Hays County
San Marcos, Texas Roofing & Property Protection
Your San Marcos home deserves a documented review. The Roof Shepherd documents roof conditions, storm damage, and property concerns so you decide with full information.
Updated November 1, 2026
Read This First
The short version
- San Marcos, in Hays County, is about 51 miles and 60 minutes by road from our Round Rock base.
- Hail 1.75 inches or larger was reported 21 times near San Marcos from 2000 to 2026, 99th of the 207 cities on this site.
- 2024 was the worst season here from 2006 to 2025: 4 reports of hail 1.75 inches or larger, the largest 3 inches on May 9.
- The median home in San Marcos was built in 1998, and 39 percent of homes here were built before 1990.
- None of its three nearest neighbors had more large hail.
Call or text 512-575-5052 or use Get Help to start with a documented inspection in San Marcos, Hays County.
Short version: 5 min. Full page: 18 min. Want the detail? Each section below opens with a tap, or switch to Full at the top to open them all.
San Marcos At A Glance
What homeowners in San Marcos should know
How San Marcos ranks for large hail and home age, and who sets permit rules here.
San Marcos, in Hays County, is about 51 miles and 60 minutes by road from our Round Rock base. Roofing permit rules are set locally, and Texas has no statewide roofing license, so we confirm the rules for your address before work starts.
Growth & Construction
San Marcos sits within Hays County, an area that has seen ongoing residential growth across Central Texas. New construction and resale inspections both benefit from a documented condition review before any roofing decision. U.S. Census data puts San Marcos near 70,900 residents, a Texas State University city where only about 31% of homes are owner-occupied and the median build year is around 2001, so many roofs are reaching the age where documentation matters.
Hail & Storm Exposure
Hail 1.75 inches or larger, golf ball size, was reported 21 times within ten miles of San Marcos from 2000 to 2026. That ranks 99th of the 207 Texas cities on this site, and 25th of 71 in the region around Round Rock.
The Homes Here
The median home in San Marcos was built in 1998, and 39 percent of homes here were built before 1990. Of the other cities on this site, 67 percent have older homes than San Marcos.
Common Roofing Issues
San Marcos’s large student rental market and rapid owner-occupied growth create two distinct property profiles. Rental properties often carry deferred maintenance requiring documentation before any work.
San Marcos Snapshot
Weather history & local facts
Hail and wind on record near San Marcos, in Hays County, plus a few local facts worth knowing.
Hail and wind on record here
San Marcos’s verified NOAA record since 2018 includes 3 inch hail at San Marcos Lowman Ar on May 9, 2024, 2.5 inch hail at Kyle on May 22, 2025, and 2 inch hail at San Marcos Lowman Airport on April 28, 2021. 31 thunderstorm wind events and 1 tornado report sit inside the same 10 mile window. Peak hail months here: April and May. Across Hays County as a whole, NOAA logged 63 hail events from 2016 through 2025, with hail to 3 inches, plus 37 damaging thunderstorm wind events and 4 tornado reports.
Worth Knowing
The San Marcos Springs are one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in North America, evidence of human presence dating back 12,000 years, and the water source for Texas State University’s river campus.
Local Note
San Marcos hosts one of the largest premium outlet shopping destinations in the U.S., drawing significant regional traffic from San Antonio and Austin.
What the storm record means locally
Storm facts were checked against NOAA and National Weather Service records and local news from the time.
On record
What has actually fallen on San Marcos
80 hail events are on record within ten miles of San Marcos, the largest 4.50 inches on March 16, 2000.
Reading the public storm record
To see the days radar recorded hail near your own address, use our hail history lookup.
| Hail events on record | 80 |
|---|---|
| Reached 1.75 in or larger | 21 |
| Largest stone recorded | 4.50 in · March 16, 2000 |
| Busiest year | 2021 · 13 events |
| Most common months | April and May |
| Strongest gust in the archive | 109 mph · April 25, 2007 |
| Radar hail days, 1 in or larger | 136 days · 2000-2026 · largest signature 4.00 in |
| Preliminary reports, last 12 months | none of 1 in or larger on file |
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database · Hays County · 2000-2026 · within 10 miles of the San Marcos centroid. Counts are reported events, so they undercount: a stone that fell where nobody reported it is not in the record.
