Roof inspection Florida: The Florida Guide
By Dale Prescott, Roofing contractor, Central Florida. Reviewed by Hal Winstead, Editor, licensed roofing contractor.
That September afternoon in DeLand, the tile roof looked clean from the street. I got up top and pushed a fingernail into the felt paper under the Spanish tile, and it went in like wet cardboard. The homeowner stood at the base of the ladder saying, "It doesn't leak, you know." Took me about thirty seconds to show him why it was about to. He went quiet real fast.
That's the truth behind roof inspection florida. It's not about the roof looking fine from the curb. It's about the rot you can't see until you're already on it. I've run tile and shingle crews between Orlando and the coast for twenty-two years, and I've torn off more storm-damaged roofs than I care to count. Maybe half of those could have been saved with a decent inspection before the sky turned dark. If you don't have a contractor you trust, a directory like roofing companies in Florida gives you a place to start, but please remember that the directory verifies licenses against the DBPR roll. You should of too. The day you hire a roofer without checking that license is the day you learn why the phrase "licensed and insured" means nothing when the number is expired.
This won't be a polished brochure. This is me walking you through what I'd tell my own sister before she pays for a roof inspection florida job.
What a roof inspection florida really is
A contractor who offers you a "free roof inspection" is usually selling something, not inspecting anything. A real roof inspection florida takes time. I walk the roof, check the valleys, look at the flashing around the vents, pitch pockets, chimneys, and the eave line. Then I go into the attic and look at the underside of the deck. You learn more from below than from above. Wood rot, old leaks, rat damage, all of it shows first underneath.
One customer last year flew a drone over his roof and showed me a "hole" that turned out to be bird droppings. I didn't laugh to his face. But the drone didn't see the soft deck around the chimney, because that kind of damage doesn't show until you're kneeling on it. A drone doesn't have a knee.
What I would actually do: I would come down from the attic before making any recommendation, then run water over the suspect valley for a solid ten minutes. Watching a wet spot grow on the ceiling tells me more than any walk around with a clipboard.
Check the license before the ladder goes up
Florida roofing contractors answer to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. A certified roofing contractor has a license that starts with CCC and can work anywhere in the state. A registered contractor starts with RC and can only work inside the local jurisdiction that issued the license. Either way, verify the number is active on the DBPR roll. Not "my cousin has this guy," not "he's been in business forever." The roll. Right now, before you hand over a down payment.
I have turned down work from homeowners who asked me to mark the RC guy's work as my own. I don't do that. And if a contractor tells you not to worry about the license because they've "been doing roofing since before the internet," that is the exact moment to worry.
The old 25% rule is gone, mostly, but don't take my word as gospel
Here's where I've been wrong about this before. For years, the Florida Building Code said no more than 25% of a roof could be repaired or replaced in a twelve-month period without making the whole roof meet current code. That rule sent alot of people into a panic after a storm ripped off one side of the roof. Then SB 4-D (2022) changed things. If your roof was built, repaired, or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or any later edition, then only the section being worked on has to meet current code. The 2007 edition went into effect on 1 March 2009. So if your roof was completed before that date, it generally doesn't get the benefit of the change.
I say "generally" because local building officials read things differently depending on the day, the inspector, and how many bad roofs they've seen that week. Do not take a roofer's word for it. Take the building department's word. They are the ones who sign the permit.
Wind mitigation: the inspection that pays for itself
A wind mitigation inspection is not the same as a condition report. It documents six things: roof covering, deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection, roof geometry, secondary water resistance, and opening protection. Florida insurers are supposed to offer premium discounts when those features qualify. The standard form is OIR-B1-1802. I've written more of those than I can count, and the cost of the inspection typically comes back in the first year of lower premiums.
But read your declarations page. Coverage and discounts vary by policy, and I am not an adjuster. If you are with Citizens Property Insurance Corporation or any other company, the discount depends on what your policy actually says. Don't let a roofer tell you "this will definately lower your bill." It might. It should. But I've seen an insurance company shrug at a perfectly good wind mitigation form, so get it in writing before you count on it.
What I would actually do: Before paying for a wind mitigation inspection, call your insurance agent and ask if your policy uses the OIR-B1-1802 form and which features earn discounts. Then you know exactly what the inspector should spend his time checking.
Permits are a love letter to your future self
A roof replacement in Florida requires a permit from the local building department and an inspection. No exceptions worth trusting. A contractor who offers to skip the permit is a contractor who already plans to skip something else. An unpermitted roof can turn into a nightmare when you file an insurance claim or try to sell the house. I understand the appeal of saving a few hundred bucks and a week of waiting. I've also been on the roof when the building inspector walked around and spotted the thing everyone else had missed. That alone is worth the paperwork.
The building inspector isn't your friend or your enemy. He's the referee. Just pull the permit.
Questions I get asked
Is a roof inspection florida the same as a wind mitigation inspection?
No. A roof inspection florida is a condition check of the whole roof system. A wind mitigation inspection is a specific form, OIR-B1-1802, that documents six features for a possible insurance discount. I often do both when I'm up there, but they serve different purposes. Your regular home inspector is not a roofer either. Don't let him tell you otherwise after a fifteen-minute look from the ground.
What if my insurance company says I need a full replacement but my roofer says it's fine?
Read your declarations page first, because coverage varies by policy and I can't tell you what yours covers. Then look at Florida Statute 627.70132 and have a conversation with your agent. I'm a contractor, not a lawyer. I can tell you what the deck looks like and what the code says, but I cannot tell you how your policy reads. If the insurer and the roofer disagree, you need a licensed adjuster or an attorney who knows that statute, not another roofer.
Do I need metal or expensive tile to get a wind mitigation discount?
No. The wind mitigation discount is about how the roof is put together, not what brand covers it. Deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections, secondary water resistance, and protection from openings can all score well with asphalt shingles. I've seen cheap shingle roofs with excellent wind performance purely because the nails were right and the straps were solid. And I've seen gorgeous tile roofs with zero secondary water resistance, which means the insurance company yawns and your ceiling catches the rain.
How often should I get an inspection?
After any storm that makes you think, "that was close," call a contractor. Also before buying or selling a home. Other than that, a walk-around twice a year with your own eyes catches most obvious issues. But you can't see the deck from the driveway. If your roof is old, or you have no idea how many layers are under the one you see, get a real look at it. Better to spend a little on an inspection than a lot on a new roof you didn't plan for.
What does a roof inspection florida cost?
Depends on pitch, access, and how much of the roof I can actually walk without breaking something. One-story in Orlando is cheap. A steep 12/12 in New Smyrna Beach costs more. The form for wind mitigation is usually a seperate fee, but don't make your choice on price alone. Hire someone who goes in the attic. If they only look from the roof surface and never go below, they're missing half the story. I've been wrong before, but I've never been wrong because I skipped the attic.