Roofing guide · Jacksonville, FL
Florida's 15-year roof rule, explained for Jacksonville homeowners
By Holden Lovett, Roofing Guides Editor · Updated September 2026
Plenty of Jacksonville homeowners have opened a renewal notice asking about roof age. The rule behind most of those letters is Florida Statute 627.7011, and it gives homeowners more room than the letters suggest. Here is what it says, what it does not, and what to do next.
- Insurance and roof age
- Florida law
- Jacksonville, FL
Florida's 15-year roof rule is Florida Statute 627.7011: an insurer may not refuse to write or renew a homeowners policy solely because the roof is under 15 years old, and for a roof 15 years or older it must let the owner have an authorized inspector check it. If that inspection shows five or more years of useful life, age alone cannot be the reason for refusal.
The law
What the statute actually says
The rule sits in Florida Statute 627.7011, and it has two parts. For roofs under 15 years old, an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowners policy solely because of the roof's age. For roofs 15 years and older, the insurer must let the homeowner have the roof inspected by an authorized inspector, and it may not refuse to write or renew solely for age if that inspection shows at least five years of useful life remaining.
The word that matters in both parts is solely. An insurer can still act on a roof's condition, on damage, or on other underwriting grounds; what the statute takes away is age by itself as the reason.
The limits
What the rule does not do
The statute does not make every older roof insurable, and it does not oblige an insurer to accept any report from anyone. The inspection has to come from an authorized inspector as the statute defines the term, and the roof has to actually have the useful life the report claims. A roof with active leaks, widespread granule loss or storm damage will not pass on paper what it fails on the roof.
It also does not set your premium. How a roof's age or condition affects what you pay is a question for your agent, and it varies from carrier to carrier.
Got a roof-age letter?
Call and we will inspect the roof, photograph every slope, and tell you honestly where it stands.
Authorized inspectors
Who can do the inspection
The statute lists who counts as an authorized inspector, and roofing contractors were added to that list by HB 1611, effective July 2024, alongside the professions it already named. Your insurer may also have its own form or photo requirements, so ask which form they want before booking the visit.
Whoever does it, a useful inspection covers every slope, the flashing and penetrations, and the attic side of the deck, with photos. A report that estimates remaining life without showing the roof is weaker evidence than one that puts every finding next to its photo.
Step by step
What to do when the letter arrives
A roof-age letter has a deadline. These steps keep your options open while there is still time to use them.
- Read what the insurer is actually asking for, and by when
- Check the roof's age in the permit record rather than guessing
- Ask which inspection form the insurer accepts
- Book an inspection with photos of every slope and the attic
- Fix specific, fixable items first if they would change the result
- Keep the dated report; it helps at the next renewal too
The evidence
What a strong inspection report includes
The report is the evidence, so it is worth knowing what a complete one looks like before you book. An insurer's underwriter reads it without seeing the roof, and every gap in it is a reason to ask more questions or to lean on the roof's age after all.
- The roof covering type and an age estimate tied to the permit record
- Photos of every slope, not a single wide shot from the street
- Close photos of flashing, pipe boots, valleys and the ridge
- Attic photos of the deck underside where there is safe access
- Any repairs made before the inspection, with before and after photos
- A plain estimate of remaining useful life, in years
Buying or selling
Roof age and a home sale
Roof age comes up again when a house changes hands. A buyer's insurer will often ask for a four-point inspection on an older home, which covers the roof alongside the electrical, plumbing and heating and cooling systems, and a roof near the end of its life can hold up a closing or reopen the price.
Sellers who know that is coming can get ahead of it with a dated roof report or a permitted reroof, and buyers can ask for the roof's permit history before making an offer. Either way, the roof conversation is shorter when the evidence already exists. See roof inspection for what a pre-purchase inspection covers.
Planning ahead
When the honest answer is replacement
Some roofs will not pass, and an inspection that says so is still worth having: it tells you how much time you have and what the replacement needs to include. A new permitted roof answers the age question for years, and items like deck attachment and a secondary water barrier are recorded on Florida's wind mitigation inspection form.
A replacement on your own schedule costs less and goes better than one forced by a deadline or a storm. See roof replacement for how one is planned, and roof certification for insurance for the inspection itself.
Questions we hear
Roof age and insurance questions
Not solely for age, if an authorized inspection shows five or more years of useful life. The insurer can still act on condition or on other grounds.
Yes. Under the statute the inspection is at the homeowner's expense.
The statute addresses whether a policy is written or renewed, not its price. Ask your agent how your carrier treats roof age.
Usually from the permit record for the last reroof, or from inspection reports made when the house was bought.
Sometimes. Specific fixable items, such as missing shingles or cracked pipe boots, can be repaired before the inspection; widespread wear cannot.
No. That is a separate building code rule about repairs; see our guide to the 25 percent rule.
Answer the roof-age question with evidence
Call any hour. We inspect and document roofs for Jacksonville homeowners facing renewal questions.
