Roofing guide
A Tree Just Hit Your Atlanta Roof. The First 24 Hours
A tree through the roof is frightening, but the first day follows a clear order. Safety, the tree, the tarp, the paperwork.
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Answered 24/7(470) 291-8924By Karl Sutton, Residential Roofing Writer · Updated September 2026
When a tree hits a roof in Atlanta, the first priority is safety: get everyone out of rooms under the impact, stay away from downed power lines, and do not climb up. Then get a tree crew to lift the trunk off, a roofer to tarp the opening the same day, and photos of everything for the claim before cleanup starts.
Right now
First, Get Everyone Safe
Get everyone out of the rooms under the impact. Ceilings can drop hours later as water and weight build up. If power lines are down or tangled in the tree, stay well clear and call the utility.
If you smell gas, leave the house and call the gas company or 911 from outside. Switch off power to the damaged part of the house at the breaker if you can reach the panel safely.
Local context
Why Trees Hit Roofs So Often Here
Atlanta still had about 46 percent tree canopy in 2023, and loblolly pine is its most common tree. Tall pines with shallow roots and heavy crowns come down in summer thunderstorms and the remnants of hurricanes.
Tree fall is one of the main secondary causes of roof damage in the metro, and neighborhoods with the heaviest canopy, such as those along Nancy Creek and Utoy Creek, see the most of it.
The tree
Getting the Tree Off the House
Do not try to cut a trunk that is resting on the roof. The weight shifts as it is cut, and the tree can roll, drop through the ceiling or kick back.
A tree crew removes it in controlled pieces, often with a crane for large trunks. Limbs lying on the roof can be cleared by a roofer; a whole tree needs the tree crew first, and the roofer follows right behind.
Tree on the roof right now? Call any hour and we will tarp the opening as soon as it is clear.
Call nowStop the water
Tarping the Same Day
Once the tree is off, the opening gets covered the same day. Holes wider than a rafter bay get plywood first, then a heavy tarp goes over the plywood, lapped past the ridge and screwed down with wood battens along every edge.
Broken rafters are noted and, where needed, braced temporarily. Our emergency tarping crews handle this part at any hour.
Paperwork
Photos, Receipts and the Claim
Photograph the tree on the house before it moves, then the damage once it is off, inside and out. Keep receipts for tree removal, tarping and anything you buy to protect the house.
Tree damage to a house from a storm is commonly part of a homeowner claim, and removal of the tree from the structure often is too. Your policy and carrier decide the details, so call them once everyone is safe.
The rebuild
What the Permanent Repair Involves
A tree strike usually breaks more than shingles: decking, rafter tops, fascia and gutters often go with it. The repair rebuilds the framing and decking first, then underlayment and shingles matched to the roof, then gutters and fascia.
Inside, wet insulation and drywall are replaced once the roof is closed and dry. Our storm damage repair page covers how that runs.
FAQ
A Few More Answers
Both. The tree crew removes the trunk, and the roofer tarps right behind them. We can coordinate timing with you.
Stay out of rooms under the impact. If power lines are down or you smell gas, leave the house.
No. A trunk resting on a roof shifts as it is cut and can fall through the ceiling.
Storm damage to the house is commonly covered. Your policy and carrier decide the details.
The same day, once the tree is off and the area is safe.
Usually only the damaged section is rebuilt, unless the roof was already near the end.
Claims usually go through your own policy first. Your carrier can explain how the neighbor's side is handled.
Related
Related Services and Reading
Atlanta, GA service office
1421 Peachtree St NE FL. 3, Atlanta, GA 30361
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Get the opening covered today
Call any hour. Once the tree is off, we tarp the roof, document the damage and plan the rebuild with you.