Inspections · Key Biscayne

Roof inspections in Key Biscayne, FL

Only 0.6 percent of housing units in Key Biscayne are mobile homes, so almost every roof here falls under the Florida Building Code and the insurer rules for site-built homes. Roughly 59.2 percent of homes went up before 1980. Many original roofs are therefore likely well beyond 15 years old.

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Updated October 2026

Twisted tree on a beach leaning over calm water at dusk with distant buildings on the horizon. — Photo: Key Biscayne Miami Florida Travel Photography by Giuseppe Milo, CC BY 3.0, cropped

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. — Photo: Key Biscayne Miami Florida Travel Photography by Giuseppe Milo, CC BY 3.0, cropped

Key Biscayne figures this page uses

Median year homes were built: 1977
Mobile homes, share of housing units: 0.6%
Share of homes built before 1980: 59.2%
Seasonal, recreational or occasional-use homes (share of all units): 23.7%

Roof age rules

What the 15-year rule means for older Key Biscayne homes

The village's median home was built in 1977, close to the Miami-Dade County median of 1980. Homes that old have usually been reroofed at least once, but a roof that is 15 years or older triggers a specific Florida rule. Your insurer must let you hire an authorized inspector to check it, at your own expense.

The result matters. If the inspector finds 5 or more years of useful life remaining, the insurer may not refuse or non-renew your policy solely because of roof age. Citizens adds its own line: documented remaining life for shingle roofs over 25 years old and for tile, concrete or metal roofs over 50.

Homeowner policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2022 fall under this rule. It does not apply to mobile home policies, which matters little here given the 0.6 percent share.

Inspection scope

What a roof inspection checks in Key Biscayne

The forms guide any inspection an insurer requests. On the roof section of the 4-point form, the inspector notes the covering material, roof age, remaining useful life, date of the last permit and any partial replacement. For properties more than 20 years old, Citizens asks for that 4-point inspection.

Cracking, curling and cupping of shingles
Granule loss, exposed asphalt or exposed felt
Missing, loose or cracked tabs or tiles
Soft spots in decking
Signs of water intrusion in your attic or on the ceilings inside your home

Salt matters on this island. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, soil within one block of the Key Biscayne coast tested moderately saline, which is a reason to have flashing and fasteners looked at closely.

A wind mitigation inspection is separate. Roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections and the sealed roof deck are all recorded on it. These sit in the attic, where you cannot see them. Provided nothing material changes, the form stays valid for up to five years.

Timing

When to order an inspection

With 23.7 percent of homes here held for seasonal or occasional use, many roofs sit unwatched for months. A leak in a closed-up unit can run a long time. An inspection before you leave for the summer, or after any named storm, catches it earlier.

Order one before buying or selling, and when your insurer sends a roof-age letter. Florida bars a new or reopened claim unless notice reaches your insurer within 1 year of the loss, so photos and dates soon after a storm help. Your insurer or agent is the one to tell you how your Key Biscayne policy treats roof damage.

For any repair, check the permit requirements with the Village of Key Biscayne building office. Miami-Dade sits in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, so reroofing follows stricter provisions than most of Florida.

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Questions

Roof inspections in Key Biscayne: questions

How many Key Biscayne homes have roofs older than 15 years?

No count of roof ages exists, but the housing numbers point one way. Built in 1977 is the median home year, and 59.2 percent of homes predate 1980. That suggests many original roofs are past 15 years, though reroofing may have replaced some. The permit history on file with the Village of Key Biscayne building office, or the roof section of a 4-point form, shows when your roof was last replaced.

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 my insurer refuse to renew because my roof is 15 years old?

Not solely because of age if an inspection shows 5 or more years of useful life left. Under Florida Statute 627.7011(5), an insurer must let you hire an authorized inspector at your expense when the roof is 15 years or older. The median home in this area was built in 1977, so many roofs here have been replaced at least once and a 15-year-old roof is not unusual. Your insurer must approve the inspector, who can be a licensed roofing contractor, home inspector or engineer. Your insurer or agent can explain how its process works.

Source: Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026), read Oct 4, 2026

Related: Roof inspections

Is a wind mitigation inspection the same as a roof inspection?

No. A roof inspection records condition: age, remaining life, damage and leaks. A wind mitigation inspection, on form OIR-B1-1802, records how the roof is built: deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections, sealed roof deck and opening protection. In Miami-Dade County, which sits in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, the form sorts the home accordingly. Your insurer can explain what it does with the result.

Source: OIR form, read Oct 4, 2026

Related: Roof inspections

Does a roof inspection tell me if the 25 percent rule applies?

It helps. The rule limits repairs to 25 percent of the roof in any 12-month period before the whole roof section must be replaced. A roof built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later qualifies for the exception. A permit history showing the last roofing work tells you which side of that line your roof is on. Confirm details with the Village of Key Biscayne building office.

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

Related: Roof inspections

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