Garage Door Hail Damage in Texas: Documenting It and Asking Your Insurer
North Texas gets a lot of hail, and a steel garage door is one of the largest flat surfaces on the front of a house. After a storm, homeowners in Garland, Texas and nearby cities often ask two things: is the door actually damaged, and will insurance pay for it. This post can help with the first question and with how to approach the second. It can't answer whether your policy covers anything. Only your insurer can do that.
Garland Garage Door Experts is a free quote service, not a garage door company or an insurance adviser. Nothing here is insurance or legal advice.
How often hail hits the Garland area
NOAA's Storm Events database lists 32 reports of hail an inch or larger with Garland as the starting location between 1995 and July 2026. Reports are not the same as storms, and they cluster where people live, but the dated events are a useful reminder:
- Feb 25, 2000: hail up to 3.75 inches reported in Garland.
- Mar 23, 2016: 2-inch hail in Sachse that shattered car and home windows, part of a storm NOAA estimated at around $700 million in damage across northern Dallas and southern Collin counties.
- Apr 11, 2016: 4 to 5.25-inch hail in the Wylie and Rockwall area.
- Sept 24, 2023: hail up to about 2.25 inches in northern Garland.
- Apr 27, 2026: 2-inch hail in Rowlett.
Texas as a whole is a hail leader too. The Insurance Council of Texas reported 878 hail events in the state in 2024. None of this predicts the next storm. It explains why hail questions come up so often here.
What hail does to a garage door
Hail usually dents steel panels, chips paint and cracks plastic window inserts. Many dents are cosmetic. Larger dents, or dents along the joints where sections meet, may affect how the sections roll past each other, but that's something a technician should judge in person. Signs worth noting:
- Round dents across the face of the door, often more on one side.
- Cracked or broken window panes or trim.
- Dents near the hinges or section joints.
- A door that now scrapes, binds or sounds different when it moves.
- Chipped paint where bare steel could rust.
- Damage to the weather seal along the bottom.
If the door won't open or close properly after a storm, stop using the opener and request a repair. Don't pry at bent sections or work near the springs and cables.
How to document garage door hail damage
Good records help whatever you decide, whether that's a claim, a repair you pay for yourself, or simply knowing what the door looked like before the next storm.
Note the storm
Write down the date and rough time of the storm. A local news report or the NOAA Storm Events listing can back up the date later.
Photograph the whole door
Take wide shots of the door from the driveway in daylight, then closer shots of each panel. Low-angle light from the side makes dents easier to see.
Show scale
Photograph a few dents with a coin or tape measure beside them. Include cracked windows and the bottom seal.
Capture other damage
Photograph roof, siding, gutters, vehicles and outdoor items hit by the same storm. Insurers often look at damage across the whole property.
Get written estimates
Ask garage door companies for a written estimate that separates dent repair, panel replacement and full-door replacement, with parts listed.
Keep everything
Save photos, estimates, invoices and any broken parts. Don't throw away damaged panels until you know whether anyone needs to see them.
Does homeowners insurance cover a hail-damaged garage door?
It depends entirely on your policy, and this site can't tell you. Coverage, deductibles and exclusions vary between insurers and policies, and some policies may handle cosmetic damage or wind and hail deductibles differently. Rather than guessing, call your insurer or agent and ask:
Questions to ask your insurer:
- Does my policy cover hail damage to a garage door, and are cosmetic dents treated differently?
- What deductible applies to hail or wind damage on my policy?
- Is there a deadline for reporting storm damage?
- Do you want an adjuster to inspect before any repair or replacement?
- Will I be paid for replacement cost or actual cash value, and how is depreciation handled?
- If panels for my door can't be matched, how is that handled?
- What documents and estimates do you need from me?
Once you know your deductible, compare it with the repair estimates. If the work costs less than the deductible, a claim may not make sense, but that's your call to make with your insurer.
Repair, replace panels or replace the door?
Most hail jobs fall into one of three options. Published national ranges give a starting point:
| Item | Typical range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dents / bent sections | $100–$700 | Fixr, Jan 2025 |
| Panel replacement | $150–$1,000 · $440–$725 | Fixr, Jan 2025 · This Old House, Mar 2026 |
| New single steel door, installed | $700–$2,000 (avg ≈ $993) | Fixr, Jan 2025 |
| New double door, installed | $1,175–$4,075 | Fixr, Jan 2025 |
| Service call / trip fee | $50–$75 | Fixr, Jan 2025 |
Replacing a single panel can be hard on older doors because the exact model, color or texture may no longer be made. On Garland's older homes (the city's median house was built in 1978, per the American Community Survey 2020–2024), a matching panel isn't always available, and a full door can end up the cleaner option. The garage door panel replacement page covers matching, and the new garage door installation page covers sizes, insulation and wind-pressure labels.
If you're replacing the door, check HOA rules first. Many Garland-area neighborhoods, including master-planned communities like Firewheel, Waterview and Woodbridge, have HOAs. Check your architectural guidelines before changing door style, color or windows. New doors also carry a wind-pressure rating label. Ask which rating your city requires and keep the label.
Be careful after a storm
Storms bring door knockers. Be cautious with ads promising very low service-call fees, listings with no local address, unmarked vehicles, look-alike company names, or requests for large upfront cash deposits. Never let anyone promise that "insurance will pay for it": only your insurer decides that.
Before you sign at home: If you sign a contract at your home, Texas law (Bus. & Com. Code ch. 601) and the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule can give you until midnight of the third business day to cancel, and the contract must include a cancellation notice. Repairs you asked a company to come out for may be treated differently, and the federal rule excludes true emergencies only if you sign a handwritten waiver. Read the cancellation notice before you sign. Texas's Deceptive Trade Practices Act also prohibits false statements about the need for parts or repairs (Bus. & Com. Code §17.46(b)(13)).
Getting estimates for hail damage
Written estimates from more than one company are useful whether or not you file a claim. Describe the damage once on the free quote form, mention the storm date and attach the details you've gathered, or call (877) 265-2390. Independent local garage door companies can reply with quotes. The garage door hail damage page has more on what a technician typically checks, and the garage door repair cost guide covers other repairs.
Frequently asked questions
Does homeowners insurance cover hail damage to a garage door in Texas?
It depends on your policy. Coverage, deductibles and how cosmetic dents are treated vary by insurer. Document the damage and ask your insurer or agent directly before you assume either way.
How do I prove hail damaged my garage door?
Note the storm date, take wide and close photos in daylight with something for scale, photograph other damage from the same storm, and get written estimates that list the parts. Keep damaged parts until you know whether your insurer needs to see them.
Can hail dents on a garage door be repaired?
Sometimes. Fixr lists dent and bent-section repair at $100–$700 (Jan 2025). Deep dents, cracked sections or panels that can't be matched may mean panel or full-door replacement. A technician can judge this in person.
Should I repair hail damage before my insurer inspects it?
Ask your insurer first. Some want an adjuster to see the damage before repairs. If the door is unsafe or won't close, ask your insurer how to handle an urgent repair and keep the old parts and photos.