Key numbers
103 verified hail storms with stones of 1.5 inches or larger reached El Paso County, which includes Colorado Springs, from 2000 to 2025 in the storm records we keep; the largest measured 4.5 inches (softball size) on July 13, 2011 (NOAA NCEI).
| Hail storms by decade, 2000 to 2025 | 2000s: 35, 2010s: 44, 2020s: 24 Source: Storm library: El Paso County hail history |
|---|---|
| Largest hail | 4.5 in. (softball), July 13, 2011 Source: NOAA NCEI |
| Costliest hail storm | $352.8 million insured losses (2016 dollars), July 28, 2016 Source: RMIIA |
| 5.19 million | Wood shingles or shakes were the main roofing material on 5.19 million U.S. homes in 2020. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 2020 |
| About 20 | NAHB's 2007 study puts asphalt shingle roof life at about 20 years, fiber cement shingles about 25 years and wood shakes about 30 years. Source: National Association of Home Builders / Bank of America Home Equity, 2007 |
A storm counts when the library lists El Paso County among the areas it hit. Each hail size is the storm's largest report, which may have fallen in a neighboring county, and insured losses cover every area the storm hit.
Not with real wood, inside the City of Colorado Springs. PPRBD’s reroof guidelines say one- and two-family homes in the city must have at least a Class A roof covering, and solid wood roofing products are excluded. You can still get the cedar shake look with synthetic cedar: molded shakes that look like wood, carry a Class A rating as part of a listed assembly, and will not rot, split, or attract insects.
Why wood shakes went away
Wood shakes burn, and in a city with neighborhoods along the wildland-urban interface, a burning roof can spread fire from house to house. The city has also adopted wildfire construction requirements for the wildland-urban interface in its fire code (Appendix K), most recently updated to fold in Colorado’s statewide Wildfire Resiliency Code, effective June 30, 2026. Check the city’s wildfire risk map to see whether your address is in the interface. Read more in our article on the fire hazards of cedar shake roofs.
Synthetic cedar vs the alternatives
| Option | Look | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synthetic cedar | Closest to real shake | Light | Confirm Class A assembly |
| Luxury asphalt shingles | Shake profile | Light | Lowest cost of the three |
| Stone-coated steel shake | Shake profile with granules | Light | Noncombustible, sheds snow |
Our synthetic vs natural cedar comparison goes into the products in more detail.
What replacing a shake roof involves
- Tear-off. Old shakes come off down to the deck.
- Decking. Shake roofs usually sit on spaced plank (skip) sheathing. PPRBD allows gaps of no more than a quarter inch. Wider gaps mean re-decking with at least 7/16-inch OSB, or overlaying the planks with at least 3/8-inch CDX plywood or OSB.
- Underlayment and ice barrier. Above 7,000 feet, PPRBD requires an ice barrier extending at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line.
- Ventilation. Solid decking changes how the attic breathes, so we plan intake and exhaust vents with the new roof.
- Permit and final inspection, which we pull and schedule.
Budget for the decking: on an old shake roof it is often the largest variable in the price.
Get the shake look, legally
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned, family-run since 1990, and an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor. Compare the heavier premium options on our tile and slate pages, see every material on our residential roofing page, or book a free shake roof inspection.
Sources: PPRBD, Reroof Guidelines (rev. 03/05/2024); Colorado Springs Fire Department, Fire Code Amendments (Ordinance 26-18); CSFD, Wildfire Risk Reduction Requirements Within the Wildland Urban Interface.
