After hail or a severe thunderstorm damages your roof in Raleigh or the Triangle, work in this order: stay off the roof and photograph the damage from the ground and the attic, stop water getting in with a tarp and keep the receipts, report the loss to your insurer right away, then have a licensed, insured roofer inspect and document the roof. Your policy decides what is covered, and your deductible is yours to pay. At Big Bear Roofing, we inspect and document storm damage to support your claim; the claim itself stays between you and your insurer.
Important: General information for North Carolina homeowners as of October 2026, not legal, structural or insurance advice. Your policy decides what is covered; your insurer and the North Carolina Department of Insurance (NCDOI) are the authorities on your claim.
What the National Weather Service recorded around Raleigh in 2026
Two storm days this year show what roofs around Raleigh can face:
- September 5, 2026: the National Weather Service issued Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for Wake, Johnston and Granville counties, and its storm reports logged hail up to 2 inches in Johnston County, 1.75 inches in Granville County and 1.5 inches in Wake County.
- July 8, 2026: storm reports logged hail of 1 to 1.25 inches in Wake County, including the Lake Wheeler area, under Severe Thunderstorm Warnings.
Wake County also sat under Severe Thunderstorm Warnings on several July evenings. The Weather Service defines a Severe Thunderstorm Warning this way: “Severe weather has been reported by spotters or indicated by radar. Warnings indicate imminent danger to life and property.” Hail damage to shingles is often hard to see from the ground, so the steps below start with photos and an inspection rather than a ladder.
The first 72 hours: safety, photos and stopping the water
Step 1 — Stay off the roof; document from the ground and the attic
Don’t climb a wet or storm-damaged roof. Photograph it from the ground instead: wide shots of each side of the house, close-ups of anything loose or dented, and hailstones beside a coin for scale if you can collect them safely. NCDOI says to make a list of the damage and take clear pictures before you make any temporary repairs. Note the storm date with your photos.
Step 2 — Check the attic
Look for daylight through the roof deck, fresh water stains or wet insulation. Any of these means water has a way in, and each belongs in your photos.
Step 3 — Stop the water
NCDOI says your policy requires reasonable emergency repairs to prevent further damage, such as a tarp on the roof, and its windstorm and hail guidance adds that those reasonable expenses may be reimbursed, so keep every receipt. Leave the work on the roof to a roofer: a professional temporary dry-in keeps water out until the permanent repair.
NCDOI also says not to make extensive or permanent repairs before the adjuster has inspected; coordinate non-emergency work with your insurer and follow your policy.
Step 4 — Report the loss right away
NCDOI says to contact your agent or insurance company immediately when you have a loss and to give prompt notice. Your insurer may also ask you to sign a proof of loss; check your policy’s deadline.
How to tell hail damage from wind damage
Hail
Hail leaves scattered, random hits rather than a pattern, and older, more brittle shingles tend to show it more. Look for:
- Bruises and granule loss: soft spots where the shingle’s mat has cracked, and dark bare patches where the protective granules were knocked off. Heavy granule wash where roof runoff drains can be another sign.
- Dents on soft metal: roof vents, flashing and the fins of an outdoor air-conditioning unit. These are often the easiest hail clue to spot from the ground.
- Spatter marks: lighter spots where hail scrubbed off grime or algae. They fade, so photograph them early.
Wind
- Lifted or creased shingles: wind can break a shingle’s seal and fold the tab back, leaving a crease; the shingle may lie flat again but no longer holds down the way it should.
- Missing pieces: shingles, ridge caps or flashing torn away, often starting at the edges, corners and ridge.
- Debris strikes: punctures and tears from limbs and other wind-borne debris.
Bruises and creases are hard to confirm from the ground, which is why the inspection comes next.
The professional inspection: drone-assisted and hands-on
A thorough storm inspection layers three views:
- Ground and attic: the perimeter, soft-metal dents and any water inside.
- Drone-assisted: aerial photos of every slope, including slopes no one should walk.
- Hands-on, when it is safe: bruises, seals and flashing checked up close. Walking a brittle, storm-hit roof can crack shingles, so it is done carefully or not at all.
Big Bear’s inspections are free and no-obligation, drone-assisted where appropriate, and document the damage to support your claim. If the inspection shows the roof needs work rather than watching, start with storm damage roof repair in Raleigh.
If the roof needs replacing: the code it is built to
When storm damage calls for a new roof rather than a repair, the work follows the code in force. North Carolina enforces the 2018 NC Residential Code; under Session Law 2025-2 the 2024 edition cannot take effect until twelve months after the first day of the month following the State Fire Marshal’s certification of the statutory conditions, and no date has been published.
