Key numbers
77 verified hail storms with stones of 1.75 inches or larger reached Travis County, which includes Austin, from 1984 to 2025 in the storm records we keep; the largest measured 5 inches (softball size) on May 20, 2011 (NOAA NCEI).
| Hail storms by decade, 1984 to 2025 | 1980s: 8, 1990s: 16, 2000s: 24, 2010s: 13, 2020s: 16 Source: NOAA NCEI |
|---|---|
| Largest hail | 5 in. (softball), May 20, 2011 Source: NOAA NCEI |
| Costliest hail storm | $160 million insured losses (2006 dollars), April 20, 2006 Source: Insurance Journal |
| About 48.3% | Hail made up about 48.3% of Texas homeowners paid losses in 2024 (4,932.98 of 10,207.87 across all perils TDI charts). Source: Texas Department of Insurance, 2024 |
| $2,397 | Texas had the third most expensive average homeowners insurance premium in the U.S. in 2022, at $2,397, versus a U.S. average of $1,569. Source: Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) (reporting NAIC; Texas data from Texas Department of Insurance), 2022 |
| Over 50 | NAHB's 2007 study says slate, copper and clay/concrete tile roofs have the longest life expectancy, over 50 years. Source: National Association of Home Builders / Bank of America Home Equity, 2007 |
A storm counts when NOAA lists a report in Travis County. Each hail size is the storm's largest report in the seven Austin-area counties, which may have fallen in a neighboring county, and insured losses cover every area the storm hit.
There is usually no single legal deadline for reporting hail damage to your roof: your insurance policy sets it. Most policies ask for “prompt” notice, some give a set period such as one year from the date of loss, and the Texas Department of Insurance notes that some Texas policies have a one-year deadline unless you can show good cause for the delay. The safest answer is to have the roof inspected and file within weeks of the storm, not months, because hail damage gets harder to tie to a specific storm as it ages.
Where your deadline is written
Open your homeowners policy and look for two sections:
- Duties After Loss (sometimes “What to do in case of loss”). This sets how quickly you must report damage and protect the property from further harm. Wording like “prompt notice” means the insurer can question a late report, especially if the delay made the damage worse.
- Suit Against Us. This sets how long you have to sue the insurer if you disagree. It is a different clock from reporting the claim.
If either section is unclear, ask your agent which date the clock starts from and get the answer in writing.
What Colorado law adds
- The time to sue cannot be shortened. Since 2014, Colorado insurers may not issue or renew a homeowner’s policy that requires you to sue in less time than the statute of limitations allows (C.R.S. 10-4-110.8(12)). That protects your right to dispute a claim; it does not extend the time to report one.
- Report as soon as you can. The Colorado Division of Insurance’s advice after hailstorms is to contact your insurer or agent as soon as you can to begin the claim.
- Watch the wind and hail deductible. Many Colorado policies now use a percentage deductible for wind and hail, so check your declarations page before you file.
What Texas law adds
- Policy deadlines vary. TDI’s home insurance guide says some policies have a one-year deadline unless you can show good cause for the delay. Coastal wind and hail policies through the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association give one year from the date of damage.
- The insurer’s clock starts when you file. Texas law gives insurers set deadlines to acknowledge, decide and pay. Our step-by-step claim guide lists them.
Why waiting makes a hail claim harder
The deadline is only part of the problem. Fresh hail damage on an asphalt shingle shows as a dark bruise where granules were knocked loose, sometimes with a soft spot or crack in the mat. Over months, exposed asphalt weathers and grays, and it starts to look like ordinary aging. An adjuster looking at old damage has to decide whether it came from a covered storm during your policy period, and an unclear answer is a common reason for a partial or denied claim.
We have seen it firsthand. After a June 2015 hailstorm, several homeowners did not call us until June 2016. Their insurers accepted the claims for inspection, but each adjuster raised the delay, and whether the roofs would be paid at full replacement cost became the question instead of whether hail hit them.
Waiting also risks the damage itself. A cracked shingle lets water reach the deck, and policies ask you to protect the property from further damage. Interior damage that grows because nobody tarped or reported the roof can be disputed.
What to do now
- Pin down the storm date. Note the date you saw hail at the house, and save photos of hailstones, dented gutters or damaged cars.
- Get the roof inspected. A free inspection with photos tells you whether there is functional damage before you open a claim.
- File and write down the claim number. Keep every letter and email.
- Know your next deadline. After the first check, the clock to finish repairs and recover depreciation starts. See how long you have to complete repairs and recover depreciation.
If your claim is denied as too old, read what to do when an adjuster denies roof damage. Older roofs raise the same question in another form: see T-lock shingles and insurance. For an overview of the whole claim, start with our roof damage insurance claims guide, and for quick answers, our roofing and insurance FAQ.
For the rest of the claim, see our insurance claim guides; for checking the roof after a storm, our storm damage guides; and for the storms behind these deadlines, our weather guides.
Schedule a hail inspection
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor with 650+ Google reviews. We reach out the same business day and tell you honestly whether you have hail damage worth a claim. Book in Colorado Springs, Denver or Austin, or call (719) 488-2800, (303) 209-0152 or (512) 610-5897.
Sources: C.R.S. 10-4-110.8(12) (unofficial reproduction); Colorado Division of Insurance, consumer advisory after the metro Denver hailstorm; Texas Department of Insurance, Home insurance guide (updated 6/1/2026) and Steps to getting your claim paid.
Photos From Our Projects
