Written by Big Easy Windows
This article is general information for homeowners, not insurance or legal advice. Coverage and deadlines depend on your policy and the facts of your claim, so confirm them with your agent or a licensed Louisiana attorney.
Key Takeaways
- Photograph window damage inside and out before cleanup. The Louisiana Department of Insurance also tells homeowners to make reasonable temporary repairs and keep the receipts.
- Many Louisiana homeowners policies carry a separate hurricane or named-storm deductible, often a percentage of your dwelling coverage. Find yours on the first page of the policy before you file.
- Louisiana applies a named-storm or hurricane deductible on a calendar-year basis, so receipts for damage you paid yourself can matter if a second storm hits the same year.
- Unincorporated Westbank addresses such as Marrero and Harvey get permits through Jefferson Parish. Incorporated cities such as Gretna and Westwego may run their own offices, and Algiers goes through the City of New Orleans.
- Big Easy Windows can give you a written, itemized window estimate to compare with the adjuster’s. Call (504) 384-8165.
How Does a Window Damage Insurance Claim Work in Louisiana?
Quick Answer: A window damage insurance claim in Louisiana usually moves through 4 stages: you document the damage and protect the house, you report the loss to your company, an adjuster inspects and estimates, and you agree on the repair cost before permanent work begins. State law sets deadlines for the insurer along the way, and your policy’s deductible decides how much of a window repair you carry yourself. On the Westbank, the local piece is knowing which permit office covers your address.
The Westbank has had recent practice. The National Hurricane Center’s report on Hurricane Zeta says its eye moved directly over New Orleans a couple of hours after landfall on October 28, 2020. Ten months later, Hurricane Ida made landfall at Port Fourchon as a Category 4 on August 29, 2021, and its center then crossed southeastern Louisiana between Houma and New Orleans.
What Should You Photograph Before You File?
The Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) tells policyholders to photograph or video damage inside and out before removing debris or making temporary repairs. For windows, that means:
- A wide shot of each side of the house, so the adjuster can tell which opening is which.
- Close-ups of cracked glass and bent frames.
- Water stains or wet drywall under the window.
- Whatever debris hit it, if it’s still in the yard.
Then make reasonable temporary repairs, such as boarding up the opening or covering it with plastic, and keep a list of the work plus the receipts for materials. Our storm-damaged windows decision guide covers safe glass handling and temporary covers step by step.
How Does a Hurricane Deductible Affect a Window Claim?
Deductibles are where window claims surprise people. LDI explains that homeowners policies carry a basic all-peril deductible, and many Louisiana policies also carry a separate hurricane, named-storm, or wind and hail deductible. That storm deductible is often a percentage of your insured value, not a flat dollar amount.
LDI’s own example makes the math plain: a home insured for $150,000 with a 2 percent deductible means $3,000 out of pocket before the company pays toward the damage. A couple of broken windows can land under that line. Your deductible amounts appear on the first page of your policy, and your agent can walk you through them.
The Calendar-Year Rule
Louisiana’s single-season deductible law, La. R.S. 22:1337, was enacted after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit back to back in 2008. It applies a separate named-storm or hurricane deductible on a calendar-year basis, so a second storm in the same year doesn’t automatically mean paying that full deductible again. Ask your agent how your policy applies the rule.
That’s why LDI tells homeowners to photograph damage and keep repair receipts even when the claim falls under the deductible. The money you spent can count toward the deductible if another storm damages the house before the year is out.
What Deadlines Does Louisiana Set for Insurers?
Louisiana law, including La. R.S. 22:1892, sets deadlines for an insurer to start adjusting a property damage claim after you report it and to pay what it owes once you’ve given satisfactory proof of loss. Those deadlines are set by statute and can change, so ask your company which one applies to your claim. LDI can tell you the current timelines.
Policies and state law also set a deadline for filing a lawsuit over a disputed claim. If a dispute is heading that way, speak with a licensed Louisiana attorney promptly.
Does Insurance Pay for Code Upgrades on Replacement Windows?
Sometimes a repair has to meet a stricter building rule than the window it replaces. Some policies include coverage for the added cost of meeting building codes after a covered loss, often called ordinance or law coverage, and limits vary widely from one policy to the next. Look for it on your declarations page and ask your agent whether it applies to window replacement before you assume it does.
How the rules apply depends on your address. Our guide to wind-borne debris window rules in Louisiana explains when impact-rated glass or approved shutters come into play.
Which Office Issues Window Permits on the Westbank?
Permits on the Westbank split along parish and city lines:
- City of Gretna: the Building Department handles permitting and inspections that enforce the state building code, with most applications started online. Gretna also has a Historic District Commission, so ask whether exterior window changes on an older Gretna home need its review.
- Unincorporated Jefferson Parish: Marrero and Harvey are unincorporated, so permits come from the parish Department of Inspection and Code Enforcement.
- Westwego: an incorporated city that may run its own permit office, so check with the city first.
- Algiers: part of New Orleans in Orleans Parish, so permits go through the City of New Orleans One Stop system.
If you aren’t sure which side of a city line your address falls on, ask before you apply. Our permit guide for Orleans and Jefferson Parish covers what a window permit review looks at.
How Do You Work With the Adjuster?
LDI describes 3 kinds of adjusters in Louisiana: company adjusters, independent adjusters who contract with insurers, and public adjusters who work for policyholders for a fee. Every adjuster in the state must be licensed, so ask for identification and proof of license.
A few habits from LDI’s guide keep the process cleaner:
- Be home for the inspection with your policy and your photo record, including receipts for emergency repairs.
- Ask the adjuster for an itemized explanation of any settlement offer.
- If the first offer doesn’t match what the repair will cost, you don’t have to accept it on the spot. Be ready to discuss it with documentation.
- Call LDI at 1-800-259-5300 if you have a concern about how a claim is being handled.
A detailed window estimate helps that conversation. We can measure each damaged opening and give you a written, itemized quote for window repair in Gretna or replacement where repair won’t work.
Should You Upgrade to Impact Windows After a Claim?
Some homeowners use a claim-funded replacement as the moment to pay the difference for impact-rated units. Hurricane and storm windows in Gretna are one route, and our breakdown of hurricane impact window cost in New Orleans helps you price the gap.
Impact windows can also affect future premiums, which is a separate question from this claim. Our post on whether impact windows lower home insurance in Louisiana covers what to ask your agent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I file a claim for 1 broken window?
That depends on your deductible and your policy. If the repair costs less than your deductible, the company may pay nothing toward it, but LDI still recommends documenting the damage and keeping receipts because of the calendar-year deductible rule. Your agent can explain how a claim could affect your policy.
Can I fix the window before the adjuster comes?
Make reasonable temporary repairs to prevent further damage and keep the receipts. LDI’s guidance is to hold the permanent repair until the damage has been inspected and you’ve reached agreement with the company on repair costs, unless your insurer tells you otherwise.
What if the adjuster’s estimate is lower than my window quote?
Ask for an itemized explanation, compare it line by line with your written quote, and send your documentation to the company. If you still disagree, LDI can explain your options, and a licensed Louisiana attorney can advise on a dispute.
Get a Written Window Estimate on the Westbank
We’ll tell you whether repair or replacement makes sense for each damaged opening. Then we’ll put the numbers in writing so you can compare them with your adjuster’s estimate. We serve Gretna, Marrero, Harvey, and the rest of the Westbank. See our Gretna service area page, request an estimate online, or call (504) 384-8165.
