Roofing in Miami, FL

What is on the roofs in Miami

A large share of Miami's older houses went up in the 1920s land boom. Shenandoah was founded in 1919, Morningside was built from 1925 by more than 40 local architects, and the Buena Vista district mixes Mediterranean Revival, Mission, Craftsman and Art Deco houses from that decade. Palm Grove, the city's largest historic district, spans 1921 to 1959.^6,7,8

Local rules and history that affect your roof

• The city has nine designated historic districts, among them Morningside (1984), Buena Vista (1988), MiMo/Biscayne Boulevard (2006) and Palm Grove (2009). A roof replacement in the original historic material is a minor alteration handled by staff under a Standard Certificate of Appropriateness; if you are already pulling a building permit for small repairs, you do not apply for the COA separately. New construction, demolition and large alterations need a Special COA heard by the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board.^6,9,10
• The city's tile re-roof checklist requires a disclosure on the HVHZ roof sketch: the permit authorizes only the roofing and does not legalize any part of the structure the roof sits on. An unpermitted porch enclosure stays unpermitted after the new roof goes on.¹¹
• A tile re-roof in the city goes through four roofing inspections: insulation, in-progress tile, tin cap and final. The application must include the Miami-Dade NOA for the tile system, the UL listing and the owner's notification form 1524.¹¹
• Per the city's roofing permit page, residential jobs under $2,500 carry no upfront fee, and the first review cycle can take up to 14 business days.²
• Anywhere in the city, cutting back a tree that hangs over your roof needs a city tree permit once the trimming reaches 25% of the tree. In Coconut Grove the Neighborhood Conservation District (NCD-3) was written specifically to protect the tree canopy.^12,13

Storms that hit here

• Great Miami Hurricane (1926). The eye passed over downtown Miami and parts of Coconut Grove around 6:30 a.m. on September 18, 1926, as a Category 4 hurricane. Surge pushed the Atlantic across Miami Beach and Biscayne Bay into the city for several blocks, and the Red Cross counted 372 dead.¹⁴
• Wilma (2005). Miami International Airport measured sustained winds of 58 knots (67 mph) with gusts to 80 knots (92 mph). The National Hurricane Center listed extensive roof damage among Wilma's South Florida impacts.¹⁵

What this means for a re-roof in Miami

How old the houses are. The median home in Miami was built in 1979; 63.6% of its 223,826 homes predate 2000 and 19.2% were built in 2010 or later. So most houses here went up before Florida’s first statewide building code took effect on March 1, 2002.^5,16,17,18

Pre-2002 wood-deck houses. When the old covering comes off, the deck gets re-nailed to current code and a secondary water barrier goes on; in the wind-borne debris region, insured homes of $300,000+ may also need roof-to-wall connections (capped at 15% of the re-roof cost).^16,17,18

Repair or replace. Replacing 25% or more of a roof section in 12 months generally means redoing the section to current code — unless that roof was built or replaced under the 2007 code or later.^17,18,19,20

Product approval. In the HVHZ every roofing component needs a current product approval — a Miami-Dade NOA or a Florida approval listed for HVHZ use. Ask for the numbers and look them up yourself.^19,21

Roof age and insurance. An insurer can’t refuse a policy just because the roof is under 15 years old. If it is 15 or older, you can get an inspection first; at least 5 years of remaining life means age alone isn’t grounds to refuse.²²