Roofing in the SouthShore corridor

Roofing in Florida is where the contractor law, the building code and the insurance code all meet on one job. Since 2021 the Legislature has written rules specifically about roofers and insurance claims, and since 2022 about how old a roof can be before an insurer may walk away. Most of what follows is those rules, in order of when you will meet them.

Who may put a roof on

A Florida roofing contractor is licensed for all kinds of roofing, waterproofing and coating, including skylights, the roof-deck attachments the code requires, sheathing and fascia repairs made during a re-roof, and the roof-to-wall retrofits done with one (§ 489.105(3)(e)). CCC is a certified roofing contractor, valid statewide; RC is registered, valid only in the local areas where the contractor meets local competency rules (§ 489.117). A general, building or residential contractor must subcontract roofing unless they hold the state roofing license themselves; the one exception is shingles on a new building of their own construction. A general, building or residential contractor certified after 1973 may not advertise as a roofer unless also certified or registered as a roofing contractor (§ 489.113(3)).

Owners may act as their own contractor on a home they occupy, and the county says homeowners doing their own roofing must schedule a Progress Check inspection (hcfl.gov). After a Governor-declared emergency, the statute separately lets an owner repair or replace shingles or shakes on a damaged one- to three-family home (§ 489.103(7)(a)2). The under-$2,500 minor-work exemption exists in the statute, but it is lost the moment someone advertises as a contractor.

The permit, the inspections and the attestation

Hillsborough treats a re-roof as permitted work. The contractor of record must agree to an attestation on the application, under the false-statement statute, that the existing decking, underlayment and covering will be installed to the Florida Building Code. There is a Progress Check inspection, or a virtual dry-in, in which the inspector checks that roof attachments were strengthened as the code requires, and then a final (hcfl.gov, re-roof inspection information). The county’s fee schedule lists a residential roofing permit at $250 and a reinspection at $125 (fee schedule effective October 5, 2024).

New since July 1, 2026: the state requires local governments to exempt single-family work valued under $7,500 from a permit, unless it is electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work or the property is in a flood hazard area, and the county lists non-structural roof repair or replacement among the possible exemptions (§ 553.79(1)(g); hcfl.gov). The exemption still has to be requested through HillsGovHub with the contract attached, a job may not be split to stay under the figure, and the county says a permit will be required if the work turns out not to qualify. It does not waive licensing.

What the code requires on a replacement

Florida’s 2007 mitigation law requires every roof replacement on a site-built single-family home built before the Florida Building Code to include a secondary water barrier and the strengthening of the deck attachment (§ 553.844(3)(a)); the 7th Edition code extended the sealed-deck requirement from single-family homes to all pre-Code buildings with wood roof decks, and the 8th Edition keeps the section (Florida Building Commission roofing fact sheet). The law says the barrier may not be limited to one method or material.

If such a home is in the wind-borne debris region and has an insured value of $300,000 or more (or, if uninsured, a structure just valuation of that amount), the re-roof must add roof-to-wall connections, but only if the gable ends or all corners can be done for 15 percent of the re-roof cost; on a house with both hip and gable ends, the gable ends come first unless the hip is more than 1.5 times wider. Gable-end bracing is not required (§ 553.844(2)(b)3, (3)(b)).

The 25 percent rule changed in 2022. If the roof was built or replaced to the 2007 code or later, repairing 25 percent or more of it no longer forces the whole roof to current code; only the repaired portion must comply, and local governments may not amend that away (§ 553.844(5)). For a roof that predates the 2007 code, the old rule stands: more than 25 percent in twelve months and the whole roof or section comes up to code (hcfl.gov). Which side of that line a roof is on turns on its permit, not the year the house was finished, so ask. Every roofing product used must carry a Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade notice of acceptance before it goes on (§ 553.842); the FL number is searchable on the state product-approval site, and the insurance form asks for it. The 8th Edition (2023) code has been in effect since December 31, 2023 (floridabuilding.org); the 9th Edition is scheduled to take effect on December 31, 2026 (Commission milestones).

The roofer and your insurance: what is now illegal

Section 489.147 targets roof-claim solicitation. Any advertisement that encourages you to make an insurance claim for roof damage must carry three notices in 12-point type: that you are responsible for the deductible, that a contractor paying, waiving or rebating a deductible is committing third-degree-felony insurance fraud, and that filing a claim with false or misleading information is the same felony. A contractor may not offer you a rebate, gift card, cash or a deductible waiver for a roof inspection or a claim; may not take a referral fee on insurance work; may not interpret your policy or adjust your claim unless licensed as a public adjuster; and may not have you sign a repair authorization without an itemized good-faith estimate. Every roof contract must carry a no-inducement notice, or you may void it within ten days, and a 14-point notice telling you to contact your insurer to verify coverage. After a declared emergency, a roof contract signed within 180 days may be canceled within ten days, or by the official start date if that comes first, by certified mail or another mailing with proof of delivery (§ 489.147). Fines run to $10,000 per violation.

