Florida Roof Age Law: The 15-Year Rule, Roof Deductibles and What Insurers Can Still Do

Fifteen years. Under s. 627.7011(5), Florida Statutes, an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowners policy on a house with a roof under 15 years old solely because of the age of the roof. Once the roof hits 15, the insurer has to let you get an inspection before it can require a new roof, and if that inspection shows 5 or more years of useful life left, it can't refuse you on age alone.

The word doing all the work is "solely." The law doesn't stop an insurer from declining a roof that's in bad shape, and it says nothing about price. Here's what the statute says, what it leaves out, and how Florida's other roof rules fit around it, with Isaias roof claims still coming in across the Panhandle.

Source: s. 627.7011, s. 627.701 and s. 553.844, Florida Statutes (2026).

What s. 627.7011(5) says, line by line

The roof age rule came in with CS/SB 2-D, the property insurance bill from the Legislature's May 2022 special session (chapter 2022-268, Laws of Florida), signed May 26, 2022 (Florida Senate bill page). The subsection applies to homeowners policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2022 (s. 627.7011(5)(e)). It has four working parts.

Roofs under 15 years old. The statute's words: "An insurer may not refuse to issue or refuse to renew a homeowner's policy insuring a residential structure with a roof that is less than 15 years old solely because of the age of the roof."

Roofs 15 years and older. The insurer "must allow a homeowner to have a roof inspection performed by an authorized inspector at the homeowner's expense before requiring the replacement of the roof" as a condition of issuing or renewing. If that inspection "indicates that the roof has 5 years or more of useful life remaining," the insurer may not refuse to issue or renew "solely because of roof age." You pay for the inspection, and the protection turns on what it finds.

Who counts as an authorized inspector. The inspector has to be approved by the insurer and be one of these: a licensed home inspector, a certified building code inspector, a licensed general, building or residential contractor, a roofing contractor, a licensed professional engineer, a licensed architect, or anyone else the insurer recognizes as qualified to inspect a home (s. 627.7011(5)(a)). Roofing contractors were added to that list by chapter 2024-182, effective July 1, 2024 (ch. 2024-182, s. 8). Before you book anyone, ask the insurer or your agent whether that inspector's report will be accepted.

How roof age is counted. Age runs from "the last date on which 100 percent of the roof's surface area was built or replaced" under the building code then in effect (s. 627.7011(5)(d)). A patch or a partial replacement doesn't reset the clock. If you replaced the roof in stages and the stages together covered 100% of the surface, age counts from the date of the first partial job. That's why the permit history matters more than when the last shingle went on.

What "solely" leaves open

The law doesn't say "my roof is 12 years old, so they have to insure me." The same section states it does not limit an insurer's ability to reject or nonrenew on the grounds that the structure doesn't meet underwriting criteria for replacement cost or law and ordinance policies, "or for other lawful reasons" (s. 627.7011(6)(c)).

In practice, here's what the roof age law does not do:

• It doesn't protect a roof in poor condition. Missing shingles, soft decking, active leaks or unrepaired storm damage are condition problems, not age problems.
• It doesn't regulate price. Nothing in s. 627.7011(5) stops an insurer from rating an older roof differently. Expect the roof's age and material to show up in the premium.
• It doesn't cover mobile home policies. The section expressly doesn't apply to them (s. 627.7011(6)(b)), or to policies that aren't homeowners policies as the industry commonly understands the term.
• It doesn't set how a roof claim is paid. Some policies settle older roofs on actual cash value through an endorsement. That's policy wording filed with the regulator, not something this statute requires. Check your declarations page and endorsements.

The Legislature looked at going further this year. SB 808 and HB 815 (2026), "Roofing Requirements for Property Insurance," would have reworked the roof age rules. Both died in committee on March 13, 2026 (SB 808; HB 815). So the 2022 rule, with the 2024 inspector tweak, is still the law.

Your roof's age, rule by rule

Different thresholds come from different places. The statute sets a floor on age-only refusals for every homeowners insurer. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the state-created insurer of last resort, adds its own eligibility rules on top.

Source: s. 627.7011(5) and (6), Florida Statutes (2026); Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Inspections.

How the roof laws changed, 2021 to 2026

Most of Florida's roof rules came out of the 2022 special session, with contractor rules on both ends.

