St. Joseph, MO · Buchanan County
Roof inspections in St. Joseph.
Census Bureau estimates put the median year St. Joseph’s housing was built at 1962, and more than a quarter of housing units date to 1939 or earlier.
The short answer
St. Joseph requires a permit for roofing, issued over the counter by the Building Department, and contractors need a city business license before work begins.
Since 2016, National Weather Service reports show hail 1 inch or larger within 6 miles of central St. Joseph on 4 days and gusts of 58 mph or more on 41 days. The largest hail reported there was 2.5 inches on March 13, 2024.
A free, no-obligation inspection comes from an independent roofing partner that serves St. Joseph, and checking storm history doesn’t file an insurance claim.
The Buchanan County seat beside the Missouri River was the eastern terminus of the Pony Express in 1860, and mansions from its 1880s and 1890s golden age remain part of the city.
Start with your address to see how many significant storms are on record near your home. Being near a storm isn’t the same as roof damage, so if you want a closer look, one local roofing partner can inspect your roof for free.
Storm record for St. Joseph since 2016
NOAA/NWS storm reports through November 10, 2026.
These are records for the wider area, not for your address. A storm on record doesn’t mean your roof was damaged, and it doesn’t mean your insurance company will accept that storm or date. That’s why an inspection is worth having: a roofing professional looks at the roof itself.
- Hail-report days
- 4
- 1 in+, since 2016
- Wind-report days
- 41
- 58 mph+, since 2016
- Radar hail days
- 2
- 1 in+, since 2021
Severe-weather days per year
- Days with hail 1 in+
- Days with only wind 58 mph+
* Year to date, through November 10, 2026.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Hail days | Wind days | Radar days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 6 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2018 | 1 | 4 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2026to Nov 10preliminary | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Hail days: Weather Service reports of 1 inch or larger. Wind days: gusts of 58 mph or more. Radar days: radar estimates of 1 inch or larger, from 2021.
Biggest storm days within 6 miles of central St. Joseph
Ranked by the largest hail reported, then the strongest wind.
March 13, 2024
Hail 2.5 in (tennis ball)1 severe report
April 17, 2026(preliminary)
Hail 1.75 in (golf ball)3 severe reports
April 25, 2016
Hail 1.0 in (quarter)2 severe reports
May 28, 2018
Hail 1.0 in (quarter)1 severe report
March 23, 2016
Hail 0.75 in (penny)Wind 59 mph1 severe report
How we count. A hail day is a day with at least one National Weather Service hail report of 1 inch or larger within 6 miles of central St. Joseph; a wind day has a measured or estimated gust of 58 mph or more. Data through November 10, 2026.
The full method and source
Several reports on the same day count once.
Our storm records come from NOAA radar estimates and National Weather Service reports. Radar can miss or misjudge hail, and a report marks a single spot, so records can be incomplete. Treat them as a starting point, not a verdict about your roof.
Radar hail days use NOAA’s radar estimates (MRMS) of 1 inch or larger over the same area, counted only when the Weather Service also logged hail within 15 miles that day. 2026 numbers come from preliminary reports and can change.
Source: NOAA / National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center storm reports and NOAA MRMS radar hail estimates, retrieved November 11, 2026. Data through November 10, 2026; 2026 reports are preliminary and can still change. Compiled by Roof Inspectors from public-domain NOAA data. How storm data works.
On our hail-by-place comparison (5-mile circles, 2016–2025), St. Joseph is in the lower band. This record uses 6 miles, so its counts differ.
Your own street can differ. Check the storm history for your address or see Kansas City hail history by year.
Was hail recorded near your street?
Hail falls in narrow swaths — see what the records show at or near your address.
- Doesn’t file an insurance claim
- One local partner, never a pile-on
Storms in and around St. Joseph
- SPC storm reports for March 13, 2024 (opens in a new tab)
Hail of about 2.5 inches, roughly tennis-ball size, was photographed in nearby Wathena, Kansas, that evening, according to Storm Prediction Center reports.
Preliminary reports from the same evening also included golf-ball-size (1.75-inch) hail on the far south side of St. Joseph and quarter-size hail at the Law Enforcement Center.
- SPC storm reports for June 30, 2023 (opens in a new tab)
A thunderstorm wind gust of 82 mph was reported near the St. Joseph airport that night, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
A delayed report described tree damage, shown on social media, in the Stone Crest area of St. Joseph.
- KCTV5: NWS confirms EF1 tornado in St. Joseph (opens in a new tab)
National Weather Service survey teams confirmed an EF1 tornado in eastern St. Joseph, with winds up to 90 mph and a path length of 0.3 miles.
Before you hire a roofer in St. Joseph
- The City of St. Joseph lists roofing among the projects that require a permit. Roof permits come from the Building Department as over-the-counter permits, which the city says can be issued without plan review and are typically issued at the time of application. MO
- St. Joseph’s roof permit application, used for both residential and commercial roofs, says whoever obtains the permit is responsible for scheduling the final inspection once the project is complete. MO
- The city also requires contractors working inside St. Joseph city limits to get a business license before the project begins, along with the appropriate building permits. Ask your roofer to confirm both before work starts. MO
- Missouri doesn’t license roofers statewide, so licensing, registration, and permit rules are set by each city. That makes it worth asking a roofer which city requirements apply to your project. MO
- City of St. Joseph — Building Development (opens in a new tab)MO
- City of St. Joseph — Roof permit application (PDF) (opens in a new tab)MO
- City of St. Joseph — Business licenses (opens in a new tab)MO
Rules change; confirm current requirements with the city before work begins. This isn’t legal advice.
ZIP codes we serve in St. Joseph
- 64501
- 64503
- 64504
- 64505
- 64506
- 64507
Not listed? Enter your address — we confirm service for your exact location.
St. Joseph roof inspection questions
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in St. Joseph?
Does a roofer need a St. Joseph business license?
Is there a cost to have my St. Joseph roof inspected?
If you file a claim, even after an inspection, your insurance company decides what’s covered and what it pays. Roof Inspectors and our roofing partners can’t make that decision or promise an outcome.
Nearby communities
St. Joseph is in our service area, which covers homes within about 60 miles of Overland Park, Kansas. For every community we serve in Kansas and Missouri, see roof inspection in the Kansas City area.
See the storms on record near your St. Joseph home.
Start with a free storm count for your address. It takes about 30 seconds.
Checking storm history doesn’t file an insurance claim, and no roofer gets your details unless you book an inspection.