Inspections · Palm Beach County

Roof inspections in Palm Beach County, FL

Only 9.2% of Palm Beach County homes were built in 2010 or later, so on more than nine in ten, an original roof would now be past 15 years. That is the age at which Florida's roof rule changes what an insurer may do at renewal. The inspection forms check specific roof conditions, and only qualified inspectors may sign them.

Request a quote 407-242-2840

Updated October 2026

Cream-colored municipal building with arched entrances, palm trees and blue sky in daylight. — Photo: South Palm Beach FL town hall west side by CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz, releases all rights but a photo credit would be…, Public domain, 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: South Palm Beach FL town hall west side by CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz, releases all rights but a photo credit would be…, Public domain, cropped

Roof inspections in Palm Beach County, in short

Insurers ask about roofs for three reasons: age, the 4-point inspection older homes need, and wind credits. A roof under 15 years old cannot be the sole reason a policy is refused. For an older roof, an authorized inspection showing 5 or more years of life left keeps age alone from ending coverage. Wind credits come from form OIR-B1-1802.

Sources for this answer

Palm Beach County figures

The Palm Beach County numbers behind this page

Share of homes built 2010 or later: 9.2%
Median year homes were built: 1986
Share of homes built before 1980: 33.5%
Mobile homes, share of housing units: 2.8%

Florida law

The 15-year rule and a 1986 median

Florida Statute 627.7011(5) bars an insurer from refusing or non-renewing a homeowner's policy solely because of the age of a roof under 15 years old. At 15 years or more, the insurer must let you have the roof checked by an authorized inspector, at your expense, before it can require a replacement, and it cannot drop you for age alone if the inspection shows at least 5 years of useful life left.

It has applied to homeowners' policies written or renewed from July 1, 2022 onward. Senate staff note that mobile home policies fall outside it, which matters for the 2.8% of county homes that are mobile homes. With a median build year of 1986, most houses here have either had a newer roof put on or are well past the line.

Citizens

Citizens and the 4-point roof section

Citizens Property Insurance requires a 4-point inspection of the electrical, plumbing, HVAC and roof for applications on properties more than 20 years old. In Palm Beach County that takes in every home built before 1980, 33.5% of the stock, and most of the rest.

The form's roof section records the covering, the roof's age and remaining useful life, the last roofing permit, any partial replacement, and damage such as curling, granule loss, cracked tiles, soft decking and attic leaks. Citizens also wants proof of at least five years of life left on soft roofs such as shingle past 25 years, and on hard roofs such as tile or metal past 50.

Wind credits

Form OIR-B1-1802 outside the HVHZ

Wind mitigation credits come from the state's uniform form, OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), in effect since April 1, 2026 and valid for up to five years if nothing material changes. Because Palm Beach County is outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, a home here is graded by its ASCE 7-22 design wind speed into Region 1, 2 or 3 rather than the HVHZ box.

The roof items are the code era, slope, covering and its approval, deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections, roof shape and whether there is a secondary water barrier. The state's consumer notice says the discounts apply only to the hurricane-wind part of a premium and are not added together. Who may sign is set by statute: home inspectors with hurricane mitigation training, building code inspectors, general, building or residential contractors, engineers and architects (Fla. Stat. 627.711(2)(a)).

Part-time homes

Seasonal owners and storm-season checks

Of the county's homes, 9.5% are held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use, and 24.8% of residents are 65 or older. A home that sits empty in summer has nobody there to spot a ceiling stain after a storm in August, the wettest month here at 8.68 inches.

NRCA's advice for owners is a look at the roof each fall and spring, plus clean gutters. If you leave for the summer, a spring check before you go and a fall check when you return bracket hurricane season, June 1 to November 30.

Request a roof inspection

Roof cost estimator

See a ballpark for your roof

Answer a few questions about your roof and see a ballpark built from published Florida cost data, then get your written estimate.

See a ballpark 407-242-2840

Ranges come from published Florida cost guides. They are not South Fork Roofing's prices.

Questions

Roof inspections in Palm Beach County: questions

Who can do the roof inspection my insurer asks for?

Under Florida's 15-year rule, an authorized inspector: someone the insurer accepts who is a home inspector under 468.8314, a building code inspector, a general, building, residential or roofing contractor, an engineer or an architect (Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5)(a)). Citizens' own roof form lists contractors, building code inspectors and Florida home inspectors as signers. In Palm Beach County, where 33.5% of homes predate 1980, ask your insurer which inspectors it accepts before you book one.

Source: Fla. Stat. 627.7011, Oct 2026.

Related: Roof inspections

How long is a wind mitigation report good for?

Up to five years under the current form, OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), as long as the house has no material changes and the form has no errors. After a re-roof, a new report is how the new deck nailing and secondary water barrier get onto the form. In Palm Beach County the form grades your home by its wind Region, not the HVHZ box, because the county sits outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone.

Source: OIR-B1-1802.pdf?Status=Master), Oct 2026.

Does the 15-year roof rule cover mobile homes?

The 15-year roof rule is in Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5), and it covers homeowner's policies, so a mobile home policy is a separate question. If your roof is 15 years old or more, the insurer has to allow an authorized inspector to examine it, paid for by you, and cannot refuse or drop coverage based only on age when that inspection finds at least 5 years of useful life remaining. Palm Beach County, with West Palm Beach as its county seat, has 705,988 housing units, so most roofs here fall under the homeowner rules. If yours is a mobile home, ask your insurer or agent how it treats roof age.

Related: Roof inspections

Do wind mitigation credits lower my whole premium?

No. The state's consumer notice says wind discounts apply only to the hurricane-wind portion of your policy and are not calculated cumulatively. It also names securing the roof and protecting windows as the two most cost-effective measures. In Palm Beach County, where Milton's 2024 tornado tore roofs and blew in impact windows, both items get tested by weather as well as by the form. Your insurer or agent can give you the credit amounts for your policy.

Source: OIR consumer notice, Oct 2026.

Related: Roof inspections

Palm Beach County