Source: s. 627.7011, s. 627.701, s. 553.844, s. 489.147 (history notes), Florida Statutes (2026); SB 76 (2021), SB 2-D (2022), SB 4-D (2022), ch. 2024-182, ch. 2024-139, ch. 2025-40; Rule 69O-170.0155, F.A.C..

The optional roof deductible: what it can and can't do

The same 2022 bill let insurers add a separate roof deductible to personal residential policies (s. 627.701(10)). It's optional for the insurer, and it comes with limits:

• It can't exceed the lesser of 2% of the Coverage A (dwelling) limit or 50% of the cost to replace the roof.
• The premium must include an actuarially sound credit or discount for it.
• It applies only to claims adjusted on a replacement cost basis.
• When it's applied, no other deductible in the policy applies to that loss or to other losses to the property from the same covered peril.

Just as important is where it doesn't apply. Under s. 627.701(10)(a)5, the roof deductible doesn't apply to a total loss under the valued policy law, a roof loss from a hurricane (as defined in s. 627.4025), a roof loss from a tree fall or other hazard that punctures the roof deck, or a roof loss that needs repair of less than 50% of the roof.

You also get a say. At new business, an insurer offering a roof deductible must let you opt out by signing an OIR-approved rejection form. At renewal, it can add one only with a notice of change in policy terms, and it still has to offer the opt-out form (s. 627.701(10)(b) and (c)). If your policy has one, a bold warning page sits right behind the declarations page, and the dollar amount must appear on the declarations page or renewal notice (s. 627.701(4)(e)).

The cap is easier to see in dollars. These are hypothetical limits and roof costs, not quotes or typical prices.

Source: cap from s. 627.701(10)(a)2, Florida Statutes (2026); dollar figures are hypothetical and calculated. The deductible in your policy can be lower than the cap, never higher.

Example: say a hail storm that isn't part of a hurricane damages enough of a roof that the whole $20,000 roof has to be replaced, on a home with a $300,000 Coverage A limit. The roof deductible can't exceed $6,000 (2% of Coverage A, which is less than half the roof cost), so on a replacement cost basis the policy's share would be $14,000. One catch: when a roof deductible applies, the insurer may limit the roof payment to actual cash value until it gets reasonable proof you paid the roof deductible, such as a canceled check, money order receipt, credit card statement or a signed financing contract (s. 627.7011(3)(a)). Keep that receipt.

Change the facts and the answer changes. If the same storm only damaged 30% of the roof, the roof deductible wouldn't apply at all, and the policy's regular deductible would apply. If it was a hurricane, the hurricane deductible applies; my Florida hurricane deductible post walks through that math.

The 25% reroof rule, and what changed in 2022

The "25% rule" refers to roof work covering 25 percent or more of a roof. SB 4-D, the building safety bill from the same May 2022 special session (chapter 2022-269), wrote an exception into statute (Florida Senate bill page).

Under s. 553.844(5), if a roof or roof section was built, repaired or replaced to the 2007 Florida Building Code or any later edition, and 25% or more of it is being repaired, replaced or recovered, "only the repaired, replaced, or recovered portion is required to be constructed in accordance with the Florida Building Code in effect." Local governments can't amend that exception by ordinance.

So the rule now depends on the roof's code vintage. A roof installed to the 2007 code or later: only the repaired part has to meet current code, even at 25% or more. A roof installed under an older code doesn't get this exception. If you don't know which code your roof was built to, the permit date is the first thing to pull.

Under rules required by s. 553.844(3)(a), a roof replacement on a site-built single-family home built before the Florida Building Code must include a secondary water barrier and strengthened or corrected roof-deck attachment. Both are items the wind mitigation form records.

Citizens' roof rules are stricter on paperwork

Citizens publishes its own roof requirements (Citizens inspections page). Its 25- and 50-year thresholds sound looser than the statute's 15, but they're documentation triggers, not a promise:

• Four-point inspection for all property owner, dwelling and mobile home applications on properties more than 20 years old. A Florida-licensed inspector reports the age, type and condition of wiring, heating, plumbing and roof.
• Older roofs. Roofs older than 25 years for "soft" coverings like shingles, or 50 years for "hard" coverings like tile, slate, clay, concrete or metal, need documentation showing at least five years of remaining useful life. If the roof has less than five years left, Citizens wants proof of a full roof replacement before any policy is written.
• Field surveys. Citizens may send exterior-only or interior and exterior surveys during the policy, at no cost to the policyholder, and may require you to repair hazards or deficiencies they find.

