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Inspections ยท West Palm Beach

Roof inspections in West Palm Beach, FL

Half of West Palm Beach's homes were built before 1988, so an original roof on a house of that age would be more than 20 years past the 15-year line in Florida's roof law. When an insurer asks about your roof, these are the rules and forms that decide what happens next.

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Updated October 2026

Tan stone courthouse with columns and a flagpole, framed by palm trees and tourist brochure stands.
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: Palm Beach County Courthouse (History Museum), West Palm Beach, Florida by Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0, cropped

West Palm Beach figures this page uses

Median year homes were built
1988
Seasonal, recreational or occasional-use homes (share of all units)
6.8%
Share of homes built before 1980
37.7%

Local know-how

Why West Palm Beach owners get asked for roof inspections

Florida's roof-age statute, 627.7011(5), shields a roof under 15 years old: an insurer can't refuse or non-renew a homeowner's policy over roof age alone. From 15 years on, the insurer must let you have the roof inspected at your own expense before it can demand a replacement, and it can't drop you over age alone if the inspector finds at least 5 years of useful life left. That rule covers policies issued or renewed since July 1, 2022.

Citizens Property Insurance adds two lines of its own. It wants a 4-point inspection on applications for homes more than 20 years old, which, with a 1988 median build year, covers more than half the city's housing. And it asks for documentation of at least 5 years of remaining life on shingle roofs older than 25 years and on tile, metal or other hard roofs older than 50.

Roof age for insurance runs from the last date the entire roof surface was built or replaced (Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5)(d)). Keep the permit and final inspection record from your last re-roof; the city's Building Division holds the permit history if you don't.

The forms

What the 4-point and wind mitigation forms record

  • 4-point roof section: covering, age, remaining useful life, last permit date, full or partial replacement, condition, and a damage list from cracking and curling to soft decking and attic leaks.
  • Wind mitigation, OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26): code era, wind region, roof covering, deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection, roof geometry, secondary water barrier and opening protection.

The wind mitigation form stays valid up to five years if the house doesn't change materially. Florida law lists who must be accepted to sign it, including home inspectors with hurricane mitigation training, building code inspectors, general, building and residential contractors, engineers and architects (Fla. Stat. 627.711(2)(a)).

Insurers must offer credits for features that reduce windstorm loss, such as roof strength and roof-to-wall strength (Fla. Stat. 627.0629), and the state's consumer notice says those discounts apply only to the hurricane-wind portion of the premium and are not added together. Your agent can tell you what each item is worth on your policy.

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Questions

Roof inspections in West Palm Beach: questions

My West Palm Beach roof just turned 15. Can my insurer drop me?

Not for age alone, if the roof checks out. Once a roof reaches 15 years, Florida law lets the insurer require an inspection before it demands a replacement, and the inspection is at your cost. If the inspector finds 5 or more years of useful life left, the insurer can't refuse or non-renew solely for the roof's age (Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5)(c)). Other reasons, like damage, still count. With half the city's homes built before 1988, the 15-year question comes up often here; your agent can explain your policy's terms.

Related: FAQ

Who can sign a roof inspection form for a West Palm Beach home?

It depends on the form. Citizens' Roof Inspection Form must be signed by a general, residential, building or roofing contractor, a building code inspector or a Florida home inspector, with photos of each roof slope; the 4-point form, with those photos, can take its place. The wind mitigation form has its own statutory list (Fla. Stat. 627.711(2)(a)). For a house from the city's 1988 median year, ask which form your insurer wants before booking anyone.

Related: Roof inspections

How often should a West Palm Beach roof be checked?

NRCA suggests inspections in the fall and spring, and owners can look for cracked or missing shingles, loose seams and granules collecting in the gutters. In West Palm Beach a fall look comes after the September 10 peak of hurricane season, and a spring look comes before the wet months. Add a check after any severe wind, including the tornadoes hurricanes can spin up, as Ian did in the county in 2022. 6.8% of the city's homes are held for seasonal use; those roofs need someone to look on the owner's behalf.

