What's Required in Miami
- Roofing permit for any roof covering replacement or re-cover; ordinary minor repairs exempt with the Building Official's approval
- Fee: 0.5 percent of estimated cost with a $110 minimum, plus $40 application and state surcharges of 1 percent and 1.5 percent; roofing exempt from the solid waste surcharge
- HVHZ roofing: FBC Building sections 1512 through 1525 and the Roofing Application Standards adopted by Miami-Dade County Code 8-2
- Roofing products need a Florida Building Commission HVHZ approval or a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (County Code 8-40)
- 25 percent rule: more than 25 percent of a roof section in 12 months brings the whole section to code, except roofs built to the 2007 or later FBC (FS 553.844(5))
- Tear-offs on wood decks require deck re-nailing and a secondary water barrier (FBC-EB 706.7), capped at about 15 percent of reroof cost
- Contractor must hold a Florida roofing license or Miami-Dade certificate of competency, or the owner files as owner-builder under FS 489.103(7)
- SAVE pilot: 50 percent city fee reduction for qualifying reinforced roofs until February 12, 2027; low-income resilience waiver up to $50,000 of work
- Permit void if work does not start within 180 days or lacks an approved inspection for 180 days
Do You Need a Permit to Replace a Roof in Miami?
Yes. City Code 10-5 requires a permit to repair or replace any part of a structure, and the Florida Building Code, Existing Building, which the City applies to repairs and alterations, treats re-covering or replacing a roof covering as permitted work. Miami is inside the Florida Building Code's High Velocity Hurricane Zone, so every roof assembly must follow the HVHZ roofing sections (FBC Building 1512 through 1525) and the Roofing Application Standards that Miami-Dade County adopts countywide, and the shingles, tiles, underlayment and metal must carry a Florida Building Commission HVHZ approval or a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance under County Code 8-40.
Small repairs are different. Ordinary minor repairs that cut no structure and alter no wiring or piping may be done without a permit with the Building Official's approval, so patching a leak or replacing a few tiles usually needs no filing. The line is the 25 percent rule: under FBC Existing Building 706.1.1, repairing, replacing or recovering more than 25 percent of a roof area or roof section in any 12-month period means the whole roof section must be brought to current code, unless the existing roof was built to the 2007 or a later Florida Building Code, in which case Florida Statute 553.844(5) limits the work to the portion actually replaced. When a roof covering on a wood deck is torn off, the roofer must also re-nail the decking and add a secondary water barrier; the statute caps those retrofits at about 15 percent of the reroof cost and asks for roof-to-wall connections only within that cap.
Miami Roof Permit Rules by Scenario
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Full tear-off and replacement, shingle, tile or metal | Roofing permit (min. $110 + $40) | City Code 10-5; FBC-EB 706; HVHZ 1512-1525 |
| Patching a leak or a few tiles under 25 percent of the roof | Usually no permit (ordinary minor repair) | City Code 10-5(b)(1); FBC-EB 706.1.1 |
| Repairing more than 25 percent of a roof built before the 2007 FBC | Permit; whole roof section to current code | FBC-EB 706.1.1 |
| Repairing more than 25 percent of a roof built to the 2007 or later FBC | Permit; only the replaced portion to current code | FS 553.844(5) |
| Re-cover over existing covering | Permit; HVHZ sections decide if allowed | FBC-EB 706.1 and HVHZ 1512-1525 |
| Replacing rotted sheathing or trusses | Permit; structural work is not a minor repair | City Code 10-5(b)(1) |
| Starting the roof before the permit issues | Two times the fee plus $110 (homestead); four times plus $110 otherwise | City Code 10-18(b)(1)(e) |
How Much Does a Roof Permit Cost in Miami?
The city charges 0.50 of the estimated construction cost on every residential permit, read as one-half of one percent (the commercial rate in the same section is one percent), with a $110 minimum, plus a non-refundable $40 application fee, state surcharges of 1 percent and 1.5 percent of the permit fee (at least $2 each) and a Miami-Dade County code-compliance surcharge whose rate the City Code does not state. Roofing is one of the categories exempt from the city solid waste surcharge, which saves $26 to $600.
Worked example, a $20,000 shingle reroof: 0.5 percent is $100, so the $110 minimum applies; with $40 application and $4 in state surcharges the city bill is about $154. A $45,000 tile roof: fee $225, application $40, state surcharges $5.63, about $270.63. The up-front fee of $2.80 per $1,000 paid at filing is 80 percent credited to the permit fee. Two city programs can cut this: the SAVE pilot halves city permit fees for qualifying storm-proofing upgrades such as reinforced roofs and impact windows until February 12, 2027, and households below 80 percent of area median income on a homesteaded property get permit fees waived for roofing and other exterior-shell resilience work up to $50,000 of construction cost.
Who Pulls a Roofing Permit in Miami?
Roofing is a licensed trade under Florida Statute 489.105, and Miami-Dade County requires any contractor working inside the city to hold a county certificate of competency or state license. An owner-occupant of a one- or two-family home may file as owner-builder under FS 489.103(7) by appearing in person and signing the application; selling or leasing within a year of completion is presumed a violation. Note that a roof covering replacement does not trigger the city's opening-protection (shutter) requirement that otherwise applies to $50,000 jobs on high-value homes.
How to Get a Roof Replacement Permit in Miami
Identify the roof assembly and products
Pick an HVHZ-approved system and collect the NOA or Florida product approval numbers for covering, underlayment, fasteners and metal.
Decide whether the 25 percent rule applies
Repairs over 25 percent of a section bring the whole section to code unless the roof was built to the 2007 or later FBC; plan deck re-nailing and a secondary water barrier on a tear-off.
File the roofing permit
Submit the application with the $40 fee and the up-front fee of $2.80 per $1,000; a licensed roofer or the owner-builder signs. Ask about SAVE or the low-income waiver if eligible.
Pay on approval
The $110 minimum or 0.5 percent of the contract plus state surcharges; roofing pays no solid waste surcharge.
Call in-progress and final inspections
Expect a tin-tag or dry-in inspection and a final; keep an approved inspection within every 180 days. Re-inspections are $57.