Citizens' sample Roof Inspection Form shows what a report needs: photos of every slope, covering material, roof age, remaining useful life, the last roofing permit date, and signs of damage like curling, granule loss or soft decking, signed by a Florida-licensed contractor, building code inspector or home inspector (Citizens Roof Inspection Form). If you're on Citizens or headed there, my Citizens 2026 post covers eligibility and takeouts.

Wind mitigation: the roof questions that affect your premium

The roof age law decides whether you can get or keep a policy. The wind mitigation form affects what it costs. Florida requires insurers' rate filings to include discounts, credits or deductible reductions for windstorm loss-reducing construction, including roof strength, roof covering performance and roof-to-wall strength (s. 627.0629(1)), and to tell you at issuance and each renewal what discounts are available (s. 627.711(1)).

The proof is form OIR-B1-1802, the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form. The current version (Rev. 04/26) took effect April 1, 2026 under Rule 69O-170.0155 (Florida Administrative Code). Six of its questions are about the roof.

Source: Form OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), adopted by Rule 69O-170.0155, F.A.C.

On question 4, the top answer covers roofs with a roofing permit application dated on or after March 1, 2002, a qualifying product approval, or an original roof on a home built in 2004 or later. The form is valid for up to five years as long as no material changes are made to the structure (OIR-B1-1802). A reroof can count as a material change, so ask your insurer whether it wants a fresh inspection.

My Safe Florida Home. The state program, run by the Department of Financial Services, offers wind mitigation inspections to owner-occupied, site-built single-family homes with a homestead exemption (s. 215.5586). Grants are limited to homes built before January 1, 2008 with an insured value of $700,000 or less, owned by low- or moderate-income applicants (as defined in s. 420.0004), and can go toward roof-to-wall connections, stronger roof-deck attachment, and secondary water resistance with a new roof covering. The state puts up $2 for every $1 from the homeowner, up to $10,000 from the state; low-income applicants can get up to $10,000 with no match. The program depends on yearly funding from the Legislature and isn't an entitlement, and the statute changed twice in 2026, so check current rules and funding on mysafeflhome.com before you plan around it.

Roofing contractors after a storm: what Florida bans

Florida tightened roofing contractor rules in 2021 and has kept adding to them. Under s. 489.147, a contractor may not:

• offer a rebate, gift, gift card, cash, coupon, waiver of your insurance deductible, or anything else of value in exchange for inspecting your roof or for you filing a roof claim;
• solicit you with ads urging a roof claim unless they carry the required fraud and deductible warnings;
• interpret your policy or adjust your claim unless licensed as a public adjuster.

Fines run up to $10,000 per violation. A roof contract must include a notice of the gift and deductible-waiver ban; if it's missing, you can void the contract within 10 days of signing (s. 489.147(3) and (5)).

After a declared emergency there's an extra right. If you sign a roof contract within 180 days of events behind a Governor's state of emergency, and your property is in the declared area, you can cancel without penalty within 10 days of signing or by the official start date, whichever comes first. Send the cancellation by certified mail, return receipt requested, or another method with proof of mailing, to the address in the contract (s. 489.147(6)).

Isaias roof claims: which rules apply

As of October 13, OIR's Hurricane Isaias page showed 29,527 claims of all types and $333,430,106 in estimated insured losses (OIR). OIR doesn't break out roof claims, so treat the chart below as a picture of where the damage landed, not a roof count. The five Panhandle counties shown account for about 97% of all reported claims.

Santa Rosa15,348Escambia8,476Okaloosa2,571Walton1,116Bay1,102

Source: Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Hurricane Isaias claims data (data as of October 13, 2026).

Show the numbers

County	Claims
Santa Rosa	15,348
Escambia	8,476
Okaloosa	2,571
Walton	1,116
Bay	1,102

For roof damage from Isaias, three rules from this post come together:

1. Hurricane deductible, not roof deductible. A roof loss resulting from a hurricane is excluded from the separate roof deductible by s. 627.701(10)(a)5.b. Your hurricane deductible applies instead (how it works).
2. Your 10-day contract cancellation right. OIR reports that the Governor declared a state of emergency for 25 counties for Isaias (Executive Order 26-202). In those counties, the s. 489.147(6) cancellation right covers roof contracts signed within the 180-day window.
3. The clock. Notice of a new claim is due within one year of the date of loss, which for a hurricane is the landfall date, and a supplemental claim within 18 months. My hurricane claim deadline post has the dates.

