation; findings and test square counts by slope; conditions you did not attribute to hail, such as wear or blistering; and a photo index keyed to slope labels.

Avoiding overstatement with homeowners

Whatever you tell the homeowner gets repeated to an insurer or a neighbor. Say "The public weather record shows estimated hail near 1.25 inches here on that date," not "You got hammered." Say "I found hail-consistent bruising on the west and north slopes," not "This roof is totaled." Do not predict a claim outcome: policies differ, and the policy and the insurer control coverage. Rules on who may discuss or negotiate a claim, on solicitation, and on contracts vary by state and locality, so point owners to licensed professionals.

Where StormAuditor fits

StormAuditor handles the desk research. Run the address through Address Lookup, free with an account, to see NWS warnings, storm reports, and NOAA station observations for the property.

For the job file, a StormAuditor Weather Report lists every storm date where estimated hail reached the 0.75 inch screening level or estimated wind reached the 45 mph screening level, with estimated maximum hail size, nearest measured evidence and distances, and NWS warnings. When a reviewer asks where one date's number came from, the Audit Report shows the full evidence and arithmetic behind that estimate. Hail estimates use the SAHE-2 method, which starts from NOAA MRMS MESH at the property; see the hail methodology.

All of it is an estimate from public NOAA and NWS records, not an on-site measurement or a damage determination. Your inspection is the damage assessment.

Limitations

• Radar hail estimates can under-estimate wet hail and over-estimate in very high reflectivity cores; the limitations page covers other edge cases.
• Ground reports are point samples, and hail size can change from one street to the next.
• A property inside a warning polygon was under a warning but did not necessarily experience the peak conditions.
• Weather records show what weather occurred. Attributing specific damage to a storm is a call for qualified inspectors or engineers, and nothing here is engineering, legal, or insurance advice.
• Collateral dents can predate the storm in question.

FAQ

What should a hail damage roof inspection checklist include?

Storm-date research, ground-level collateral, roof safety, slope-by-slope inspection with test squares where required, photo standards, and a written summary.

How do you tell hail damage from blistering on shingles?

Hail bruises are randomly distributed, feel soft under light pressure, and usually line up with dents on nearby metals. Blisters cluster on sun-exposed slopes, have sharp-edged craters, and show no matching collateral.

What size hail typically damages asphalt shingles?

Asphalt shingles typically begin showing functional damage around 1.00 to 1.25 inch hail, and older or softer shingles can bruise at smaller sizes. Those ranges shift with roof age, condition, product rating, and installation.

Do I need to confirm the storm date before inspecting a roof?

Checking the date first tells you what hail size to expect and which slopes to prioritize.

Should a roofer tell a homeowner what insurance will do?

No. Describe what you observed and what the public weather record estimates, and leave coverage questions to the policy, the insurer, and licensed professionals.

How should hail damage photos be labeled?

Label each photo with the slope name and keep the original date and time metadata. Shoot overview, mid-range, and close-up with a scale reference.