Florida roof insurance rules: roof age, Citizens and the 25% rule

This is general information about what the statutes and Citizens' published rules say. It is not advice about your policy. Your policy terms control, and if you have a question about your own coverage, consider contacting your insurer or your agent.

Which rules apply to Florida roofs?

What does Florida's 15-year roof law say?

Under §627.7011(5), an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowners policy solely because the roof is less than 15 years old. For a roof 15 years or older, the insurer must let you have the roof inspected before it requires replacement. The inspector must be approved by the insurer, and you pay for the inspection. If the inspection shows at least 5 years of useful life left, the insurer may not refuse to issue or renew solely because of roof age.

The word "solely" matters. The law does not stop an insurer from declining a roof for its condition, pricing an older roof higher, or using roof endorsements the Office of Insurance Regulation has approved. Roof age counts from the last time 100% of the roof was built or replaced, or, for a roof replaced in phases, from the start of the first partial replacement. The full explanation is on our 15-year roof rule page.

What are Citizens' roof requirements?

Citizens Property Insurance, the state-created insurer, uses its own thresholds, which are later than the statute's 15 years:

• 25 years for shingle and other "soft" roofs, and 50 years for tile, slate, clay, concrete and metal roofs (Citizens FAQ, updated 03/17/2026).
• Above those ages, the owner needs proof of a full replacement (a finalized roof permit, or a paid-in-full contract, work order or receipt) or documentation of at least 5 years of remaining useful life. Citizens raised that minimum to 5 years in 2023 (bulletin 03.31.23).
• Citizens credits at most 5 years of remaining life, whatever the inspection says, and extends coverage on an over-age roof for up to 5 years.
• If the roof was not replaced all at once, the oldest part sets the roof's age.
• Homes more than 20 years old need a 4-point inspection with the application. The current sample forms are the 4-Point Inspection Form Insp4pt 03 25 and the Roof Inspection Form RCF-1 03 25. See roof inspections for insurance for who may sign each.
• Since August 1, 2026, Citizens retrieves roof age automatically from third-party (Verisk) data on new-business applications. If the agent changes the retrieved year, proof is required. "All other underwriting requirements related to roof age and remaining useful life still apply" (bulletin 07.01.26).
• Buying a home with an older roof: a buyer can apply if the purchase closes within 45 days of the coverage date and the buyer provides a signed contract with a licensed general, residential, building or roofing contractor to replace the whole roof within 30 days (bulletin 09.11.25).

Citizens does not require a roof inspection at 15 years. That claim circulates online but contradicts Citizens' own rules. The 15-year figure comes from the statute, and it limits refusals by all insurers, not Citizens' thresholds.

How does the 25% roof rule work?

The Florida Building Code limits how much of an existing roof can be patched. Under FBC-Existing Building 706.1.1 (8th edition, 2023), no more than 25% of a roof or roof section may be repaired, replaced or recovered in any 12-month period unless the roof covering on the whole roof system or section is replaced or recovered to current code. The 8th edition extended the trigger to recovers as well as replacements (Florida Building Commission analysis of changes).

There is a statutory exception. Under §553.844(5), if the existing roof was built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later edition, only the repaired, replaced or recovered portion must meet current code, even at 25% or more. Local governments may not amend this exception. It took effect May 26, 2022 (SB 4-D).

Which branch you are on depends on your roof's permit date or the code edition it was built under, so the permit record is the thing to find first. Our guide to finding your roof's age and permit covers the county portals, and the repair or replace checker applies the 25% rule to your answers.

• Miami-Dade and Broward (HVHZ): the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone has its own 25% rule in FBC-Building 1521.4, with the same 2007-code exception (Miami-Dade summary).
• 9th edition: the 2026 Florida Building Code (9th edition) takes effect December 31, 2026. Section numbers may change; the 2007-code exemption is set by statute and cannot be amended locally.
• Insurance and the 25% rule: ordinance-or-law coverage is the part of a policy that can pay for code-required upgrades. How it applies to a particular roof depends on the policy. See does insurance cover roof replacement.

What is the separate roof deductible?

Since 2022, §627.701(10) lets insurers add a separate roof deductible to a homeowners policy. The statute sets these limits:

• It may not exceed the lesser of 2% of the Coverage A (dwelling) limit or 50% of the cost to replace the roof.
• It applies only to claims adjusted on a replacement-cost basis, and the premium must include an "actuarially sound credit" for it.
• It does not apply to a hurricane loss, a total loss under the valued policy law, a tree fall or other hazard that punctures the roof deck, or a loss needing repair of less than 50% of the roof.
• The insurer must offer you the ability to opt out and reject it at issuance or renewal, on a form approved by the Office of Insurance Regulation.

When a roof deductible applies, the insurer may limit the roof payment to actual cash value until it receives reasonable proof that you paid the roof deductible (§627.7011(3)).

What changed and what didn't in 2026?

Changed in 2026:

• Citizens roof age data (8/1/2026). Roof age on new Citizens applications now comes from third-party data unless the agent supplies proof of a different year.
• Wind mitigation form (4/1/2026). The state's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form is now OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26). See wind mitigation inspections and new-roof credits.
• My Safe Florida Home (SB 1452, ch. 2026-174). The CFO says the bill "clarifies that roof improvements, including replacing the roof covering are grant eligible." The program's own rules attach conditions to that; they are on the wind mitigation page.

Did not change: no 2026 law amended the roof-age rule (§627.7011), the roof deductible (§627.701(10)), the 25% exemption (§553.844(5)) or the assignment-of-benefits ban (§627.7152). The last change to the roof-age rule was HB 1611 in 2024, which added roofing contractors to the list of inspectors an insurer may approve.

Bills that died. Three 2026 bills about roof age were filed and died on March 13, 2026. They are not law:

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