Re-roofs ยท Brevard County
Roof replacement in Brevard County, FL
Nearly a third of Brevard County's homes, 32.1%, were built before 1980, and the median house dates to 1988. Replacing the roof on one of them is a full code event: a tear-off to the deck, re-nailing where the old fasteners fall short, a secondary water barrier and two inspections.
Updated October 2026
Re-roofing here, in short
A Brevard re-roof needs a permit from your city or the county, skips plan review and is inspected at dry-in and again when the roofing is done. Under the 2023 Florida Building Code the old covering comes off, the deck nailing is brought up to the re-nailing table, and a secondary water barrier goes down before the new roof covering.
Roof age
Brevard homes built before Florida had one code
A house from 1988 went up under whatever local code its city or the county used then. Florida replaced local codes with one statewide code on March 1, 2002, after Hurricane Andrew exposed their gaps, and the edition in force now is the 8th, effective December 31, 2023.
One date matters most. A roof built, repaired or replaced to the 2007 code or later, an edition that took effect March 1, 2009, qualifies for the exception to the 25% rule. Only 10.9% of Brevard homes date from 2010 or later, so the real question is when your current roof went on, and the permit from your last re-roof answers it.
Florida code
What the code adds once the old roof comes off
The code calls the job reroofing, which covers recovering over an old roof or replacing it. Florida's 8th edition lists the residential re-cover sections as reserved and offices differ on overlays, so ask before assuming a second layer is allowed. Tear-off is mandatory when the old roof is water-soaked or too deteriorated to hold a new one, already has two or more layers, is tile or slate, or has unsecured blisters. Then the code adds:
- Deck re-nailing: decks held by staples, 6d nails or 8d nails spaced wider than 6 inches get ring-shank nails added to 6 inches on center.
- A secondary water barrier whenever a covering is removed and replaced.
- Drip edge at shingle eaves and gables, fastened every 12 inches, or every 4 inches at higher design winds or roof heights.
- Flashing at wall intersections, slope changes and openings; rusted flashing and edge metal stay off.
- Roofing products carrying Florida product approval.
Rockledge puts the deck work on paper: shingle re-roofs there need a Deck Nailing Affidavit and a Re-roof Supplement Form.
Permits
Your re-roof permit and its two inspections
The permit comes from one of 15 municipal building offices or, outside city limits, from Brevard County Planning & Development, which serves Merritt Island, Port St. John and both Viera communities. Plan review is skipped, but the open deck gets a sheathing or dry-in inspection and the finished job a roofing inspection.
Indian Harbour Beach adds a Roof Affidavit and a Product Approval Affidavit. West Melbourne and Melbourne Village both say HB 803 (2026) does not excuse roofing from a permit. And a permit lapses if work does not start within 6 months of issue.
Contracts
Signing a re-roof contract in hurricane season
Every Florida contract to replace a home's roof must carry two notices from Fla. Stat. 489.147. The first bars rebates, gifts, deductible waivers or anything of value for an inspection or a claim, and without it the owner may void the contract within 10 days. The second, in bold on the signature page, tells you to confirm coverage with your insurer first if the work relates to a claim.
Sign within 180 days of a Governor's state-of-emergency declaration covering your area, and you may cancel without penalty within 10 days or by the official start date, whichever comes first. Matthew, Irma, Nicole and Milton each damaged homes here between 2016 and 2024.
Your estimate
Tell us about your roof
Questions
Roof replacement in Brevard County: questions
Can new shingles go over my old roof in Brevard?
Sometimes; ask your building office first. The 8th edition of the residential code lists its re-cover sections as reserved, and offices differ on overlays. Some roofs must be stripped regardless, including any with two or more layers. With the median Brevard home built in 1988, many houses have had a re-roof already, and if it went over the original shingles, that roof now has two layers and must come off.
Does my Brevard roof qualify for the 2007-code exception?
