Key numbers
103 verified hail storms with stones of 1.5 inches or larger reached El Paso County, which includes Black Forest, 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 |
| 92.0% | The USDA Forest Service rates wildfire likelihood in El Paso County, Colorado as 'very high', higher than 92.0% of U.S. counties. Source: USDA Forest Service (Wildfire Risk to Communities) |
| 54.3% | According to Remodeling's 2025 Cost vs. Value Report, a metal roof replacement in the Mountain region cost $46,579 and recouped 54.3% at resale. Source: Remodeling / JLC (Zonda), 2025 |
| $461,000 | The median value of owner-occupied homes in El Paso County was $461,000 in 2020-2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 |
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.
Yes, metal is one of the best roofs for a Black Forest home, and wildfire is the reason. On June 11, 2013 the Black Forest Fire started near Highway 83 and Shoup Road; the National Weather Service records that it burned 14,280 acres, destroyed 511 homes and killed two people. Since then the rules have caught up with the risk. For permit applications on or after July 1, 2026, El Paso County requires new roofs on properties inside the state’s wildfire map to meet its Appendix E wildfire standards, which call for a Class A roof. A properly installed metal roof can meet that, sheds the snow that sits on shaded north slopes, and does not feed embers the way wood shakes do.
What the wildfire code asks of a metal roof
The 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, which El Paso County’s Appendix E follows for unincorporated areas, has three roof rules that matter here:
- Class A. The roof covering or assembly must be Class A when tested to ASTM E108 or UL 790. Many metal roofs reach Class A as an assembly, so the underlayment and deck matter, not only the panel.
- No open voids. Where the roof profile leaves a gap between the covering and the deck, as with ribbed panels, stone-coated steel on battens or some tile-look profiles, that space must resist flames and embers: firestopped with noncombustible material, an ASTM D3909 cap sheet over a combustible deck, or a listed Class A assembly.
- Valleys and gutters. Valley flashing must be at least 0.019 inch (No. 26 gauge) metal, and gutters and downspouts must be noncombustible.
The trigger is the size of the job. Replacing 25 percent or more of the roof surface means the whole roof must meet the new-construction standard. Repairs below that are exempt. For how covering and assembly ratings differ, see our Class A roof guide; for the ground around the house, our defensible space zones guide; and for the whole house, the wildfire home hardening guide.
Which metal fits a Black Forest home
| Option | Why it works here | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Standing seam | Concealed fasteners, clean lines among the pines | Snow guards over doors and decks |
| Stone-coated steel | Shake or shingle look without wood | Ember protection of the batten space |
| Corrugated | Barns, shops and outbuildings on acreage | Exposed fasteners that need checking over time |
Black Forest also takes hail. The NWS write-up of the June 13, 2018 storm notes 1.25-inch hail over Black Forest as one supercell left the county. Steel resists dents better than aluminum or copper. Our metal roofing guide compares every type, and our metal roof cost guide explains what drives price.
The permit side
Black Forest is unincorporated El Paso County, so PPRBD issues the reroof permit. Their guidelines say direct-to-deck metal shingles need no mid-roof inspection, and an ice barrier is required above 7,000 feet (the elevation is on your permit receipt). If a barn or shop is being reroofed too, ask PPRBD whether it needs its own permit. See our El Paso County guide for the county-wide rules, our Black Forest roofing page for shingle and repair work, and neighboring Woodmoor, Falcon and Cimarron Hills for how metal choices shift with the landscape.
Talk metal with a local roofer
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor, and has 650+ Google reviews. We serve Black Forest from our Colorado Springs office and reply the same business day. Call (719) 488-2800 or book a free metal roof consultation. Soft financing options are on our financing page.
Sources: National Weather Service Pueblo, 2013 Wildfires: Black Forest Fire; NWS Pueblo, Hail Storm in El Paso County (June 13, 2018); El Paso County Planning and Community Development, Wildfire Resiliency Requirements quick tips; Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (sections 101.6, 403.2 to 403.3); PPRBD, Reroofing Guidelines (rev. 03/05/2024).
