Can a roofing contractor sign a roof certification in Florida?

For the roof-age rule, yes, if the insurer approves the inspector. Florida Statute 627.7011 lists a roofing contractor among authorized inspectors, alongside home inspectors, building code inspectors, engineers and architects. Citizens' sample Roof Inspection Form also accepts a roofing contractor's signature. Ask your insurer which form and licenses it takes.

How is a roof's age counted in Florida?

From the last date the whole roof surface was built or replaced to the code in force then. If it was replaced in sections that together covered 100% of the roof, the clock starts at the first of those partial replacements. The city's permit records show those dates; ask the Building Department if you don't have them.

Is a home inspection the same as a roof inspection?

No. Florida law defines a home inspection as a limited visual exam of many systems, and the roof covering is just one of them. A roof inspection spends the whole visit on the roof and the deck under it, and can add a written estimate of remaining life, which an insurer may ask for on an older roof.

Roof Inspection in Pompano Beach, FL

Typical cost: $100 to $400 for the inspection in national cost guides, plus $75 to $200 for a written roof certification
Drone inspection: $100 to $450 in the same national guides
Roof-age line: Florida's rule turns at 15 years, and an inspection that finds 5 or more years of useful life left protects an older roof from a refusal based on age alone

Pompano Beach Roofers arranges a roof inspection with a roofing contractor in the city: a walk of each slope, a check of the deck's underside from the attic if it can be reached, and a written condition report with photos. The reason for the visit decides what the report needs to show.

Roof Inspections by Reason for the Visit

A clipboard with a blank roof condition checklist resting on concrete roof tiles

Roof certification an insurer asks for

When an insurer wants proof of a roof's condition, it usually wants a specific form. Citizens' sample Roof Inspection Form shows what goes on one: covering material, roof age, remaining useful life, the date of the last roofing permit, and photos of every slope. It also lists the defects to check for:

Cracking, cupping or curling
Excessive granule loss, exposed asphalt or exposed felt
Missing, loose or cracked tabs or tiles
Soft spots in the decking
Signs of leaks in the attic or on ceilings

This form doesn't cover wind mitigation features. Those go on a separate state form (wind mitigation inspections).

A ladder against the eave of a stucco home with a tile roof, set up for an inspection

Before buying or selling

A buyer's home inspection covers the roof, but under Florida law it is a limited visual look, and the roof covering is one of eight systems and components on the list. A roof-only visit answers the questions a sale turns on: how old the covering is, when the last roofing permit was closed, how much life it has left, and whether the deck feels soft. Most of the city's housing predates 1980 (housing age), so the date of the last roofing permit tells you more than the year the house was built.

A gloved hand checking the mortar under a concrete tile ridge cap on a sunny day

Before hurricane season

A routine visit fits before the season opens on June 1 (season dates), while there's time to fix what it finds. HomeGuide's tile roof guide suggests an inspection every 3 to 5 years, or after any damage. Ask for photos of each slope even when nothing is wrong: they give the next inspection something to compare against. Small findings can go straight to roof maintenance.

After a storm

A roof can look fine from the street and still be letting water in. FEMA's review of hurricane damage in Florida found that wind-driven rain can soak attic insulation, seep into walls and lead to mold. A post-storm inspection should include the attic, looking for wet decking or stained insulation, and a walk of every slope for lifted or missing pieces. Damage found there moves to storm damage roof repair.

A roofer's gloved hands pressing on the rubber pipe boot flashing of a vent on a gray shingle roof

Why Pompano Beach homeowners call Pompano Beach Roofers

Calling or sending the form costs you nothing
Your request goes to one roofer, not a list of bidders
Ask for tear-off, deck work and the permit on one itemized quote
Get the roofer's CC or RC license number and check it yourself

How Florida's Roof-Age Rule Works

The homepage has the short version. The details that decide most cases:

Who can inspect
The statute's "authorized inspector" must be approved by the insurer and hold one of the listed licenses. A roofing contractor is on that list.
Who pays
At 15 years or older, the homeowner pays for the inspection before any forced replacement.
Which policies
The rule covers homeowners' policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2022. It doesn't apply to mobile home policies.
Insurer limits
Citizens Property Insurance asks for proof of 5 years of remaining life once a shingle roof passes 25 years, or a tile, metal or other hard roof passes 50.

See wind mitigation and 4-point inspections for the two other insurer forms that involve the roof.