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Hillsborough County ยท Census-designated place

Roofing in Cheval, Florida

Cheval sits in Hillsborough County, but its name comes from a large gated subdivision that makes up most of the community, and it lies inside Lutz on the border with Pasco County. For a homeowner, that means the roof questions here follow a mix of county permits, subdivision rules and an aging housing stock. The median home was built in 1994, so many roofs here are likely past the age where insurers start asking for more paperwork.

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Updated October 2026

Front of a single-story brick home with a dark shingle hip roof, a white garage door, two small palms in the front bed and a blue sky with a streak of sun glare.

At a glance

Cheval homes at a glance

People (2020 Census)
12,522
Median year homes were built
1994
Share of homes built before 1980
15.7%
Share of homes built 2010 or later
9.8%
Owner-occupied share of occupied homes
59.4%

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

Home age

Cheval roof age, by the build years

The median home in Cheval was built in 1994. About 66 percent of the housing stock dates from before 2000. Roofs installed in that period are now approaching or past their expected service life.

Citizens Property Insurance requires documentation of at least five years of remaining useful life for roofs older than 25 years if they are shingle. Hard roofs such as tile or metal face the same requirement at 50 years. If your roof is in that range, ask your insurer or agent what paperwork they will accept.

Homes built in 2010 or after make up just 9.8 percent of the total. Older roofs here are the norm, so an inspection before a storm season is a reasonable step.

Permits

Permits and reviews for roof work in Cheval

Permit questions for this community go to the county office, since Cheval has no city government of its own. Check the county's permit records before work begins to confirm what your address requires.

State code caps roof work at 25 percent of the roof in any 12-month period unless the whole covering is replaced. A roof built or redone under the 2007 code or later gets an exception, and a county cannot amend that exception. Ask the Hillsborough County building office how it applies to your roof.

Permits run on a clock. Work must start within 6 months of issuance, and a job stalled for 6 months voids the permit. Confirm your dates with the building office.

Building permits

Hillsborough County - Building Permits & Records (unincorporated Hillsborough County)

Official building page

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

Weather risk

Storms and rain that affect Cheval roofs

Normal rainfall near Tampa is 49.48 inches a year, and roughly 61 percent of it arrives June through September. Water also covers 12.3 percent of Cheval's total area, so wet ground and standing water are part of daily life here.

In a 10-year storm, NOAA Atlas 14 puts a 1-hour rain at 2.87 inches an hour and a 24-hour total at 6.89 inches. Roofs with worn flashing or clogged gutters take water fastest in heavy downpours.

Lightning is common across Tampa Bay. More than 90 percent of lightning in this corridor occurs from May through October, between noon and midnight. Check for scorch marks after storms.

Contractors

Who to confirm with before you hire

Florida law bars a general, building or residential contractor from advertising as a roofing contractor without a roofing certification or registration. Verify the holder's state license yourself before you sign anything.

The permit card warns that skipping the recorded Notice of Commencement may mean paying twice for the improvements. Before the first inspection takes place, the notice has to be filed and displayed on site.

Local record

On record for Cheval

  • Takes its name from the large gated subdivision that makes up most of the CDP; it lies within the unincorporated community of Lutz, bordering Pasco County.
  • Water covers 12.3% of the place's total area.

Services

Roofing services in Cheval

Questions

Cheval roofing questions

What is the 15 year roof rule in Florida?

Florida has no flat 15-year roof rule, but a state law, Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5), governs insurers when a roof is 15 years or older. Before the insurer can require replacement, it has to let you bring in an authorized inspector to examine the roof, and you cover that cost. It may not refuse or non-renew solely because of roof age if that inspection shows 5 or more years of useful life remaining. An authorized inspector is one the insurer approves, such as a licensed home inspector, roofing contractor or engineer. Cheval has a median age of 39.6 years, so many owners are weighing roof age at renewal.

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

Related: Roof replacement

What is the new law in Florida about roofs?

Florida's building code moves to a new edition on December 31, 2026, and any permit application filed on or after that date must meet it. For a Cheval roof, the Hillsborough County building office decides which edition governs your application, so confirm with them before you sign a contract.

Source: Miami-Dade County RER notice, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof replacement

Are roof permits in Cheval issued by the county?

Yes. Because Cheval sits outside any city limits, roof permits come from the Hillsborough County building office. Cheval is inside the county, and its name comes from a large gated subdivision that makes up most of the community.

Source: Hillsborough County - Building Permits & Records (unincorporated Hillsborough County), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof replacement

Will my insurer ask about my roof age in Cheval?

Possibly. With a median build year of 1994, many roofs in Cheval are older than 25 years. Citizens Property Insurance requires documentation of at least five years of remaining useful life for shingle roofs over 25 years old. Ask your insurer or agent what paperwork they accept for your home.

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

Related: Roof inspections

How much rain should a Cheval roof handle?

NOAA Atlas 14 estimates a 10-year storm drops 2.87 inches of rain in one hour and 6.89 inches over 24 hours at this town. Look at flashing and gutters after heavy rain, and have a roofer check the roof if you see stains on ceilings.

Source: NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Cheval 2020 Census internal point (28.1481, -82.5113), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof repair

Nearby

Near Cheval

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Hillsborough County

More in Hillsborough County

Sources for this page(30)
  1. 1.Median year homes were built: 1994. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  2. 2.Share of homes built before 2000: 66%. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  3. 3.Share of homes built 2010 or later: 9.8%. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  4. 4.Wikipedia (Riverview, Brandon); U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 table B25034. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  5. 5.Permit office: Hillsborough County - Building Permits & Records (unincorporated Hillsborough County). Hillsborough County - Building Permits & Records (unincorporated Hillsborough County). Read Oct 10, 2026.
  6. 6.Wikipedia, "Cheval, Florida" (secondary source). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  7. 7.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USW00012842 TAMPA INTL AP. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  8. 8.U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2020 place geography (AREALAND/AREAWATER) via TIGERweb tigerWMS_Census2020. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  9. 9.NWS Melbourne, Lightning Facts and Trivia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  10. 10.Hurricane Hermine (2016). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Hermine. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  11. 11.Hurricane Irma (2017). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  12. 12.Hurricane Eta (2020). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Eta. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  13. 13.Wikipedia articles for each place (secondary). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  14. 14.Median age: 39.6. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B01002, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  15. 15.People (2020 Census): 12,522. U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census (POP100) via TIGERweb tigerWMS_Census2020. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  16. 16.Share of homes built before 1980: 15.7%. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  17. 17.Owner-occupied share of occupied homes: 59.4%. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25003, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  18. 18.U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API, U.S. Census Bureau (via Census Reporter). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  19. 19.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, inspections FAQ (updated 2026-03-17), Citizens Property Insurance. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  20. 20.Hillsborough County - Building Permits & Records (unincorporated Hillsborough County), Hillsborough County. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  21. 21.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), UpCodes (Florida Building Code transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  22. 22.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 1 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), UpCodes (Florida Building Code transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  23. 23.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Cheval 2020 Census internal point (28.1481, -82.5113), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  24. 24.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration 24-hour depth estimates at the Cheval 2020 Census internal point (28.1481, -82.5113), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  25. 25.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Hermine, NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  26. 26.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma, NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  27. 27.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Eta, NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  28. 28.Florida Statutes, section 489.113 (2026), Florida Legislature. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  29. 29.Florida Statutes, section 713.135 (2026), Florida Legislature. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  30. 30.Miami-Dade County RER notice, Miami. Read Oct 5, 2026.

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