Twin Ports Contractors

Storm Damage in Minnesota: Roofers and Insurance Claims

Checked against the official sources below on November 12, 2026. By Twin Ports Contractors.

Short answer: Read every paper before you sign. Check the license first. On insurance-paid repairs, a contractor may not promise to pay your deductible to win the job. If your insurer denies the claim, you can cancel a roofing contract within 72 hours of being told. If a contractor solicited the sale away from its place of business, such as at your door, you can cancel until midnight of the third business day.

After a hail or wind storm, contractors may come to your door. Minnesota has specific laws for this moment. Know them before you sign anything.

Before you sign anything

  1. Read it first. The Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) says homeowners should not sign anything until they have read it carefully and understand it.
  2. Check the license. Call DLI at 651-284-5069 or use the state lookup. Ask about disciplinary history too. Here is how to check a license.
  3. Ask for the basics. A Minnesota business address that is not a post office box, a local phone number, and references.
  4. Get an itemized estimate. On insurance-paid work, Minnesota Statutes 325E.66 bars a residential contractor from giving you an agreement that authorizes repairs without a good faith estimate of the itemized and detailed cost of services and materials.
  5. Look for two notices. A roofing contract tied to an insurance claim must carry a notice of your right to cancel if the claim is denied. The contractor must also give you written notice of the 325E.66 rules with the first estimate. DLI says it can be in the contract or on a separate page.

“Authorization forms” are contracts

Here is how it often goes. A salesperson says they need your signature to talk to your insurance company, or to look at the roof for storm damage. The form is called an “authorization”. DLI says it is really a contract. By signing, you commit to that contractor for whatever repairs your insurer agrees to cover. The price is whatever the contractor and the insurer agree on.

The small print matters. DLI says these contracts often state that if you cancel after three business days, you owe the contractor a share of the total claim settlement, usually from 15 to 50 percent.

The lesson from DLI: treat any paper a contractor hands you as a binding contract, because it nearly always is.

A contractor may not offer to cover your deductible

Minnesota Statutes 325E.66 covers residential roofers, building contractors and remodelers doing work paid from insurance proceeds. As an inducement to the sale, such a contractor may not do the following, among other things:

DLI’s plain version: contractors may not pay deductibles or offer any reward to hire them for storm repair.

What else the law says:

DLI’s suggested notice wording says a contractor who makes such an offer faces enforcement action, including fines of up to $10,000 per violation.

Two ways to cancel

If your claim is denied If the contractor solicited you
The law Minnesota Statutes 326B.811 Minnesota Statutes 325G.07, with definitions in 325G.06
Applies to A written contract with a contractor providing roofing services, to be paid from insurance proceeds A “home solicitation sale”. A seller who regularly makes such sales, or a person acting for the seller, personally solicits the sale. The price is more than $25. It is for personal, family or household purposes. You agree at a place other than the seller’s place of business.
Deadline Within 72 hours after your insurer notifies you the claim is denied Until midnight of the third business day after the day of the sale
How Written notice to the contractor at the address in the contract Written notice to the seller at the address in the agreement

For both rights:

More on the 72-hour right:

More on the three-day right:

Red flags

DLI says to avoid contractors that:

What the contract should say

Before you sign, DLI says to make sure the contract includes:

Hire licensed, and know why

DLI licenses residential builders, remodelers and roofers, and says they must be licensed to work in Minnesota. The law exempts some contractors; the exceptions are in what licensed, bonded and insured mean. DLI also says that if you hire an unlicensed contractor, you have no access to the Contractor Recovery Fund.

The fund has conditions and limits. Its own page names building contractor and remodeler licenses, so for a job under a roofer license, ask DLI whether the fund applies. See how to get paid from the Contractor Recovery Fund.

Winter damage is a different problem. See ice dams in Minnesota.

Who to call

Common questions

Can a roofer pay my insurance deductible in Minnesota?

No. Minnesota Statutes 325E.66 says a residential contractor may not advertise or promise to pay all or part of an insurance deductible as an inducement to the sale. The Department of Labor and Industry says contractors also may not offer anything of value to encourage you to sign.

How long do I have to cancel a roofing contract if my insurance claim is denied?

Under Minnesota Statutes 326B.811 you may cancel within 72 hours after your insurer notifies you that the claim is denied. Give the contractor written notice at the address in the contract.

Is a roofer's authorization form a contract?

Usually, yes. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry warns that these forms are nearly always binding contracts, no matter what the salesperson tells you.

Can a roofer handle my insurance claim for me?

Not as your adjuster. Minnesota Statutes 325E.66 says a residential contractor may not interpret policy provisions, advise you on coverages or duties under your policy, or adjust a claim for you, unless the contractor holds a public adjuster license.

Sources

Every rule, number and deadline in this guide comes from these official pages, read on November 12, 2026. Rules change. The source is always the final word.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

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