Roof insurance claim help in Austin starts with the Texas rules: how fast your insurer has to act, what your deductible law says, and what a roofer is and is not allowed to do on your claim. You file and settle the claim. Integrity Roofing and Painting’s job is the evidence: a free inspection, dated photos of every hail hit and wind-lifted shingle, and a written scope so nothing gets missed in the scope. Texas does not let a roofer act as your adjuster, and we do not.
Deadlines your insurer has to meet
Texas Insurance Code chapter 542, summarized by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI):
| Step | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Acknowledge your claim | 15 business days |
| Accept or reject, in writing | 15 business days after it receives what it asked for |
| Extension, if it explains why | Up to 45 more days |
| Pay after saying it will pay | 5 business days (20 for a surplus lines insurer) |
| After a declared weather catastrophe | Each deadline extended 15 days |
If payment is delayed more than 60 days after the insurer has everything it requested, sections 542.058 and 542.060 make it liable for damages. That is a question for an attorney. For help with a slow claim, call the TDI Help Line at 800-252-3439, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central.
Your own deadline to report damage is set by your policy, not by these rules, so check it the day after the storm.
Your deductible, and why nobody can cover it
- It is yours to pay. Under Texas Insurance Code chapter 707 your insurer may ask for proof that you paid it.
- No waivers or rebates. Texas Business and Commerce Code 27.02 makes it illegal for a contractor to offer to waive, rebate or absorb your deductible, and a contract of $1,000 or more paid from an insurance settlement must state that you are responsible for it.
- It may be bigger than you think. TDI notes that the deductible for wind and hail damage is often higher than for other damage. Look for the dollar figure on your declarations page.
What a roofer may not do, and what we do instead
TDI’s guidance lists what crosses the line for a contractor: offering to file or negotiate your claim, promising to recover every dollar from your insurer, telling the insurer it represents you, or advertising any of that. What we do is narrower and allowed: inspect the roof, gutters, vents, flashing and attic; photograph each hit; note what is storm damage and what is age or Central Texas heat wear; and give you a written scope to share with your adjuster. If the storm did not damage the roof, we say so and you can skip the claim.
Policy terms that change an Austin roof payout
TDI’s roof-insurance column flags three things to check before a storm, not after:
- Roof age and material on your policy. Many policies reduce coverage by age and material. Make sure your insurer has the right year and roof type, and tell it when you replace the roof.
- Partial payment. An insurer might not pay for a full roof even if replacement shingles will not match exactly.
- Impact-resistance discounts. Each company sets its own discount for UL 2218 rated roofing, with Class 4 earning the most; some accept TDI’s form PC068 as proof of installation.
Austin rules that can change the scope
Inside City of Austin limits, an asphalt-for-asphalt reroof is generally exempt from a building permit, as is replacing up to 128 square feet of decking. The exception is the Wildland-Urban Interface: if the home is in the WUI and 50 percent or more of the roof is replaced, it needs a permit, and the city’s 2024 WUI Code (in effect since July 10, 2025) requires a Class A roof assembly and says replacing 50 percent or more requires full replacement. Check your address on the city’s WUI map, and check whether your policy pays code-upgrade costs. Homes in Round Rock, Pflugerville, Leander, Dripping Springs and the rest of Travis, Williamson and Hays counties answer to their own city or county; our Austin service areas page covers them.
Hail here is real
On April 9, 2024, the Storm Prediction Center logged hail up to 2.5 inches near MoPac and Far West Blvd in northwest Austin, with golf-ball hail in Taylor and quarter to ping-pong-ball hail from Leander and Liberty Hill to Elgin and Dripping Springs. For the first 48 hours after a storm, follow our Austin storm damage repair steps and the five things to do after a storm damages your Austin roof. If the roof needs replacing, the Austin roof replacement page explains the work, and financing can cover an upgrade beyond what the claim pays.
Who documents your roof
We are veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor, with 650+ Google reviews. Call our Austin office on W US Hwy 290 at (512) 610-5897 or book a free Austin roof inspection, and we will reach out the same business day.
Sources: TDI, Insurance claim deadlines; Tex. Ins. Code 542.057, 542.058, 542.059 (unofficial reproductions); TDI, Roofing and insurance: know the law; TDI, What to know about replacing your roof with insurance; TDI, Roofing discounts; City of Austin, Work Exempt from Building Permits; City of Austin, Wildland-Urban Interface Code; NOAA Storm Prediction Center, storm reports for April 9, 2024.
