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Roofing in Margate, Florida

Margate was founded in the 1950s on land that was still Everglades or farmland, about 7.5 miles from the Atlantic. Most of its homes went up in the decades after. The median house dates to 1978, so many original roofs are likely well past their intended life. That age drives your insurer's rules and your permit path.

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Updated October 2026

Three-story cream stucco municipal building with blue stripes, palm trees, and a nearly empty parking lot under overcast sky. — Photo: Margate-city-hall municipal city hall building by Dtobias, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped

At a glance

Margate homes at a glance

People (2020 Census): 58,712
Median year homes were built: 1978
Share of homes built before 1980: 58.8%
Share of homes built 2010 or later: 3.7%
Owner-occupied share of occupied homes: 77.2%

Census figures; each one is listed in the sources at the end of this page.

Housing age

How old Margate homes affect your roof

The median Margate home was built in 1978, and 58.8 percent of homes predate 1980. Only 3.7 percent were built in 2010 or later. That suggests a large share of roofs here have been replaced at least once, and some may be on a second or third covering.

Citizens Property Insurance asks for documentation of at least five years of remaining useful life on roofs older than 25 years (shingle) or 50 years (tile, metal and other hard roofs). If you carry or are applying for a Citizens policy, check your roof's age against those two numbers before you do anything else.

Housing here is mixed. About 43.7 percent of units are single-family detached homes, and 35.1 percent sit in buildings with 10 or more units. A condo board and a house owner face different decisions, but the code treats both roofs the same way.

Permits and code

Permits, the building department and the 25 percent rule

Margate's own Building Department is the office that reviews your reroof, not Broward County. Call that office for current submittal steps before you sign a contract.

Florida's 25 percent rule applies to partial work. No more than 25 percent of a roof or roof section can be repaired, replaced or recovered in a 12-month period unless the whole roof section is brought up to current code. An exception covers roofs already built or redone under the 2007 code or later, where only the repaired part must meet current code.

Permits also run on clocks. If a Margate job sits idle for half a year, or never starts in that window, the permit lapses and you start over. The permit card also warns that failing to record a Notice of Commencement may mean paying twice for the improvements.

Building permits

City of Margate - Building Department

Official building page

Office names and links only. Fees, forms and timing change; check the official page.

Storms and code

Broward's wind zone and the storms behind it

Margate sits in Broward, which the Florida Building Code places in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone alongside one other county. Any reroof here is built to the stricter wind provisions that apply in that zone. Roofing products sold for wind protection must also hold Florida product approval.

Irma in 2017 is the recent county benchmark. A 97-kt gust was measured at Deerfield Beach, and inland Broward stations saw sustained winds just below hurricane force. Dorian in 2019 stayed offshore, with tropical-storm-force winds mostly north of the county.

Rain matters as much as wind. At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport, 71.9 percent of normal annual rain falls May through October, and hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. NOAA Atlas 14 puts a 10-year, 1-hour rain at Margate at 3.44 inches an hour, which tests every flashing and edge detail.

Hiring rules

Who can legally replace your roof

Florida law defines roofing work broadly, including roof-deck attachment and repair or replacement of wood sheathing or fascia found during a job. A general, building or residential contractor certified after 1973 may not advertise as a roofing contractor unless also certified or registered as one. Ask to see the license and verify it with the state before you pay a deposit.

Local record

On record for Margate

Founded in the 1950s on land that was still Everglades or farmland, about 7.5 miles from the Atlantic.

Services

Roofing services in Margate

Questions

Margate roofing questions

Do you need a contractor's license to do roofing in Florida?

Yes, in practice. Florida law covers all kinds of roofing, waterproofing and coating, and a general contractor cannot advertise as a roofer without roofing certification or registration. Many Margate owners are 65 or older, so check the license yourself on the state's lookup before signing, and ask who will pull the permit with the City of Margate Building Department.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B01001, via Census Reporter API, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof replacement

Who pulls the roof permit in Margate?

Your roofer applies through the city's Building Department, and you should see the permit number before work starts. Margate is in Broward County, which sits in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, so expect strict wind provisions on any reroof. Ask the office directly for current forms and inspection steps.

Source: City of Margate - Building Department, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof replacement

Is my Margate roof too old for insurance?

It may be, depending on your insurer. Citizens requires proof of five or more years of remaining life for shingle roofs older than 25 years and hard roofs older than 50. With a median build year of 1978 in Margate, many original roofs are likely past 25 years. Your own agent can tell you which inspection report or letter your company accepts.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof inspections

Can I repair just part of my roof?

Yes, within limits. Florida allows repair or replacement of up to 25 percent of a roof section in any 12-month period. Beyond that, the entire roof section must meet current code, unless the existing roof was built or redone under the 2007 code or later. For a Margate house, the building office can tell you how the rule reads against your roof's history.

Source: 2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof replacement

Which building code applies to a new roof permit?

Two editions matter right now. The Eighth Edition, the 2023 Florida Building Code, has applied since December 31, 2023. The Ninth (2026) Edition becomes effective December 31, 2026, and permit applications submitted on or after that date must follow it. If your Margate application lands near that date, ask the building office which edition governs.

Source: FRSA, "New 2023 FBC Eighth Edition is Now in Effect", 2024-02-13, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof replacement

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Roofing in Margate, Florida

Margate homes at a glance

Roofing services in Margate

Do you need a contractor's license to do roofing in Florida?

Who pulls the roof permit in Margate?

Is my Margate roof too old for insurance?

Can I repair just part of my roof?

Which building code applies to a new roof permit?

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Roofing in Margate: tell us about yours.