Repair King inspected the Heritage Estates apartment building on 2nd Street SW in Dodge Center, from drone shots of the whole roof to chalk-circled hail hits on individual shingles. Dodge Center took 2.5-inch hail on June 4, 2019, and has logged twelve days of damaging wind since 2015, four of them in 2024 alone. We pull the city's maintenance permit for re-roofs and give every owner a dated photo report.
Big enough to measure in inches. On June 4, 2019, the public reported 2-inch hail in Dodge Center at 4:55 and 5:02 p.m., and NOAA's storm data puts the largest stone near town that day at 2.5 inches. The National Weather Service office in La Crosse said the hardest-hit areas were in Dodge and Olmsted counties, with hail up to baseball size.
That afternoon's storm started with smaller stones, dime- and quarter-size reports in Dodge Center and Kasson, before the core over Dodge County dropped the big hail. The same storm produced a brief EF-1 tornado in southwest Rochester and winds near 70 mph at the Rochester airport. Two years earlier, on April 9, 2017, 2-inch hail had already been reported near Dodge Center.
Hail that size can crack shingle mats, dent vents and gutters and break siding, and roofs that weren't replaced afterward may still carry the damage. Wind has kept up the pressure since: gusts of 75 mph on May 21, 2024 and 69 mph on July 13, 2024. If you've never had your roof looked at since 2019, a dated inspection tells you where it stands today.
Apartment buildings need an inspection a board or manager can act on. Here's one in Dodge Center.
A three-story, stone-faced apartment building with a large brown shingle roof, covered entries and a gazebo on the grounds. We flew the roof with a drone, then walked it: every slope, the long runs of ridge vents, the exhaust stacks, gutters and downspouts, even the gazebo roof. Hail hits were circled in chalk and photographed one by one.
Dodge Center is a newer-leaning small town: only about 15% of homes predate 1940, and the 2000s were its busiest building decade. About 79% of homes are owner-occupied, and the town's big industrial employers sit right alongside its neighborhoods.
| Local factor | What we see in Dodge Center | Why it matters for repairs |
|---|---|---|
| Housing age | 170 of 1,124 homes built before 1940; 194 in the 1970s; 202 from 2000-2009 and 53 from 2010-2013 (Census ACS 2017-2021) | 2000s roofs are nearing the end of their first shingle life, especially after the 2019 hail |
| Housing mix | About 76% single-family detached, 84 units in buildings of 20+, 66 mobile homes; about 79% owner-occupied | Apartment buildings and manufactured homes each need a different inspection |
| Apartment buildings | Three-story buildings like Heritage Estates on 2nd Street SW | Tall eaves need ladders and drones; we photograph every slope and all the ridge vents |
| Industry | McNeilus Steel moved to Dodge Center in 1978 and has added several warehouse and fabrication expansions of 90,000 square feet or more since | Large industrial and commercial roofs need a commercial-grade inspection; we document those as well as homes |
| Railroad town | Dodge Center grew up where the Chicago & North Western and Chicago Great Western lines crossed | Older homes near the original 1867 plat may have board decking and past layers |
| Open prairie | Farm fields on every side along US-14 | Nothing slows the wind; we check ridge caps and seal strips along with hail hits |
What our photos from Heritage Estates show. From our photo archive; no claim results or dollar amounts.
NOAA storm reports show 2.5-inch hail near Dodge Center on June 4, 2019, the largest near town since 2015, and 2-inch hail on April 9, 2017. Those are the two days of 1-inch-plus hail reported near the center of town since 2015. Wind is the more frequent problem: twelve damaging-wind days since 2015, including gusts of 75 mph on May 21, 2024, 61 mph on June 17, 2024, 69 mph on July 13, 2024 and 58 mph on August 5, 2024.
| Date | Type | What was reported | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 2024 | Wind | 58 mph wind gust measured | Missing or creased shingles, ridge caps, flashing, siding |
| Jul 13, 2024 | Wind | 69 mph wind gust measured | Missing or creased shingles, ridge caps, flashing, siding |
| Jun 17, 2024 | Wind | 61 mph wind gust measured | Missing or creased shingles, ridge caps, flashing, siding |
| May 21, 2024 | Wind | 75 mph wind gust measured | Missing or creased shingles, ridge caps, flashing, siding |
| Aug 11, 2023 | Wind | 58 mph wind gust measured | Missing or creased shingles, ridge caps, flashing, siding |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports within 3 miles of the center of Dodge Center, through September 2026. Reports are from trained spotters and the public; hail can hit a street without a report.
Our free Roof & Storm Report looks up hail and wind history for your exact address, not just the city.
Yes. Dodge Center treats a re-roof as a maintenance permit: $63.50 plus a $58.50 escrow, per the city's permit table. Applications can be mailed or dropped off at City Hall, or emailed to the city's community development address.
The city's building permit page lists re-roofing and re-siding each at $63.50 plus $58.50, with a higher combined fee when two or more items are repaired or replaced on one permit. Projects that need plan review, such as additions or new buildings, carry a $150 non-refundable plan review fee, and the city's building inspector is Construction Management Services (CMS). The escrow is the part owners ask about: when the final inspection passes before the permit expires, CMS sends the record to City Hall and the city mails the escrow back within 30 days. Repair King files the maintenance permit under our Minnesota license, BC695228.
Owners doing their own work sign the city's self-waiver. Commercial and apartment roofs can involve different requirements, so we confirm the permit path with the city before scheduling a crew.
Dodge Center was created by the railroad: the first train arrived on July 13, 1866, the town was platted in 1867, and it was named for its central spot in Dodge County. It incorporated in February 1872 and is home to McNeilus Steel.
Early Dodge Center ran on grain, with wagons lined up down Main Street waiting for the two elevators. In January 1870 the legislature briefly voted to rename the town Silas, then reconsidered the next day, and the name stuck. The Chicago Great Western and Chicago & North Western lines crossed here, and the CGW depot at the diamond stood from 1885 until a new station replaced it in 1952. Today Repair King's Dodge Center work includes the Heritage Estates apartments, and we inspect homes across town the same way.
Start with an inspection, not a decision. A damaged shingle does not automatically mean a roof needs to be replaced. What matters is what the inspection actually finds on the roof, siding, gutters and windows.
Repair King is a licensed Minnesota contractor (BC695228). We are not a public adjuster and do not negotiate insurance claims. Questions about your policy belong with your insurance company.
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NOAA storm reports show 2.5-inch hail near Dodge Center on June 4, 2019, the largest near town since 2015, and 2-inch hail on April 9, 2017. Run a free Roof & Storm Report for your exact address.
The city lists a re-roof maintenance permit at $63.50 plus a $58.50 escrow. The escrow comes back by check within 30 days once the final inspection passes before the permit expires. We file the permit and schedule that final.
Construction Management Services (CMS) handles building inspections for the city. We schedule the inspection when the job is done.
Yes. We inspected the Heritage Estates apartment building on 2nd Street SW, with drone photos of the whole roof and close-ups of each chalk-circled hail hit.
Yes, especially if it's never been inspected. Hail up to 2.5 inches fell near Dodge Center that June, and wind gusts up to 75 mph followed in 2024. We document what we find; coverage questions go to your insurer.
Yes. Heritage Estates is a three-story building; we used a drone and walked every slope, and the report covers what a manager or board needs to plan repairs.
The National Weather Service office in La Crosse covers Dodge Center and Dodge County.
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