Inspections · Clearwater
Roof inspections in Clearwater, FL
Clearwater's median resident is 46.6 years old, and 84.1% of the city's homes were built before 2000, so many Clearwater roofs end up on an insurer's inspection form. Roof inspections in Clearwater usually answer one of three: the 4-point, the wind mitigation report or Citizens' own roof form.
Updated October 2026
Our workClearwater figures this page uses
- Median age
- 46.6yrs
- Share of homes built before 2000
- 84.1%
- Mobile homes, share of housing units
- 5.3%
- Share of homes in buildings with 5+ units
- 42.9%
Local know-how
Which Clearwater homes get which roof form
Citizens requires a 4-point inspection for owner, dwelling and mobile home applications on properties more than 20 years old, and every home built before 2000 now qualifies. The form's roof section records the covering, age, remaining life, last roof permit and visible damage, and with photos of each slope it can stand in for Citizens' separate roof inspection form.
Clearwater's mobile homes, 5.3% of its housing against 9% countywide, are a special case. Florida's 15-year roof rule is written for homeowners' policies, and Senate staff note it does not apply to mobile home policies (Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5)). Owners of those homes should ask their insurer how it judges roof age.
Condo buildings are another. On the wind mitigation form, a "flat roof" means a building of five or more units with at least 90% of its main roof under 2:12, so a single-family flat roof is graded "Other." That definition is written for buildings like the ones holding 42.9% of Clearwater's homes, though the slope test still decides.
The wind form
The roof answers on a Clearwater wind mitigation report
The current form, OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26), effective April 1, 2026, covers nine features, and six concern the roof itself: slope, covering, deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection, roof geometry and the secondary water barrier.
Two of those answers move the most at a re-roof. Deck attachment runs from staples or 6d nails at 6-inch edge and 12-inch field spacing, the lowest box, up to 8d nails at 6 inches in the field. And the form says standard underlayment or hot-mopped felt does not qualify as a secondary water barrier, while a fully adhered membrane, taped deck seams or a double layer of underlayment does.
Geometry can help: a hip roof qualifies if non-hip features are no more than 10% of the roof's total perimeter. The wind region comes from the ASCE 7-22 design wind speed for the address, with Region 1 starting at 140 mph.
Questions
Roof inspections in Clearwater: questions
How do I find out how old my Clearwater roof is?
Start with the permit history. For insurance, a roof's age runs from the last date 100% of its surface was built or replaced (Fla. Stat. 627.7011(5)(d)), and the 4-point form asks for the date of the last roofing permit. The City of Clearwater's Permitting office holds permits for addresses in the city, Clearwater Beach included. With a 1978 median build year, the house's age says little about the roof's; only the re-roof date does.
Does a hip roof help on a Clearwater wind mitigation report?
It can. Form OIR-B1-1802 treats a roof as hip geometry if non-hip features, such as gables, make up no more than 10% of the total roof perimeter. Insurers must offer discounts or credits for wind-resistant features, including roof strength and roof covering performance (Fla. Stat. 627.0629(1)), but the state's notice says those apply only to the hurricane-wind portion of a policy. In a city where 84.1% of homes predate 2000, the roof's shape is usually settled; the deck and water-barrier answers are what a re-roof can change.
Who can sign a wind mitigation form for a Clearwater home?
The statute lists them. Fla. Stat. 627.711(2)(a) names home inspectors who have finished 3 hours of hurricane mitigation training and a proficiency exam, building code inspectors, general, building and residential contractors, professional engineers, architects, and anyone else the insurer recognizes. The signer must inspect the house in person; only engineers and those contractors may send a direct employee (627.711(3)). The form also asks for the code era, and with a 1978 median build year most Clearwater houses predate both era boxes on it.
Sources for this page(18)
- 1.Median age: 46.6. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B01002, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 2.Share of homes built before 2000: 84.1%. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25034, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 3.Mobile homes, share of housing units: 5.3%. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25024, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 4.Mobile homes, share of housing units: 9%. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25024, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 5.Share of homes in buildings with 5+ units: 42.9%. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25024, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 6.Permit office: City of Clearwater - Permitting. City of Clearwater - Permitting. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 7.Wikipedia, "Clearwater, Florida" (secondary source). Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 8.Median year homes were built: 1978. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 9.Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 10.Insp4pt 03 25. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 11.Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 12.OIR form. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 13.Florida OIR, Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802. Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 14.Florida Statutes, section 627.0629 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 15.Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 16.Florida Statutes, section 627.711 (2026). Read Oct 4, 2026.
- 17.NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, stations USC00087886 ST PETERSBURG and USW00012873 ST PETERSBURG INTL AP. Read Oct 5, 2026.
- 18.NWS Melbourne, Lightning Facts and Trivia. Read Oct 5, 2026.
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Roof inspections in Clearwater
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