Blue emergency tarp covering part of the roof on a brick home after a storm, with a fallen limb on the wet lawn

Emergency Roof Repair and Tarping in Dallas

Water through the ceiling, a limb in the attic, a section of roof gone after the wind. Call any hour and the line puts you through to an independent DFW roofing company that does emergency tarping and repairs.

Call (469) 649-7066 What to do in the first hour

When the roof cannot wait until Monday

Most roof problems give you time to collect quotes. A few do not. If rain is reaching the inside of the house, if something heavy came through the decking, or if wind peeled back enough roofing to expose the wood, every hour of weather adds to the damage. That is what emergency roof repair in Dallas is for: closing the roof quickly and safely so the real repair can be planned in daylight.

DFW Expert Roofers is a phone number, not a roofing company. Nobody from the line comes to your house. When you call, an automated assistant answers at any hour, asks what happened and where you are, and transfers you to an independent, locally owned roofing company that takes emergency work in your part of Dallas-Fort Worth. If that company cannot pick up, your name, number, town and how urgent it is are passed along so it can call you back.

How soon a crew can arrive is up to that company and the weather. Nobody can safely set a tarp during lightning or in a downpour, and after a large hailstorm every roofer in the metro is busy. Say clearly on the call that water is coming in.

Water stain on a living room ceiling with a bucket on the floor below and furniture covered in plastic

Your part: safe steps from inside and from the yard

Everything useful you can do during a roof emergency happens indoors or from the ground. Do not try to cover the hole yourself in wind and rain; that is how homeowners get hurt, and a tarp that is set wrong can catch the wind, tear the roof further or channel water somewhere new.

Leave the roof to the roofer. A wet or storm-hit roof is slippery, and damaged decking can give way, so keep off it and keep the ladder put away. Stay clear of any downed power line and report it to Oncor or your local electric utility, or call 911. Inside, pull furniture and electronics away from the drip, set out a bucket or towels, and keep everyone out of a room where the ceiling is sagging. Take photos from the yard and from inside, then call your insurance company and a roofer.

Downed or sagging lines: Oncor's advice for a downed line is to leave the area and call 911, which contacts Oncor for you. Never touch the line or anything it is resting on, including a wet fence or a fallen limb. Outages can be reported to Oncor at 888-313-4747.
Water near electricity: if water is dripping into a light fixture or running down a wall with outlets, keep people out of that room and call 911 or an electrician. Do not reach into a breaker panel in standing water.
Protect what you can move: pull rugs, electronics, papers and furniture away from the leak, cover what cannot move with plastic, and set buckets or towels under the drip.
A bulging ceiling: a ceiling that is sagging with water can drop without warning. Clear the room and keep children and pets out until the roofer sees it.
Photos and video: take them from the yard and inside, with the date, before anything is covered or cleaned up. Wide shots of the house, then close shots of the damage.

An emergency roof timeline, from the first drip to the final repair

First minutes. Get people away from wires, sagging ceilings and water near outlets. Call 911 if anyone is hurt, a line is down or you smell gas.
First hour. Move belongings, catch the water, take photos, then call the line and say it is an emergency. Report the damage to your insurance company and write down the claim number.
When conditions allow. The roofing company you were connected with sends someone to cover the opening, often with a heavy tarp fastened over the damaged area and past it, or boards over a hole first. Ask for a written price before they start.
The next few days. The adjuster inspects. The roofer documents what it found and writes a repair or replacement estimate. Keep every receipt, including the tarp invoice and anything you bought to dry out the house.
Within weeks. The permanent repair is scheduled. A tarp is a stopgap: HomeGuide reports that a temporary roof tarp lasts about 60 to 90 days on average, so do not let it become the roof.

A printable version of the storm steps is in the DFW hail claim checklist.

What a roofer's emergency tarp job involves

Large oak limb lying across the roof of a brick ranch home after a storm, with wet pavement in front

A proper emergency cover is more than a sheet of plastic. A careful roofer usually checks whether the decking around the opening can hold weight before walking near it, removes a limb or debris that is still on the roof (sometimes with a tree service if it is large), and covers holes with plywood when the decking is broken. The tarp should extend well past the damage and over the ridge where possible so water sheds off it rather than under it, and it is secured with wood strips or a method that does not add a row of new holes in good shingles.

