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Inspections ยท Palmetto

Roof inspections in Palmetto, FL

Mobile homes make up 31 percent of the housing units in Palmetto, and they follow different roof rules from site-built houses. For the rest, home age sets the pace: 73.7 percent were built before 2000. A roof inspection puts a written condition on the roof you have today.

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Updated October 2026

Small stone cottage with a red tile roof, American flag, palm trees, and a stone gateway in the foreground.
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: Palmetto FL HD01a by Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped

Palmetto figures this page uses

Median year homes were built
1983
Share of homes built before 1980
46.5%
Mobile homes, share of housing units
31%
Share of homes built before 2000
73.7%

Housing age

How the age of Palmetto's housing stock ties into the 15-year roof line

The median Palmetto home went up in 1983, and 46.5 percent of homes date from before 1980. Many of these houses have likely had at least one reroof. Others may still carry a roof well past 15 years old. Only a look at your own roof settles which case you are in.

Florida law gives you an answer when an insurer objects to roof age. Once a roof reaches 15 years, you may hire an authorized inspector, paid by you, before the insurer acts. If that inspector reports 5 or more years of useful life left, age alone cannot be the reason to refuse or non-renew.

Homeowners' policies written or renewed from July 1, 2022 onward fall under this rule. State Senate staff read it as leaving out mobile home policies. If your home is among Palmetto's 31 percent mobile homes, ask your insurer or agent which standard applies.

Inspection scope

What goes on the inspection report

The roof section of the 4-point form asks for the material, the roof's age, its remaining useful life and the date of the last roofing permit. It also asks whether a replacement was full or partial, and what percentage was replaced.

  • Cracked, cupped or curling covering
  • Granules worn away heavily, with bare asphalt or felt showing through
  • Missing, loose or cracked tabs or tiles
  • Soft spots in the decking
  • Signs of leaking in your attic or on your ceilings

A wind mitigation inspection adds attic items you cannot see from the yard: deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections and a sealed roof deck. The current form is OIR-B1-1802, effective April 1, 2026, and it stays valid up to five years if nothing material changes.

Timing

When Palmetto owners should order one

Order one before you buy or sell, or when an insurer letter questions roof age. For applications on properties over 20 years old, Citizens asks for a 4-point inspection. With 73.7 percent of Palmetto homes built before 2000, most local houses clear that line.

Order one after a storm too. Hurricane Irma in 2017 put 1 to 2 feet of inundation along the west coast, and Manatee County also saw more than 10 inches of rain from Hermine in 2016. Notice of a new claim must reach your insurer within 1 year of the loss date, so get a dated report early.

If the inspection leads to repairs, ask the City of Palmetto Building Department whether a permit is needed. Confirm with that office, since a repair can trigger the 25 percent rule.

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Questions

Roof inspections in Palmetto: questions

How old is the typical home in Palmetto, and does that mean my roof is old?

The median Palmetto home was built in 1983, and 73.7 percent of homes were built before 2000. That suggests many original roofs are past 15 years, but a build year says nothing certain about your roof, since a reroof may have replaced it. An inspector can record the actual covering, its age and its remaining life.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof inspections

Can my insurer drop me because my Palmetto roof is 15 years old?

Not solely for age if you act. Florida lets an owner of a roof 15 years or older hire an authorized inspector before the insurer acts. If an inspector finds 5 or more years of useful life left, a policy cannot be refused or non-renewed on the basis of age alone. In Palmetto, where 73.7 percent of homes predate 2000, ask your insurer or agent how it applies to your policy.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof inspections

Who counts as an authorized roof inspector in Florida?

Your insurer must accept the person, and the person must fit a statute list: a licensed home inspector, a certified building code inspector, a licensed general, building, residential or roofing contractor, a professional engineer, an architect, or someone else the insurer recognizes. Before paying anyone in Manatee County, ask your insurer to confirm that the inspector qualifies.

Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Hermine, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof inspections

Does a Palmetto mobile home need the same roof inspection?

Mobile homes are 31 percent of Palmetto's housing units, and they follow the HUD code rather than the Florida Building Code. Senate staff read the 15-year rule as not applying to mobile home policies. Applications for mobile homes over 20 years old also need a 4-point inspection under Citizens rules.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25024, via Census Reporter API, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof inspections

Nearby

Roof inspections near Palmetto

Sources for this page(30)
  1. 1.Median year homes were built: 1983. 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 1980: 46.5%. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  3. 3.Mobile homes, share of housing units: 31%. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25024, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  4. 4.Share of homes built before 2000: 73.7%. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  5. 5.Hurricane Hermine (2016). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Hermine. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  6. 6.Hurricane Irma (2017). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  7. 7.Hurricane Eta (2020). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Eta. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  8. 8.Permit office: City of Palmetto - Building Department. City of Palmetto - Building Department. Read Oct 10, 2026.
  9. 9.Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  10. 10.Insp4pt 03 25. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  11. 11.Citizens 4-Point Inspection Form, Sample Form Insp4pt 03 25. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  12. 12.OIR form. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  13. 13.Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  14. 14.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  15. 15.Florida Statutes, section 627.70132 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  16. 16.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (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).
  17. 17.U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25024, via Census Reporter API, U.S. Census Bureau (via Census Reporter). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  18. 18.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Hermine, NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  19. 19.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma, NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  20. 20.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Eta, NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  21. 21.City of Palmetto - Building Department, City of Palmetto. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  22. 22.Wikipedia, "Palmetto, Florida" (secondary source), Wikipedia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  23. 23.U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-year, tables B25034 and B25035, U.S. Census Bureau (via Census Reporter). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  24. 24.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 1 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), UpCodes (Florida Building Code transcription). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  25. 25.Wikipedia, "Manatee County, Florida" and "Longboat Key, Florida" (secondary), Wikipedia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  26. 26.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USW00012871 SARASOTA BRADENTON AP, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  27. 27.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration intensity estimates at the Palmetto 2020 Census internal point (27.5251, -82.5750), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  28. 28.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration 24-hour depth estimates at the Palmetto 2020 Census internal point (27.5251, -82.5750), NOAA Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  29. 29.FRSA, "New 2023 FBC Eighth Edition is Now in Effect", 2024-02-13, floridaroof.com. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  30. 30.Miami-Dade County RER notice, Miami. Read Oct 5, 2026.

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Roof inspections in Palmetto

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