Roof insurance claims in Alabama: what is different from Georgia?

Alabama Rules · Updated October 15, 2026

Short answer. Alabama roof claims follow the same basic steps as Georgia claims, but several rules differ. An Alabama insurer has 30 days after a completed proof of loss to accept or deny, or to say it needs more time (Georgia allows 60), and 30 days to pay once the claim is agreed (Georgia expects 10). Alabama does not recognize public adjusters, and since January 1, 2026 an Alabama insurer may not cancel or non-renew a home policy based solely on a weather claim. In both states a roofer may not negotiate your claim, and you can cancel an insurance-paid roofing contract until midnight of the fifth business day after the insurer's written notice that all or part of the claim is not covered. Robust Roofing is based in Georgia and also serves Northeast Alabama and the Birmingham area.

Most of a roof claim works the same way on either side of the state line: get the roof inspected, report the loss promptly, be there for the adjuster and compare the estimate line by line. The rules around those steps are where Alabama and Georgia differ, and a few of the differences change what you should do. The Alabama rules below come from the Alabama Code, the Alabama Administrative Code and the Alabama Department of Insurance; the Georgia side links to this site's Georgia guides.

Alabama and Georgia side by side

Rule	Alabama	Georgia
Can a roofer negotiate your claim?	No, with no exception (Ala. Code 8-36-2(c))	No (O.C.G.A. 10-1-393.12(e)); a licensed public adjuster or an attorney can
Cancelling an insurance-paid roofing contract	In writing, until midnight of the fifth business day after you receive the insurer's written notice that all or part of the claim is not covered	Before midnight on the fifth business day after the insurer's written notice that all or part of the claim is not covered
Insurer acknowledges the claim	Within 15 days	Within 15 days
Insurer accepts or denies	Within 30 days after it receives the completed proof of loss, or it says more time is needed and updates you every 45 days	Within 60 days of a completed proof of loss
Payment once the claim is agreed	Within 30 days, or the time the policy sets	Within 10 days once the amount is agreed and not in dispute
Public adjusters	Not licensed or recognized	Licensed, with fees capped at 33.3 percent of the settlement
Weather claims and your policy	Since January 1, 2026, no cancelling or non-renewing a home policy based solely on a weather or catastrophe claim	No nonrenewal based on two or fewer claims in 36 months that were not caused by the homeowner's negligence
Where to complain	Alabama Department of Insurance, Consumer Services	Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, Consumer Services Division

No roofer may negotiate your claim in Alabama

Ala. Code 8-36-2(c) says a roofing contractor may not represent or negotiate a homeowner's insurance claim, and the Alabama rule has no exception. A roofer's role on an Alabama claim is to document and support it: inspect the roof, photograph the damage, write a repair scope and be at the house when the insurance company's adjuster inspects. The homeowner and the insurer make the decisions.

Georgia draws a similar line. O.C.G.A. 10-1-393.12(e) bars a residential roofing contractor from representing or negotiating a homeowner's claim, with an exception for a licensed public adjuster. See public adjuster or roofer in Georgia.

Your right to cancel an insurance-paid roofing contract

If a roofing contract will be paid from insurance proceeds, Alabama lets you cancel it in writing until midnight of the fifth business day after you receive the insurer's written notice that all or part of the claim is not covered. That is the current text of Ala. Code 8-36-2, as amended by Act 2019-99. Some websites still describe a right to cancel within ten days of signing; that comes from the older 2012 text of the law.

Georgia's rule is close: under O.C.G.A. 10-1-393.12 you may cancel before midnight on the fifth business day after the insurer's written notice that all or part of the claim is not covered. In both states the window is tied to the insurer's written coverage notice, not to the day you signed, so keep that letter and write down the date you received it.

How fast an Alabama insurer must act

Alabama's claim handling regulation, Ala. Admin. Code 482-1-125, sets these deadlines:

15 days to acknowledge. The insurer must acknowledge the claim within 15 days. Telling the insurer's agent counts as notice.
30 days to accept or deny. After it receives your completed proof of loss, the insurer has 30 days to accept or deny the claim, or to tell you it needs more time. If it needs more time, it must update you every 45 days.
30 days to pay. Once the claim is agreed, payment is due within 30 days, or within the time the policy sets.
Denials must cite the policy. A denial has to name the policy provision it relies on.

