Minneapolis & the inner-ring suburbs

Roof Repair, Replacement and Winter Damage in Minneapolis

Leaks, ice dams, hail bruising and roofs at the end of their life. Someone local looks at it for free and tells you whether it needs a repair or a new roof.

A Minneapolis roof spends most of the winter under snow and much of the summer waiting for the next hailstorm. Most of the houses it sits on were built before anyone insulated an attic properly. That combination, not the shingles, is behind most of the calls a roofer gets here.

Call (651) 381-5283 Request a roof look

Answered Mon–Sat · leave a message after hours and you get a call back

Free roof look · No obligation · Minneapolis and the inner-ring suburbs

A gabled dormer set into a grey asphalt shingle roof

24 inches of ice barrierRequired inside the wall line on every Minneapolis reroof. Ask where it stops.

Permit on almost every reroofOnly repairs under one bundle of shingles are exempt in the city.

The attic decides itMost ice dams start with warm air leaking up, not with the shingles.

What roof work costs in Minneapolis

Small repairs (a flashing, a few shingles, a vent boot) are commonly quoted in the hundreds. A full tear-off and architectural shingle roof on a typical city house generally lands somewhere around $10,000 to $22,000. Pitch, layers and decking move it more than the shingle brand does.

What moves the number.

Get a number for your roof Call (651) 381-5283

If water is coming through the ceiling now

Deal with the inside first. Move whatever is under the drip, put down a bucket and towels, and if the ceiling is bulging, poke a small hole at the lowest point of the bulge with a screwdriver so the water drains into the bucket rather than bringing the plaster down. If water is near a light fixture or an outlet, switch off that circuit at the panel.

Do not go up on the roof in winter. Ice on shingles is the most dangerous surface a homeowner is likely to stand on, and chipping at an ice dam with a hammer breaks shingles you will then be paying to replace. Take photos of the ceiling, the attic if you can get into it, and the outside eaves from the ground. They matter if an insurance claim follows.

Then call. How quickly someone can come out depends on the company and the weather that week, and they will tell you on the phone rather than us guessing here.

Water coming in? Call now and describe what you see. If it can wait, send the form and someone will set up a look.

Call (651) 381-5283 Book a roof look

What a Minneapolis roof is up against

Ice dams on old houses

Over 40 percent of the city's housing was built before 1940. Bungalows in Longfellow, Tudors in Linden Hills and the Nokomis area, and story-and-a-half houses everywhere: upstairs rooms tucked under the roof slope, with almost no space for insulation. Heat leaks into the roof deck, snow melts from below, and the water refreezes at the cold eave. That ridge of ice is what pushes water back under the shingles.

Hail in the warm months

Minnesota led the country in State Farm hail claims in 2022, close to $800 million of damage, and a 2023 storm caused more than $1 billion in property damage across the Twin Cities and central Minnesota. Hail rarely makes a roof leak the same day. It bruises the shingle mat and strips granules, and the leak shows up a winter or two later.

Snow that stays

The Twin Cities average around 54 inches of snow a season, and a Minneapolis roof can carry some of it from December to March without a thaw. That is mostly a problem for ice dams, much less often a structural one, which the snow-load guide explains.

Repair or a new roof is mostly a winter question

A roof that came through the winter with one leak at a chimney is a repair. A roof that has dammed at the eaves for three winters running, with soft decking at the edge and granules filling the gutters, is a different conversation, and a patch will not get it through another January. The honest answer depends on the age of the shingles, how many layers are on there, and whether the attic underneath is the real cause. Anyone who gives you that answer without looking in the attic has skipped the part that matters on a Minneapolis house.

Permits, licences and the Minneapolis rules

Minneapolis requires a building permit for re-roofing a house, with an exception only for repairs using less than one bundle of shingles. Minnesota code treats the whole state as a severe-ice climate, so an ice barrier running from the eave to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall is required on any reroof. The company doing the work should hold a Minnesota residential roofer or residential building contractor licence from the Department of Labor and Industry, and you can check that yourself on the department's licence lookup before anyone starts.

Roof problems this site covers

Where we work in Minneapolis

Linden HillsSouthwestTudors and bungalows from the 1920s near Lake Harriet; steep front gables and dormer valleys are where snowmelt refreezes first
Nokomis areaSouthTudor Revival houses around the Nokomis Knoll historic district, with cross-gabled roofs that put several valleys on one small house
LongfellowSouthlargely built 1906 to the 1920s; bungalows and story-and-a-half houses whose upstairs ceilings sit right under the roof deck
Lowry Hill East (the Wedge)Southwestolder duplexes and triplexes near Uptown, where a roof job means coordinating with tenants on both floors
Waite ParkNortheastfilled in during the postwar boom; 1950s ramblers with low-pitched roofs and attics you can actually get into and insulate
Lower NortheastNortheastHolland, Logan Park and the blocks toward the river, with some of the oldest frame houses on that side of the city and plenty of re-roofed-over-the-top history

ZIP codes served55406 · 55407 · 55408 · 55409 · 55410 · 55411 · 55412 · 55413 · 55416 · 55417 · 55418 · 55419

Beyond Minneapolis

We also cover Southwest Minneapolis, Northeast Minneapolis, Edina, St. Louis Park and Richfield.

Guides

Common questions

Does it cost anything to use this site?

No. The roof look and the quote are free, and there is no obligation after them. If you go ahead, you pay the roofing company directly at the price you agree with them.

How much does roof repair cost in Minneapolis?

Small repairs like a flashing, a pipe boot or a handful of replaced shingles are commonly quoted in the low hundreds to around $1,000. Ice-dam damage that reaches the decking, or a chimney that needs reflashing and a cricket, costs more. A full replacement is a different scale; the cost guide covers it.

Can anyone look at a roof in January?

Yes, for an assessment and for emergency work like a temporary seal or steam removal of an ice dam. Full shingle replacement is normally spring to late fall, because shingles need warmth to seal down properly.

Do you cover my part of the metro?

Minneapolis first, plus Edina, St. Louis Park and Richfield. If you are just outside those, call with your address and you will get a straight answer.

A roofer knocked on my door after the storm. Should I sign?

Not that day. Check the company holds a Minnesota licence, get a written itemised estimate, and know that Minnesota law gives you 72 hours to cancel an insurance-paid roofing contract after your insurer denies the claim. The guide on door-knocking roofers goes through the rest.

Are you a roofing company?

No. MPLS Roofing Pros is an advertising and referral service. Calls and requests go to an independent local roofing company that serves your area. We do not do roof work, hold no contractor licence, and do not set or share in the price.

Ask about roofing company

Say what you are seeing: a stain, ice at the eaves, shingles in the yard. A local roofing company will reply and arrange a look, usually within a few days, sooner for an active leak. Answered Mon–Sat · leave a message after hours and you get a call back Or call (651) 381-5283 if it is leaking now; a person picks up faster than a form gets read.