Roof Replacement
Full tear-off, decking inspected and repaired, then a complete system installed — usually one to two days on a typical Florida single-family home.
See detailsGuide
What is Florida's 25% roof rule?
Florida's 25% rule says that no more than 25 percent of a roof section may be repaired, replaced or recovered in any twelve-month period unless the whole roof section is brought up to current code. Since SB 4-D in 2022 there is an exception: if the existing roof was built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, only the repaired portion has to comply. The 2007 code took effect on 1 March 2009 — so your roof's permit date is what decides it.
Step 1 of 2
Pricing your roof…
One momentGot it — an estimator will call.
They will want to walk the roof: the drainage, the access and the deck are what price a flat system, and none of it shows up from the air.
One contract, one company responsible — JAC is a licensed general contractor as well as a roofer.
Got it — we have your details.
You are outside Tampa Bay and Central Florida, so this is a call rather than a price. Someone will tell you straight whether we can get to you.
If we cannot, we will say so and point you at someone who can. A roofer who drives two hours to a job is a roofer who is not there when it leaks.
Got it — we have your details.
A roofer from the Tampa Bay office will call you to book your free inspection. You get the same written roof report, photographed slope by slope, and a fixed price once someone has actually been on the roof.
We do not show an instant price on the Gulf Coast. The aerial pricing tool only covers Central Florida, and a number we cannot stand behind is worse than no number at all.
- 1Drop in your address. Street and number is plenty.
- 2We call down the satellite. It photographs your roof from orbit while you wait.
- 3An estimator calls you with the price. Shingle, metal or flat — a real number for your roof, not a screen guess.
Nobody turns up unannounced. An estimator calls you at a time you agree to, with the price.
What the code actually says
The rule lives in the Florida Building Code — Existing Building section 706.1.1 and Residential section R908.1. The language is that not more than 25 percent of the total roof area or roof section may be repaired, replaced or recovered in any twelve-month period unless the entire roof system or roof section is brought into compliance with current code. It exists so storm-battered roofs get progressively upgraded to modern wind standards instead of being patched forever.
The 2022 exception, and the date that matters
SB 4-D, passed in the May 2022 special session on property insurance, added what is now section 553.844(5) of the Florida Statutes: where the existing roof was built, repaired or replaced in compliance with the 2007 Florida Building Code or any later edition, only the repaired, replaced or recovered portion must meet the current code. The 2007 code took effect on 1 March 2009. That date — not the damage percentage — is the hinge.
No city or county can make it stricter
Section 553.844(5) also says a local government may not adopt an administrative or technical amendment to this exception. So no building department in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Orange, Osceola, Lake, Polk, Manatee or Sarasota County can impose a tougher local version of it. If you're told otherwise, ask for the citation.
'Roof section' is not 'whole roof'
The threshold applies per roof plane or section, not to the house as a whole — which is why the answer depends on your roof's geometry. One large continuous slope and a roof broken into six small planes behave completely differently under the same rule.
Why we check the permit record before quoting
Establishing which side of 1 March 2009 your roof falls on means pulling the permit history from the city or county. Guessing is how a job fails its final inspection after the work is done. Note too that the exception is generally understood to require the earlier permit to have been properly closed out — another reason to look rather than assume.
The honest version
The 25% rule gets used as a sales lever — 'code requires a full replacement' — on roofs where the exception plainly applies. If a contractor cites it, ask which code edition your roof was permitted under. If they can't tell you, they haven't checked.
Need this doing rather than reading about? Roof Repair — Most leak repairs $450–$900.
This page is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Florida statutes and the Florida Building Code change; the citations here were checked in October 2026. For advice on your own policy or claim, speak to your agent, your carrier, or the Florida Department of Financial Services. JAC Builders does not interpret insurance policies — Florida law (s. 489.147) reserves that to licensed public adjusters.
Related questions
Does the 25% rule apply to tile roofs?
Yes, the same provisions apply. On tile the practical question is usually the underlayment: once you're lifting more than a quarter of a section, a full lift-and-relay often makes more sense anyway.
Can I repair 24% now and more next year?
The rule is written around a rolling twelve-month period specifically to limit that. It's also usually a false economy — and Citizens scores a partially replaced roof on the age of its oldest section, so you may not gain anything on the insurance side either.
Who enforces it?
The local building department, at permit and at final inspection. It is not something a contractor can waive, and it is not negotiable on site.
What we do
Roof Repair
Pipe boots, lifted ridge cap, failed valley flashing, cracked tiles. We fix what is broken, and say so plainly when a repair is only buying months.
See details
Storm Damage Restoration
Tarp and dry-in first, then photograph the roof plane by plane and put it in writing — a report you can hand straight to your insurance carrier.
See details
Free Roof Inspection
A written, photographed report on every slope, flashing and penetration, with the remaining life. Free, and yours to keep whether you hire us or not.
See details
Shingle Roofing
Architectural shingle installed as a complete system: underlayment, fastening pattern, metal and ventilation. Owens Corning Platinum Preferred.
See details
Tile Roofing
On tile the underlayment is the waterproofing, so most Florida tile work is re-underlayment: tiles off, a new system down, the same tiles back on.
See details
Metal Roofing
Standing seam and 5V crimp — 40 to 70 years, high wind ratings, and it sheds heat instead of holding it. Two to three times shingle up front.
See details
Commercial Roofing
TPO, modified bitumen and flat systems, phased building by building so tenants keep trading and every unit is dried in before we leave each night.
See details
Exteriors & Custom Builds
Gutters, soffit and fascia, re-roofing under an existing solar array, and the interior damage under a leak. We hold the general contractor's licence, so it is one contract, not two.
See detailsFree roof inspection. Written report. No obligation.
Mon–Fri 8am–5pm · Sat 8am–12pm · storm and active-leak calls answered after hours. Call Tampa Bay on (813) 920-9644 — or send your address and we'll come and look at it.