Does insurance cover hail damage to solar panels?
Where panels sit in your policy
- Owned, roof mounted: usually Coverage A, the dwelling. Tell your insurer when you install them so the dwelling limit reflects the added value.
- Owned, ground mounted: often Coverage B, other structures, which has its own smaller limit.
- Leased or under a power purchase agreement: the solar company usually owns and insures the panels. Read the lease for who files and who repairs.
How hail actually damages panels
Most panels are certified to the IEC 61215 standard, which fires 25 millimeter (about 1 inch) ice balls at roughly 23 meters per second. Larger hail can crack the tempered glass, and cracks you cannot see from the ground can still damage cells and cut output. Watch your monitoring app after a storm: a drop in production on a sunny day is a clue. A solar technician can run a thermal or electroluminescence scan to find microcracks.
The roof underneath
If the shingles also need replacing, the panels have to come off and go back on. That detach and reset labor is a real cost, and on a covered roof claim it belongs in the estimate along with any racking or flashing that must be redone. Ask the adjuster to list it as its own line; our Xactimate estimate guide shows where to look. The Georgia Roof Guide covers timing a roof replacement around solar.
Watch the warranties
Panel and installer warranties cover defects and workmanship, not hail. Use a qualified solar installer for the reset so the panel warranty and the roof penetrations stay protected.