Permits & inspections
Roof permits: who pulls them and how to look one up
Updated 2026-09-16. Facts checked against official sources on that date.
Short answer
Most roof replacements and many repairs in Florida need a building permit from your city or county building department. Your licensed roofer normally applies for it, and only once they have a contract for your job. Look the permit up on your building department's website before work starts.
When a roof permit is needed
Florida law makes it unlawful to build, alter, repair or demolish a building without a permit from the local building department, unless the law provides an exception. Starting permitted work without a permit in effect also breaks the contractor licensing law.[1][2]
Some very small repairs may not need a permit under local rules. The City of Naples, for example, has listed repairs to a single-family roof of less than 2 squares (200 square feet) as not needing a permit. Local rules change, so confirm with your own building department before work starts.[8]
The 2026 exemption for work under $7,500
Since July 1, 2026, Florida law requires local governments to exempt owners of single-family homes, or their contractors, from a building permit for work valued under $7,500. It comes with limits.[1]
- It doesn't apply to electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work.
- It doesn't apply in a flood hazard area.
- A project can't be split up to get under $7,500.
- It isn't automatic. A written request for exemption must go to the building department, with the contract or other proof of the work and its value.
Don't assume your roof qualifies
The law doesn't say whether roofing counts as structural work, and building departments disagree. The City of Naples treats roofing as structural, so it doesn't qualify there. Pinellas County lists roofs among projects that might qualify. Ask your building department before any work starts.[7][9]
Who applies for the permit
The Florida Building Code puts the duty to get the permit before regulated work begins on the owner or the owner's authorized agent. That agent can be your licensed roofing contractor, applying for you.[6]
A licensed contractor may apply for a permit only when they actually have a contract to do that work, with narrow exceptions such as work on their own property.[2]
Homeowners can sometimes act as their own contractor on their own one- or two-family home, for their own use and not for sale or lease, and they must appear in person to sign the permit application. If you sell the home within a year of finishing the work, the law presumes it was built for sale. Talk to your building department before you choose this route.[3]
Permits and the notice of commencement
Every permit card must warn that a notice of commencement has to be recorded and posted at the site before the first inspection. For direct contracts over $5,000, a copy must also be filed with the permit office before that inspection. Jobs of $2,500 or less don't need the notice.[4][5]
Plan review and inspections
Under the Florida Building Code's minimum plan review criteria, a reroof doesn't need plans examined by the building official. It still gets inspected. The roofing inspection covers at least the dry-in, insulation, roof covering and flashing.[6]
For a single-family home, a local building permit expires one year after it's issued or when the next edition of the Florida Building Code takes effect, whichever is later, unless the local government extends it.[1]
How to look up a permit
Florida law requires building departments to post the status of every permit application on their website until the permit is issued. Some portals, like the City of Naples portal, also show inspection status.[1]
| Building department | Where to look |
|---|---|
| City of Naples | The city's CityView portal, where you can apply for permits and check application and inspection status. |
| Collier County (unincorporated areas) | The GMCD Public Portal (CityView) at cvportal.collier.gov. |
- Ask your roofer for the permit number before work starts.
- Search it on your building department's portal, and check that the address matches your home.
- Check back for inspection results as the job moves along.
Every roofer in this directory shows its license
Each listing carries the license number, type and status from the state record, with the date we checked.
Find roofers by countyQuestions
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Florida?
Almost always. Florida law requires a permit to alter or repair a building unless an exception applies (s. 553.79). Local rules on small repairs vary, so check with your city or county building department.
Is a roof job under $7,500 exempt from a permit?
Not necessarily. The 2026 exemption excludes structural work, flood hazard areas and homes that aren't single-family, and it needs a written request. Some building departments, like Naples, treat roofing as structural, so a roof job doesn't qualify there.
Who pulls the roof permit, me or the roofer?
Often your licensed roofing contractor, applying for you. A contractor may apply only once they have a contract for your job (s. 489.127). In limited cases you can act as an owner-builder on your own home. You'd have to sign in person.
How can I check if my roofer pulled a permit?
Ask for the permit number. Then look it up on your city's or county's permit portal, since Florida building departments must post application status online until the permit is issued (s. 553.79).
Sources
- [1] Florida Statutes s. 553.79: Permits; applications; issuance; inspections, checked 2026-09-16
- [2] Florida Statutes s. 489.127: Prohibitions; penalties, checked 2026-09-16
- [3] Florida Statutes s. 489.103: Exemptions (owner-builder), checked 2026-09-16
- [4] Florida Statutes s. 713.135: Notice of commencement and applicability of lien, checked 2026-09-16
- [5] Florida Statutes s. 713.02: Types of lienors (exemption at subsection 5), checked 2026-09-16
- [6] Florida Building Code, Building, 8th Edition (2023), Chapter 1: Sections 105, 107 and 110, checked 2026-09-16
- [7] City of Naples: Building permit exemptions for residential properties (HB 803), checked 2026-09-16
- [8] City of Naples: When do I need a permit?, checked 2026-09-16
- [9] Pinellas County: Permit exemptions for work under $7,500, checked 2026-09-16
- [10] City of Naples: Electronic permitting, permit status, permit search, checked 2026-09-16
- [11] Collier County: Building Permits & Construction, checked 2026-09-16
General information, not legal advice. Laws and records change; confirm with the agency before you act.