Florida's 25% Roof Rule: What SB 2-D Changed and What It Means for Your Repair

The rule as it stood for years

The Florida Building Code, Existing Building volume, contains a provision aimed at stopping endless patchwork on old roofs. In plain terms: if you repair, replace or recover more than 25 percent of any roof section within a twelve-month period, the whole section has to be brought up to the current code. For most homes that meant a full roof replacement, because you cannot make half a roof code-compliant.

Homeowners ran into it most often after storms. A hurricane strips 30 percent of the shingles off one slope; the insurance adjuster approves a repair; the permit office says the repair triggers the rule; the homeowner is suddenly looking at a full replacement with a partial insurance payment.

What Senate Bill 2-D changed in 2022

During the May 2022 special session on property insurance, the Legislature passed SB 2-D. Among its provisions, it amended the 25 percent rule so that it no longer forces full replacement on roofs that were already built to a modern standard. Specifically: if the existing roof was built or replaced in compliance with the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later edition, then a repair of more than 25 percent only requires the repaired portion to comply with current code. The rest of the roof can stay.

The change has since been carried into the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023).

What this means in practice

• Roof permitted in 2008 or later (2007 code or newer): a large storm repair is a repair. The repaired area is done to current code; the remainder is left alone. Full replacement becomes your choice, not a mandate.
• Roof permitted before the 2007 code took effect: the original rule still applies. Repairing more than 25 percent of a section within twelve months requires bringing the whole section to code.
• Unknown permit history: the county's permit records are the source of truth. We pull them as part of the Roof Report so you know which side of the line you are on before a storm forces the question.

The roof-age insurance provisions in the same bill

SB 2-D also addressed insurers using roof age to drop or deny coverage. Under the law, an insurer may not refuse to write or renew a policy solely because of the age of the roof if the roof is less than 15 years old. For roofs 15 years or older, the homeowner can obtain an inspection showing the roof has at least five years of remaining life, and the insurer may not refuse solely on roof age. The practical takeaway: keep documentation of your roof's permit date and condition, because it now carries weight with your carrier.

Where roofers get this wrong

Two mistakes are common. The first is contractors who still quote the old rule to every homeowner and push replacement when a compliant repair is allowed. The second is contractors who ignore the rule on pre-2007 roofs and perform a large repair without a permit — leaving the homeowner with unpermitted work that surfaces at sale or at the next insurance inspection. The right answer depends on your permit history, and it should be in writing on your quote.

What we do

On every repair estimate we identify the permit history of the existing roof, state which version of the rule applies, and write the scope accordingly. If a replacement is required, we say so and why. If it is not, we say that too.