Hail that dents a gutter usually leaves it working, and many insurance policies will not pay for dents alone. What gets paid is damage that stops the gutter doing its job: split seams, holes, crushed downspouts, hangers torn loose. Around Sioux Falls that kind of storm is not rare. The National Weather Service logged 116 days with hail an inch or larger across Minnehaha and Lincoln counties from 1996 to 2025, about four a year.
How often does hail hit Sioux Falls?
Sioux Falls sits in Minnehaha and Lincoln counties. Across the two, the National Weather Service hail record for 1996 to 2025 looks like this.
| Hail size | Days in 30 years | About |
|---|---|---|
| 1 inch (quarter) or larger | 116 | 4 a year |
| 1.75 inch (golf ball) or larger | 37 | 1 a year |
| 2 inches or larger | 9 | 1 every 3 years |
Most of the inch-plus reports came in June, then May and August. These are storms someone saw and reported, so a storm that crossed empty fields can go unlisted.
The big ones are remembered for a reason. On August 31, 2013, 2.5-inch hail on the west side of the city broke windows and damaged siding and roofs, and one car dealer reported 4,000 vehicles hit. On June 5, 2014, 2-inch hail did the same across south Sioux Falls. On August 5, 2021, stones up to 3.5 inches cut a path of roof damage from south of Dell Rapids through Renner toward Brandon. This year brought 1.5-inch hail to south Sioux Falls and Tea on April 13 and to the south side again on May 17.
What does hail damage on a gutter look like?
Start with the gutters and downspouts on the side of the house that faced the storm. Dents cluster on that side, which is why adjusters use them to read which way the storm came in.
| What you see | Does it still work? | How a claim treats it |
|---|---|---|
| Round dents along the front lip | Yes | Often cosmetic, and excluded on some policies |
| Downspout dented flat or crushed at an elbow | No, it chokes the flow | Functional damage |
| A seam or corner split open | No, it leaks | Functional damage |
| Holes or tears in the trough | No | Functional damage |
| Hangers bent, gutter pulled off the fascia | No, water pools and spills | Functional damage |
| Chipped paint where stones struck | Yes, until it corrodes | Usually cosmetic |
| Shingle granules piled in the gutter | The gutter, yes | A reason to have the roof checked |
The last row is the one people miss. Adjusters treat dented gutters as a sign of where the storm hit, then go up and look at the shingles. If the roof is damaged, the gutters usually come along with it, and that is how most hail-damaged gutters get paid for.
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Repair or replace after hail?
A few crushed downspouts and one split corner are a repair. Downspouts are cheap to swap, and a corner can be resealed or replaced in a short visit. Both are small jobs, and gutter repair prices in Sioux Falls show what each runs.
Replacement makes sense when the trough is torn or holed in several places, when the hangers have pulled along a whole run, or when the dents are deep enough that the gutter no longer holds its slope. It also makes sense when the roof is being replaced anyway, because new shingles and drip edge are the right moment to rehang gutters correctly. If both are due, replace the roof before the gutters so they go up once.
Matching is the catch with patching. A replacement section in a different color, profile or thickness will show next to the old gutter. Some insurers pay to replace a whole run or elevation so it matches; others pay for the damaged pieces only.
Will insurance pay for hail-damaged gutters?
Hail is a covered peril on standard homeowners policies, so damage that stops the gutter working is normally covered. Three things decide what you actually receive.
The first is a cosmetic damage exclusion. Some policies add an endorsement that excludes hail damage that only changes how a surface looks. Under one of these, dented but working gutters may get nothing. The endorsement is listed on your declarations page, so check before you count on dents.
The second is the deductible. A gutter-only claim is often smaller than it. Seamless aluminum here runs about $12 to $18 a foot installed, so 150 feet of gutter is $1,800 to $2,700. If your policy uses a percentage deductible for wind and hail, 1 percent of a $350,000 dwelling limit is $3,500, and a gutter-only claim pays nothing. Even a flat $1,000 deductible takes a large bite. Gutters usually clear the deductible only as part of a roof or siding claim.
The third is how the policy pays out. A replacement cost policy usually pays the depreciated value first and releases the rest once the work is done and the invoice is sent. An actual cash value policy pays the depreciated value and stops there, which on 15-year-old gutters can be a small check.
How do you document hail damage?
Photograph it the day of the storm, before anyone cleans up. Take a wide shot of each side of the house, then close-ups of every dent, crushed downspout and split seam. If hailstones are still on the ground, photograph a few next to a ruler or a coin.
Write down the date and the time the storm passed. The insurer will check it against weather records, and the Weather Service storm reports for the date will help your case if hail was logged near you.
Check the soft metal around the gutters too: roof vents, the air conditioner fins, the mailbox. Dents there back up what you see on the gutters. Then have the roof looked at, because that decides whether this becomes a claim worth filing.
How long do you have to file?
Report it promptly. Homeowners policies require prompt notice of a loss, and an insurer can argue that a late report made the damage harder to tie to the storm. A claim filed months later is harder to win even when the damage is real.
South Dakota gives you more time to sue than many policies say. State law sets six years for an action on a contract, and it voids any contract clause that shortens your time to enforce it, so a “one year to file suit” line in a policy does not hold here. Once you file, South Dakota requires the insurer to acknowledge and act on claim communications within 30 days.
What should you know about storm contractors?
After a big storm, repair crews go door to door, and the state Attorney General’s office warns about hailstorm scams for that reason. South Dakota has two rules that protect you on roofing work. A roofer cannot offer to pay or rebate your deductible, and a contract made on that promise is void under a 2012 state law. And you can cancel a storm repair contract within 72 hours of signing it, or within 72 hours of learning your insurer denied the claim in whole or in part. Whether those rules reach a gutter-only company that does no roofing is not settled, so ask for the cancellation notice in writing either way.
Check the company the way you would any time: the city license and insurance first, then a written quote with every line spelled out. On an insurance job the line items count for more, because the adjuster compares them one by one.
Questions about hail and gutters
Does homeowners insurance cover hail damage to gutters?
Damage that stops the gutter working is normally covered, because hail is a covered peril. Dents alone may not be, if your policy has a cosmetic damage endorsement. Gutters most often get paid as part of a roof claim.
Are dented gutters worth a claim?
Rarely on their own. A full set of gutters often costs less than a wind and hail deductible. Dents are worth reporting when the roof is damaged too, because then the gutters join a claim that clears the deductible.
What size hail damages gutters?
No published test sets a size for gutters. In the Weather Service reports for the Sioux Falls area, damage to roofs and siding shows up mostly with golf-ball hail, 1.75 inches and larger, which falls here about once a year.
Can a roofer pay my deductible in South Dakota?
No. A 2012 state law bars residential roofing contractors from offering to pay or rebate a deductible, and a contract made on that promise is void.
How long do I have to file a hail claim in South Dakota?
Report the damage promptly, because the policy requires prompt notice. If it comes to a lawsuit, South Dakota allows six years and voids policy clauses that shorten that time.
Should I replace gutters or just the damaged sections?
Replace sections when the damage is limited to a few pieces and a match is available. Replace the run when it is torn in several places, pulled off its hangers, or being redone with a new roof.
Get a quote
Tell us about the damage, with photos if you have them, and a local gutter contractor will call, text or email to set up a visit. The quote is free, and a written estimate is what your adjuster will want to see.
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