Quick Summary

Any claim decision on an older Metairie roof is made by the insurer under the homeowner’s own policy, and Louisiana Revised Statute 37:2159.1 bars any roofing contractor from interpreting that coverage. What a roofer can do is document what the roof physically shows, record its age and condition, and provide the good faith itemised estimate the same statute expects alongside any repair agreement. Louisiana law also sets deadlines for an insurer to start adjusting a claim and to pay an amount due after satisfactory proof of loss. Big Easy Roofing works on roofs across Metairie and unincorporated Jefferson Parish and keeps the roofing question separate from the insurance question, which belongs with the insurer, the agent or a licensed public adjuster.

Last Updated: September 2026

On this page

• How old may a roof be before insurance says it is too old?
• What can a roof inspection document for a Metairie insurance claim?
• How long does an insurer have to act on a Metairie roof replacement claim?
• What can a roofer legally tell you about your claim?
• What should a Metairie homeowner do before a roof replacement claim?
• Frequently Asked Questions

This page covers the deadlines Louisiana law places on insurers and what a roofer may and may not do. It is not advice about any particular policy, and nothing here interprets your policy, because Louisiana Revised Statute 37:2159.1 prohibits a roofing contractor from doing that. Big Easy Roofing replaces roofs across Metairie and the rest of unincorporated Jefferson Parish, licensed by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. The question of whether an insurer will pay for a new roof on an older house is one homeowners here often ask after a storm, and the honest answer has two halves: what Louisiana law requires of the insurer, which is public and specific, and what a particular policy says, which is private and belongs to the homeowner and their insurer.

How old may a roof be before insurance says it is too old?

Whether an older roof can be insured, and on what terms, is largely decided by each insurer rather than by a single state age limit that we could find, which is why two Metairie neighbours with similar roofs can get different answers. The answer for a particular home sits with its insurer and agent, not with a roofer.

Where a carrier does tighten terms as a roof ages, it can show up as a requirement for an inspection before renewal, changed terms for the roof, or a decision not to renew. Those decisions vary carrier by carrier, and questions about them belong with the insurer or agent.

The practical consequence is that a roofer’s useful contribution is physical: a dated record of the roof’s age and condition, which the homeowner can take to the insurer or agent at renewal or after a loss.

What can a roof inspection document for a Metairie insurance claim?

A roof inspection can document what the roof physically shows, how old and worn it is, and what a repair or replacement would involve, priced line by line. That record does not decide the outcome of a claim, but it gives the homeowner, the adjuster and any public adjuster the same facts to work from.

The difference between damage a storm caused and deterioration that built up over time is a physical question a roofer can speak to, and one we have written about in the context of how Louisiana insurers separate storm damage from ordinary wear. How a policy treats that difference is a question for the insurer.

How long does an insurer have to act on a Metairie roof replacement claim?

Louisiana sets the clock, not the insurer. Revised Statute 22:1892 gives an insurer fourteen days from notification to initiate loss adjustment on a property damage claim. Where the loss is catastrophic that initiation window becomes thirty days. Payment is a separate deadline of thirty days after satisfactory proofs of loss.

The deadlines that matter, and where they come from:

1. Fourteen days from notification for the insurer to initiate loss adjustment on an ordinary property damage claim. The thirty day version of this deadline applies to initiating adjustment after a catastrophic loss, and is not a payment deadline
2. Thirty days from receipt of satisfactory proofs of loss for the insurer to pay the amount due
3. Revised Statute 22:868 voids any policy condition limiting the right of action to less than twenty four months after the inception of the loss, for first party claims arising under the classes of insurance that section lists. It restricts what a policy may say rather than granting a blanket deadline, so the window that applies to a particular claim is a question for the insurer or an attorney

The statute is explicit that a shorter contractual limit is void within its scope, though waiting is still a poor strategy because proof gets harder as the roof and the weather move on. After a named storm, getting a crew onto a roof in Jefferson Parish can take time, and that practical timeline has little to do with the statutory one, which is covered in more detail on our page about what to do once a storm has damaged a roof.

What can a roofer legally tell you about your claim?

Very little about coverage, and that is a legal limit rather than reticence. Louisiana Revised Statute 37:2159.1 lists interpreting policy provisions regarding coverage as a prohibited act for anyone performing contracting services, along with adjusting a claim as a public adjuster and advertising as an insurance claims specialist.

