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Inspections ยท Fort Lauderdale

Roof inspections in Fort Lauderdale, FL

One Fort Lauderdale housing unit in eight, 12.5 percent, is held for seasonal or occasional use, so plenty of roofs here go months without anyone inside to notice a leak. The rest of the story is age: the median home was built in 1973, seven years before Broward's median, and insurers' forms probe roofs on houses that old.

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Updated October 2026

Downtown street scene with a tall hotel tower, palm trees, a parked car, and a bicycle at the curb.
Top-down drone view of a gray-blend shingle roof with ridges, valleys and roof vents, lawn on both sides and a white fence at the left edge.Our work
Photo: Dowtown Fort Lauderdale by Cmasi, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

Fort Lauderdale figures this page uses

Seasonal, recreational or occasional-use homes (share of all units)
12.5%
Median year homes were built
1973
Share of homes built 2010 or later
13%
Share of homes built before 1980
65.1%

Local know-how

Insurer forms on Fort Lauderdale's 1970s houses

Florida's 15-year roof rule frames most of these visits. Under Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5), age alone is not a reason to drop a homeowner's policy when the roof is younger than 15 years. Past 15, the insurer has to accept an inspection paid for by the owner, and if it shows at least five years of useful life remaining, the roof's age cannot be the sole reason for a refusal or non-renewal.

Citizens Property Insurance adds lines of its own. It requires a 4-point inspection on applications for properties more than 20 years old, and roofs past 25 years (shingle and other soft roofs) or 50 years (tile, metal and other hard roofs) need proof of at least five more years of useful life. With 65.1 percent of the city's homes built before 1980, most Fort Lauderdale houses are far past that 20-year mark. The 4-point form's roof section asks for:

  • What the roof is covered with, how old it is and how much useful life it has left.
  • When the last roofing permit was pulled, and whether that job replaced all of the roof or part of it.
  • Overall condition, backed by photos of each slope.
  • Visible damage, from curling and granule loss to soft decking and attic leaks.

Wind mitigation

Wind mitigation for a Fort Lauderdale home in the HVHZ

The uniform mitigation form, OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), took effect April 1, 2026 and stays valid for up to five years if nothing material changes. A Fort Lauderdale house gets zone-specific answers on its first two questions: the 1994 South Florida Building Code is a listed code era for HVHZ homes, and the HVHZ has its own wind-region box. The rest is read off the roof and attic: covering type and its approval, deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections, roof shape and any secondary water barrier.

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Questions

Roof inspections in Fort Lauderdale: questions

Will my Fort Lauderdale insurer require a 4-point inspection?

If you are with Citizens and the house is more than 20 years old, yes. Citizens requires a 4-point inspection, covering electrical, plumbing, HVAC and the roof, on applications for properties past that age, and the median Fort Lauderdale home was built in 1973, more than 50 years ago. Other insurers set their own rules, so ask your agent which form they want before you book. With photos of every roof slope, the 4-point's roof section can stand in for Citizens' separate roof inspection form.

Source: Citizens Property Insurance 4-point requirement and 4-Point Inspection Form (Insp4pt 03 25), read October 4-5, 2026.

Related: Roof inspections

Can a wind mitigation report change what a Fort Lauderdale homeowner pays?

It can, but any change comes from your insurer, not the inspector. Florida requires insurers to offer discounts, credits or deductible reductions for construction features shown to reduce windstorm loss, such as roof strength, roof covering performance and roof-to-wall connections. The state's consumer notice adds that these discounts apply only to the hurricane-wind portion of a policy and are not calculated cumulatively. On a Fort Lauderdale house, where 65.1 percent of homes predate 1980, the form's attic questions about deck attachment and roof-to-wall connections count as much as the covering. Specific amounts come from your insurer or agent.

Source: Fla. Stat. 627.0629, read October 4, 2026; Florida OIR consumer notice OIR-B1-1655, read October 4, 2026.

Related: Roof inspections

When should a part-time Fort Lauderdale owner have the roof checked?

