A denial is not automatically the end of it, and if you already signed a contract to be paid from the claim, Minnesota gives you a short, specific window to get out of that contract. The clock starts when the insurer tells you.
If you signed a contract to be paid out of insurance proceeds and the claim is then denied, you have 72 hours from being notified to cancel that contract, and the contractor has ten business days to return what you paid. Separately, a denial can be reconsidered — carriers reopen claims on new documentation regularly, and a denial letter that names a reason tells you exactly what to document.
No, if you move quickly. Minnesota gives the homeowner 72 hours from being notified of the denial to cancel a contract that was to be paid from insurance proceeds.
Written notice is required but no particular form is: any written expression that you do not intend to be bound will do, and if you post it, it counts from the moment it goes in the mailbox. Send it to the address in the contract and keep a copy.
Money already paid comes back. The statute gives the contractor ten business days from receiving your cancellation.
Minn. Stat. § 326B.811, subd. 1: a person who contracted “to provide goods and services to be paid by the insured from the proceeds of a property or casualty insurance policy has the right to cancel the contract within 72 hours after the insured has been notified by the insurer that the claim has been denied.” Source: Minn. Stat. § 326B.811
The common reasons are specific and most of them are arguable. That the damage is cosmetic rather than functional. That it predates the policy or the storm date claimed. That what is on the roof is wear, blistering or foot traffic rather than hail. That the amount falls under the deductible.
Each of those is a factual claim about your roof, and a factual claim can be answered with evidence. A denial letter that names a reason is more useful than it feels — it tells you precisely what has to be documented.
Documentation the adjuster did not have. Dated photographs of the impacts with something for scale. A measurement of the hail from the official storm report log for your county on that date, which is public. An independent written assessment that addresses the stated reason rather than just asserting there is damage.
If the denial says the storm did not produce hail large enough to matter, the National Weather Service report for your county is the direct answer. We publish those with the source linked for the counties we work in.
You can also ask the carrier for a re-inspection, and you can ask for a different adjuster. Both are ordinary requests.
Only up to a point, and the line matters. A contractor may inspect, photograph, document, write an itemised estimate and meet your adjuster on the roof. Negotiating your coverage or interpreting your policy requires a public adjuster licence.
Anyone offering to “handle the whole claim” for you is describing something they may not be licensed to do. We have written up where that line sits, with the statute quoted.
The Minnesota Department of Commerce regulates insurers and takes consumer complaints. Their Consumer Service Center is 651-539-1600, and they will help you understand your own policy at no cost.
They are independent of your carrier and of us. If you think a denial is wrong and the carrier will not move, that is the call to make.
Minnesota Department of Commerce: contact them if “You have questions about insurance coverage · You cannot reach your insurance company · You need help understanding your policy. Consumer Service Center 651-539-1600” Source: MN Dept. of Commerce, Before a Disaster: Your Insurance Checklist
This page quotes Minnesota statutes and the adopted Minnesota building code and links to the official text of each so you can read it yourself. It is general information from a licensed contractor, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for reading your own policy. Statutes and codes are amended; the linked sources are authoritative, this page is not. Last reviewed 2026-10-27.
Straight answers to the questions Minnesota homeowners ask before they call anyone.
A Minnesota contractor cannot pay or waive your deductible, cannot interpret your policy for you without a public adjuster license, and must hand you…
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Read the guide →Sign at your door and you have until midnight of the third business day to cancel, no reason needed. Separately, if a contract is to be paid from…
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Read the FAQ →We’ll walk it, photograph it, and give you a written scope that says exactly what is required and why. Retail or insurance.
We’ll walk the roof, photograph what we find, and hand you a written scope that names the code requirement behind every line. Yours to keep, whoever does the work.
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