Austin and Travis County: the hail record, and a re-roof the city may never inspect

Travis County's hail and wind record

From 2016 through 2025, NOAA's Storm Events Database logs 152 hail events in Travis County, 121 of them an inch or larger and 26 at 2 inches or more, on 26 separate days. Over the same years it records 85 thunderstorm wind events, five tornadoes and 77 flash floods (NCEI).

The storms that shaped Austin's roofs:

• September 24, 2023: three-inch hail fell on Burnet Lane in the Brentwood area, part of the storm complex that NOAA says caused upwards of $600 million in damage across Travis and Williamson counties (NCEI event 1140580); teacup-size hail fell in Pflugerville the same day (NCEI event 1140533).
• April 9, 2024: tennis-ball hail fell near MoPac Expressway and Far West Boulevard in northwest Austin (NCEI event 1172071).
• March 25, 2009: the National Weather Service received 14 reports of severe hail, nine of them 2 inches or larger, with teacup hail near the Arboretum (NCEI event 155235).
• May 14, 2008: baseball hail and strong winds hit downtown, Tarrytown, Hyde Park, the UT campus and the I-35 corridor north of the river (NCEI event 102417).
• May 28, 2025: a National Weather Service survey traced a microburst about 10 miles long, from near Hyde Park southeast to just east of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (NCEI event 1263775).

FEMA's major disaster declaration DR-4879, for the severe storms and flooding that began July 2, 2025, includes Travis County.

What Austin's permit exemption covers

The City of Austin's list of work exempt from building permits includes, for one- and two-family homes:

• asphalt shingles that replace existing asphalt shingles;
• replacement of any roof covering that does not adversely affect the roof structure;
• roof decking repairs of up to 128 square feet.

Both roof-covering exemptions end where a property sits in the Wildland-Urban Interface area and 50% or more of the roofing is being replaced. The same page is clear that exempt work must still comply with the building codes and city ordinances. In practice, that puts the burden of checking on you: confirm the roofer's insurance with the insurer, get the scope in writing, and keep the product labels.

If you live in the Wildland-Urban Interface

Austin Fire's Wildland-Urban Interface code page sorts properties into three proximity zones. Zone A is within 50 feet of wildland, Zone B is 50 to 150 feet away, and Zone C reaches from 150 feet out to 1.5 miles from 750 acres or more of wildland, or half a mile from 40 acres or more. You can find your zone on the city's interactive WUI map.

For roofs, the page lists a Class A rated roof covering in all three zones, metal flashing over approved underlayment in valleys, and noncombustible gutters with leaf guards. It also notes that replacing 50% or more of a roof triggers a full replacement. Those are wildfire rules, which the city says exist to protect buildings from wildfire; the Class A requirement is separate from the Class 4 hail rating a roofer may also offer, so ask about both if you are in the WUI.

Credentials that carry the weight here

With no permit inspection on most jobs, lean on the checks you can make yourself. The Central Texas Roofing Contractors Association, a chapter of the statewide RCAT, runs a contractor search by ZIP code. The Texas Department of Insurance suggests calling the insurer named on a roofer's certificate of insurance to confirm the policy. The home page explains the other credentials, from the voluntary RCAT license to Haag inspector training, and the National Roofing Directory's storm damage repair guide covers the claim side of a hail loss.

Roofers in Austin and nearby cities

The National Roofing Directory lists roofers by city for Austin, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, San Marcos and Kyle.

See more on the directory's pages for Austin roofers, Cedar Park roofers and Pflugerville roofers.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Austin home is in the Wildland-Urban Interface?

Enter your address in Austin Fire's interactive WUI code map, which shows whether the property is in Zone A, B or C. The city says to confirm Zone A or B on site by measuring to the nearest wildland.

What kind of roof covering does Austin require in the WUI?

A Class A rated roof covering in every proximity zone, with gaps fire-stopped or capped, according to Austin Fire's WUI code page. Valleys need metal flashing over approved underlayment.

Does the City of Austin inspect a shingle re-roof?

Not when the job is exempt from a permit, as a like-for-like shingle replacement outside the WUI usually is (City of Austin). The work must still meet code, so your own checks on the roofer matter more.