After a hailstorm or windstorm: how a Michigan roof insurance claim works

The first call and the first photographs

The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) puts one instruction at the top of its claim steps: notify your insurance company or agent as soon as possible. It also suggests keeping notes on every conversation, with the date, the representative’s name, the claim number and a summary, and offers an Insurance Claim Tracking Sheet for that purpose.

Before you clean anything up, take photographs and video of all the damage. DIFS asks you to list damaged items with their dates and values, and to keep damaged items until the insurer says otherwise. That includes shingles that blew into the yard. If you can see the roof from the ground, photograph it from several sides. Stay off a damaged roof yourself; a roofing company, or the adjuster, can look at it.

Our insurance claim guide walks through the same steps in the order you will meet them.

Temporary repairs, receipts and the duty to limit the damage

DIFS says to make only temporary repairs to protect your house, and not to make permanent repairs until your insurer has inspected the damaged property. Photograph the damage before repairs if you can. The same pages tell you to cover or board up what the weather can reach, and the two instructions fit together: DIFS says most insurance policies require policyholders to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage, and gives the example of covering a damaged roof with a tarp. It lists “take reasonable action to minimize the loss or damage, such as boarding up or covering damaged property” among a policyholder’s responsibilities. Save receipts, because DIFS says those expenses may be reimbursable. That wording describes typical policies and is not a statute, so the exact duty is in your own policy. In practice, put up a tarp, a board-up or a temporary patch now, photograph each, and leave the permanent job until the adjuster has been.

Partial damage and what DIFS says about the whole roof

DIFS says that if hail and high winds lift shingles off your roof, a homeowners policy covers only the portion of the roof that has been damaged, and the insurance company is not required to replace the entire roof. We found no Michigan matching statute, no DIFS rule on separate percentage wind or hail deductibles and none on how insurers schedule roof payments, so your declarations page and policy form are the only place to look for those. The sources we read do not say that Michigan law makes an insurer match your shingles or replace the whole roof, so do not repeat that claim.

Most homeowners policies cover many types of wind and hail damage, DIFS also says, but coverage varies by policy. The same page notes that flood is generally not covered by a standard homeowners policy.

Actual cash value, replacement cost and ordinance and law

Two definitions from DIFS matter when the estimate arrives. Replacement cost pays the cost to replace or repair the property with materials of the same kind and quality, minus your deductible, up to the policy limit. Actual cash value is the replacement cost at the time of loss minus depreciation. DIFS adds that under a replacement cost policy, if you do not repair or replace, the insurer pays only the depreciated value. The first question for your agent is which of the two your roof falls under.

Ordinance and law coverage is the third piece. DIFS says it pays when a home cannot be rebuilt to its original condition because of changes in local building codes, and that the insurer will not pay for those upgrades unless you have this additional coverage. The standard limit is 10 percent of dwelling coverage. If your roof’s repair triggers a code requirement, such as an ice barrier, this is the line to ask about.

The 30 and 60 day clock, and the missing deadline

DIFS says the insurer must tell you within 30 days of filing your claim what information it needs as proof of loss, and must pay within 60 days after receiving that proof. A claim paid late owes 12 percent simple interest. The statute behind this is MCL 500.2006, which requires the insurer to specify in writing the materials that make up a satisfactory proof of loss within 30 days after it receives the claim. Interest runs from a date 60 days after satisfactory proof of loss. Late payment is an unfair trade practice unless the claim is reasonably in dispute, and the section covers all lines of insurance, not roofs in particular.

There is also no time limit for the insurer to complete the investigation, DIFS says. If you think the time taken is unreasonable, you may file a complaint with DIFS. Know your deductible before the claim is paid.

