Roofing Denver: Hail Season, Permits and What to Check
Front Range hail season runs roughly from April into September, and the storms that roll off the foothills in late spring and early summer do most of the roof damage in Denver. The week after any storm with hail in it, walk the house and photograph the dents in your gutters, downspouts, metal vent caps and air conditioner fins with the date showing. Soft metal records the size of the hail on that day, and those photos are your own record before any roofer has a reason to see more or less damage than is there.
Why Denver Roofs Need More Than Standard Materials
Denver sits at 5,280 feet, and strong sun at altitude wears the granules off asphalt shingles. Scoop a handful from the gutter at the bottom of a downspout. Dark grit that looks like coffee grounds is shingle granules, and a cupful after one season means the coating is going. Then compare the slopes that face south and west with the ones that face north through binoculars. Bare, shiny patches on the sunny side tell you where the roof is aging fastest.
Hail hits leave dark round spots where granules were knocked off, and soft spots you could feel if you pressed the shingle. A storm report worth having counts the hits slope by slope, with a tape measure in each photo and the slope it came from. A report that says "hail damage throughout" with three photos gives you nothing to check.
Class 4 Impact-Resistant Shingles in Denver
Roofing Services and Typical Costs in Denver
A Denver roofer tears off and replaces roofs, repairs hail and wind damage, fixes leaks at flashing and pipe boots and works on flat roofs over additions and commercial buildings. The ranges below are typical Denver jobs, for checking a quote rather than replacing one. Ask each roofer how many squares they measured, where one square is 100 square feet, so you can tell whether two quotes priced the same roof.
How the Match Works for Roofing in Denver
You describe the job
Say what you see: the leak, the storm date, the roof age if you know it and the kind of roof. Add your photos of the dented metal and the roof from the street.
We send it to independent local roofers
Contractor Palace does not do roofing. We pass your description to independent roofers who work in the Denver metro. Each one is a separate business, so check each one the way the list below describes.
A roofer calls you, and you pay the roofer
An independent roofer calls you to set up a visit. The written contract is between you and that roofer, and you pay the roofer directly on the terms written in it.
Colorado has no state roofing license
Colorado does not license roofers at the state level, so there is no state board number to look up. Denver licenses contractors through its Community Planning and Development department. Ask for the Denver contractor license number and check it with the city before you sign.
Ice Damming on Denver Roofs: Prevention and Repair
Denver winters swing hard between sunny thaws and cold nights, and that is when ice dams form: attic heat melts the snow on the upper roof and the water refreezes at the cold eave. On the first cold morning after a snowfall, look up. Bare shingles over the rooms next to a white band along the gutters means heat is leaving through the attic.
More ice and water shield is a backup, not a fix. Ask the roofer to go into the attic and write down the insulation depth in inches over the rooms next to the eaves, and whether the soffit vents are open or blocked. If they only do roofs, ask for those findings as a separate line on the quote so you can hand it to an insulation pro.
How to Choose a Denver Roofing Contractor and Avoid Storm Chasers
Where the ice barrier stops
Ask where the ice and water shield stops, and get that number written on the quote. The International Residential Code measures it from the eave edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall. Measure your overhang and add 24 inches. Ice and water shield included, with no distance next to it, is not a spec. It is a word.
A permanent Denver metro address
After a big hail event, crews from other states work Denver streets and move on. Ask for the street address of their last Denver-area job and the permit number, then ask the city whether that permit passed final inspection. A roofer who cannot give you one local address is a roofer to say no to.
A written contract with materials named
The contract should name the shingle brand and line, the underlayment, the ice barrier distance, a price per 4 by 8 sheet of decking, the flashing and disposal. On delivery day, hold it next to the bundle wrappers. If the product does not match, stop the job and ask why.
No offer to cover your deductible
Colorado law bars a roofing contractor from offering to pay or rebate your deductible. Any roofer who offers it has told you how they run their business. Say no.
Workers' compensation and liability, checked
Ask for the certificates and call the agent printed on each one to confirm the coverage is current. A roofer injured on your roof with no workers' compensation in place is a problem you do not want.
Roofing Contractors Serving the Denver Metro Area
A Denver mailing address does not mean the City and County of Denver issues your permit. Aurora, Lakewood, Centennial and the other metro cities run their own building departments. Each has its own rules. Call the one for your address and ask two questions: does a re-roof need a permit, and does the contractor need a license with that city. If you own a commercial building of 25,000 square feet or more inside Denver, also ask what the city's Green Buildings Ordinance requires when the roof is replaced.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a roof replacement cost in Denver?
A standard asphalt shingle replacement on a 1,500 square foot Denver home typically runs $8,000 to $16,000. Class 4 shingles typically run $10,000 to $20,000 for the same house, and standing seam metal typically runs $18,000 to $40,000. Ask for the price per sheet of decking on every quote, because rotten deck is the usual reason a final bill goes up.
What should I do right after a hailstorm in Denver?
Photograph the dents in your gutters, downspouts, vent caps and air conditioner fins that week, with the date showing. Look at the shingles through binoculars for dark round spots. Then ask any roofer who inspects for a slope-by-slope count of hits with a photo of each, and compare it with your own photos.
What are Class 4 impact-resistant shingles and are they worth it in Denver?
Class 4 is the top rating under the UL 2218 impact test: the shingle took a 2-inch steel ball dropped from 20 feet without cracking. Look for the rating on the bundle wrapper. Ask for the Class 4 and standard products priced side by side, so you can weigh the difference against how often your neighborhood sees hail.
How does Denver's altitude affect roof lifespan?
Strong sun at 5,280 feet wears the granules off asphalt shingles, starting on the south and west slopes. Check the gutters for granules each spring and compare the sunny slopes with the north slope through binoculars. Bare, shiny patches are where the shingle is losing its coating.
Need a roofing contractor in Denver? Get matched free.
Describe the roof job or the hail damage in a few lines. We send it to independent Denver-area roofers and one of them calls you.
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