Coral Gables · Miami-Dade County

Metal Roof Replacement in Coral Gables

For most of its history, Coral Gables did not allow metal roofs on houses.

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The Zoning Code barred them from 1929, with a few exceptions, and an ordinance adopted on October 11, 2022 opened the door citywide, but only partway: standing seam metal, on a single-family home, with the approval of the full Board of Architects. Metal is still prohibited in historic districts, a designated or historically significant home also needs the Historic Preservation Board, and the roof may not imitate tile, slate or copper or be painted after it goes on. Before you price panels, check whether your house qualifies. The steps below come from the Zoning Code, the Board's own metal-roof checklist and the HVHZ chapters of the Florida Building Code.

From a 1929 ban to the 2022 amendment

The city's 2022 staff memo lays out the history. The Zoning Code prohibited metal roofs on houses from 1929. George Merrick's original plan allowed them only in a few areas, including the Industrial Section, the Coconut Grove Warehouse Center, MacFarlane Homestead and the Golden Gate Section. In 2007 the City Commission ran a 90-day trial, from July to October, for single-family homes southeast of US-1; 16 metal roofs were approved, and the trial was not made permanent.

Metal was never unknown here, though. Areas the city annexed south of US-1 came with metal roofs already in place, and the memo names Coral Waterway, Hammock Lakes, Snapper Creek Lakes, Pine Bay Estates and Deering Bay. The Board of Architects discussed metal on August 4, 2022, was receptive outside historic districts and historic Mediterranean-style homes, and was strongly opposed to metal made to look like clay tile, slate or copper. The Commission adopted the amendment as Ordinance 2022-58.^1,2

What the code allows today

Section 5-505 now lists standing seam metal as an allowed pitched-roof material for single-family homes, with the approval of the full Board of Architects as appropriate for the architectural style and the neighborhood. It comes with four limits. Metal roofs are prohibited inside historic districts. A locally designated or historically significant home, as determined by the Historic Preservation Officer, also needs Historic Preservation Board approval. The roof may not imitate other materials. And it may not be painted after installation, so the factory color you pick is the color you keep. The section also names exception areas, including Golden Gate, MacFarlane Homestead and St. Alban's Park; if your house is in one of them, ask the City Architect which rules apply to it.

Copper is a separate item in the same section: natural copper, left to oxidize and patina, may be approved by the Board for homes, and it must stay in its natural state with no paint or coating.¹

The style test and the Board's checklist

The Board of Architects application has its own page for metal roofs, new or re-roof, on single-family homes. It asks for a statement of the architectural style of the existing house, and it limits appropriate styles to High Modern, Post-War Modern, Neo-Classical, and Key West or Florida Vernacular. A Mediterranean Revival house is not on that list.

The rest of the checklist is about how the roof will look on your street: a location map, color photos of the neighboring houses (the ones on each side and at least three across the street), color photos of every street side of your house and the waterway side if you have one, a sample of the actual panel showing its width and seam height, the chosen color from the manufacturer's color guide, and a roof plan. The Board meets every Thursday, and submittals are due by noon the Friday before.³

HVHZ rules for the metal itself

Once the design is approved, the roof still has to meet the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone chapters of the Florida Building Code, and Miami-Dade's design wind speed for houses is 175 mph. Every roofing component needs a valid product approval, and if the manufacturer's instructions conflict with it, the approval wins. A metal roof system sold for the HVHZ must pass TAS 100, a wind-driven rain test. Underneath, the code gives three underlayment options: self-adhered membrane over the whole deck, self-adhered tape on every deck joint with underlayment over the whole roof, or two lapped layers of approved underlayment. Edge metal and flashing follow RAS 111, with minimums such as 26-gauge G-90 galvanized steel or 0.025-inch aluminum.

Coral Gables' permit submittal adds the HVHZ roof permit forms, with Sections C and D matched to the metal system, a product approval for each component, and color photos of the house.^4,5,6

Questions

Can I get a metal roof that looks like tile?

No. Section 5-505 says metal roofs may not imitate other materials, and the Board of Architects opposed metal made to look like clay tile, slate or copper when the rule was written. Only standing seam is allowed.

My house is Mediterranean Revival. Can I switch to metal?

The Board's metal-roof checklist limits appropriate styles to High Modern, Post-War Modern, Neo-Classical, and Key West or Florida Vernacular, and metal is prohibited in historic districts. A Mediterranean house is outside that list, so confirm with the City Architect before you pay for samples or drawings.

I live in Snapper Creek Lakes and already have a metal roof. Does the new rule apply to me?

Section 5-505 also lets a house originally permitted with a pitched roof of another material be re-roofed in the same material, so ask the City Architect which path applies to your house. The city's 2022 memo lists Snapper Creek Lakes among the annexed areas that already had metal roofs.

Can I repaint the metal later if I want a different color?

No. The code says metal roofs may not be painted after installation. Choose the color from the manufacturer's guide when you apply, because that is what the Board approves.

Sources

Facts on this page come from these public sources. Last checked September 2026.