Shingle Roof Repair in South Florida

This page is for a shingle roof with a local problem: a few tabs blown off in a storm, a leak at a plumbing vent or chimney, a lifted ridge or a loose drip edge. The thing that matters most in Florida is that a repair is regulated like any other roof work. A permit is often required, the replacement shingles must be nailed and approved to code, and once repairs pass a quarter of the roof, the rules change.

When repair makes sense, and when it doesn’t

The 25 percent rule. No more than 25 percent of a roof, or of a roof section, may be repaired, replaced or recovered in any 12-month period unless that whole roof or section is brought up to the current code.¹ State law makes an exception for roofs built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later: then only the part being repaired has to meet today’s code, even at 25 percent or more.² The 2007 edition took effect March 1, 2009.³ On an older roof, repairs that add up past a quarter of a section can turn into a full re-roof of that section.

The age of the roof. This Old House puts asphalt shingles at 12 to 18 years in Florida.⁴ Repairs do not change the age your insurer sees: roof age runs from the last time 100 percent of the roof was replaced to code.⁵ If your roof is near 15 years and leaking in several places, read shingle roof replacement before you pay for patches.

What a shingle repair involves

Most shingle repairs come down to a short list: shingles lifted or torn off by wind, flashing that has pulled away at a wall or pipe, a damaged drip edge, and soft or rotted deck under a leak. Whatever the cause, the code sets the minimums for the fix.

• Nailing. Outside Miami-Dade and Broward, each strip shingle gets at least four nails, or more if the manufacturer requires. Nails must be galvanized, stainless steel, aluminum or copper, at least 12-gauge with a 3/8-inch head, and long enough to go at least 3/4 inch into the sheathing (or through it, if it is thinner).⁶ In Miami-Dade and Broward, the minimum is six nails per shingle, through the sheathing by at least 1/8 inch, as the product approval details.⁶
• Sealing. A replacement shingle is sealed down to the course below. Outside Miami-Dade and Broward, the code requires shingles with self-seal strips or interlocking tabs.⁶
• Flashing. Outside Miami-Dade and Broward, the code requires flashing at wall and roof intersections, at gutters, at every change in slope or direction and around roof openings, and metal flashing must be corrosion-resistant and meet a minimum thickness.⁶ In Miami-Dade and Broward, flashing follows RAS 111 and the product approval.⁷
• Drip edge. Outside Miami-Dade and Broward, drip edge goes at eaves and gables, lapped at least 3 inches, extending 1/2 inch below the sheathing and at least 2 inches back onto the roof.⁸ In Miami-Dade and Broward, RAS 111 requires at least a 1-1/2-inch face and a 2-inch deck flange.⁷
• The deck under a leak. If water has soaked the plywood, the damaged section is cut out and replaced before new underlayment and shingles go on. In Miami-Dade and Broward, the code says all deteriorated sheathing must be removed and replaced.⁶

If you are not sure where the water is coming in, start with leak detection and repair. Leaks often show up far from where they enter.

Permits for a shingle repair

In Miami-Dade and Broward (HVHZ)

• A permit for any repair. The code requires a permit for all work to apply, repair or maintain any roofing component, except what Section 105 allows. Each repair job uses the HVHZ Uniform Roofing Permit Application, signed by a licensed contractor, with the product approvals attached.⁶
• Broward’s exemption. Broward’s local amendments say no permit is needed to maintain or repair a roof covering when the work does not exceed $1,500, as determined by the building official.⁹
• Miami-Dade’s list. In unincorporated Miami-Dade, a licensed roofing contractor can repair or replace roof covering without a permit only if the job is no more than $2,000 in materials and labor and no more than two roofing squares (200 sq ft). Roof painting, re-applying a maintenance coating and gutter work are also exempt, within limits.¹⁰ A bigger shingle repair needs a permit.
• Approved materials only. HVHZ repairs must use roofing components that have a product approval.⁶ That means the replacement shingle, underlayment and flashing each need a Miami-Dade NOA or a Florida approval listed for HVHZ use. You can look up an NOA on Miami-Dade’s Product Control Search.¹¹

Everywhere else in Florida

Florida law makes it unlawful to repair a building without a permit from the local building department, unless a law provides otherwise. The statewide list of permit exemptions has no roofing item, and “ordinary minor repairs” may skip a permit only with the building official’s approval.¹²¹³ Products must carry Florida Product Approval, searchable by FL number at floridabuilding.org.¹⁴

Statewide: the $7,500 exemption

Since July 1, 2026, building departments must exempt single-family work valued under $7,500 when the owner or contractor files a written request with a copy of the contract. It does not apply in flood hazard areas, to structural work, or to jobs split up to stay under the limit, and it does not mention roofing by name.¹² Confirm with your building department before relying on it.

After a storm

• Report the claim in time. A new property claim must be reported within 1 year of the date of loss; for hurricanes, that is the landfall date or the date NOAA verifies the event.¹⁵
• Know which deductible applies. Insurers may add a separate roof deductible, but it cannot apply to hurricane losses or to repairs of less than 50 percent of the roof.¹⁶ A hurricane deductible applies once per calendar year.¹⁶
• Watch for illegal offers. Contractors may not offer you rebates, gifts, cash or a waiver of your deductible for an inspection or a claim, and may not interpret your policy or adjust your claim unless licensed as a public adjuster.¹⁷ On policies issued since January 1, 2023, you cannot assign your claim benefits to a contractor.¹⁸
• You can cancel. If you sign a roof repair contract within 180 days of a Governor-declared emergency, you can cancel it without penalty within 10 days or before the official start date, whichever comes first.¹⁷
• Owner repairs. Florida law lets owners repair or replace shingles on their own one- to three-family home when the damage came from a Governor-declared emergency and the home is not offered for sale within a year. It exempts you from hiring a licensed contractor, not from the permit.¹⁹

For a roof opened up by wind or a fallen tree, see emergency and storm damage repair.

Insurance inspections

If your insurer asks for a roof-age inspection, a roofing contractor is one of the professionals Florida law lets the insurer approve.⁵ A roofing contractor can also sign Citizens’ Roof Inspection Form and the roof section of its 4-Point form.²⁰²¹ A wind mitigation form is different: insurers only have to accept it from signers on the F.S. 627.711(2) list, which does not include roofing contractors.²² See roof inspection for what we check.

To have a repair looked at, contact us.