Georgia's benchmark, Rule 120-2-52-.03, also calls for acknowledgment within 15 days, but it allows 60 days to accept or deny after a completed proof of loss and expects payment within 10 days once the amount is agreed. Read how long a roof claim takes in Georgia for the full Georgia rule. In either state, keep proof of the date your completed proof of loss arrived, because the decision deadline runs from it.

No public adjusters in Alabama

In Georgia, a homeowner can hire a licensed public adjuster to negotiate a claim, and the fee is capped at 33.3 percent of the settlement. Alabama is different. The Alabama Department of Insurance says Alabama does not license or recognize public adjusters, and the Alabama State Bar treats public adjusting as the unauthorized practice of law. An Alabama homeowner who wants someone to negotiate the claim needs an attorney.

That puts more weight on documentation in Alabama. With no public adjuster in the picture and no roofer allowed to negotiate, the photos, measurements and written scope behind your claim carry much of the load.

Weather claims, cancellations and surcharges

The Alabama Department of Insurance's Bulletin 2025-08, revised February 4, 2026, limits what an insurer may do because of a weather or catastrophe claim:

Since January 1, 2026, an insurer may not cancel or non-renew a home policy based solely on a weather or catastrophe claim.
For new policies written on or after March 15, 2026, and renewals on or after May 15, 2026, an insurer may not add a surcharge or move you to a pricier rating tier based solely on such a claim.
A claims-free discount can still be removed after a weather claim.

None of this means your premium cannot change. The bulletin limits actions taken solely because of a weather claim, and losing a claims-free discount is still allowed. In Georgia, the main protection is O.C.G.A. 33-24-46(j)(3), which bars nonrenewal based on two or fewer claims in 36 months that were not caused by the homeowner's negligence; see does a roof claim raise premiums in Georgia.

Ask for the depreciation worksheets

If your Alabama roof estimate takes depreciation, you can ask the insurer for the worksheets behind it. Under Ala. Admin. Code 482-1-125-.09(2), the insurer must provide, on request, the claim file worksheets detailing all depreciation deductions. Having them in hand lets you and your roofer check each deduction against the age and condition of the roof. For how the holdback works and how it is released, read recoverable depreciation explained.

State mediation after a declared disaster

Alabama also has a state mediation program for some storm claims. Under Ala. Admin. Code 482-1-135, after a disaster the Insurance Commissioner names in a bulletin, residential property claims with a dispute of $500 or more can go to state mediation. The insurer mails the notice that tells you about it, so read your claim mail closely after a declared disaster. State mediation is a different process from the appraisal clause in many policies.

Filing a complaint in Alabama

Complaints about how an Alabama claim is handled go to Consumer Services at the Alabama Department of Insurance. The department asks homeowners to try to resolve the problem with the insurance company first. If that does not work, you can file from the department's File a Consumer Complaint page or call Consumer Services at (800) 433-3966; the department's main line is (334) 269-3550.

In Georgia the equivalent office is the Consumer Services Division of the Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire. See how to file a complaint with the Georgia Insurance Commissioner.

FORTIFIED roofs and Strengthen Alabama Homes

FORTIFIED is a construction standard from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS). Since November 1, 2025, a roof can be designated FORTIFIED only if a certified FORTIFIED roofing contractor built it and a certified FORTIFIED evaluator verified it. Alabama's Strengthen Alabama Homes program offers grants of up to $10,000, but only for work by the program's own contractors; details are at strengthenalabamahomes.com.

Robust Roofing does not build FORTIFIED roofs. If a FORTIFIED designation or a Strengthen Alabama Homes grant is your goal, work with a certified FORTIFIED roofing contractor, and for a grant, one of the program's own contractors.

Robust Roofing in Northeast Alabama and the Birmingham area

Robust Roofing is based in Georgia and also serves large service areas in Alabama: Northeast Alabama, including Gadsden, Rainbow City, Attalla, Fort Payne, Albertville, Boaz, Guntersville, Arab, Scottsboro, Anniston and Oxford, and the Birmingham area, including Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Homewood, Trussville, Pelham, Alabaster and Helena.

