What a replacement involves
A replacement strips the old covering and lays a new one over sound deck. Some roofs must come off first. Existing Building section 706.3 requires tear-off to the deck where the roof is water soaked, has two or more applications of covering, has unsecured blisters, or carries wood shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. Standing-seam metal and other complete systems that carry their loads to the structure are among the exceptions, and the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone follows its own sections.
What a new roof costs in Florida: estimates, not quotes
A replacement with tear-off models at $7,000 to $15,200 per roof, tear-off included. Six Florida roofing companies print whole-roof prices, and the band is the middle half of them; our national estimate sits below that and serves only as a floor.
Published prices aren't signed jobs. The permit rows are a separate cost, taken from city schedules.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $7,000 to $15,200 per roof, tear-off included | The middle half of 6 Florida company prices for this job (25th to 75th percentile, $7,000 to $15,200); our national estimate ($4,975 to $12,100: built from two national published ranges, adjusted by the Florida roofer wage ratio (0.84) plus a typical permit fee ($162)) only sets a floor, and the companies' lower quarter sits above it. Six Florida roofing companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: company sample (n=6), interquartile range. |
| Estimated range per square, not a quote | $215 to $610 per square (100 square feet), installed | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Florida roofer wage ratio (0.84), then widened to take in the lowest and highest of the two Florida company prices for this job ($325 to $610). Six Florida roofing companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: small sample (2), national estimate joined with the company range. |
| Roofer wage, Florida mean | $23.49 an hour | BLS May 2025 mean hourly wage for Florida roofers, a worker's pay and not a roof price. |
| Typical re-roof permit fee in Florida | $162 | Median of the eight Florida city roofing fees in the model; your city's counter sets the real fee. |
| Roofing permit, Jacksonville | $150 | Minimum with at least one inspection; $10 per 1,000 square feet applies only to larger roofs, and the page is undated. |
| Roofing permit, Tampa, one- and two-family | $177 | Trade permit schedule updated 2/16/2023, with a Florida surcharge of 2.5 percent or $4 minimum on top. |
| Roofing Miscellaneous permit, Cape Coral | $100 | Schedule effective January 1, 2026, with a 2.5 percent code-enforcement surcharge; the page doesn't say a full re-roof uses this row. |
| Roofing permit, Hialeah, minimum | $290 | Schedule effective March 20, 2026, at $0.20 per square foot up to 10,000; the minimum covers roofs under 1,450 square feet. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (2 sources), adjusted by Florida's roofer wage ratio to the US (0.84, BLS May 2025), plus the local permit fee where the city publishes one. Not a quote. Six Florida roofing companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Six Florida companies publish a price we could count for this job, so the range runs from the lower quarter to the upper quarter of those prices (the middle half of them). Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.
When the code or the insurer points to a new roof
Two rules can force it. Repairing more than 25 percent of a pre-2007-code roof in 12 months brings the whole roof or section up to code. For a roof 15 or more years old, an insurer has to allow an inspection before it requires replacement as a condition of coverage.
- The damage is limited to one slope.
- The deck is dry and the roof is under 15 years old.
- The deck is soaked or rotted across several slopes.
- An inspection shows less than five years of life and the insurer wants proof.
Permits, licenses and what cities print
Jacksonville lists re-roofs among the alterations that need a permit, good for 180 days, and wants the contractor registered with the city. Miami requires a permit for all roofing work and a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance or Florida Product Approval for the materials at application. Orlando adds a dry-in inspection. It has required one on every re-roof since January 1, 2020, and a roof that skipped it may have part or all of the covering pulled off for inspection at final. Section 489.13 stops a building department from issuing a permit to a contractor with no active state certificate or registration.
Deck, water barrier and roof-to-wall rules
When a covering comes off a sawn lumber, wood plank or wood structural panel deck, Existing Building 706.7 requires deck attachment and a secondary water barrier. Section 553.844 adds a roof-to-wall upgrade for a building in the wind-borne debris region insured for $300,000 or more, or, if uninsured, with a just valuation of $300,000 or more. The cost is capped. The retrofit isn't required beyond a 15 percent increase in the cost of reroofing, and Pembroke Pines asks for a roof-to-wall affidavit on homes insured or valued over $300,000.