Checked November 1, 2026 against two feeds that do not share the archive's bias: radar hail signatures from the NEXRAD hail detection algorithm (NOAA NCEI Severe Weather Data Inventory, same 10 mile radius, 2000-2026), counted as days with a signature of one inch or larger, and the Storm Prediction Center's preliminary reports for the last 12 months, which are unreviewed and never a competing total. A radar day and a reported event are different units and are not expected to match: the archive needs a witness and undercounts, radar needs none and can flag hail that melted before it landed. What fell on one roof is settled by a documented inspection, not by any of these counts.
Year by year
Hail in San Marcos, 2006 to 2025
One row per year of hail reports one inch or larger near San Marcos, newest first, from the weather archive.
Twenty seasons, one row each
One row per year, newest first. Each row counts the hail reports of one inch or larger within ten miles of San Marcos, from the National Weather Service archive. 57 reports from 2006 to 2025, 17 of them at or above 1.75 inches, golf ball size. Counting only stones of one inch or larger, the busiest year in this table was 2021. If you owned your roof through any of these dates, the row is the reason to know what it took.
| Year | Reports 1 in+ | 1.75 in+ | Largest stone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | 3 | 2.50 in · May 22 |
| 2024 | 7 | 4 | 3.00 in · May 9 |
| 2023 | 6 | 1 | 1.75 in · March 2 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 1.25 in · May 5 |
| 2021 | 12 | 4 | 2.00 in · April 28 |
Show all 20 years (2006 to 2025)
| Year | Reports 1 in+ | 1.75 in+ | Largest stone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 in · April 3 |
| 2019 | 7 | 1 | 1.75 in · April 6 |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | none reported |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 in · April 11 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 in · March 18 |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 in · April 16 |
| 2014 | 4 | 1 | 1.75 in · May 27 |
| 2013 | 4 | 0 | 1.00 in · April 29 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | none reported |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 in · September 29 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | none reported |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | none reported |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | below 1 in |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | below 1 in |
| 2006 | 3 | 3 | 4.25 in · April 20 |
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, hail events 2006 through 2025 within 10 miles of the San Marcos centroid. Reports are observer-driven, so a stone that fell where nobody reported it is not in the record, and small towns are undercounted relative to cities. Full calendar years only; the current year is not shown until it is complete.
Hays County Storm Record
Documented storm exposure in San Marcos
The worst hail seasons near San Marcos from 2006 to 2025, year by year.
Hail Frequency
NOAA storm records log 46 hail events within 10 miles of San Marcos since 2018, 28 of them inside the city’s immediate 6 mile ring. Inside that ring, the largest verified stone measured 3 inches on May 9, 2024 at San Marcos Lowman Airport. Since 2018, hail here peaks in April and May.
Largest Recorded
The defining Hays County disaster is the May 2015 Memorial Day flood: the Blanco River at Wimberley rose more than 20 feet in an hour to a record crest above 40 feet, destroying more than 320 homes countywide. Spring hail and damaging wind also reach San Marcos, Kyle, and Buda (NWS Austin/San Antonio).
The worst hail seasons near San Marcos, 2006 to 2025
- 2024: 4 reports of hail 1.75 inches or larger, largest 3 inches on May 9
- 2021: 4 reports of hail 1.75 inches or larger, largest 2 inches on April 28
- 2025: 3 reports of hail 1.75 inches or larger, largest 2.5 inches on May 22
Neighborhood Exposure
Active neighborhoods in San Marcos: Blanco Vista, Trace, Hills of Hays, La Cima, Kissing Tree. Hail exposure changes with lot height, tree cover and open ground nearby. A record of your block beats an estimate for the whole area.
How these figures are corroborated
Hail data sourced from NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) filtered reports. Reports reflect spotter-confirmed events of 1″ or larger within 10 miles of city center. Not a formal risk assessment.
