Lake County · Town
Roofing in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida
Howey-in-the-Hills was platted for housing from 1921 by founder William John Howey, who nicknamed its rolling hills "The Florida Alps." Roofing in Howey-in-the-Hills now spans two housing stocks: 55.8% of the town's 919 homes predate 2000, and 28.6% were built in 2010 or later.
Updated October 2026
Your roof
Old core, new streets: what Howey's housing means for roofs
The Census median home in Howey-in-the-Hills dates to 1990 (ACS 2020–2024, ±9 years), older than Lake County's 1997. The median hides a split. More than half the houses went up before 2000, yet the town's share built since 2010, 28.6%, beats the county's 21.5%. A roof decision here starts with which half of town the house is in.
On the older side, an original roof has passed every insurer age line. For a roof 15 years or older, Florida's roof-age law requires the insurer to let you have it inspected, at your expense, before it can require a replacement, and an inspection showing 5 or more years of useful life bars a non-renewal for age alone (Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5)). Citizens asks for a 4-point inspection on property more than 20 years old, which takes in the median 1990 house.
On the newer side, the code helps. A roof built in 2010 or later went up under the 2007 Florida Building Code or a newer edition, and Florida exempts those roofs from the 25% repair cap: even a big repair only has to bring the repaired part to current code (Fla. Stat. 553.844(5)).
Nearly everyone here owns the house they live in. 90.0% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, mobile homes are 3 of 919 units, or 0.3%, against 16.3% across Lake County, and the median resident is 48.2, a little older than the county's 46.5.
Permits
Howey's contracted building department
Howey-in-the-Hills issues its own building permits through a contractor. The town's Building Services page says it contracts Alpha, a Willdan Engineering company, for permitting, plan review and inspections within town limits. Across Lake County, each of the 14 municipalities runs its own permitting with city staff or a contracted provider, and unincorporated land goes to the Lake County Office of Building Services.
For a re-roof, one of those three services drops out: the code exempts re-roofs from plan review (FBC-B 107), so the provider's part is the permit and two inspections, the sheathing or dry-in inspection and the final roofing inspection (FBC-B 110.3). Under FBC-B 105.2.2, ordinary minor repairs can go without a permit only if the building official allows it.
Building permits
Town of Howey-in-the-Hills Building Services
Official building pageOffice names and links only. Fees, forms and timing change; check the official page.
Weather
Little Lake Harris, Leesburg's gauge and the storm record
The town sits on the west shore of Little Lake Harris, an arm of Lake Harris. The wind readings in its storm record come from Leesburg International Airport, on Howey's nearby list: a 60-knot gust in Hurricane Irma (2017), 43 knots in Nicole (2022) and 72 knots in Milton (2024).
Rain is the other half. Irma left 10.13 inches at Leesburg, and Milton's totals included 8.89 inches south of Leesburg and 8.55 inches in Tavares. FEMA declared major disasters covering Lake County after both storms, and its storm studies name damaged roof coverings, lost ridge vents and lost soffits as primary routes for water into a home. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 with a peak near September 10, so the spring is when to check the ridge, the edges and the soffits. The roof repair page covers what that check finds.
Local record
On record for Howey-in-the-Hills
- Sits on the west shore of Little Lake Harris, an arm of Lake Harris.
- Named for its rolling hills, which founder William John Howey nicknamed "The Florida Alps"; platted for housing from 1921.
Services
Roofing services in Howey-in-the-Hills
- Roof replacementTear-off, deck, code items and the two inspections.Re-roofs in Howey-in-the-Hills
- Commercial roofingLow-slope systems, drainage and the code for buildings.Commercial roofs in Howey-in-the-Hills
- New construction roofingDry-in, the sheathing inspection and the code edition.New construction in Howey-in-the-Hills
- GuttersSizing for Florida rain, downspouts and fascia.Gutters in Howey-in-the-Hills
Questions
Howey-in-the-Hills roofing questions
Who issues roof permits in Howey-in-the-Hills?
Inside town limits, the Town of Howey-in-the-Hills Building Services office handles it, and its page says the town contracts Alpha, a Willdan Engineering company, for permitting, plan review and inspections. Land outside the limits is unincorporated, and Lake County's 14 municipalities each permit only their own ground, so those homes go to the county's Office of Building Services. Re-roofs carry no plan review under FBC-B 107; the provider's work on a roof is the permit plus the sheathing or dry-in inspection and the final roofing inspection.
