Holland particulars
Ottawa County's storm record for July 2024 to June 2026 has one lopsided entry. NCEI logged 14 hail reports of 1 inch or larger, all on a single day, and the largest stone was 2.75 inches. The same query shows 12 wind reports of 50 knots or more on 6 days (largest 87 kt) and 2 tornado reports. One day of big hail in the county tells you nothing about which street it hit, and NOAA's rows are reports rather than storms, so use the county storm history tool as a place to start asking questions about your roof.
The LARA Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised Oct 6, 2026) lists the City of Holland as local for building enforcement, so the city, not the county or the state, issues building permits here. We have no Holland rule on re-roofing to cite, so the building department decides whether your job needs a permit. The Census ACS 2023 estimates put 63.6 percent of Holland's homes as built before 1980 and the median home value at $235,800.
Ottawa County is not among the ground snow load values we recorded from Table R301.2(5), so we print no figure. For pay context only, roofers in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro, which contains Ottawa County, have a median wage of $23.86 an hour (medium confidence, via O*NET; pay, not price). Neighbors worth a look are Jenison and Grand Haven; for a roof after a storm, start with storm damage.
Storm damage in Holland: what to know
Also in NOAA's July 2024 to June 2026 data are 12 wind reports of 50 knots or more on 6 days (largest 87 kt) and 2 tornado reports. One day of large hail in a county does not say whether it fell on your street, so use it to ask questions about your roof rather than to settle them.
DIFS says you may choose your own contractor, even if your insurer recommends one, and it advises written estimates and no pressure to decide at once. It lists asking a repairman to "cover the deductible" by raising an estimate or bill as typical homeowners insurance fraud. If you disagree with the insurer on the amount of loss, the statute lets either side demand a written appraisal.
Permits for storm damage in Holland
Roofing and roof repair are not on the building-permit exemption list in Michigan's R105.2, and enforcement is local.
Many cities run their own building department, so start by asking the City of Holland building department who issues roofing permits.
When storm damage to a roof is an emergency
- Water is coming through a ceiling or light fixture.
- Decking is gone and the attic is open to weather.
- A tree is on the roof or the ceiling is sagging; keep out of the room.
- Power lines are down near the house; stay away and call your utility.
- A few lifted shingles with no stain inside, once photographed and reported to your insurer.
- Dented vents or gutters that still drain.
What to do from the ground and from inside after a storm
Try this first: get two written estimates, each listing the damaged slopes by name, before you talk about numbers with the insurer.
- Photograph each slope and any shingle pieces from the ground, and keep the pieces.
- Check top-floor ceilings and, through the attic hatch, the underside of the roof boards for damp.
- Note when the storm hit, call your insurer and record the claim number.
- Ask any roofing company for its license number.
What storm damage costs
The estimate below is the Michigan-wide one, adjusted for Michigan wages and not for Holland in particular. The same table is on the storm damage page. How we estimate costs. Prices as of Oct 19, 2026.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $915 to $7,400 per repair with water damage | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Michigan roofer median wage ratio (1.07). No Michigan roofing company price is shown, because none of the companies we looked at published a price we could count. |
| Roofer wage, Michigan median | $28.62 an hour (middle half of roofers: $23.02 to $37.56) | What Michigan roofers are paid (BLS May 2025, read through O*NET OnLine), not what you are charged. |
| Residential re-roofing permit, Grand Rapids | $66 | FY2027 fee schedule. Whether a repair needs it is the city's call. |
| Roof or re-roof permit, Sterling Heights | $78, plus a $56 application fee | 2026-27 application; the sum is ours. |
| Roof permit, East Lansing | $60 application, plus $140 | Residential, with rough and final inspections. |
How we estimate costs: the Estimated range row is a model, not a quote. It takes one published national range for this job (a cost guide from a third-party site that we have not verified and do not cite) and multiplies it by Michigan's roofer median wage ratio to the US (1.07, BLS May 2025 data read through O*NET OnLine). The wage and permit rows in the table are what roofing workers are paid and what a city's own schedule charges, and neither is a price. We have not collected quotes, and we found no Michigan roofing company that publishes a price we could count. Full method.
Questions about storm damage
How long do I have to file a roof storm damage claim in Michigan?
Tell your insurer as soon as possible; the suit deadline is 1 year after the loss or the policy period if longer, tolled from your notice until a formal denial.
Will my insurance replace the whole roof after hail or wind damage in Michigan?
Not necessarily: DIFS says a policy covers only the damaged portion and the insurer need not replace the entire roof, and your policy wording sets the scope.
Should I sign my insurance check over to a roofing company?
No: DIFS lists requests to sign insurance checks over to a contractor among its warning signs, so keep the check.