New Prague straddles the Scott–Le Sueur county line, and its houses run from pre-1940 homes near downtown to 2000s subdivisions. In August 2021, two months after 1.75-inch hail was reported in town, Repair King inspected an older story-and-a-half New Prague home: hail dents marked on the siding and window trim, and rotted fascia opened up at the roof edge. New Prague requires a full tear-off on shingle re-roofs and inspects the deck before new shingles go on. We pull the permit, photograph every step and give you a dated report.
I felt very comfortable because of his professionalism. He allowed me not to sign a piece of paper until I spoke with my husband, because my husband wasn't home at the time, and a lot of the contractors weren't allowing that.
[Ginger] We first met Mike when he came to our door after a storm, and it was very nice. He was very professional, and he was professionally dressed. As a woman alone at home, when he stopped and rang the doorbell after a storm, he was actually non-threatening. I felt very comfortable because of his professionalism, and he continued that throughout. He allowed me not to sign a piece of paper until I spoke with my husband, because my husband wasn't home at the time, and a lot of the contractors weren't allowing that, so that was very helpful for us as well. The other thing he did was give me a card so that I could research him online and make sure he really was who he said he was, and then talk to some other people in the neighborhood and in the area, so I could see what he had done. That professionalism kept going throughout the whole job, because he continued to have good cleanup. If I had any questions, even on a Saturday night, I had his phone number to call, which was very helpful for me, so I wasn't stressed out about how the job was going. [Dean] We didn't know who to go to. We'd never had any issues before and never had to have any contractor work before. Mike was able to help us out, because we had multiple things we had to deal with on the house. We had our roof, we had damage to the garage door, we had damage to the deck and the fencing. We had all kinds of different things. Mike was able to come in with his company, Repair King, work all those different angles and bring everybody else in for us. [Ginger] We were very lucky to meet Mike with Repair King, who gave us a wonderful experience out of something that wasn't. Because of his professionalism and Repair King, I would definitely recommend that you give him a call.
Because the damage often isn't only on the shingles. About one in seven New Prague homes was built before 1940, and on the older story-and-a-half home we inspected in August 2021, the problems included hail dents on the siding and window trim and rotted fascia with an open hole at the roof edge. New Prague's reroof rules require a full tear-off and a city tear-off inspection, so the deck gets checked too.
New Prague was laid out in 1856 and settled by families from Bohemia. By the 1880s it was the center of what's called Minnesota's Bohemian Triangle, and the railroad, a flour mill and new brick storefronts followed. Census estimates count about 430 of the city's 3,150 homes as built in 1939 or earlier, many of them within walking distance of Main Street and St. Wenceslaus Church.
Older homes like these have painted wood trim, window sills that hold water, and roof edges that have been re-covered more than once. On our August 2021 job, the hail marks were easy to see once they were chalked, on the lap siding, the window sills and a steel entry door. The bigger find was above: rotted fascia and soffit at the roof edge, with a hole right through where the gutter used to hang. That's a repair that has to happen before or with the new roof, not after.
The city's Residential Reroof handout backs that up. Shingle roofs have to be torn off completely and installed as new construction, the building department inspects after tear-off and new underlayment, and rotted or unsound sheathing has to be replaced. We photograph the deck, the fascia repairs and the ice barrier on every New Prague job.
New Prague has two housing layers: an older core of pre-1950 homes around downtown and a big wave of 2000s construction. The median home was built in 1994, 77% of households own their home, and about a fifth of homes are attached townhomes.
| Local factor | What we see in New Prague | Why it matters for repairs |
|---|---|---|
| Housing age | Median year built 1994. About 1,070 homes from the 2000s, 410 from the 1990s, and 430 built in 1939 or earlier (Census ACS 2020–2024) | The 2000s roofs are reaching the end of their first shingles; the pre-1940 homes often hide board decks and layered roofing |
| Housing mix | About 2,040 single-family detached homes and 660 attached townhomes out of 3,150; 77% owner-occupied | Townhome roofs usually need an association's sign-off and a written record of each building |
| Older homes | Story-and-a-half and two-story homes with lap siding, wood trim and front stoops near downtown | Fascia, soffits and window sills rot where water sits, and hail marks show on painted trim |
| Two counties | North of Main Street (Highway 13/19) is Scott County; south of it is Le Sueur County | Your property records are with one county or the other, but permits go through the City of New Prague |
| Reroof rule | The city requires a full tear-off on shingle roofs, with a tear-off inspection and a final inspection | The deck gets inspected on every job, so rotted boards are found and fixed before the new roof goes on |
| Downtown | Historic brick commercial buildings along Main Street, studied in the city's Historic Downtown Reconnaissance Survey | Flat and low-slope roofs behind parapets need their own inspection |
A real New Prague job from our job album, with photos our crews took on site. We describe what the photos show, not outcomes or dollar amounts.