Before you leave, and again after the storm season you missed. Fort Lauderdale holds 12.5 percent of its housing for seasonal or occasional use, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, with most activity from mid-August to mid-October. NRCA suggests looking a roof over each fall and spring for cracked, warped or missing shingles, loose seams, worn flashing and granules collecting in the gutters. A fall visit after you return catches a season's damage before the drier November-to-April stretch, when repairs are easier to fit in.

Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center climatology; NRCA consumer guidance; both read October 5, 2026.

Related: Roof inspections

Nearby

Roof inspections near Fort Lauderdale

Sources for this page(45)
  1. 1.Seasonal, recreational or occasional-use homes (share of all units): 12.5%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25004, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  2. 2.Median year homes were built: 1973. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  3. 3.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  4. 4.Median year homes were built: 1980. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  5. 5.Share of homes built 2010 or later: 13%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  6. 6.Share of homes built before 1980: 65.1%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  7. 7.Residents 65 and older: 19.6%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B01001, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  8. 8.Florida Building Commission, 'Setting New Standards for Safety: The Florida Building Code' (2004 publication; wind-speed figures in it are outdated and not used). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  9. 9.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Climatology. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  10. 10.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  11. 11.Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  12. 12.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  13. 13.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, inspections FAQ (updated 2026-03-17). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  14. 14.Insp4pt 03 25. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  15. 15.Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  16. 16.OIR form. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  17. 17.Florida Statutes, section 627.0629 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  18. 18.Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  19. 19.Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  20. 20.National Roofing Contractors Association. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  21. 21.NOAA NHC. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  22. 22.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B25001, B25003, B25004, B25024, B25034, B25035, via Census Reporter API, U.S. Census Bureau (via Census Reporter). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  23. 23.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B25001, B25003, B25004, B25024, B25034, B25035, via Census Reporter API, U.S. Census Bureau (via Census Reporter). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  24. 24.Wikipedia, 'Fort Lauderdale, Florida' (revision 1372249038), Wikipedia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  25. 25.Wikipedia, 'List of municipalities in Florida', Wikipedia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  26. 26.U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census counts (POP100, HU100) via TIGERweb tigerWMS_Census2020 layer 26 (Incorporated Places), U.S. Census Bureau. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  27. 27.Official website: City of Fort Lauderdale, Historic Preservation, City of Fort Lauderdale. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  28. 28.NWS Miami, 'Fort Lauderdale Extreme Rainfall and Flooding - April 12th, 2023' StoryMap, National Weather Service Miami. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  29. 29.City of Fort Lauderdale - Development Services - Permitting Services (official page), City of Fort Lauderdale. Read Oct 5, 2026. Official municipal building and permit page (name and link only).
  30. 30.Broward County, Board of Rules and Appeals, Broward County. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  31. 31.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  32. 32.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  33. 33.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Eta (AL292020), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  34. 34.NWS Miami, Weather Safety - Lightning, National Weather Service. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  35. 35.Senate SB 808 staff analysis pp. 3-4, The Florida Senate. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  36. 36.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 1 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), Florida Building Commission (UpCodes viewer). Read Oct 5, 2026. unofficial transcription; verify on floridabuilding.org
  37. 37.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), Florida Building Commission (UpCodes viewer). Read Oct 5, 2026. unofficial transcription; verify on floridabuilding.org
  38. 38.FBC-B 2023 Ch. 1, International Code Council (Florida Building Commission). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  39. 39.Florida Statutes, section 718.112 (2026), The Florida Senate. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  40. 40.ICC Building Safety Journal, Karl Fippinger, 2024-02-07, International Code Council (Florida Building Commission). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  41. 41.FBCR Ch. 9, International Code Council (Florida Building Commission). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  42. 42.FBC-Building 2023 Chapter 2 definitions, Florida Building Commission (UpCodes viewer). Read Oct 5, 2026. unofficial transcription; verify on floridabuilding.org
  43. 43.FBCR 2023 Ch. 9, International Code Council (Florida Building Commission). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  44. 44.miamidade.gov, Miami-Dade County. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  45. 45.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration point estimates at the Fort Lauderdale 2020 Census internal point (26.1412, -80.1467), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.

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Roof inspections in Fort Lauderdale

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