Does a roof repair in Orlando 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 it. Permits are issued by the city or county building department with jurisdiction over the property. That department can confirm what your specific job needs.

The roof was replaced without a permit. What now?

Work already done without a permit generally has to be permitted after the fact, which can involve drawings, inspections and opening up finished surfaces so the work can be inspected. We pull after-the-fact permits under our licence and schedule the inspections. What the building department requires in your case is for that department to say.

Will fixing the roof stop the fines or clear a lien?

We are a contractor, not a law firm. Fines, liens, hearings and appeals are decided by the code enforcement board, special magistrate or local government named on your notice, so those questions go to that office, and legal questions go to a Florida attorney. What we do is the physical work, the permit and the close-out paperwork you can show them.

There is still a tarp on my roof from the last storm. Is that enough?

A tarp put up after a storm is meant to be temporary, and the structure keeps taking water while the damage is open. Tarps left up long after hurricane season are a common reason a notice gets written in Central Florida. The notice itself tells you what condition the code office wants corrected.

What does the work cost?

It depends on the size of the roof, whether it is a repair or a full re-roof, how much decking or fascia is rotted, and whether an after-the-fact permit is involved. We look at the property, tell you what the violation needs, and put the price in writing before work starts. The estimate is free.

Roof citation in Orlando, FL

A roof citation means a code officer wrote up a condition they could see at the property. Usually that is missing or damaged roofing, a tarp still up long after a storm, leaks, rotted decking or fascia, or a re-roof that was done without a permit. Read the notice from the first line to the last. Note the date you are given to correct the condition, and note any hearing date. Then contact the code office named on the notice with any question about your own case — the deadlines, the hearing, fines or a lien are theirs to answer, and legal questions go to a Florida attorney.

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A single-story Florida home with a weathered blue tarp over part of a tile roof, a roofer seen from behind on a ladder at the eave with a roll of underlayment.

Orlando is an incorporated municipality, so code enforcement here is normally run by the municipality itself, though some places contract it out. The office handling your file is the one printed on your notice. In Florida, code enforcement works 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 that identifies the problem and gives a reasonable time to correct it. 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 the 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 are stated on your notice and vary by city and county, so confirm them with the code office named there.

While your case is open, don't

Do not get on the roof. Nobody should walk on a damaged roof or try the repair themselves — keep people away from the area below it, children above all, and leave structural and roof work to a licensed contractor.
Do not start the work before the permit is issued. 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 it.
Do not let the compliance date or hearing date slip by unnoticed. Put both dates on the calendar the day you read the notice and call the code office named on it if anything about them is unclear.
Do not tear out or cover up work already done. If a re-roof was done without a permit, the building department decides what it needs to see, and an after-the-fact permit can involve drawings, inspections and opening finished surfaces.
Do not assume an older permit is closed. An open or expired permit stays on the property record until it is properly closed out, so check the status with the local building department.

What we do

We read the notice with youWe go through what the citation was written for — missing or damaged roofing, a tarp, leaks, rotted decking or fascia, or unpermitted roof work — and look at the property. The estimate is free.
We inspect the roofWe check the covering, the decking, the fascia and the areas where water has been getting in, so the scope matches what the officer wrote up.
We agree the price in writingYou see the work and the price before anything starts. No work begins until that is settled.
We pull the permit under our licenceRoof work is permitted and done under our Florida Certified Roofing Contractor licence CCC1335340. If the roof was already done without a permit, that includes an after-the-fact permit.
We do the repair or the re-roofRoofing products are installed with approval for the area they go in. Inside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone of Broward and Miami-Dade that means a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance; elsewhere in Florida, Florida Product Approval or a local approval — your building department confirms what it accepts.
We schedule inspections and work to close the permit outWe book the inspections and work the permit through to close-out, then hand you the paperwork 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 Orlando

Orlando sits inland in Central Florida, so the roof problems here are driven by water, wind and sun rather than salt spray. Afternoon thunderstorms run daily from June through September and the region is among the most lightning-prone in the country. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30 and brings damaging wind, wind-driven rain and spin-up tornadoes even 50 or more miles from the coast. Storm damage that is left unrepaired — roofs still under tarps, scattered debris — is a common source of code enforcement notices afterward. A tarp is meant to be temporary, and a damaged roof keeps letting water into the structure until the covering is put right.

The housing stock across Orlando is mostly concrete block and stucco with asphalt shingle or tile roofs on slab-on-grade foundations. Near downtown there are 1920s through 1950s bungalows in neighborhoods like College Park, Lake Eola Heights and Colonialtown; out from there, large waves of 1970s through 2000s subdivisions; and on the south and east sides, Lake Nona and ongoing new construction. Many of those subdivisions are HOA-governed, but an HOA letter and a code enforcement notice are different things — the notice names the office that handles the case, and that is the office to call about it.

Questions people ask

Does a roof repair in Orlando 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 it. Permits are issued by the city or county building department with jurisdiction over the property. That department can confirm what your specific job needs.
The roof was replaced without a permit. What now?: Work already done without a permit generally has to be permitted after the fact, which can involve drawings, inspections and opening up finished surfaces so the work can be inspected. We pull after-the-fact permits under our licence and schedule the inspections. What the building department requires in your case is for that department to say.
Will fixing the roof stop the fines or clear a lien?: We are a contractor, not a law firm. Fines, liens, hearings and appeals are decided by the code enforcement board, special magistrate or local government named on your notice, so those questions go to that office, and legal questions go to a Florida attorney. What we do is the physical work, the permit and the close-out paperwork you can show them.
There is still a tarp on my roof from the last storm. Is that enough?: A tarp put up after a storm is meant to be temporary, and the structure keeps taking water while the damage is open. Tarps left up long after hurricane season are a common reason a notice gets written in Central Florida. The notice itself tells you what condition the code office wants corrected.
What does the work cost?: It depends on the size of the roof, whether it is a repair or a full re-roof, how much decking or fascia is rotted, and whether an after-the-fact permit is involved. We look at the property, tell you what the violation needs, and put the price in writing before work starts. The estimate is free.

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

Call (954) 906-7864 or send a request through the form for a free estimate — we read the notice with you, look at the roof, and agree the price in writing before any work starts. Questions about the case itself, including dates, fines and liens, go to the code office named on your notice.

Call now · (954) 906-7864

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.

NamePhoneEmailProperty address (the property on the notice)CityZIP code (Florida)What does the notice say?Compliance date (if the notice gives one)Hearing date (if any)Anything else (optional)I agree that 360 Home Improvements may contact me about this request by phone call, text message and email at the number and email I gave, including with automated technology and an AI assistant. Consent is not a condition of any purchase. Message and data rates may apply; reply STOP to opt out of texts.

We use your details only for this request. Not legal advice; for legal questions about your case, contact the code office named on your notice or a Florida attorney. See the privacy page.

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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.