North Carolina’s amendment to that code says a roof replacement includes removing the existing roof coverings down to the deck and replacing up to 15% of the total existing roof deck, and that replacing up to 15% of the deck is not considered structural work. Soft or broken decking under storm-damaged shingles may only show once the old roof is off. For the whole job, see roof replacement in Raleigh; for the price side, see what a roof replacement costs in Raleigh in 2026.
Reporting the claim: what NCDOI says
- Timing: NCDOI’s homeowners FAQ says an insurer should acknowledge your claim within 30 days and that there is no specific time limit to settle, because each claim is different.
- Your deductible: it can be a fixed amount or a percentage of your dwelling coverage, and some policies carry a separate windstorm, hail or named-storm deductible; your declarations page shows which applies.
- Wind and hail coverage: NCDOI notes that, depending on where you live and the insurer’s underwriting, windstorm and hail may be excluded from the main policy and written as a separate policy with its own deductible.
- The two numbers on your estimate: NCDOI defines replacement cost value as the money needed to repair your home at today’s prices of building supplies, and actual cash value as that cost minus the decrease in value from age or use. On a replacement cost policy the insurer may first pay the actual cash value and reimburse the rest, the recoverable depreciation, once the work is done and receipts are submitted.
- The replacement deadline: NCDOI’s after-a-loss page says, as of October 2026, that with replacement cost insurance “you will need to provide your insurance company with proof of replacement within 180 days after the date of loss.” Your own policy’s conditions control.
- Matching: whether an insurer pays to replace undamaged shingles so the roof matches depends on the policy language.
How to choose a storm-damage roofer who helps with your claim
Our North Carolina roof insurance claim guide walks through the whole claim. When you are choosing the roofer, these are the tests:
- A license and insurance you can check. Search the company on the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors’ Verify License Search, which includes an S (Roofing) classification, and ask for a certificate of insurance issued by the contractor’s insurer, as NCDOI suggests.
- Photos tied to the storm date. Documentation of each damaged area, dated to the storm, that you can share with your adjuster.
- A written scope you can compare with the adjuster’s. NCDOI says the adjuster prepares an estimate of loss and the insurer’s offer is based on it; a roofer’s written scope lets you line the two up item by item and ask your insurer about any difference.
- No fee to run your claim. Acting for pay on your behalf to settle a property insurance claim is public adjusting, which G.S. § 58-33A-10 bars without a license; a roofer who offers to do that for a fee or a share of the payout is a red flag.
- No deductible waiver. North Carolina treats a contractor paying, waiving, rebating or hiding your deductible as insurance fraud under G.S. § 58-2-161: absorbing it means billing the insurer a price you are not paying, and the statute also reaches anyone who knowingly helps prepare a false invoice or estimate.
- No signing away your claim. NCDOI advises calling your agent or insurer before you sign a contract or pay for repairs, and not letting a contractor work directly with your insurance company unless your agent gives approval.
Don’t get scammed: storm chasers and your rights in North Carolina
NCDOI warns homeowners to watch for contractors or roofing representatives going door-to-door after a disaster, and to beware of an unsolicited salesperson offering to go up on the roof to inspect it: the Department’s fraud investigators have caught some scammers climbing onto roofs and creating damage where none existed.
- Licensing has a threshold. North Carolina requires an appropriately classified general contractor license when the cost of the job is $40,000 or more (G.S. § 87-1), and roofing work is authorized under the S (Roofing) classification among others; smaller jobs fall below the state’s licensing threshold, which is why insurance and references matter. Licensing is not the permit question: your city or county still decides whether the job needs a permit, and Big Bear confirms it with the local department before the crew arrives.
- You have cancellation rights. Under North Carolina’s off-premises sales law, G.S. § 14-401.13, a qualifying sale made away from the seller’s place of business carries a three-business-day right to cancel; the statute’s exclusions apply. For a residential roofing contract entered on or after October 1, 2024, G.S. § 14-401.13(b1) gives the homeowner a five-business-day cancellation period following an insurance claim denial for the work to be performed under the contract; the contractor may not begin work or collect payment during that period except for emergency work the owner acknowledged in writing; work done by or under a licensed general contractor is excluded.
- Slow the sale down. NCDOI’s advice: get more than one estimate and don’t be pushed into signing right away; get everything in writing, including the cost, the type of work, the schedule, guarantees and the payment schedule; require references and check them; never sign a contract with blanks; and never pay a contractor in full or sign a completion certificate until the work is finished.
