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Re-roofs · Melbourne

Roof replacement in Melbourne, FL

A typical Melbourne house dates from 1985, the median year built in the latest five-year Census survey. Roof replacement in Melbourne, FL on a mid-1980s house means a deck brought up to today's nailing table, a secondary water barrier under the new covering, and a permit from the City of Melbourne Building Section.

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Updated October 2026

Drone view looking down on a gray-blend shingle roof with two front gables, a debris container and a pickup in the driveway beyond.

Local know-how

What a 1985 house brings to a Melbourne re-roof

When the old covering comes off a 1985 house, the 2023 Florida Building Code steps in twice. The deck's attachment has to meet the re-roof nailing table in R908.7.1, and a secondary water barrier has to go down before the new roof does.

The code gives three ways to build that barrier under shingles or metal. The heaviest is self-adhering membrane across the entire deck. The middle path tapes or strips every seam in the deck and covers the rest with underlayment. The third is a double layer of felt-type underlayment, held down with cap nails.

On the wind mitigation form, those same three count as a sealed roof deck; a single layer of standard underlayment does not.

Design wind speed is set address by address, not city by city, and Brevard County publishes the maps. On Melbourne's barrier-island blocks the code also asks how close the house sits to the coastal high-water line, because within a mile of it, where the speed is 130 mph or more, the lot can fall in the wind-borne debris region.

Permit and review

Melbourne's Building Section and its review board

The City of Melbourne Building Section issues the permit. A re-roof is exempt from plans review, not from inspection: the sheathing gets checked, and the finished roof gets a final roofing inspection.

If your house falls under the Historic & Architectural Review Board, settle the material and color with the city before ordering. With owners in only 59.7% of Melbourne's occupied homes, many re-roofs here are signed by a landlord or an association; the code and the permit are the same for them.

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Questions

Roof replacement in Melbourne: questions

What is the 25% roof rule in Florida, and does Melbourne apply it?

It is statewide. The Florida Building Code limits repairs to 25% of a roof or roof section in any 12-month period; beyond that, the whole section must be redone to current code. The exception: if the existing roof was built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 code or later, only the repaired portion must meet today's code, and Fla. Stat. 553.844(5) bars local governments, Melbourne included, from amending that exception. A 1985 roof that was never replaced does not qualify.

Source: FBC-R 2023, R908.1.1.

Does a Melbourne re-roof need a Notice of Commencement?

Often. The Florida Building Code has the permit card warn the owner that failing to record a Notice of Commencement can mean paying twice for the work, and the notice must be recorded and posted on the job before the first inspection. Under Fla. Stat. 713.135, the permitting office, here the City of Melbourne Building Section, requires a copy before that inspection when the direct contract is above a set amount.

Source: FBC-B §105.8; 713.135.

Related: FAQ

How long does a Melbourne re-roof permit stay valid?

Six months from issue if work never starts, under the Florida Building Code, and a permit also lapses if work stops for six months. Work counts as active once it passes an inspection within 180 days. An application nobody pursues is treated as abandoned 180 days after filing, with 90-day extensions possible. The City of Melbourne Building Section applies these clocks to every roof permit it issues.

Source: FBC-B 2023, §105.4.

Related: Roof replacement

Sources for this page(31)
  1. 1.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API, table B25035. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  2. 2.Median year homes were built: 1985. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  3. 3.City of Melbourne, About the City of Melbourne. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  4. 4.Brevard County, Building Code Wind Speed Maps. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  5. 5.Permit office: City of Melbourne Building Section (Code Compliance Division). City of Melbourne Building Section (Code Compliance Division). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  6. 6.City of Melbourne, Historic & Architectural Review Board (link on melbourneflorida.org). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  7. 7.Owner-occupied share of occupied homes: 59.7%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  8. 8.FBCR Ch. 9. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  9. 9.Florida OIR, Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  10. 10.FBCR Ch. 2. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  11. 11.FBC-B 2023 Ch. 1. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  12. 12.Florida Statutes, section 553.844 (2026). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  13. 13.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 1 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026. FBC text read from UpCodes (unofficial transcription): check floridabuilding.org or the ICC viewer before quoting (spec 8.7). Source URL inherited from C-3 (the research cites it "as C-3").
  14. 14.City of Melbourne Building Section (Code Compliance Division), City of Melbourne. Read Oct 5, 2026. Official page checked 2026-10-05.
  15. 15.Florida Statutes, section 713.135 (2026). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  16. 16.NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Matthew (2016), NOAA National Weather Service. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  17. 17.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API, U.S. Census Bureau. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  18. 18.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API, U.S. Census Bureau. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  19. 19.NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Ian (2022), NOAA National Weather Service. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  20. 20.NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (2017), NOAA National Weather Service. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  21. 21.NWS Melbourne, County Impacts Associated with Milton (2024), NOAA National Weather Service. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  22. 22.NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (annual/seasonal), access-data API, NOAA. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  23. 23.U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census (TIGERweb tigerWMS_Census2020 MapServer: POP100, HU100, AREALAND, AREAWATER), U.S. Census Bureau. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  24. 24.City of West Melbourne, Building Department, City of West Melbourne. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  25. 25.Town of Melbourne Village, Permits, Town of Melbourne Village. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  26. 26.Brevard County Planning & Development, Building Permits, Brevard County. Read Oct 5, 2026. Official page checked 2026-10-05.
  27. 27.FEMA FL-RA2. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  28. 28.Florida Statutes, section 553.842 (2026). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  29. 29.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 2 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026. Unofficial transcription (UpCodes); verify on floridabuilding.org.
  30. 30.Miami-Dade County RER notice. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  31. 31.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9, version 2, partial-duration point estimates at Melbourne's 2020 Census internal point (28.1104, -80.6627), NOAA National Weather Service, Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.

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Roof replacement in Melbourne

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