The one year limit to sue

Michigan’s mandatory fire-policy provision, MCL 500.2833(1)(q), says an action must be commenced within one year after the loss or within the time period specified in the policy, whichever is longer. It also says the time is tolled from the moment you notify the insurer until the insurer formally denies liability. That is a statutory floor, with no promise of two years or of unlimited time. We read that provision as a fire-policy requirement. Homeowners policies are generally written to include fire coverage, but whether it governs a given wind or hail claim is a legal question and our reading is an inference. Check the suit limitation in your own policy and speak to an attorney if a denial arrives.

When you and the insurer disagree on the amount

The statute has an appraisal clause. Under MCL 500.2833(1)(m), if you and the insurer disagree on the actual cash value or the amount of loss, either side may demand a written appraisal. Each side picks a competent, independent appraiser within 20 days. The two appraisers pick an umpire, and if they cannot within 15 days, a circuit court judge does. Agreement by any two of the three sets the amount. Each appraiser is paid by the party who chose that appraiser, and the umpire and other expenses are shared equally.

That is the text of a fire-policy provision, and your homeowners policy wording governs. DIFS has no consumer explainer of appraisal in the pages we read, so in a real dispute start with your policy’s appraisal paragraph.

Public adjusters and your own contractor

DIFS says public adjusters must be licensed by DIFS, that their fee cannot exceed 10 percent of the insurance settlement, and that you are not required to hire one. MCL 500.1226(4) requires a written contract on a DIFS-approved form, and a contract signed within 48 hours after the loss event is voidable at your option for 10 days after it is signed. DIFS also lists unlicensed people who offer to increase your settlement for a fee among its warning signs; see our guide on door-to-door roofers and signing checks over.

On choosing who does the work, DIFS says your insurance company may recommend contractors, but you have the right to choose your own. Verify the license, as in how to check a roofer’s license, get written estimates and read the contract. DIFS says never to feel pressured into an immediate decision.

If the claim stalls, DIFS encourages trying to resolve it with the insurer first, then filing a complaint online or calling 877-999-6442, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hail and wind reports by county

NOAA’s Storm Events Database lets you see what has been reported where you live. We counted its Michigan county records from July 2024 through June 2026 for 20 counties. Hail counts are reports of 1 inch or larger; severe wind counts are reports of 50 knots (58 mph) or more. A report is one database row for one county, so one storm that crosses several counties, or produces several reports, counts more than once. The most recent months are preliminary, and a low count does not mean a low risk, because the database under-counts where few people are watching.

County	Hail 1 in or larger (reports)	Days with hail	Largest hail report, any size (in)	Severe wind reports	Days with severe wind
Wayne	4	3	1.25	29	13
Oakland	5	4	1.0	37	15
Macomb	1	1	1.0	27	13
Kent	4	2	1.0	33	12
Genesee	0	0	0.88	19	10
Washtenaw	1	1	1.0	12	6
Ottawa	14	1	2.75	12	6
Ingham	7	3	1.0	16	7
Kalamazoo	1	1	1.0	22	8
Livingston	4	3	1.25	15	8
Saginaw	3	2	1.25	12	6
Muskegon	0	0	none	6	3
Jackson	1	1	1.0	11	7
St. Clair	5	3	1.75	10	8
Monroe	3	1	1.0	9	8
Bay	2	2	1.0	12	7
Calhoun	1	1	1.25	15	6
Clinton	0	0	none	15	7
Eaton	1	1	1.0	12	5
Midland	0	0	none	6	4
Query: NOAA NCEI Storm Events bulk files for Michigan, county records, July 2024 through June 2026, event types Hail (magnitude 1.00 inch or more) and Thunderstorm Wind, High Wind and Strong Wind (50 knots or more).

Large hail is sparse in these counts. Genesee, Muskegon, Midland and Clinton counties have no hail of 1 inch or larger recorded in the window. Ottawa County shows 14 reports, but all on one day, with a largest stone of 2.75 inches. Severe wind is the more common record: every one of the 20 counties has at least six reports. We do not read a hail belt into those numbers, and you should not either, because they tell you what was reported and not what will happen on your street. For a single county, the county storm history tool shows the same figures with the query behind them, and our storm damage page covers the repair side.