Skip to content

Repairs · Orlando

Roof repair in Orlando, FL

Only 19.7% of Orlando's homes were built in 2010 or later, so most houses here started life before the 2007 Florida Building Code took effect in March 2009. For roof repair in Orlando, FL, that date decides a lot: on a roof older than that code, repairing more than 25% of a section within 12 months means redoing the whole section.

Request a quote407-242-2840

Updated October 2026

White swans on a lake with a downtown skyline and fountain under a cloudy blue sky.
Close view across a gray shingle roof slope with a black pipe boot, a palm and a green lawn below.Our work
Photo: High-rises in Orlando from Lake Eola Park (May 2023) - 5 by Benoît Prieur, CC0, cropped

Local know-how

Matthew, Nicole, Milton: what broke on Orlando roofs

Orange County's recent storm record reads like a repair list. Matthew in 2016 brought a 61 mph gust to Orlando International and did most of its home damage through falling branches and trees: 3 homes with major damage and 64 with minor. Nicole in 2022 knocked trees down with 55 to 65 mph gusts. Milton in 2024 added gusts that reached 87 mph in places and 4 to 8 inches of rain, with street and low-lying flooding.

When a roof gives way, FEMA's teams keep finding the same weak points. After Hurricane Ian, the most common damage was at hips and ridges. Lost ridge vents open large holes in the deck, and soffits that fail let wind-driven rain into the attic. Leaks also follow the places the code requires flashing: where a roof meets a wall, where the slope changes, and around vents and other openings. After a limb strike, check the underside of the deck from the attic for wet wood or daylight; Citizens' inspectors list soft decking and attic leaks among the roof damage they record.

Florida code

Patch, section or whole roof: the 25% line

Florida's residential code limits repairs to 25% of a roof or roof section in any 12-month period unless the whole roof or section is replaced to current code (R908.1.1). The exception: a roof built, repaired or replaced to the 2007 code or later only needs the repaired part to meet today's code, and local governments may not amend that exception (553.844(5)). A roof section is split off by things like parapet walls, expansion joints or a change in elevation, not by hips and ridges.

Small fixes may not need a permit, but that is the building official's call: the code lets ordinary minor repairs go ahead without one only with that official's approval, so ask City of Orlando Permits & Inspections before work starts. A handyman can take only casual, minor work below a set contract amount; Florida's exemption never covers a bigger job split up to dodge the law (489.103(9)).

Request a quote

Questions

Roof repair in Orlando: questions

A tree limb hit my Orlando roof. What should I do first?

Get people out of the rooms under the impact, then look from the ground, not from a ladder. Two Orange County men died after Ian and Milton in falls while clearing storm debris from roofs. Photograph the limb and the damage before anything moves, and keep water off belongings inside. If you plan to file, Florida law bars a new property claim unless the insurer gets notice within 1 year of the date of loss, so take coverage questions to your insurer or agent. Then have the deck under the strike checked from the attic.

Related: FAQ

Do I need a permit to repair my roof in Orlando?

The building official decides. Florida's code requires a permit to repair a building and lets ordinary minor repairs go ahead without one only with that official's approval. Inside city limits, the official sits at City of Orlando Permits & Inspections; in unincorporated Orange County it is the Division of Building Safety, which runs applications through its Fast Track portal. Describe the repair and how much of the roof it involves when you ask, since a larger repair can bring the 25% rule into play.

Related: Roof repair

Is it worth repairing an older roof in Orlando, or should I replace it?

Start with the roof's age and code era. NRCA says most new roofs are designed for about 20 years of service, and Orlando's median house was built in 1992. If your roof is past that point and predates the 2007 code, a repair that grows past 25% of a section triggers the whole section anyway. A newer roof with one damaged area is the clearest case for a repair. Signs a roof is near the end include curled or cupped shingles, bald spots that shed granules into the gutters, and cracking.

Related: Roof replacement

Nearby

Roof repair near Orlando

Sources for this page(27)
  1. 1.Hurricane Matthew (2016). NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Matthew (2016). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  2. 2.Hurricane Milton (2024). NWS Melbourne, County Impacts Associated with Milton (2024). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  3. 3.Hurricane Nicole (2022). NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Nicole (2022). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  4. 4.Share of homes built 2010 or later: 19.7%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  5. 5.Permit office: City of Orlando Permits & Inspections. City of Orlando Permits & Inspections. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  6. 6.Median year homes were built: 1992. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  7. 7.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (acs2024_5yr), via Census Reporter API, table B25035. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  8. 8.Orange County Government, Division of Building Safety. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  9. 9.NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Ian (2022). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  10. 10.NWS Melbourne, County Impacts Associated with Milton (2024). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  11. 11.Florida Building Commission, "Florida Building Code Effective Dates". Read Oct 5, 2026.
  12. 12.ICC Building Safety Journal, Karl Fippinger, 2024-02-07. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  13. 13.FEMA FL-RA2. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  14. 14.FBCR Ch. 9. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  15. 15.Citizens 4-Point Inspection Form, Sample Form Insp4pt 03 25. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  16. 16.Florida Statutes, section 553.844 (2026). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  17. 17.FBCR Ch. 2. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  18. 18.FBC-B 2023 Ch. 1. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  19. 19.Florida Statutes, section 627.70132 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  20. 20.National Roofing Contractors Association. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  21. 21.Owens Corning, "3 Signs That It's Time to Replace Your Roof". Read Oct 5, 2026.
  22. 22.Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  23. 23.Senate SB 808 staff analysis pp. 3-4. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  24. 24.Fla. Stat. 553.844. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  25. 25.Florida Statutes, section 553.842 (2026). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  26. 26.2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th ed., R318.5 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription); FBC-Building 1503.7. Read Oct 5, 2026. Unofficial transcription; verify on floridabuilding.org.
  27. 27.NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 9 version 2, partial-duration series, point estimates at Orlando's 2020 Census internal point, NOAA National Weather Service, Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.

South Fork Roofing

Roof repair in Orlando

Answer a few questions about the job, or call.

Request a quote407-242-2840
CallGet a quote