How a wind or hail roof insurance claim works in Utah

Document first — before the tarp, before the phone call

The photos you take before anything is moved are the most valuable thing in the whole claim. From the ground, shoot wide shots of every side of the house, then close in on the obvious: shingles in the yard, lifted or creased tabs, dented vents and flashing, granules piled at the downspout outlets. Inside, photograph ceiling stains, and if you can reach the attic safely, wet sheathing or daylight where there shouldn’t be any. Narrated video with the date spoken aloud works just as well. Don’t climb a storm-damaged roof to get any of this — ground-level and attic photos are enough to open a claim, and adjusters climb roofs for a living.

Protect the roof, keep the receipts, then call

The Utah Insurance Department’s claim guidance comes down to a sequence. Prevent further damage with temporary measures — a tarp over the opened section, plastic where glass broke — and keep every receipt, because reasonable temporary-repair costs belong to the claim. Call your insurer or agent with your policy number as soon as you can. Then comes the step not to rush: hold off on permanent repairs until the company has inspected the property and you’ve agreed on the repair cost. A roof rebuilt before the adjuster sees it turns your claim into an argument from memory.

What the adjuster decides — and what your policy already decided

Standard homeowner policies typically cover sudden wind and hail damage to a roof, subject to your deductible. The adjuster’s job is to inspect the damage, match it against the policy, and write the insurer’s repair scope. Your policy — not a salesman on your porch — controls the notice deadlines, the deductible, and what replacement basis you’re owed, so read it before the first phone call if you can. And if the settlement and the honest repair cost end up far apart, the Utah Insurance Department fields consumer complaints and can step in between you and the company.

Where a licensed contractor fits — and where one doesn’t

A contractor doesn’t decide what’s covered. Only the insurer does that. What a good contractor adds is a written scope: tear-off extent, decking condition, underlayment, flashing, ventilation, line by line, on paper before permanent work begins. Now you and the adjuster are comparing the same list item by item instead of one lump number against another. A written scope is also your defense against the crews that follow every hailstorm up I-15: look any contractor up at dopl.utah.gov before signing — we’re B100 General Building Contractor #11678454-5501 — and be wary of paperwork that hands control of your claim to the contractor. We write free estimates with scope, price, and timeline on paper — we don’t take over claims or work on contingency, so our estimate stands on its own whatever the insurer pays. Once your claim settles and materials are on hand, most full roof replacements run 2–4 days on site.

Why we take wind seriously in Davis County

Square One is based in Farmington, directly under the canyon winds that pour off the Wasatch. In the September 8, 2020 downslope windstorm the peak gust recorded in Farmington hit 99 mph, and this stretch of Davis County — Farmington and Centerville especially — is documented as unusually prone to those east winds: a similar event pushed gusts to 102 mph in Centerville in December 2011, an earlier one hit in 1983, and another in 2016. Summer adds monsoon hail on top. None of that is a reason to sign with whoever knocks first after a storm. It’s a reason to know the sequence above, keep your documentation habit ready, and insist on the whole scope in writing before a single shingle comes off.