Reading the statute properly is useful, because it also tells you what a roofer is supposed to give you. The same section makes it a prohibited act to provide an insured with an agreement authorising repairs without a good faith estimate of the itemised and detailed costs of services and materials. It further provides that a contractor does not breach that rule merely because the final cost ends up differing from the first estimate once the insurer has adjusted the claim.

So the division of labour is set by law rather than by preference. A roofing contractor documents the roof, prices the work in itemised detail and carries out the repair or replacement. Interpreting the policy and adjusting the claim on the homeowner’s behalf fall outside what a contractor may do, and sit with the homeowner, the agent, the insurer or a licensed public adjuster. Any contractor in Metairie offering to handle your claim or interpreting your coverage is describing work the statute lists as a prohibited act. Anyone needing help with the process itself rather than the coverage question can start with our overview of how a Louisiana roof claim is documented and paperworked.

What should a Metairie homeowner do before a roof replacement claim?

Document the roof before anyone touches it, then keep the insurance question and the roofing question separate. A Metairie homeowner planning a roof replacement claim may find it useful to have dated photographs, the policy declarations page and an itemised contractor estimate to hand, because they keep the condition of the roof and the claim paperwork in one place.

• Photograph the roof, the attic and any interior damage with dates, before any tarp or temporary repair changes what is visible
• Find the policy declarations page and keep it with the roof records, so any questions about it can go straight to the insurer or agent
• Notify the insurer promptly, which starts the adjustment deadlines under Revised Statute 22:1892, fourteen days for an ordinary property damage claim and thirty for a catastrophic loss, and follow the step by step the claim process actually runs on
• Get an itemised written estimate covering tear off, decking, underlayment, material and flashing as separate lines
• Keep every invoice and the final permit record, since the insurer may ask for proof that the work was completed
• Route any coverage or payment question to the insurer or agent, not the roofer, and consider a licensed public adjuster if the valuation itself is in dispute

Metairie sits in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, so the Jefferson Parish Building Permits Department issues the roofing permit rather than a city office of the kind neighbouring Kenner runs, and the parish charges a flat fifty dollar permit for a one or two family home where half or more of the covering is replaced. That permit record is a useful piece of documentation in its own right. Homeowners weighing the out of pocket side of the decision may also want the cost picture set out in our breakdown of what a Metairie roof replacement actually runs to.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an insurer refuse to renew a policy because of roof age alone?

Non renewal decisions are made by the carrier under its own underwriting rules, and roof age can be one of the factors a carrier weighs, so the answer depends on the insurer rather than on any single statewide rule.

Is there a deadline to file a roof claim in Louisiana?

Revised Statute 22:868 voids any policy condition limiting the right of action to under twenty four months from the inception of the loss for the first party claims it covers, but it governs policy wording rather than setting one universal deadline, so confirm the period for your own claim with the insurer or an attorney. Notifying the insurer promptly is what starts the statutory adjustment timelines running.

Will a new roof lower a Metairie homeowner insurance premium?

That is a question for the insurer or agent. Separately, Louisiana offers grant funding through the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program for roofs built and certified to the FORTIFIED standard set by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, and allows a state income tax deduction for voluntarily retrofitting an existing home.

Can Big Easy Roofing deal with my insurance company for me?

Not on your behalf. Louisiana Revised Statute 37:2159.1 prohibits a contractor from adjusting a property insurance claim for an insured or interpreting the coverage provisions of the policy, so the claim itself stays with the homeowner, the agent or a licensed public adjuster.

Does filing a roof claim on an old roof risk a non renewal?

Claim history can be one of the things a carrier considers at renewal, so it is a reasonable question to put to your agent before filing.

If the roof itself is the question, that part we can answer properly. Call Big Easy Roofing at 504-800-8196 for an inspection in Metairie and an itemised written estimate you can put in front of an adjuster, covering tear off, decking, underlayment, material and flashing as separate lines. You can arrange the inspection first and decide afterwards. The crew handles roof replacement across Metairie and pulls the Jefferson Parish permit as part of the job. Big Easy Roofing works across Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and St. John the Baptist parishes.

Written by the Big Easy Roofing team, a Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors licensed roofing company working across Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and St. John the Baptist parishes. The crew has replaced roofs in Metairie through the Ida recovery and the insurance market that followed it, and provides the good faith itemised estimate Louisiana law requires with any agreement authorising repairs, so homeowners have something an adjuster can actually read.