Solar after a storm: replacing a damaged roof with a solar-ready one
A storm that leaves you needing a new roof is also a natural time to ask about solar. Keep the claim and the upgrade separate:
- What the claim pays for. NCDOI defines replacement cost as the money needed to repair your home at today’s prices of building supplies, so the claim is built around restoring what the storm damaged, not upgrading it. An upgrade you choose, such as a solar roof, is yours to pay; ask your insurer how it treats an upgrade on a covered replacement before you sign.
- What Timberline Solar is. GAF Energy’s Timberline Solar ES 2 is a nailable solar shingle that GAF says installs alongside Timberline asphalt shingles, and GAF says the best time to consider it is when you’re planning a new roof. It needs a separate GAF Energy certification to install.
- Where Big Bear fits. Big Bear readies the roof for your solar provider. See our page on solar-ready roofing.
- Incentives. The IRS says its Residential Clean Energy Credit is not available for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025; ask a tax professional what applies to you.
- Paying for it. Big Bear offers flexible financing options — ask your estimator. Read how roof financing works alongside an insurance claim in North and South Carolina.
Frequently asked questions
How does a hail and storm damage roof insurance claim in Raleigh, NC work?
Report the loss to your agent or insurer right away, protect the house with temporary repairs and keep the receipts, and photograph the damage before those repairs. A licensed, insured roofer’s inspection documents the roof, and the adjuster prepares an estimate of loss that the insurer’s offer is based on. Your policy’s coverage, deductible and settlement terms decide what it pays.
How do I know if hail damaged my roof?
Dents on soft metal, such as roof vents, flashing and air-conditioner fins, are often the easiest sign to spot from the ground, along with heavy granule wash where roof runoff collects. Bruised or cracked shingles are hard to confirm from the ground, so have the roof inspected instead of climbing it.
Should I climb up to check my roof after a storm?
No. A wet or storm-damaged roof is dangerous to walk, and stepping on brittle, hail-hit shingles can crack them. Photograph what you can from the ground and the attic, then have the roof inspected.
Does my insurance pay to remove a tree off my roof?
NCDOI says that, generally, if a tree falls on your home or another structure, your own homeowners policy covers the damage. It adds that a homeowners policy pays reasonable expense, up to a set limit per loss, for removing trees from your property when a tree has damaged a structure or blocked the driveway. Check your policy’s limits with your insurer.
Can a contractor waive my deductible in North Carolina?
No. North Carolina treats a contractor paying, waiving, rebating or hiding your deductible as insurance fraud under G.S. § 58-2-161. Paying your own deductible, including with financing, is how it should work.
Do I need a licensed contractor for a roof under $40,000 in NC?
North Carolina requires an appropriately classified general contractor license when the cost of the job is $40,000 or more, so a smaller roofing job can fall below the state’s licensing threshold. Licensing is not the permit question: your city or county still decides whether the job needs a permit, and Big Bear confirms it before the crew arrives. Either way, ask for a certificate of insurance and references, as NCDOI suggests.
Can I use insurance claim funds to finance a roof replacement for a storm-damaged home?
Yes. The claim pays for the covered work; your share is the deductible, any depreciation an actual-cash-value policy does not pay back, and anything the policy does not cover, such as upgrades you choose. Big Bear offers flexible financing options — ask your estimator.
Storm damage roof repairs vs integrated solar roofing: is adding solar a good move after a storm?
It can be when the roof needs replacing anyway: GAF says the best time to consider its Timberline Solar shingles is when you’re planning a new roof. If the damage needs only a repair, the repair comes first and solar is a separate project. Either way the claim pays for covered storm damage, the solar upgrade is yours to fund, and Big Bear readies the roof for your solar provider.
How Big Bear helps after a storm
After hail or a severe thunderstorm, we offer a free, no-obligation roof inspection, drone-assisted when appropriate, and document the damage to support your claim; if the roof needs work, we do the repair or the replacement. We never waive deductibles. Big Bear Roofing is licensed by the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors, and you can look any roofer up on the Board’s portal, including us; GAF lists us as a GAF Master Elite contractor. Big Bear is a roofing contractor in Raleigh, NC serving the Triangle; see our work. Our phones are answered 24/7 at 919-568-3931, or request your free inspection.
Authored by Colin Blocksma, Director of North Carolina Operations, Big Bear Roofing & Exteriors. This article is educational and not a substitute for legal or insurance advice.