After a storm: what to check on your house
West Alabama gets weather that does structural damage, not just cosmetic damage. Here is what to look at, in the order worth looking.
Tuscaloosa does not need reminding what severe weather can do here. But most storms are not the ones that make the news, and the damage that quietly costs people money is rarely the dramatic kind.
This is a metro that gets roughly 53 inches of rain a year. Most of what we get called out to is water that found a way in during a storm and went unnoticed for a season. source
Check in this order
- Ceilings, room by room. A brown or yellow ring is water that already got in. It is the cheapest early warning you will get, and it is visible from a sofa. Note where it sits relative to the roofline before you call anyone.
- The roofline, from the ground. Lifted or missing shingles, anything sitting proud of the line, gutters pulled away. You do not need to go up there, and you should not.
- Walls under windows. Blistered paint or soft board under a window frame usually means the seal went, not the wall.
- The deck, where it meets the house. That junction is where decks fail. Look for movement, new gaps, or rust streaks at the ledger.
- Fence posts. Push each one. A post that moves at the base is on its way out whether it looks it or not.
What turns into a repair
A ceiling stain that is dry and has not grown in a month is a paint problem. A stain that is soft, spreading, or comes back after rain is a roof problem wearing a drywall symptom, and patching it first wastes the patch. Fix the source, let it dry, then repair.
Movement where the deck meets the house is the one to act on rather than monitor. That connection is how decks come away from buildings, which is why the code is specific about it: only half-inch bolts or half-inch lag screws with washers are permitted there. Framing nails and deck screws are not.
What needs a permit afterwards
Roofing needs a City of Tuscaloosa building permit. So does deck work, new or repair. The city’s permit table lists it as “Deck (New or Repair)”, so a storm repair is not exempt for being a repair. Drywall patching and painting do not. source
Permits are not the delay people expect: most residential permits here are processed within 24 to 48 hours. source
Straight answers
What should I check first after a storm?
Ceilings and the roofline. A ceiling stain is the earliest visible sign that water got in somewhere above it.
Does storm repair work need a permit in Tuscaloosa?
Roofing does, and so does deck repair. Drywall patching and painting do not.
How long should I wait before repairing a wet ceiling?
Until the source is fixed and the material is dry. Patching over a wet cavity traps the problem behind new board.
About the permit and regulatory information. Current as of August 2026 and offered as general guidance, not legal, code or compliance advice. Requirements change, and how they apply depends on the specifics of your property and your job. Confirm anything you plan to rely on with the City of Tuscaloosa Building & Inspections, or the relevant agency, before acting on it.
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