Polk County · Village

Roofing in Highland Park, Florida

A brief EF0 tornado touched down near Highland Park in June 2016 and knocked over a few trees in the Lake Wales area. No damage report went beyond that, but it shows what small storms can do here. Your housing is also old, and age tends to decide a roof's fate before wind does.

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Updated October 2026

Drone view of a two-story home with a brown shingle roof, a red debris container in the driveway and a neighboring home with a dark blue-gray roof.

At a glance

Highland Park homes at a glance

People (2020 Census): 251
Median year homes were built: 1972
Share of homes built before 1980: 62.8%
Share of homes built 2010 or later: 6.2%
Owner-occupied share of occupied homes: 98.1%

Census figures; each one is listed in the sources at the end of this page.

Roof age

Old homes in Highland Park mean old roofs

The median home here was built in 1972, and 62.8 percent of homes predate 1980. The county figure is 30 percent. That suggests many original or second roofs here are well past 25 years, though a roof-by-roof look is the only way to know.

Age matters to your insurer. Citizens Property Insurance asks for documentation of at least five years of remaining useful life once a shingle roof passes 25 years, or a tile or metal roof passes 50. If your policy is with another company, ask your agent what that company requires.

Only 6.2 percent of homes here were built in 2010 or later, so newer roofs are the exception. Nearly all occupied homes, 104 of 106, are owner-occupied, which means the roof decision is almost always yours alone.

Repair or replace

What the 25% rule means for a repair here

Florida Building Code section 1511.1.1 says you may not repair, replace or recover more than 25 percent of a roof section in any 12-month period unless you redo the entire section. On a home from the early 1970s, that matters. Repairing a large slope this year can trigger a full replacement of that section.

There is one exception. Any roof that was built, fixed or swapped out under the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later version only needs the section that was worked on to meet today's code. No city or county can override that allowance through its own local rules. A roof older than 2007 does not qualify.

Effective December 31, 2023, the Eighth Edition of the 2023 Florida Building Code became the governing version. Any permit application you file on or after December 31, 2026 will be reviewed under the Ninth Edition. The date your application is filed decides which edition governs your job.

Water covers 50% of the place's total area.

Permits and hiring

Permits, contractors and a small village

Highland Park has 109 housing units and 251 people, so confirm with the Polk County building office who issues roofing permits for your address before work starts. Do not assume. A permit lapses if work does not begin within 6 months of issuance, or stops for 6 months.

Florida law recognizes roofing as a separate trade in its own right. A general contractor must subcontract roofing work unless he or she holds a state certificate or registration in roofing. Ask to see the state license number and check it with the state before you sign.

Mobile homes are only 0.8 percent of housing units here, against 20 percent across the county. A roof on a manufactured home follows different rules in some cases, so most Highland Park roofs are conventional site-built jobs.

Local weather

Water, rain and storms that reach Highland Park

Water covers 0.54 square miles of Highland Park's 1.09 total, about half. Land area is 0.55 square miles. Lakes and wet ground mean your roof and gutters see heavy runoff, and a 10-year storm drops 2.81 inches in one hour.

Polk County has taken three federal disaster declarations from recent hurricanes. Irma in 2017 put a gust of 75 knots near Bartow. Ian in 2022 brought 12 inches of rain to Frostproof. A 100-year storm here would put down 10.5 inches in 24 hours.

NOAA lists 24 hail reports and 10 tornadoes for the county from 2016 through 2025. After any storm, have the roof checked before the next rain, and photograph the damage first.

Services

Roofing services in Highland Park

Questions

Highland Park roofing questions

What is the 25% rule for roofing in Highland Park?

Florida Building Code section 1511.1.1 bars repairing or replacing more than 25 percent of a roof section within 12 months unless the whole section is redone. The median build year here is 1972, but that describes homes, not roofs. A roof gets the 25 percent rule exception only if that roof was built, repaired or replaced in compliance with the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, which took effect March 1, 2009. Ask the Polk County building office how it applies to your roof before you order a large repair.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API (release acs2024_5yr), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof replacement

How old are the homes in Highland Park?

The median home was built in 1972, and 62.8 percent were built before 1980. The county figure is 30 percent. That suggests many roofs here have been replaced once or twice already, or are overdue. Check your own permit history to confirm your roof's actual age.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024), table B25035, via Census Reporter API (release acs2024_5yr), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof replacement

Will my insurer care how old my roof is?

Often yes. Citizens Property Insurance asks for documentation of five years of remaining life on shingle roofs older than 25 years and on tile or metal roofs older than 50. Other insurers set their own rules. Ask your insurer or agent, because Florida law keeps coverage questions with them and not with a roofer.

Source: Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, inspections FAQ (updated 2026-03-17), read Oct 4, 2026

Related: Roof inspections

Has Highland Park had tornado damage?

NOAA recorded an EF0 tornado on June 1, 2016, running from Highland Park toward Crooked Lake Park. It touched down briefly and knocked over a few trees. Across Polk County, NOAA lists 10 tornadoes from 2016 through 2025, two of them EF2.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, event 635104 (Tornado, 2016-06-01, zone/county POLK), bulk details file, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof repair

Do I need a roofing contractor or can a general contractor do it?

Florida law says a general contractor must subcontract roofing unless he or she holds a state roofing certificate or registration. Before you sign, ask for the state license number and look it up. Also confirm a Notice of Commencement is recorded before the first inspection. Local roofing demand is modest here, with 109 housing units counted in the 2020 Census, so homeowners often find a few qualified firms that can take on the job on a reasonable schedule.

Source: Florida Statutes, section 489.113 (2026), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof replacement

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Roofing in Highland Park, Florida

Highland Park homes at a glance

Roofing services in Highland Park

What is the 25% rule for roofing in Highland Park?

How old are the homes in Highland Park?

Will my insurer care how old my roof is?

Has Highland Park had tornado damage?

Do I need a roofing contractor or can a general contractor do it?

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