Verified Storm Record
Verified hail, wind, and flood history for Hays County and the Central Texas Hill Country, the region San Marcos sits in. Roof condition changes with every storm season, which is why the homeowner should own the documentation.
April 6 ping pong ball size hail
NOAA verifies 1.5 inch hail in San Marcos on April 6, 2019, a ping pong ball size stone.
April 29 quarter size hail
NOAA verifies 1 inch hail in San Marcos on April 29, 2013, a quarter size stone.
April 20 softball size hail
NOAA verifies 4.25 inch hail in San Marcos on April 20, 2006, a softball size stone.
March 16 softball size hail
NOAA verifies 4.5 inch hail in San Marcos on March 16, 2000, a softball size stone.
Where these figures come from
Figures drawn from public NOAA, National Weather Service, U.S. Census, and Texas Department of Insurance records and contemporaneous reporting. Not a formal risk assessment.
Live NOAA record Since September 2024, NOAA has logged 8 hail reports within 10 miles of San Marcos, 3 of them inside 6 miles. The largest measured 2.5 inches on May 22, 2025, about 7.9 miles away. Damaging wind has been reported 2 times in the same period, most recently 59 mph on June 2, 2026. These are NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary reports covering September 30, 2024 to October 29, 2026. A report near a property confirms hail fell nearby. It does not confirm that any particular roof was damaged, and it is not a coverage determination.
About San Marcos
Local ground truth for San Marcos properties
San Marcos sits in Hays County in Central Texas, home to roughly 74,316 residents (Census Bureau estimate, 2024). NOAA storm records log 46 hail events within ten miles since 2018. The largest stone in the full NOAA archive, 2000 to 2026, measured 4.5″ on March 16, 2000.
Roof age, by the census
How old the roofs in San Marcos are likely to be
Census figures on when San Marcos homes were built, which tells you roughly when their first roofs went on.
When the houses went up
San Marcos has 29,892 housing units in the Census Bureau's latest five-year estimate. The median home was built in 1998. 52 percent were built before 2000 and 39 percent before 1990; 31 percent have been built since 2010. Half or more of the homes here predate 2000. An original asphalt-shingle roof from that era is at or past the 20-to-30-year service life typically cited for asphalt shingles, and many will already be on a second roof, which is worth confirming from a permit or a receipt rather than assuming.
| Year built | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Built 2020 or later | 1,141 | 4% |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 8,163 | 27% |
| Built 2000 to 2009 | 5,024 | 17% |
| Built 1990 to 1999 | 3,852 | 13% |
| Built 1980 to 1989 | 4,277 | 14% |
Show all ten brackets (1939 or earlier to 2020 or later)
| Year built | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Built 1970 to 1979 | 2,920 | 10% |
| Built 1960 to 1969 | 1,374 | 5% |
| Built 1950 to 1959 | 1,558 | 5% |
| Built 1940 to 1949 | 717 | 2% |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 866 | 3% |
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates, tables B25034 and B25035, San Marcos city. ACS figures are estimates with published margins of error; shares are rounded to whole percents. Year built is the structure, not the roof: it says when the first roof went on, not whether it is still there.
Roofer Near San Marcos
Everything we cover in San Marcos
All the work we do, in San Marcos and in all of Hays County.
What we cover in San Marcos
Roofing, painting, gutters and home services, in San Marcos and across Hays County. San Marcos, in Hays County, is about 51 miles and 60 minutes by road from our Round Rock base.
Services available in San Marcos
Every service below is available to San Marcos homeowners, as it is anywhere in Texas.
All services
Austin Zone
How service works in San Marcos
How far San Marcos is from our base, and who handles your project from start to finish.
Who runs the inspection
San Marcos, in Hays County, is about 51 miles and 60 minutes by road from our Round Rock base. David Rodrigues, the founder, looks at your San Marcos roof and writes down what he sees before anyone talks repair or replacement. If you go ahead, The Roof Shepherd runs the job from contract to walkthrough. Our project delivery page explains who does what.
