Your declarations page is the two page summary at the front of your homeowner policy, and it contains almost everything that will matter when a Centennial hailstorm reaches your roof. Reading it takes ten minutes on a quiet evening. Reading it for the first time during a claim costs considerably more than ten minutes.
Coverage A: The Number Everything Else Keys Off
Coverage A is your dwelling limit, the amount for which the structure is insured. It matters for the roof in two ways. It is the ceiling on what the building side of a claim can pay, and it is usually the base for a percentage deductible, which is common on wind and hail in this part of Colorado.
If your wind and hail deductible reads as a percentage rather than a dollar figure, do the multiplication now and write the answer somewhere. On a mid range Centennial home, a percentage deductible can be several times larger than the flat all perils deductible on the same policy, and homeowners routinely discover that at the worst possible moment.
The Two Deductibles
Most policies in hail country carry a separate wind and hail deductible alongside the standard one. Two things to confirm:
- Which one applies to a hail claim. Almost always the wind and hail deductible, which is the larger of the two.
- Whether it is flat or percentage based. A flat amount is predictable. A percentage moves with your dwelling limit, so it grows every time your coverage is inflation adjusted at renewal.
Whatever the number, it is yours to pay. Colorado law prohibits a roofing contractor from paying, waiving or rebating your deductible, and an offer to do so says more about the company than about the price. Our SB 38 guide covers the rest of those protections.
Replacement Cost or Actual Cash Value
This single term decides more money than anything else on the page. Replacement cost settlement pays what it takes to replace the roof, usually in two payments: the depreciated value first, and the recoverable depreciation after the work is completed and invoiced. Actual cash value settlement pays the depreciated value and stops there.
On a fifteen year old roof, the difference between the two can be most of the cost of the job. Some policies also carry a roof payment schedule that reduces settlement as the roof ages, or apply actual cash value specifically to the roof while the rest of the dwelling is on replacement cost. Look for the roof surfacing endorsement by name.
Exclusions and Endorsements That Touch Roofs
Three worth finding:
- Cosmetic damage exclusion. Excludes damage that affects appearance but not function, which can change what dented metal roofing, gutters and vents recover.
- Ordinance or law coverage. Pays for code required upgrades when a covered loss triggers them, which matters on older Centennial homes where a re-roof brings ventilation, edge metal and ice barrier requirements the old roof never had. See our code upgrades guide.
- Other structures. Usually a percentage of the dwelling limit, and it is what covers a detached garage, shed or fence in the same storm.
What to Do With It This Month
Find the declarations page, read the four items above, and write the wind and hail deductible in dollars at the top of the page. If anything surprises you, that is your agent conversation, and it is free until a claim is open. Ask directly whether your roof settles at replacement cost or actual cash value, whether a roof schedule applies, whether a cosmetic exclusion is attached, and whether ordinance or law coverage is included.
Then keep it with the roof file: the permit for the last replacement, the invoice, the warranty registration and any inspection reports. When a storm crosses the south metro, everything you need is in one place instead of in four.
Storm Season Timing
Do this in spring, not in July. Centennial sits in a corridor that averages several significant hail events a year, and the metro's damaging storms cluster in the warm months, with July 9, 2026 bringing stones to an inch and a half to the area. Policy changes made after a storm cannot help with that storm, and carriers are considerably harder to reach in the weeks after a major event.
The homeowner who read the declarations page in April knows what the deductible is, knows how the roof settles, and has a dated inspection on file. The one who reads it in July is learning three expensive things at once.
Declarations Page Questions Centennial Homeowners Ask
- Which deductible applies to a hail claim? Almost always the separate wind and hail deductible, which is typically larger than the all perils one and is often written as a percentage of your dwelling limit rather than a flat amount.
- How do I tell if my roof is on actual cash value? Look for a roof surfacing endorsement or a roof payment schedule on the declarations page, and ask your agent to confirm in writing. It is the single term that most changes what a roof claim pays.
- What is ordinance or law coverage? Coverage for code required upgrades triggered by a covered loss. On older Centennial homes a re-roof commonly brings ventilation, edge metal and ice barrier requirements the previous roof did not have, and this is the coverage that addresses them.
- Does my detached garage have its own limit? Usually, as other structures coverage set at a percentage of the dwelling limit. It is worth checking before a storm, because outbuildings are among the most commonly omitted items on a roof claim.