Notices a Florida roof contract must carry
A roof repair or replacement contract must print, in bold type of at least 14 points on the signature page, a statement advising you to contact your insurer about coverage and deductible before signing if a claim is involved. Leave out the notice on gifts and deductible waivers and the contract is voidable for 10 days. If the work comes within 180 days of a state-of-emergency declaration covering your property, you can cancel without penalty within 10 days or by the official start date, whichever comes first. Over $2,500, the Recovery Fund statement applies.
Signs the old roof can't wait for bids
- The deck is exposed or has sagged between rafters.
- Water is entering at several points after a storm.
- An aging roof with no leaks that you are pricing for next season.
- A worn covering with no leaks while you gather written bids.
Before you sign for a new roof
- Look up the contractor's license on MyFloridaLicense.com and match the name on the contract.
- Ask whether the home sits in the wind-borne debris region and what the roof-to-wall rule means for your insurance value.
- Read the signature page for the two bold notices before you initial anything.
Who issues the re-roof permit
Your city issues it, or the county if you live in an unincorporated place such as Lehigh Acres or Brandon. Lee County requires a roof permit to replace, repair or re-cover a roof and asks whether the debris will be recycled. Hillsborough charges $250.
Florida licenses roofing contractors through DBPR, so before any work starts, ask for the license number and look it up on DBPR's license search.
Questions people ask
How much does a new roof cost in Florida?
We estimate $7,000 to $15,200 per roof, tear-off included, a range and not a quote. The band is the middle half of whole-roof prices six Florida companies publish. Use it to compare written bids.
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Florida?
Yes where the city lists a re-roof permit, and a contractor needs an active state license to get one. Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, Coral Springs, Lakeland and Palm Bay all list a re-roof or roofing permit, and section 489.13 bars permits for unlicensed contractors.
Do I have to tear off the old roof?
Where Existing Building 706.3 requires it. Tear-off is required where the roof is water soaked, has two or more coverings, or carries shake, slate or tile, with exceptions such as standing-seam metal.
What is the roof-to-wall rule for a new roof?
Homes in the wind-borne debris region insured for $300,000 or more must add it, within a 15 percent cost cap. Existing Building 706.8 and section 553.844 set the rule; it applies to roof replacements and isn't required beyond a 15 percent increase in the cost of reroofing.
Can I cancel a roof contract I just signed?
Within 10 days if the notice is missing or the work follows a declared emergency. A contract lacking the required notice is voidable for 10 days, and one made within 180 days of a state-of-emergency declaration can be cancelled within 10 days or by the start date.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Roofers (SOC 47-2181), Florida, mean hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Roofers (SOC 47-2181), United States, mean hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- RooferMatch: how we estimate costs, Florida (editorial policy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Jacksonville: City Fees (Building Inspection) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Tampa: Trade Permit Fee Schedule (updated 2/16/2023) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Cape Coral: Miscellaneous Permit Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2026) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Hialeah: Building Department Fee Schedule effective March 20, 2026 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Online Sunshine: Fla. Stat. 489.105 Definitions Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Online Sunshine: Fla. Stat. 489.13 Unlicensed contracting Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Online Sunshine: Fla. Stat. 489.1425 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Online Sunshine: Fla. Stat. 489.147 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- 2023 Florida Building Code, Existing Building, Eighth Edition, Chapter 7 (ICC free-access copy for the Florida Building Commission) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Online Sunshine: Fla. Stat. 553.844 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- 2023 FBC Building, 8th Edition, Chapter 2 definitions (ICC) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division: FAQs Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Miami: Get a Roofing Permit Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Orlando: Apply for a Residential Roof Permit Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Pembroke Pines: Residential Re-Roof Checklist Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Lee County: Roof Application and Permitting Guide Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Hillsborough County: Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective October 5, 2024) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Online Sunshine: Fla. Stat. 627.7011 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Port St. Lucie: Post-Storm Recovery Permitting Guide Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Coral Springs: Roof / Re-Roof checklist 013.0 and Roofers Application Packet 013.1 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Lakeland: Express Permitting and Permit Requirements Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Palm Bay: Resolution 2024-30, FY2024-25 fee schedule Read Oct 24, 2026.