Local Conditions
What is different about working on San Marcos homes
San Marcos side by side with its three nearest neighbors on this site.
What roofs face in this market
Nearby, from 2000 to 2026: Kyle 17, Wimberley 9 and Buda 10 reports of hail 1.75 inches or larger, against 21 for San Marcos. Of the other cities on this site, 67 percent have older homes than San Marcos.
| City | Hail 1.75 in+, biggest stone |
|---|---|
| San Marcos | 21, 4.5 in |
| Kyle (9 mi) | 17, 4.5 in |
| Wimberley (12 mi) | 9, 3 in |
| Buda (15 mi) | 10, 4.5 in |
Severe hail: reports of 1.75 inches or larger, 2000 to 2026, within ten miles of each city center (NOAA NCEI Storm Events). Miles are straight-line between city centers.
The largest hail recorded near San Marcos, by date:
| Date | Largest stone |
|---|---|
| May 9, 2024 | 3.0″ |
| April 20, 2006 | 4.25″ |
| March 16, 2000 | 4.5″ |
Useful locally: City of San Marcos official site for permit and inspection rules; NWS forecast for San Marcos before scheduling work.
Storm figures: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events within a 10 mile radius, 2000 to 2026. Windstorm territory per Texas Windstorm Insurance Association county designations.
The rules here
Roof permits and code in San Marcos
What the city's own documents say about a re-roof permit and code here, and the date they were read.
What the city's own documents say
San Marcos does not require a permit for a like for like re-roof unless the new covering is heavier than the old one; shingle to tile does need one, and the city decides re-roofs case by case on its Permit Requirement Determination form. That is the city's published guidance; confirm with the building department before work starts. San Marcos is on the 2021 IRC (Ordinance 2023-09, adopted February 7, 2023).
The city runs a contractor license program (Chapter 14, Article 11 of its code) with an exam and five years of documented experience. Roofing is not named in it. Roofers on the city roster hold builder licenses, and which credential a roofer needs is not published; we treat the Building license as required until the city says otherwise in writing.
Read at the city's ordinances, fee schedule and permit pages on August 28, 2026, re-checked at least yearly; the city's current document governs if it changes. The full table for thirteen cities, with the three where the website and the ordinance disagree, is on our permits and codes by city page.
Exterior & Painting
What San Marcos homeowners should know about exterior work
Get the roof documented first, since a roof visit often turns up fascia, gutter and trim damage.
Local Paint & Exterior Note
San Marcos’s proximity to the river creates elevated humidity. Exterior paint products with mildewcide additives are recommended for properties within a mile of the San Marcos River.
Sequence Matters
Get the roof documented first. Painting and exterior repairs come after. Condition notes from a roof visit often surface fascia rot, gutter separation, and trim damage that affect painting scope and cost before a single brush stroke is applied.
Google Reviews
Homeowner Reviews
These are verified Google reviews from Texas homeowners we’ve served.
If you're looking for a roof replacement, look no further than the Roof Shepherd himself, David. A few months ago, an exterminator discovered a hole in our roof while checking for squirrels. David and his crew went out of their way and placed a solid, temporary patch over the hole. David and his crew did this at 11:30 at night, hours before severe weather hit the area. David did this right at the beginning of the process which most roofers would never bother to do. David and the crew did an excellent job, along with the full replacement of our gutters!!! The roof looks great and we are extremely happy with the result. David stayed in constant contact throughout the process and explained how to smoothly get things done with the insurance company, which we all know can be a pain. David's knowledge in roofing is second to none, so if you are close to replacement, or have questions about the process, trust me, call the Roof Shepherd!!!
Owner Response
Lonnie, thank you for the incredible review and for trusting The Roof Shepherd team with your home in Cedar Park. That late-night emergency response was definitely one of those real roofing moments, but the goal was simple: protect the home before the weather moved in and keep a roof opening from turning into interior damage. I'm grateful we were able to help at the very beginning of the process, then follow it through with the full re-roof and gutter replacement. I also appreciate you mentioning the communication side of the job. Roofing and insurance-related work can be stressful, so my goal is always to keep homeowners informed, prepared, and protected from start to finish. Thank you again for the trust, the kind words, and the opportunity to take care of your home.
