Repairs · Longwood

Roof repair in Longwood, FL

Water is 6.0% of Longwood's total area, 0.4 of 5.8 square miles, so this is a small city with creeks and ponds close to many roofs. Storms still reach it from the county's hurricane track. Here is where roofs fail and when a repair is the right call.

Request a quote 407-242-2840

Updated October 2026

Yellow single-storey city hall building beside a green directional sign and a tall palm under blue sky. — Photo: Longwood City Hall FL by Connor J Williams, CC BY 2.0, cropped

Close view across a gray shingle roof slope with a black pipe boot, a palm and a green lawn below. — Photo: Longwood City Hall FL by Connor J Williams, CC BY 2.0, cropped

Longwood figures this page uses

Median year homes were built: 1983
Water share of total area: 6%
Mobile homes, share of housing units: 1.4%

Storm damage

Where Longwood roofs fail in a storm

Seminole County has taken Matthew, Irma, Ian, Nicole and Milton in recent years. Milton in 2024 brought gusts of 60-75 mph, locally 84 mph, and 6-10 inches of rain. The county counted 554 structures affected, 54 of them with major damage.

FEMA field teams found that wind-damaged roof covering was a primary source of water getting inside. Leaks tend to follow flashing at wall and roof joints, vent pipes, chimneys and valleys, because the code calls for flashing at those spots.

Ridge vents and soffits are the other weak points. FEMA describes a house whose ceilings collapsed when only the ridge shingles and ridge vent were lost. Soffits have performed poorly in hurricanes, and the 2007 Florida Building Code began requiring them to resist wall wind loads.

Repair vs. replace

Longwood's 25% rule and how it decides between repair and replacement

Under the code, no more than 25 percent of a roof or roof section can be repaired in any 12-month stretch. Go past that and the whole roof section must be brought up to the current code. In Florida, this threshold is what divides a repair from a replacement.

There is one exception. If your roof was itself built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, only the repaired part must meet current code. By our arithmetic, 19.2% of Longwood homes were built in 2010 or later, against 12.3% countywide, so newer roofs here may qualify. Ask the building office before assuming.

Many Longwood homes date to a median build year of 1983, while the county median is 1988. Home age does not tell you roof age, so look at your own roof's last replacement date.

After the storm

What to do safely after a storm

Stay off the roof and out of attics with visible sagging or water.
Photograph damage from the ground: missing tabs, exposed felt, lifted ridge vent.
Cover openings only from a ladder at the eave, never on a wet roof.
Call your insurer or agent before signing any roofing contract.

Florida law bars roofing contractors from urging a roof claim or advising on coverage. Deadlines also run from the date of loss, so a Milton-season claim has a one-year window for notice. Questions about what your policy covers belong with your insurer or agent, not a roofer.

For permits, start with City of Longwood Permitting and Inspections. Small repairs may need no permit, and the building official decides.

Request a quote

Questions

Roof repair in Longwood: questions

What is the 25% roof rule in Florida?

Unless the entire section is replaced or recovered, the code allows at most 25 percent of a roof or roof section to be repaired, replaced or recovered within 12 months. If your Longwood roof was built or redone under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, only the repaired part must meet current code. Confirm your roof's history with City of Longwood Permitting and Inspections.

Source: 2023 Florida Building Code, Building, 8th ed., Chapter 15 (UpCodes viewer, unofficial transcription), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof repair

Does a small roof repair in Longwood need a permit?

Florida's building code lets the building official approve ordinary minor repairs without a permit, so the local office decides. In Longwood that is City of Longwood Permitting and Inspections. Ask before work starts, and describe the repair size, since the 25 percent limit counts repairs over 12 months.

Source: FBC-B 2023 Ch. 1, read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof repair

Do mobile homes in Longwood follow the same roof rules?

Mobile homes are 1.4 percent of Longwood's housing units, compared with 2.1 percent countywide. Manufactured homes follow the federal HUD code, not the Florida Building Code's repair rules, so confirm your home's requirements with the building office before repair or replacement work.

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

Related: Roof repair

When can my insurer ask about my roof's age?

When your roof is 15 years old or more, the insurer has to allow an authorized inspector to examine it, and the cost falls on you. An inspection that finds at least 5 years of useful life left on your roof means the insurer cannot decline or non-renew your policy because of age alone. Longwood's median home build year of 1983 suggests many roofs here have been replaced at least once, so keep your replacement date handy for your insurer.

Source: Florida Statutes, section 627.7011 (2026), read Oct 5, 2026

Related: Roof repair

Nearby