Expect the roofer to photograph the damage before covering it. Those photos help both you and the adjuster, and you should ask for copies.

In Dallas, the city's storm damage guidance says no permit is needed for temporary measures such as tarps, while replacing large areas of the roof or the whole roof takes a re-roof permit and broken rafters or joists need a building permit. Other cities set their own rules; each town page covers its permit office.

Keeping the insurance side clean

Texas homeowner policies generally expect you to take reasonable steps to keep damage from getting worse. The Texas Department of Insurance tells storm victims to make temporary repairs, cover holes to keep rain out, keep a list of what was done and save the receipts. It also says to photograph damage before those repairs, not to throw out damaged items until the adjuster says so, and not to start permanent repairs before the adjuster has looked.

Records worth keeping

Date-stamped photos and video, outside and in
The claim number and the adjuster's name
The tarp invoice with what was covered and why
Receipts for buckets, fans, plastic and any drying service

Questions for your insurer

Does my policy cover temporary repairs, and up to what amount?
Do you need photos before or after the tarp goes on?
What is my deductible for wind and hail damage?
When can the adjuster come out?

Your deductible is yours to pay. The Texas Department of Insurance warns that a contractor may not waive your deductible, rebate it, or pad the estimate to cover it, and that a contract of $1,000 or more paid with insurance money must include a notice that you owe the deductible. Your insurer may ask for proof you paid it. A contractor also may not act as a public adjuster on a property it works on or may work on. If a roofer offers to "take care of" the deductible, hire someone else.

What emergency roof repair costs, and why it varies

National cost sites give a rough sense of the tarp portion. Angi reports that tarping a roof averages about $450 nationwide, with jobs from $150 to $3,300 depending on how big the damaged area is and how hard the roof is to reach. HomeAdvisor says emergency tarping usually runs 50 to 100 percent above the price of scheduled work. Those numbers are not DFW quotes and not anyone's price list; a two-story roof with a steep pitch, a limb that has to come off first, or a call in the middle of a storm all push the price up, and real quotes vary.

The permanent repair is a separate job with its own estimate. Ask the roofer to write the tarp charge and the repair estimate as two items, so your insurer can see each one.

Describe what you see when you call: where the water is coming in, whether anything came through the roof, how many stories the house has and your town. The roofing company you are connected with can then tell you when it can get there and what the cover will cost.

Call (469) 649-7066

Help paying for roof repairs in Dallas-Fort Worth

People ask how they can get help to fix a roof they cannot afford. A few public programs exist. They take weeks or months and have income rules, so they are for the permanent repair, not tonight's tarp. Check each program's current terms before you count on it.

City of Dallas

The Home Improvement and Preservation Program moved to Volunteers of America Texas in February 2026. A city bulletin from October 2026 describes forgivable loans of up to $24,000 for necessary repairs, roofing included, for low- and moderate-income homeowners, with an application window of October 5 to 16, 2026. Applicants must own and live in the home, inside Dallas, with household income under 80 percent of the area median. Watch the city's repair programs page for the next round.

City of Fort Worth

The Priority Repair Program, run by Neighborhood Services, covers leaking roofs for very low and low-income owners living in the home. Its June 2025 policy lists repairs at no charge up to $25,000, one whole roof replacement in the life of a home except after major weather events, and repairs no more than once every 12 months. Call 817-392-7548; the city warns waits can be long.

Rural areas: USDA Section 504

In USDA-eligible rural areas around the edges of the metro, Section 504 lends up to $40,000 at a fixed 1 percent over 20 years to very low income owners who cannot get affordable credit elsewhere. Owners 62 and older with very low income can get grants up to $10,000 to remove health and safety hazards, repayable if the home is sold within three years. Eligibility is checked by address.

Suburbs often have their own programs; ask your city's housing or neighborhood services office. The line does not process applications for any of these.

Questions to ask on an emergency call

When can someone get here, and what happens if the storm is still going?
What will the tarp or board-up cost, and will you put that in writing before you start?
Will you photograph the damage before covering it and send me the pictures?
How long should this cover hold, and when would the permanent repair happen?
Can you show me a certificate of liability insurance sent from your agent?
Is the repair estimate separate from the emergency charge?