David and his crew did a fantastic job inspecting our home. When they did the inspection in the attic they found subpar work done by the home builder which, if it had not been discovered, would have cost us well over $10K to correct. Roof joists were two feet short and not attached to anything — just left hanging, with no joist brackets. In time our roof would have collapsed. Thank you, Roof Shepherd.
Owner Response
Andrew, thank you for trusting us with your home in Round Rock. I’m grateful we were able to take the time to look beyond the surface of the roof and evaluate the attic, ventilation, and structural conditions affecting the roof system. A roof can look prematurely aged for reasons that aren’t always visible from the outside. In this case, the attic inspection and documentation helped identify serious underlying concerns before they became a much larger and more expensive problem. I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. This is exactly why The Roof Shepherd focuses on careful inspection, clear documentation, and helping homeowners understand what is really going on with their roof before making major decisions. Thank you again for the opportunity to help.
David was an absolute pleasure to work with. He showed up right on time for the quote on our repairs and made the whole process smooth and stress-free. Great communicator, clear explanations, and genuinely easy to deal with from start to finish. If you’re looking for someone reliable who actually cares about doing things right, David is your guy. Highly recommend.
Owner Response
Thank you for the thoughtful review. It was a pleasure meeting with you in Georgetown, Texas, and helping you review the roof repair options for your home. I really appreciate you mentioning the communication, timing, and clear explanations. Even when a homeowner decides to go a different direction, my goal is still the same: show up on time, explain the roof concerns clearly, provide a straightforward repair quote, and help you make a confident decision. Thank you again for the kind words and recommendation.
Nearby
Nearby areas we serve
Nearby cities we also serve
The Roof Shepherd also documents and serves these nearby Texas communities. Distances are straight-line miles from the center of San Marcos, and each hail figure is the count of NOAA-verified hail events within 10 miles of that city since 2018:
Field Videos
From the field near San Marcos
Real inspections and real conditions, documented, from San Marcos and the area around it.
Field videos from real roofs, each with a short note on what the inspection or the work showed.
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Watch on YouTubeSan Marcos FAQs
Common questions in San Marcos
Does The Roof Shepherd serve San Marcos regularly?
Yes. San Marcos is about 51 miles and 60 minutes by road from Round Rock, our home base. We work across Texas, and Hays County is part of that.
How often does large hail hit San Marcos?
Hail 1.75 inches or larger, golf ball size, was reported 21 times within ten miles of San Marcos from 2000 to 2026. That ranks 99th of the 207 Texas cities on this site, and 25th of 71 in the region around Round Rock. The largest stone on record within ten miles from 2000 to 2026 measured 4.5 inches, on March 16, 2000.
When is hail season in San Marcos?
From 2000 to 2026, hail within ten miles of San Marcos came most often in April and May. The busiest single year in that record was 2021, with 13 reports of every size.
What was the worst recent hail year in San Marcos?
2024 was the worst season here from 2006 to 2025: 4 reports of hail 1.75 inches or larger, the largest 3 inches on May 9. The table on this page lists every year.
How does San Marcos compare with nearby towns for hail?
Nearby, from 2000 to 2026: Kyle 17, Wimberley 9 and Buda 10 reports of hail 1.75 inches or larger, against 21 for San Marcos.
How old are the homes in San Marcos?
The median home in San Marcos was built in 1998, and 39 percent of homes here were built before 1990. Of the other cities on this site, 67 percent have older homes than San Marcos.
What is the strongest wind on record near San Marcos?
The strongest thunderstorm wind gust reported within ten miles from 2000 to 2026 was 109 mph, on April 25, 2007.
How much does a new roof cost in San Marcos?
It depends on the roof’s size, pitch, material, decking and vents. We look at your roof in San Marcos first, so any price you weigh fits its real condition. Our price guides for all four trades are on the RPGs page.
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