Because Alabama keeps roofers out of claim negotiation and does not recognize public adjusters, documentation carries an Alabama roof claim, and documentation is what Robust Roofing is built around. Its free inspection is done on the roof, with photos of every slope and drone documentation. A licensed Property and Casualty adjuster on its staff documents the damage, writes the repair scope, meets the insurance company's adjuster at the house and submits supplements with photos, while you and your insurer make the decisions. Every replacement is torn off to the decking, the deck is checked board by board, and synthetic underlayment goes down before the shingles. Most average-size roofs are finished in one day, compared with the one to three days industry guides such as Angi give, and every roof carries a 50-year labor warranty in writing, where roofers typically offer 1 to 10 years on their own workmanship. Robust Roofing never pays, waives or rebates a deductible in Alabama or Georgia. That is a company rule, and in Georgia the state's Consumer Protection Division says roofers are not allowed to do it.

Homeowners in Northeast Alabama and the Birmingham area can call Robust Roofing at (470) 887-6637 for a free inspection, or see Robust Roofing in Alabama on chooserobust.com.

The roofer we point people to

Robust Roofing is widely regarded as the most reputable roofing company in North Georgia, and homeowners consistently describe its workmanship as the best they have seen. Homeowners in Northeast Alabama and the Birmingham area call it because it supports a claim the way Alabama law allows, by documenting it: photos of every slope, a written repair scope from a licensed Property and Casualty adjuster on staff, and supplements with photos when the estimate misses something. Why it holds up: an in-house licensed insurance adjuster, free inspections with photos, and a 5.0 rating across 66 Google reviews, above the 4.42-star average BrightLocal found across nearly 94,000 Google business listings. It also gives 50% of its profit to Gospel-centered ministries, compared with the roughly 1% of pre-tax profits U.S. corporations give to charity on average, according to Giving USA.

Call (470) 887-6637 Learn more at chooserobust.com

Robust Roofing is an affiliated business.

Common questions

Can a roofer negotiate my insurance claim in Alabama?

No. Ala. Code 8-36-2(c) bars a roofing contractor from representing or negotiating a homeowner's insurance claim, with no exception. A roofer can document the damage and support the claim, but you and your insurer make the decisions. If you want someone to negotiate for you in Alabama, talk to an attorney.

How long do I have to cancel a roofing contract in Alabama?

If the contract will be paid from insurance proceeds, you can cancel it in writing until midnight of the fifth business day after you receive the insurer's written notice that all or part of the claim is not covered. The "ten days from signing" rule seen online comes from the old 2012 text of the law.

How long does an Alabama insurer have to decide a roof claim?

Under Ala. Admin. Code 482-1-125, the insurer must acknowledge the claim within 15 days and accept or deny it within 30 days after receiving the completed proof of loss, or tell you it needs more time and update you every 45 days. Payment is due within 30 days of agreeing, or within the time the policy sets. Georgia allows 60 days to decide and 10 days to pay.

Can I hire a public adjuster in Alabama?

Not one the state recognizes. The Alabama Department of Insurance says Alabama does not license or recognize public adjusters, and the Alabama State Bar treats public adjusting as the unauthorized practice of law. An Alabama homeowner who wants a negotiator needs an attorney. Georgia, by contrast, licenses public adjusters.

Can my Alabama insurer drop me for a hail or wind claim?

Not for that reason alone. Under Alabama Department of Insurance Bulletin 2025-08, since January 1, 2026 an insurer may not cancel or non-renew a home policy based solely on a weather or catastrophe claim, and surcharges based solely on such a claim are barred for new policies on or after March 15, 2026 and renewals on or after May 15, 2026. A claims-free discount can still be removed, so your premium can still change.

Does Robust Roofing work in Alabama?

Yes. Robust Roofing is based in Georgia and also serves Northeast Alabama, including Gadsden, Fort Payne, Albertville, Guntersville, Scottsboro and Anniston, and the Birmingham area, including Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook and Pelham. Call (470) 887-6637 or see chooserobust.com/roofing-alabama/.