Roof code violation in Jacksonville, FL
A roof citation means a code officer looked at the property and wrote up what they saw: missing or damaged roofing, a tarp still up long after a storm, visible leaks, rotted decking or fascia, or a re-roof that was done without a permit. Read the notice all the way through first. It names the condition, the office handling the case, a compliance date, and sometimes a hearing date. Note both dates. Then call the code office printed on the notice with any question about your own case. Keep people away from a damaged roof, children above all, and do not go up to patch it yourself.
Call us or send your notice details · free estimate
Jacksonville is an incorporated municipality, so code enforcement here is normally run by the municipality itself, though some local governments contract it out. The office named on your notice is the one that holds your file. Across Florida, code enforcement runs under Chapter 162, Florida Statutes, which lets a city or county use either a code enforcement board or a special magistrate. The process generally starts with a notice of violation giving a reasonable time to correct the problem; if it is not corrected, the case is set for a hearing, and the board or magistrate issues an order with a compliance date. A fine may be imposed for each day a violation continues past that date, and a certified copy of an order imposing a fine can be recorded in the public records, where it becomes a lien on the property. The exact steps, dates and amounts vary by city and county and are stated on your notice.
While your case is open, don't
- Do not climb the roof. A damaged roof is not safe to walk on, and nobody should try the repair themselves.
- Do not start work before the permit is in place. Re-roofing and most roof repairs need a permit under section 105.1 of the Florida Building Code, and work started without one usually has to be permitted after the fact.
- Do not let the compliance date or hearing date slip by unnoticed. Those dates drive the whole case, so put them on a calendar and ask the code office named on your notice about anything you are unsure of.
- Do not tear out roofing or interior finishes yet. The building department decides what has to be opened up and inspected, especially on an after-the-fact permit, so wait until the scope is settled.
- Do not assume an old permit closed itself. An open or expired permit stays on the property record until it is properly closed out; the building department can tell you the status.
What we do
- We read the notice with youWe go through what the citation was written for and what condition it points to. That tells us what the roof work has to cover.
- We inspect the roofWe look at the covering, the tarped areas, the decking, the fascia and anywhere water has been getting in. Then we tell you what the violation needs and agree the price in writing before work starts.
- We pull the permit under our licenceWhen the work needs a permit, we pull it, including an after-the-fact permit for a re-roof already done without one. Our licences are Florida Certified Building Contractor CBC1267336 and Florida Certified Roofing Contractor CCC1335340, both verifiable on the Florida DBPR website.
- We do the repair or the re-roofDamaged roofing is repaired or replaced and rotted decking or fascia is taken out and rebuilt. Roofing products are used with the approval required for the area, which outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone of Broward and Miami-Dade generally means Florida Product Approval or a local approval the building department accepts.
- We schedule the inspectionsWe call in the inspections the permit calls for and work to get the permit closed out.
- We hand you the paperworkYou get the permit and inspection documents to show the code office named on your notice.
Work by 360 Home Improvements, Florida Certified Roofing Contractor CCC1335340 · Certified Building Contractor CBC1267336. Electrical, plumbing and AC work goes to our Florida-licensed subcontractors, who pull that trade's permit.
How it works in Jacksonville
Jacksonville sits on the Atlantic coast and along the tidal St. Johns River, and Atlantic hurricane season runs June through November. Storm damage left unrepaired is a common source of code enforcement notices afterward, and tarps meant as a temporary cover often stay on roofs long after the storm has passed. A tarp is not a repair, and a damaged roof keeps letting water into the structure through the near-daily summer thunderstorms and the high humidity here.
The housing stock also changes what the repair looks like. Early-1900s wood-frame and brick homes in Riverside, Avondale, Springfield and Ortega do not get re-roofed the same way as a 1990s-or-newer stucco and block house in Mandarin, Baymeadows, Southside or Bartram Park, and the mid-century block ranches in between are different again. Salt-laden air off the ocean and the river is hard on exterior metal well inland, so fasteners and flashings matter. We work throughout Florida, Jacksonville included, under a state certification valid in every Florida county.
Questions people ask
- Does a roof repair in Jacksonville need a permit?
- Section 105.1 of the Florida Building Code requires a permit for most construction, alteration and repair work, and re-roofing and most roof repairs fall under that. Permits are issued by the building department with jurisdiction over the property. We pull the permit under our licence when the work needs one.
- The re-roof was already done without a permit. What now?
- Work done without a permit generally has to be permitted after the fact. That can involve drawings, inspections, and opening up finished work so it can be inspected. We handle after-the-fact permits as part of the job.
- Can you get the fine or the lien taken off?
- No. We are a contractor, not a law firm: we do not represent owners at hearings and we do not negotiate fines or liens. What happens to a fine or lien is decided by the code enforcement board, special magistrate or local government named on your notice, so ask that office, and take legal questions to a Florida attorney.
- My tarp has been up since the last storm. Is that a problem?
- A tarp put up after a storm is meant to be temporary, and in Jacksonville they often stay up long after hurricane season ends. Code officers write citations for roofs left in that condition. The fix is the permitted repair or re-roof underneath.
- What does roof work cost?
- It depends on the size and pitch of the roof, the roofing system, how much decking or fascia is rotted, and whether an after-the-fact permit is involved. We give a free estimate and agree the price in writing before work starts.
- Who do I call about my hearing date?
- The code office named on your notice. They hold the file and can confirm deadlines, hearing dates and the status of the case. We can only speak to the repair work and the permit.
This page is general information about Florida code enforcement, not legal advice. For questions about your own case (deadlines, hearing dates, fines or liens), contact the code enforcement office named on your notice, or a Florida attorney.
Send us the notice
The estimate is free: we read the notice with you, look at the roof, and agree the price in writing before any work starts. Call (954) 906-7864 or send a request through the form on this site; questions about the case itself go to the code office named on your notice.
Request a free estimate
Tell us what the notice says and where the property is. We'll look at what the violation needs and agree the price with you before any work starts.
Other violations in Jacksonville
- Unsafe structure or building in disrepair
- Fence, wall or pool barrier citation
- Open or expired permits
- Work done without a permit
- Daily fines are adding up
- A lien was recorded on my property
Code Violation Solver is run by 360 Home Improvements, a licensed Florida contractor. We fix the condition behind the violation; the code office named on your notice decides the case.