Related: Roof inspections

Nearby

Roof inspections near West Palm Beach

Sources for this page(51)
  1. 1.Median year homes were built: 1988. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  2. 2.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  3. 3.Permit office: City of West Palm Beach - Development Services - Building Division. City of West Palm Beach - Development Services - Building Division. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  4. 4.Seasonal, recreational or occasional-use homes (share of all units): 6.8%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25004, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  5. 5.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Climatology. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  6. 6.Hurricane Ian (2022). NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Ian (AL092022). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  7. 7.Share of homes built before 1980: 37.7%. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  8. 8.Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  9. 9.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  10. 10.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, inspections FAQ (updated 2026-03-17). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  11. 11.Insp4pt 03 25. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  12. 12.Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  13. 13.OIR form. Read Oct 4, 2026.
  14. 14.Florida Statutes, section 627.711 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  15. 15.Florida Statutes, section 627.0629 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
  16. 16.Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  17. 17.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  18. 18.National Roofing Contractors Association. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  19. 19.Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5), roof age and homeowners policies (2026 Florida Statutes), Florida Legislature. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  20. 20.Citizens Property Insurance, Inspections (4-point on applications for properties more than 20 years old; roof age requirements), Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  21. 21.4-Point Inspection Form, sample Insp4pt 03 25 (PDF), Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  22. 22.Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), effective April 1, 2026, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  23. 23.Fla. Stat. 627.711(2), who may sign the uniform mitigation verification form (2026 Florida Statutes), Florida Legislature. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  24. 24.Fla. Stat. 627.0629(1), windstorm mitigation discounts (2026 Florida Statutes), Florida Legislature. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  25. 25.OIR-B1-1655, the state's notice of premium discounts for hurricane loss mitigation, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  26. 26.Roof Inspection Form, RCF-1 (PDF), Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  27. 27.NRCA roofing guidelines and consumer resources (roof life about 20 years; fall and spring checks), National Roofing Contractors Association. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  28. 28.Tropical Cyclone Climatology, NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  29. 29.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API, U.S. Census Bureau. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  30. 30.City of West Palm Beach - Development Services - Building Division, City of West Palm Beach. Read Oct 5, 2026. Official page checked 2026-10-05. Official municipal page opened in a browser on 2026-10-05; it names the building/permit function. The site refuses scripted requests.
  31. 31.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Ian (AL092022), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  32. 32.Senate staff analysis, SB 808 (2026), pp. 3-4 (history of the statewide code), The Florida Senate. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  33. 33.Fla. Stat. 718.112(2)(g), Structural integrity reserve study (2026 Florida Statutes), The Florida Senate. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  34. 34.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Ch. 2 Definitions (High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, wind-borne debris region), UpCodes viewer. Read Oct 5, 2026. unofficial transcription; verify on floridabuilding.org
  35. 35.2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Ch. 1 (102.8, 105.1, 105.2.2, 107, 110.3), International Code Council (Florida Building Commission). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  36. 36.Wikipedia, 'List of municipalities in Florida', Wikipedia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  37. 37.Wikipedia, 'West Palm Beach, Florida' (revision 1375341943), Wikipedia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  38. 38.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25003, via Census Reporter API, U.S. Census Bureau. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  39. 39.U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API, U.S. Census Bureau. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  40. 40.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Nicole (AL172022), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  41. 41.NWS Miami, 'Palm Beach Gardens EF-2 Tornado - April 29th, 2023' StoryMap, NWS Miami. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  42. 42.NWS Miami, 'Hurricane Milton' StoryMap (preliminary data); NHC Tropical Cyclone Report AL142024, NWS Miami. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  43. 43.NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Isaias (AL092020), NOAA National Hurricane Center. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  44. 44.Official website: City of West Palm Beach, Historic Preservation, Official website: City of West Palm Beach. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  45. 45.Florida Building Commission, 'Setting New Standards for Safety: The Florida Building Code' (2004 publication; wind-speed figures in it are outdated and not used), Florida Building Commission. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  46. 46.Palm Beach County PZB - Building Division home page, Palm Beach County PZB - Building Division home page. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  47. 47.Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning & Building - Building Division, Palm Beach County. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  48. 48.Palm Beach County PZB - Building Division, Self-Issued Reroof Applications, Palm Beach County PZB - Building Division. Read Oct 5, 2026.
  49. 49.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  50. 50.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (access data service). Read Oct 5, 2026.
  51. 51.U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census counts (POP100, HU100) via TIGERweb tigerWMS_Census2020 layer 26 (Incorporated Places), U.S. Census Bureau. Read Oct 5, 2026.

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Roof inspections in West Palm Beach

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