Emergency Board-Up Services: When You Need Them and What to Expect

What emergency board-up actually covers

Board-up is the temporary securing of broken windows, doors, roofs, and structural openings after a loss. It's not a repair - it's protection for the property, the contents, and the claim until permanent work can be scheduled.

• Broken or missing windows after storm, fire, or impact
• Doors damaged by forced entry or fire department access
• Roof tarping for storm-damaged or fire-exposed sections
• Garage doors blown in by wind or hit by a vehicle
• Commercial storefront glass after break-in or impact

Why insurance carriers expect you to board up fast

Most Wisconsin homeowner and commercial policies include a duty to protect the property from further damage after a covered loss. If a fire blows out a window and you leave it open overnight, water damage from the next rain may not be covered - the carrier can argue you failed to mitigate. Board-up costs are almost always reimbursable as part of the claim.

Typical response time

Real emergency board-up is a 1 to 2 hour arrival, 24/7. Crews carry plywood, 2x4s, fasteners, screws, and roof tarps standard. A two-window residential board-up usually wraps in under two hours; commercial storefronts and roof tarps take longer.

What gets documented

Before any board goes up, the opening, the cause, and surrounding damage all get photographed. That photo set goes to your adjuster along with the board-up invoice. Without that documentation, carriers sometimes question whether the damage existed before the loss.

Board-up vs. permanent repair

Board-up buys time. It's not weatherproof long-term, and most municipalities (Madison included) limit how long a property can remain boarded before it triggers code enforcement. Plan on 1 to 4 weeks of board-up while glaziers, roofers, or framers schedule permanent work.

After fire: board-up plus secure storage

Fire losses usually need more than openings sealed. Smoke-exposed contents need to be inventoried, packed out, and stored in a controlled environment while the structure is restored. We coordinate the board-up, contents pack-out, and storage on a single work authorization so nothing falls through the cracks.