Boca Raton · Palm Beach County

Tile Roof Replacement in Boca Raton

Boca Raton has a fast lane for re-roofs, and tile is not allowed in it.

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The city's over-the-counter permit for single-family re-roofs lists three exceptions: tile re-roofs, shingle to tile or metal, and homes whose improvement value is over $300,000. A tile job goes through the regular re-roof submittal instead, with a supplemental roofing package that works out tile uplift and a mitigation package that asks about your home's age and value. The city's design wind speed for houses is 170 mph. Boca is not in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so Florida Product Approval governs, though the city also accepts a Miami-Dade NOA. In Old Floresta and Pearl City, the Historic Preservation Board reviews the roof first.

Why tile skips the over-the-counter permit

Boca's over-the-counter (OTC) re-roof permit is limited to single-family homes re-roofed with like materials, or materials that will not increase the roof load. Its checklist lists the exceptions plainly: tile re-roofs, properties where the improvement value is over $300,000, and shingle to tile or metal. So a tile-to-tile job, even one that uses the same tile, goes through the regular single-family re-roof submittal.

That path has its own checklist. The city takes an initial deposit of 1 percent of the contract value (with a $100 minimum on the first $500) and asks for the permit application, the Supplemental Roofing Package, the Re-Roof Mitigation Package, product approvals or NOAs, the contract, an authorized agent form if someone else applies, and a certified Notice of Commencement when the permit value is over $5,000. Owner-builders add an affidavit and an estimate of costs. Applications are filed online through the city's portal.^1,2,3

What the tile paperwork works out

For concrete or clay tile, Boca's Supplemental Roofing Information Package requires sections A, B, C and E plus the product approval pages (cover sheet, system description and limitations), uplift pressures and attachment per the building code, ASCE 7-22 and the FRSA/TRI 7th Edition manual, approvals for accessories such as ridge vents, and a tie-in detail if only part of the roof is being redone.

The forms ask for a roof sketch with its wind pressure zones marked, the exposure category and mean roof height, and the attachment method: type and number of fasteners per tile for mechanically fastened tile, or the product, approval number and number and size of patties for mortar or foam-set tile, plus how hip and ridge tiles are supported. Section E walks through the FRSA/TRI design: find the required uplift moment for the tile from wind speed, roof slope and height, then show the attachment's allowable uplift moment is equal or greater. A city memorandum of January 1, 2018, cited in Boca's re-roof affidavit, sets that wind speed at 170 mph for single-family homes and treats every building as Exposure C unless Exposure D applies.^2,4

The mitigation package: your home's age and value

Boca's Re-Roofing Mitigation Package covers two retrofits from the Florida Building Code, Existing Building. The first is a secondary water barrier when the roof covering is removed and replaced; the form notes that clay and concrete tile systems installed as the code requires are deemed to comply.

The second is roof-to-wall connections. The city's form asks whether the permit for building your home was applied for on or after January 1, 1988; if so, you proceed to signature. If not, you provide the insurance summary or the tax bill or Property Appraiser page, because the improvement value sets the threshold. At $300,000 or more, if the gable ends or all corners can be done for 15 percent of the re-roof cost, the connections must be upgraded, under a separate mitigation retrofit permit from a residential, building or general contractor with a roof plan and connector approvals. Note that the dates differ: the state rule (Existing Building code Section 706.8) reaches wood-decked homes not permitted under the Florida Building Code, which took effect March 1, 2002. If your home was permitted between 1988 and 2002, ask the city which cutoff it applies before you sign.^5,6,7

Old Floresta and Pearl City: the Historic Preservation Board

Barrel tile in Boca goes back to Old Floresta. In October 1925, Addison Mizner's company announced the houses there, and the Boca Raton Historical Society records that their roofs were covered with barrel tile made at Mizner Industries, uneven and low-pitched, alternating with flat parapets.

In Old Floresta and Pearl City, or on an individually designated historic site, a Certificate of Appropriateness is required for any construction, alteration, maintenance or repair of a building's exterior, which includes a re-roof. The Historic Preservation Board meets once a month, typically on the third Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the Community Center Annex, 260 Crawford Boulevard. Applications are due three weeks before the meeting, with photographs of existing conditions and samples and colors of the proposed materials, and the city asks you to bring the samples to the meeting. The Community Appearance Board, by contrast, does not review single-family homes.^8,9,10

Not the HVHZ, but the documents still go on the roof

Palm Beach County is not in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which the Florida Building Code limits to Broward and Miami-Dade. A Boca tile roof follows the code's general roofing rules with Florida Product Approval; the city also accepts a Miami-Dade NOA, but it is not required. What the city insists on is paper. A tile permit is reviewed before it is issued, so the product approvals go in with the application, and the supplemental package must carry original signatures. On counter permits, the contractor also swears that complete, legible approvals for every product, plus the supplemental and mitigation packages, will be on site at inspection, and that a missing approval can fail the inspection with re-inspection fees.

The affidavit lists how inspections are booked: online, by phone at 561-393-7914 or by texting "Schedule" to 833-821-0601. Requests made before 3 p.m. are scheduled for the next business day; after 3 p.m., the business day after that.^2,4,11

Questions

Can I get an over-the-counter permit to replace concrete tile with the same concrete tile?

No. Boca's over-the-counter re-roof checklist lists tile re-roofs as an exception, along with shingle to tile or metal and homes with an improvement value over $300,000. Tile goes through the regular single-family re-roof submittal.

Do I need a Miami-Dade NOA for tile in Boca Raton?

No. Boca is not in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so Florida Product Approval is enough. The city's forms accept either a Florida Product Approval or a Miami-Dade NOA, and whichever you use must be on site at inspection.

My house is in Old Floresta. How far ahead should I start?

The Certificate of Appropriateness application is due three weeks before the Historic Preservation Board's monthly meeting, usually the third Tuesday, and it needs photos plus material samples and colors. Build that month into the schedule before the building permit.

Does the Community Appearance Board need to approve my new roof color?

Not for a single-family home. The Community Appearance Board reviews exterior alterations to buildings other than single-family homes, such as condos and commercial buildings. Historic district homes go to the Historic Preservation Board instead.

Sources

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