If water came in at ground level rather than through storm-damaged openings, that's flood, which a homeowners policy doesn't cover. The Florida flood insurance page explains how flood coverage works.

What to do with your roof file

1. Find the date of the last full replacement. Look up the roofing permit with your city or county building department. That date, not the age of the house, is the roof's age under s. 627.7011(5)(d).
2. Keep every inspection. The four-point, the roof inspection form and the OIR-B1-1802 wind mitigation form. If your roof is 15 or older, an approved inspector's report showing 5+ years of remaining life is what protects you from an age-only refusal.
3. Ask before renewal, not after. If your roof is approaching 15, ask whether the insurer will want an inspection and which inspectors it accepts.
4. Read the declarations page. Look for a separate roof deductible in dollars and the warning page behind it. If you don't want it, ask for the OIR-approved rejection form.
5. Get the reason in writing. If an insurer refuses to issue or renew and the only reason given is roof age, and your roof is under 15 or has an inspection showing 5+ years left, you can file a complaint with the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Services, online or at 1-877-693-5236 (DFS).

If you'd like a second look at your declarations page or your roof paperwork before renewal, the Florida home insurance page explains how I work with Florida homeowners.

FAQ

What is the 15-year roof law in Florida?

Under s. 627.7011(5), Florida Statutes, an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowners policy solely because the roof is less than 15 years old. For roofs 15 or older, the insurer must allow an inspection at the homeowner's expense before requiring replacement, and if an authorized inspector finds 5 or more years of useful life left, it can't refuse solely because of roof age.

Can an insurance company deny you for an old roof in Florida?

Yes, for reasons other than age alone. The law only bars refusals based solely on roof age, so insurers can still decline or nonrenew for roof condition, damage or other lawful underwriting reasons, and the rule doesn't apply to mobile home policies.

How is roof age calculated for Florida insurance?

From the last date 100 percent of the roof's surface was built or replaced under the building code then in effect. If the roof was replaced in partial jobs that together covered the whole surface, age counts from the first partial job.

Does the Florida roof deductible apply to hurricane damage?

No. A separate roof deductible under s. 627.701(10) doesn't apply to a roof loss from a hurricane, a tree or other hazard that punctures the roof deck, a valued-policy total loss, or a loss needing repair of less than 50 percent of the roof.

What are Citizens' roof age requirements?

Citizens requires a four-point inspection for homes more than 20 years old, and roofs older than 25 years (shingle) or 50 years (tile, slate, clay, concrete or metal) need documentation showing at least five years of remaining useful life.

Your own policy wording and Florida law control how any of these rules apply to your home. Confirm your situation with a licensed agent, the Florida Department of Financial Services or Office of Insurance Regulation, or, for legal questions, an attorney.

Sources

1. Florida Statutes s. 627.7011, homeowners' policies; roof age, roof payment (2026)
2. Florida Statutes s. 627.701, deductibles, including the separate roof deductible (2026)
3. Florida Statutes s. 627.4025, hurricane coverage defined (2026)
4. Florida Statutes s. 553.844, roof and opening protection; 25% exception (2026)
5. Florida Statutes s. 489.147, prohibited property insurance practices by contractors (2026)
6. Florida Statutes s. 627.0629, windstorm mitigation discounts (2026)
7. Florida Statutes s. 627.711, notice of mitigation discounts; verification form (2026)
8. Florida Statutes s. 215.5586, My Safe Florida Home Program (2026)
9. Florida Senate: CS/SB 2-D (2022D), Property Insurance, ch. 2022-268
10. Florida Senate: SB 4-D (2022D), Building Safety, ch. 2022-269
11. Laws of Florida ch. 2024-182 (CS/CS/HB 1611)
12. Laws of Florida ch. 2024-139 (CS/CS/HB 939)
13. Laws of Florida ch. 2025-40 (CS/CS/HB 715)
14. Florida Senate: CS/CS/CS/SB 76 (2021)
15. Florida Senate: SB 808 (2026), Roofing Requirements for Property Insurance
16. Florida Senate: HB 815 (2026), Roofing Requirements for Property Insurance
17. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation: Inspections
18. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation: sample Roof Inspection Form
19. Form OIR-B1-1802, Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (Rev. 04/26)
20. Florida Administrative Code Rule 69O-170.0155
21. My Safe Florida Home (Florida DFS program)
22. Florida OIR: Hurricane Isaias claims data
23. Florida DFS: storm resources and consumer helpline