Roof repair in Tampa, FL

Not every damaged roof is a replacement, and around Tampa Bay the answer is often a section: a slope that Milton took, a valley worn through, rotten fascia and drip edge under a clogged gutter, or a limb through the deck in Carrollwood. A contractor who repairs will tell you how many years the rest of the roof has; a contractor who only replaces will not.

Describe the problem and the roof's age. The inspection comes first, then a written scope.

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Repair or replace: the 25% rule

Florida Statute 553.844 sets the line. When more than 25% of a roof section is repaired, replaced, or recovered within 12 months, the whole section must be brought up to current code, which usually means a full re-roof of that section with a secondary water barrier and current fastening. Under 25%, a repair can match what is there.

The exception that matters here: if the roof or roof section was built, repaired, or replaced in compliance with the 2007 Florida Building Code or later (in practice, installed since March 2009), only the portion being repaired, replaced, or recovered has to meet current code, whatever the percentage. That is a question about the roof's history, not the house's: a 2006 roof never touched since is on one side, a 2012 roof or a 2006 roof re-roofed or repaired to code since 2009 is on the other. Ask the contractor which side yours is on, and ask them to show you the permit history.

Common repairs around the bay

• Re-laying a slope of wind-lifted shingles that broke their seal, with new underlayment under the section.
• Valley replacement: new metal or woven shingle valley, on roofs under trees.
• Fascia, soffit, and drip edge where gutters overflowed or the deck edge rotted.
• Deck repairs: replacing sheets of plywood where a leak or a limb got to them, then re-shingling the section.
• Flashing at walls and chimneys, and the step flashing where a second story meets a lower roof.
• The flat-to-pitched transition on mid-century additions in St. Petersburg and Largo.

Permits and the design wind speed

Any repair that replaces a section is a permitted job in the two counties. Pinellas County designs ordinary homes to a 145 mph ultimate wind speed everywhere in the county, and Hillsborough uses the Florida Building Code map; that number is the design input the contractor works from when choosing an approved roof system and its fastening schedule for the property, not a label on a shingle bundle. Products carry a Florida Product Approval (a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance is also accepted); Tampa Bay is outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so the HVHZ-specific rules do not apply here. The contractor pulls the permit in their license number; a contractor who suggests you pull it as owner-builder is telling you something.