Assignment of benefits is gone: on policies issued since January 1, 2023, an attempt to assign post-loss benefits to a contractor is void (§ 627.7152(13)). And if a roofer asks you to keep the insurer’s inspector away, the Department of Financial Services calls that a red flag and a possible breach of your policy (myfloridacfo.com).

Roof age and the insurer

Since July 2022 an insurer may not refuse to write or renew a homeowner’s policy solely because the roof is less than 15 years old. If it is 15 or older, you may pay for an inspection, and if it shows five or more years of useful life left, age alone is no longer a lawful reason to refuse. Roof age is counted from the last date 100 percent of the surface was replaced to code (§ 627.7011(5)). The rule does not apply to mobile-home policies. Separately, Citizens requires a four-point inspection on homes more than twenty years old (citizensfla.com); the form asks the covering material, age, remaining useful life, date of the last roofing permit, and a damage checklist from cupping to soft decking, with a photo of every slope (form Insp4pt 03/25).

After the job: the form that earns the discount

Florida requires insurers to give discounts for wind-mitigation features, including roof strength, roof covering performance and roof-to-wall strength, and to accept a uniform inspection form (§ 627.0629; § 627.711). The form is OIR-B1-1802, and a new revision, Rev. 04/26, has been mandatory for inspections since April 1, 2026 (DFS; OIR). It asks for the permit application date or the product-approval number and the year of installation, the weakest deck attachment, the weakest roof-to-wall connection, the roof shape, and whether there is a qualifying secondary water barrier; standard underlayment and hot-mopped felt do not count (the form). A completed form is valid for up to five years, provided no material changes are made to the structure. Keep the permit date and the FL numbers from the job; the form asks for them. The statute’s list of who may sign it names trained home inspectors, building-code inspectors, general, building and residential contractors, engineers, architects, and anyone else the insurer recognizes; the roof-age inspection under § 627.7011 is a different list and does name roofing contractors.

The state’s My Safe Florida Home program offers free wind-mitigation inspections and grants of up to $10,000 for four improvements: opening protection, roof-to-wall attachment, roof-deck attachment and secondary water resistance. A full roof-covering replacement is not on that list. Grants are for homesteaded, site-built homes whose first permit application predates January 1, 2008, insured at $700,000 or less; most grants require the homeowner to put up $1 for every $2 of state money, low-income households excepted; approval must come before work starts, and the program is funded year by year (mysafeflhome.com; § 215.5586).

Money, deposits and storms

If a contractor takes more than 10 percent up front on work that needs a permit, they must apply for it within 30 days and start within 90 days of it issuing, unless you agreed in writing to longer or they have just cause; the next step is a written demand by certified mail, and the rule applies whether or not they are licensed (§ 489.126). A home contract over $2,500 must carry the lien-law notice (§ 713.015); the Attorney General’s advice is to get lien releases from subcontractors before final payment and never to pay the full amount up front (myfloridalegal.com). A licensed roofer must carry at least $100,000 liability and $25,000 property-damage cover (Rule 61G4-15.003). During a Governor-declared state of emergency, unlicensed roofing is a felony on the first offence (§ 489.127(2)(c)), and charging unconscionable prices for repairs is unlawful (§ 501.160). The AG warns to be wary of anyone who approaches you unsolicited, and of anyone offering a discount with leftover supplies from another job.

Before you hire

• A CCC or RC license number on the quote, checked on the DBPR portal. A general contractor without one must subcontract the roof and may not advertise as a roofer.
• Who pulls the permit; expect a Progress Check or dry-in inspection and a final. If they claim the under-$7,500 exemption, it still goes through HillsGovHub with the contract attached.
• The Florida Product Approval (FL#) or Miami-Dade NOA numbers for the covering and the underlayment.
• Which qualifying secondary water barrier will be used, and whether deck re-nailing and roof-to-wall upgrades apply to your house.
• No deductible waiver, gift card or “free roof”; no assignment of benefits; an itemized estimate before any repair authorization.
• The two § 489.147 notices in the contract, the lien-law notice on a home job over $2,500, and a certificate of insurance.
• If they take more than 10 percent down on permitted work: permit applied for within 30 days, work started within 90 days of it, unless you agreed otherwise in writing.
• Afterwards, a new OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26) wind-mitigation form, plus the permit date and FL numbers for your file.

Florida licenses this trade. Roofing is a licensed trade in Florida. A general contractor must subcontract roofing unless they hold the roofing license themselves, and may not advertise as a roofer.

License numbers for this trade start with CCC or RC. A C prefix is certified and valid anywhere in Florida; an R prefix is registered and valid only in the county that issued it.

Source: Fla. Stat. ch. 489, Part I. Check a license ›