Source: Town of Howey-in-the-Hills, Building Services (contracted permitting, plan review and inspections), read Oct 5, 2026
How old are homes in Howey-in-the-Hills?
Older than the county on average, with a newer streak. The median home dates to 1990, against 1997 for Lake County, and 55.8% were built before 2000 (ACS 2020–2024). But 28.6% went up in 2010 or later. For insurance, the age that counts is the roof's, measured from the last date 100% of it was built or replaced (Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5)(d)), so a re-roof permit, not the house's build year, sets the clock.
Source: Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026), read Oct 4, 2026
Is Howey-in-the-Hills in a high-wind code zone?
Not the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which the Florida Building Code limits to Broward and Miami-Dade counties. That puts the town under the code's ordinary wind provisions, with the design wind speed set per address by the ASCE 7-22 hazard tool; the state's wind mitigation form uses it to sort homes into Region 1 (at least 140 mph), Region 2 (130 to 139) or Region 3 (under 130). Ordinary does not mean calm: Leesburg's airport logged a 72-knot gust in Hurricane Milton.
Source: FBC-Building 2023 Chapter 2 definitions, read Oct 5, 2026
Are there special roof rules for older homes in Howey-in-the-Hills?
Not special to the town, but the statewide re-roof rules weigh more on older houses. When a covering comes off a house with a wood deck, the deck attachment has to meet the re-roof nailing rules and a secondary water barrier has to go on (FBC-R R908.7). And a roof built before the 2007 code is held to the 25% repair cap. With a median build year of 1990, most of Howey's older half meets both rules at its next re-roof.
Source: FBCR Ch. 9, read Oct 4, 2026
Lake County
More in Lake County
Sources for this page(34)
- 1.Wikipedia, "Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida" (revision 1370536976). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 2.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), table B25003 (Tenure), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 3.People (2020 Census): 1,643. U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census (P.L. 94-171) POP100, via TIGERweb tigerWMS_Census2020 MapServer. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 4.Housing units (ACS 5-year): 919. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), table B25001 (Housing Units), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 5.Median year homes were built: 1990. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), table B25035 (Median Year Structure Built), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 6.Share of homes built before 2000: 55.8%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), table B25034 (Year Structure Built), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 7.Share of homes built 2010 or later: 28.6%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), table B25034 (Year Structure Built), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 8.Owner-occupied share of occupied homes: 90%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), table B25003 (Tenure), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 9.Mobile homes, share of housing units: 0.3%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), table B25024 (Units in Structure), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 10.Median age: 48.2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), table B01002 (Median Age by Sex), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 11.Permit office: Town of Howey-in-the-Hills Building Services. Town of Howey-in-the-Hills Building Services. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 12.Median year homes were built: 1997. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), table B25035 (Median Year Structure Built), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 13.Share of homes built 2010 or later: 21.5%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), table B25034 (Year Structure Built), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 14.Mobile homes, share of housing units: 16.3%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), table B25024 (Units in Structure), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 15.Median age: 46.5. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), table B01002 (Median Age by Sex), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 16.Official city building pages listed in each city's permitOffice. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 17.Permit office: Lake County Office of Building Services. Lake County Office of Building Services. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 18.Hurricane Irma (2017). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 19.Hurricane Nicole (2022). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Nicole (AL172022). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 20.Hurricane Milton (2024). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Milton (AL142024). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 21.Hurricane Irma (2017). FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, DR-4337. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 22.Hurricane Milton (2024). FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, DR-4834. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 23.Town of Howey-in-the-Hills, Building Services (contracted permitting, plan review and inspections), Town of Howey-in-the-Hills. Read Oct 5, 2026. The town contracts Alpha, a Willdan Engineering company, for permitting, plan review and inspections within town limits.
- 24.Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 25.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 26.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, inspections FAQ (updated 2026-03-17). Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 27.Florida Building Commission, "Florida Building Code Effective Dates". Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 28.Florida Statutes, section 553.844 (2026). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 29.FBC-B 2023 Ch. 1. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 30.FEMA FL-RA2. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 31.NOAA NHC. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 32.FBC-Building 2023 Chapter 2 definitions. Read Oct 5, 2026. FBC text read from UpCodes (unofficial transcription): check floridabuilding.org or the ICC viewer before quoting (spec 8.7).
- 33.OIR form. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 34.FBCR Ch. 9. Read Oct 4, 2026.
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