Be wary of anyone who asks you to sign a full replacement contract to get a tarp, wants most of the money up front, or offers to deal with your insurer for you. Texas law reserves claim negotiation for you and licensed public adjusters.

Dial the lineAn automated assistant picks up (469) 649-7066 any time and asks what you need. The same number also takes air conditioning, heating and pressure washing calls, so say "roof".
Tell it about the roofHail, a drip in the ceiling, shingles in the yard, a tree limb, or an aging roof you want checked, plus your town and how soon you need someone.
Get transferredThe call goes to an independent roofing company that is locally owned and works in Dallas-Fort Worth. It hears a quick summary of your call before it answers.
Work with that companyIt inspects, prices and does the job, and you pay it (or your insurer does, as you arrange). If it cannot pick up, it gets your name, number, town and need so it can call you back.

No state license for roofers. Texas does not license roofing contractors. A 2025 bill that would have had the state license re-roofers (HB 3344) cleared a House committee but never got a floor vote, and it died when the session ended. That puts the checking on you: ask for a certificate of liability insurance sent to you by the roofer's insurance agent or insurer, a written contract that lists the full scope, the permit or contractor registration your city requires, addresses of nearby jobs, and proof the shingle warranty was registered. The line does none of this checking for you. How to check a roofer in Texas.

About this line: DFW Expert Roofers is a free phone line, not a roofing contractor. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local roofing company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. Calling the line costs you nothing. See how a call is handled.

More pages that may help

Emergency calls come from all over DFW

Emergency roof questions from Dallas callers

What counts as an emergency roof repair?

Anything that lets weather into the house or makes part of it unsafe: an active leak through a ceiling, a tree limb that broke through the decking, a section of roof torn away by wind, or a sagging ceiling holding water. Missing shingles with no water coming in can usually wait for a scheduled visit, though it is wise to have them covered before the next rain. When in doubt, call and describe it; the roofer can tell you whether it needs a tarp tonight.

Who do I call for a leaky roof?

For water coming in, call a roofing company that does emergency tarping, then call your insurance company to report the damage. If a power line is down or water is near outlets and wiring, call 911 first. The DFW Expert Roofers line answers around the clock and transfers you to an independent local roofing company. For a slow drip that is not getting worse, see roof leak repair for how a roofer traces where the water enters.

How much does emergency roof repair cost?

It depends on the size of the opening, roof height and pitch, and the hour. Angi puts the national average for tarping a roof at about $450, with jobs running from $150 to $3,300, and HomeAdvisor says emergency calls often cost 50 to 100 percent more than scheduled work. These are national figures from cost sites, and real quotes in DFW vary. Ask the roofer for the tarp price in writing before work starts.

Can you get a grant for roof repairs in Dallas-Fort Worth?

Some homeowners can. The City of Dallas Home Improvement and Preservation Program, now run by Volunteers of America Texas, offers forgivable loans for necessary repairs including roofs to income-qualified owners. Fort Worth's Priority Repair Program helps low-income homeowners with leaking roofs. In rural areas, USDA Section 504 offers repair loans and, for owners 62 and older, grants. None of these move fast enough for tonight's leak, so get the roof covered first.

Will homeowners insurance pay for an emergency tarp?

Coverage turns on the wording of your policy and on what caused the damage, so put the question to your insurer. The Texas Department of Insurance says your policy may pay for temporary repairs and tells homeowners to keep a list of repairs and save the receipts. Take pictures before anything is covered, keep the roofer's invoice, and wait for the adjuster's visit before any permanent work. The Texas roof claim guide covers the rest.

Roof open to the weather right now? Call the line

Say what the roof is doing and which town you are in. The automated assistant passes you to an independent roofing company that is locally owned and works in DFW. That company comes out, looks at the roof and prices the job itself.

Call (469) 649-7066

Picks up day or nightStorms here often hit in the evening. The assistant answers at 2 a.m. the same as at noon.
Costs you nothingThe line sends no bill. Any price you hear comes from the roofer, and you can ask for it on paper.
Check before you hireTexas issues no roofing license, so ask for an insurance certificate, a written contract and the permit your city requires.
Your call to makeListen to what the roofer found, read the estimate, and say yes only when it adds up.