It does if the roof was built, repaired or replaced to the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, which took effect March 1, 2009. Under Fla. Stat. 553.844(5), only the repaired portion of such a roof must meet the current code, even when 25% or more is redone. Only 10.9% of Brevard homes date from 2010 or later, so check the permit history for your last re-roof with your city or the county.
Will my re-roof in Rockledge need extra paperwork?
Yes. Rockledge's residential permit requirements call for a Re-roof Supplement Form and a Deck Nailing Affidavit on shingle re-roofs, with added items for flat, metal and tile roofs. The affidavit tracks the state's re-nailing table, which adds ring-shank nails wherever deck fastening is wider than 6 inches on center. Indian Harbour Beach likewise lists a Roof Affidavit and a Product Approval Affidavit among its forms.
Do I have to add hurricane straps when I re-roof in Brevard?
Only in some cases. Fla. Stat. 553.844 adds improved roof-to-wall connections to re-roofs in the wind-borne debris region for homes above a set value, and only if gable ends or corners can be done for 15% of the replacement cost. Near the coast that region covers land within 1 mile of the shore where the design speed is 130 mph or more, and Brevard County's wind speed maps give that speed by address.
How long is a Brevard re-roof permit good for?
A permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 6 months of issue or stops for 6 months, and a passed inspection within 180 days keeps it active. The same clock applies whether the permit came from Palm Bay, Titusville, another of the 15 municipal offices or Brevard County Planning & Development. If a storm could push the job back, ask the office about extensions early.
Brevard County
More in Brevard County
Sources for this page(36)
- 1.Share of homes built 2010 or later: 10.9%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 2.Share of homes built before 1980: 32.1%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 3.Brevard County, Building Code Wind Speed Maps. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 4.City of West Melbourne, Building Department. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 5.Town of Melbourne Village, Permits. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 6.City of Rockledge, Residential Permit Requirements. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 7.City of Indian Harbour Beach, Building Department. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 8.Median year homes were built: 1988. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 9.Permit office: Brevard County Planning & Development, Building Permits. Brevard County Planning & Development, Building Permits. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 10.Hurricane Matthew (2016). NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Matthew (2016). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 11.Hurricane Irma (2017). NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (2017). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 12.Hurricane Nicole (2022). NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Nicole (2022). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 13.Hurricane Milton (2024). NWS Melbourne, County Impacts Associated with Milton (2024). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 14.Senate SB 808 staff analysis pp. 3-4. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 15.Florida Building Commission, "Florida Building Code Effective Dates". Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 16.Florida Building Commission. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 17.Florida Statutes, section 553.844 (2026). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 18.FBCR Ch. 9. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 19.FBCR Ch. 2. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 20.Florida Statutes, section 553.842 (2026). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 21.FBC-B 2023 Ch. 1. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 22.2023 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").
- 23.Florida Statutes, section 489.147 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 24.Fla. Stat. 553.844. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 25.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 2 (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-4 (the research cites it "as C-4").
- 26.National Roofing Contractors Association, National Roofing Contractors Association. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 27.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), 2023 Florida Building Code. Read Oct 5, 2026. unofficial transcription; verify on floridabuilding.org
- 28.FBC-Building 2023 Chapter 2 definitions, FBC-Building 2023 Chapter 2 definitions. Read Oct 5, 2026. unofficial transcription; verify on floridabuilding.org
- 29.FBCR Ch. 8, FBCR Ch. 8. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 30.FRSA, "New 2023 FBC Eighth Edition is Now in Effect", 2024-02-13, FRSA. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 31.Miami-Dade County RER notice, Miami-Dade County RER notice. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 32.Florida Solar Energy Center, Florida Solar Energy Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 33.Florida Statutes, section 627.70132 (2026), Florida Statutes. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 34.Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026), Florida Statutes. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 35.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, inspections FAQ (updated 2026-03-17), Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 36.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 (Southeastern States) version 2, partial-duration series point estimates for Melbourne (28.08, -80.61), NOAA National Weather Service, Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026. 5-minute and 60-minute intensities and 24-hour depths; the county's default Atlas 14 point (spec 8.5).
South Fork Roofing
Roof replacement in Brevard County
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