NOAA storm reports put 1.75-inch hail less than a mile from our New Prague job on June 17, 2021, two months before our inspection there, and 1.75-inch hail again near New Prague on May 11, 2022. There was 1-inch hail on April 12, 2022, and the most recent report was 0.88-inch hail on May 27, 2024. The strongest wind in the recent reports was a 70 mph gust on June 4, 2019. Hail that size marks siding and trim and bruises shingles, even when you can't see it from the yard.
| Date | Type | What was reported | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2024 | Hail | 0.88" hail reported | Shingles, roof vents, gutters, siding, window screens |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports within 3 miles of the New Prague property in our storm records, 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.
Photos from Repair King's job album for this New Prague home.
Yes. The City of New Prague requires a building permit to reroof, with a tear-off inspection after the old roofing is removed and new underlayment is in place, and a final inspection when the job is done. Permits can be applied for online through the city's Community Connect portal.
New Prague's Residential Reroof handout says a shingle re-roof has to be done by completely removing the existing shingles, underlayment and flashing and installing the roof as if it were new construction. No overlays. The building department inspects the roof sheathing, and rotted or unsound sheathing has to be repaired or replaced.
The handout also spells out the details: at least four nails per shingle, 12-gauge with 3/8-inch heads; two layers of underlayment on slopes from 2:12 to 4:12; ice barrier from the eaves to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall, and at least 36 inches up the slope on roofs of 8:12 or steeper. Repair King pulls the permit under our Minnesota contractor license (BC695228) and schedules both inspections.
The city accepts credit cards for building permit fees up to $1,500. Fees follow the city's official fee schedule.
New Prague is a city of 8,162 (2020 census) about 45 miles southwest of the Twin Cities, in Scott and Le Sueur counties. It was laid out in 1856 and named for Prague, the capital of Bohemia.
Anton Philipp bought 160 acres in Helena Township in 1856 and began selling lots, and Bohemian families followed. The town was called Praha from 1872 to 1879, then Prague, and became New Prague on February 25, 1884. The Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway arrived in 1877, the first grain elevator and flour mill followed, and New Prague earned the nickname Flour City. It incorporated as a city on April 4, 1891. Czech heritage is still part of daily life here, from the bakeries on Main Street to the cemetery stones near St. Wenceslaus Church. Our crews come in from St. Paul on I-35 and Highway 19.
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.
Official links worth bookmarking, whether or not you ever hire us.
Yes. New Prague requires a building permit to reroof, with a tear-off inspection and a final inspection. Repair King applies for the permit and schedules both inspections.
No. The city's reroof handout requires removing the existing shingles, underlayment and flashing and installing the roof as new construction. That lets the deck be inspected.
NOAA storm reports put 0.88-inch hail near New Prague on May 27, 2024. The largest recent hail was 1.75 inches, on June 17, 2021 and May 11, 2022. Run a free Roof & Storm Report for your exact address.
Both. North of Main Street (Highway 13/19) is Scott County and south of it is Le Sueur County. Permits go through the City of New Prague either way.
More than shingles. On an older New Prague home in 2021 we found hail dents on the siding and trim and rotted fascia with a hole at the roof edge. We check the edges, soffits and sills along with the roof.
The city inspects after the old roof is off and new underlayment is on, and rotted or unsound sheathing has to be replaced. We photograph the deck and repairs so you have a record too.
We can't tell you that. We document what we find; coverage questions go to your insurer. You get a dated photo report to use however you choose.
No cost, no pressure. You get photos of everything we find.
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