Storm Chaser vs Local Contractor — How to Vet One in Minnesota
The morning after the hail there are trucks on every block and a card in your door. Some of them are good. Here is how to tell, without taking anyone's word for it, including ours.
A storm chaser vs local contractor comes down to four checks you can do in an evening: look the company up on the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry license search, confirm a Minnesota address you could drive to, walk away from anyone who offers to cover your deductible, and read anything you sign for an assignment of benefits or a lock-in before the claim is approved. JMB Builders is licensed Minnesota residential building contractor BC809005, based in Zimmerman.
- Check the license on the MN DLI search
- No deductible waiving: it is against Minnesota law
- Read before you sign; no assignment of benefits pressure
- Send photos, reply within one business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005, Zimmerman, MN
Send photos and hear back within one business day — or book a free in-home estimate.
After a big hail or wind event, contractors follow the storm. Some are out-of-state companies that set up for a season, sell a lot of roofs and siding, and leave; some are local companies that are simply busy. The work can be fine either way. The problems show up later: a warranty from a company with no office to call, a contract that was signed before the adjuster came and cannot be cancelled, a deductible that was quietly absorbed and became insurance fraud with your name on it. The way to sort it is not the truck or the pitch. It is the paperwork.
First, the license. Minnesota requires residential building contractors and roofers to hold a license from the Department of Labor and Industry, and the DLI website has a public lookup by company name or license number. It shows whether the license is active, who holds it, and any enforcement actions. A licensed contractor will put the number on the contract and the truck. No license, or a license in someone else's name, is the end of the conversation. Ours is BC809005.
Second, the deductible. Minnesota law does not allow a residential contractor to waive, rebate, pay or promise to pay your insurance deductible, or to advertise that they will. An offer to cover it is an offer to break the law and to pad the claim to hide it, with your signature on the claim. Third, the contract. Read it for an assignment of benefits, which hands your claim payments and sometimes your right to deal with the insurer to the contractor, and for language that commits you to the company before the claim is approved. Minnesota has rules on contracts that depend on an insurance claim; ask your agent or the DLI what your rights are. Fourth, the address. A Minnesota street address you could drive to, a phone number that is answered next year, and references from this town, not a brochure.
What you supply
- The company name and license number from the card, the truck or the contract, so you can look them up before you sign anything
- A copy of any contract or authorization you have been asked to sign, read in full before you sign it
- A call to your agent before you commit, to ask about your deductible, your policy's rules on contractors and assignment of benefits
- Your own photos of the damage, taken before anyone has been on the roof
What JMB supplies
- Our license number, BC809005, on the estimate and the contract, for you to check on the DLI lookup
- A Minnesota address in Zimmerman and the same phone number next year
- A written line-item scope with photos that you can take to any contractor, not a contract to sign at the door
- No deductible offers of any kind, in writing or otherwise
- No assignment of benefits: you file, you deal with your insurer, we are paid by you by check or direct deposit
- Photos of the finished work in your job folder, and a final invoice matched to the scope for depreciation release
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- The approved scope and the trades on it; this page is about vetting, the work is priced on the trade pages
- Whether the repair is to the insurer's scope or to what you choose to have done
- Materials matched to what is on the house vs. upgrades paid directly
- Timing after a widespread storm, when material and crew schedules stretch for everyone
Send photos of the damage and the name of anyone who has already quoted. We reply within one business day with a scope you can compare, whoever you end up hiring.
How long it takes
Looking a contractor up on the DLI site takes a few minutes. After a large storm, material lead times stretch for every contractor, and a start date that sounds too fast is worth asking about.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
The license lookup
Search the Minnesota DLI license site by the company name on the contract. Match the license type, residential building contractor or residential roofer, to the work. Check it is active and who the qualifying person is. Write the number on your copy of the contract.
The deductible test
Ask directly whether you will be paying your full deductible. Any answer other than yes, including a discount that happens to equal it, a rebate, or an advertising allowance, is a reason to stop. Minnesota law is on your side here and the contractor knows it.
The contract read-through
Look for an assignment of benefits, a clause that commits you before the claim is approved, a cancellation clause with a penalty, and a price that is whatever the insurance pays. Take it to your agent if anything is unclear. A good contractor will wait while you read.
The address and the references
A street address in Minnesota, not a PO box or a hotel. A license that has been active for more than this season. Two or three references from nearby that you can call, and a job you can drive past. A warranty is only as good as the company's phone number in five years.
Storm Chaser vs Local Contractor — How to Vet One in Minnesota: questions, answered
How do I check if a contractor is licensed in Minnesota?
Use the license lookup on the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry website. Search by company name or license number and check that the license is active, that it is the right type for the work, residential building contractor or residential roofer, and whether there are enforcement actions. Our license is BC809005. Any contractor who cannot give you a number to look up is not one to hire.
A roofer offered to waive my deductible. Is that allowed?
No. Minnesota law does not allow a residential contractor to waive, rebate, pay or promise to pay any part of an insurance deductible, or to advertise that they will. It is usually done by inflating the claim to cover it, which is insurance fraud with your name on the claim. Pay your deductible by check or direct deposit to whoever you hire, and walk away from anyone who says you do not have to.
What is an assignment of benefits and should I sign one?
It is a document that gives the contractor the right to be paid directly by your insurer and often to deal with the insurer in your place. Some are harmless direct-pay authorizations; some hand over your whole claim. We do not use one: you file, you deal with your insurer, and you pay us. If you are asked to sign one, read it and ask your agent what it does under your policy before you do.
Is a contractor from out of state automatically a storm chaser?
No. Some good companies travel to storm areas and do good work, and some bad companies have always been local. The checks are the same for both: a Minnesota license you can look up, a Minnesota address and phone that will answer in a few years, no deductible games, and a contract you have read. What an out-of-state company usually cannot offer is someone to call when a leak shows up three winters from now.
Should I sign anything before the adjuster comes?
Read it first and ask what it commits you to. Some contractors ask you to sign a contingency agreement that makes them your contractor if the claim is approved, sometimes with a cancellation fee. Minnesota has rules about contracts that depend on an insurance claim and about cancelling them; ask your agent or the DLI what applies. Our estimate is a scope with photos, not a contract, and you can take it to anyone.
Do I have to use the contractor my insurance company recommends?
Generally you choose your own contractor; an insurer's preferred vendor is a suggestion, not a requirement, on most policies. Ask your agent whether your policy has any condition on it. Whoever you choose, the same checks apply: license, address, deductible, contract. A preferred vendor that is also licensed and local is fine; one that is only on a list somewhere is not enough.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners, builders and dealers. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed October 1, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All insurance repairs pages
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