Roof citation in Tampa, FL
A roof citation means a code officer looked at your property and wrote up what they saw. Common ones are missing or damaged roofing, a storm tarp still up, active leaks, rotted decking or fascia, or a re-roof that was done without a permit. Read the notice all the way through. Write down the compliance date, any hearing date, and the case number. Then call the code office named on the notice with any question about your own case. That office is the only one that can tell you what your deadline is and where your case stands. In the meantime, keep people away from the roof and from anything falling off it — children above all — and do not try a roof repair yourself.
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Tampa is an incorporated municipality, so code enforcement here is normally run by the city itself, though some places contract it out; the notice you were sent names the office handling it. Across Florida, code enforcement is handled locally under Chapter 162, Florida Statutes, which lets cities and counties 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. Exact steps, deadlines and amounts are stated on your notice and vary by city and county.
While your case is open, don't
- Do not get on the roof. A damaged roof is not safe to walk on, and nobody should attempt that repair themselves.
- Do not start the work before the permit is pulled. Most roof repairs and every re-roof need a permit under the Florida Building Code, and unpermitted work usually has to be permitted after the fact anyway.
- Do not let the compliance date or hearing date pass unnoticed. Those dates are on your notice, and the code office named on it is who you ask about them.
- Do not tear out work before the building department says what it needs. On an after-the-fact permit the department may want to see the existing work, and opening or removing it first can make the inspection harder.
- Do not assume an old 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 shingles or tile, a tarp left up, leaks, rotted decking or fascia, or a re-roof done without a permit. That tells us what the code office is looking for.
- We inspect the roofWe look at the covering, the decking, the edges and the fascia to see whether it is a repair or a full re-roof. Then we give you a free estimate and agree the price in writing before any work starts.
- We pull the permit under our licenceWhen the work needs a permit, we pull it, including after-the-fact permits for a re-roof that was already done. The work is permitted and carried out under our Florida Certified Roofing Contractor licence CCC1335340.
- We use products approved for this areaRoofing products must be approved for where they are installed. Tampa is outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone of Broward and Miami-Dade, so products here typically carry Florida Product Approval or a local approval — your building department can confirm what it accepts.
- We do the work and schedule the inspectionsWe complete the repair or re-roof, schedule the inspections 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 Tampa
Tampa sits on the bay, and hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. Storm damage left unrepaired — roofs still under tarps, downed fences, scattered debris — is a common source of code enforcement notices afterward. A tarp is meant to be temporary. Left up, it stops doing its job, and a damaged roof keeps letting water into the structure through a climate that is humid nearly year-round, with a daily thunderstorm pattern from June through September.
The housing stock here cuts both ways. Hyde Park, Tampa Heights and Seminole Heights have 1920s wood-frame bungalows; the 1950s through 1970s brought concrete block and stucco; New Tampa and the outlying suburbs are much newer. Older roofs, newer roofs and work done by a previous owner all show up in roof citations. Salt-laden air off Tampa Bay and the Gulf also speeds corrosion on exterior metal, which matters at flashing, edges and vents, especially in South Tampa and other waterfront areas. The Florida Building Code sets wind-load requirements statewide, and assemblies have to be approved for the conditions where they are installed.
Questions people ask
- Do I need a permit to re-roof a house in Tampa?
- 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 city or county building department with jurisdiction over the property. We pull the permit under our licence when the work needs one.
- The roof was replaced before I bought the house and there is no permit. What now?
- Work already done without a permit generally has to be permitted after the fact. That can involve drawings, inspections, and opening up finished surfaces so the work can be inspected. We handle after-the-fact permits as part of the job.
- My tarp has been up since the last storm. Is that the violation?
- A tarp put up after a storm is meant to be temporary, and tarps left on roots long after a storm are a known issue through Florida's hurricane season. What your notice was actually written for is stated on the notice itself — the code office named on it can confirm.
- Will fixing the roof stop the fines or clear the lien?
- We are a contractor, not a law firm. We do not represent owners at hearings and we do not negotiate fines or liens. Fines, liens, hearings and appeals are decided by the code enforcement board, special magistrate or local government named on your notice; legal questions go to a Florida attorney.
- What does a roof violation repair cost?
- We never quote a number before seeing the property. Cost depends on the size of the roof, whether it is a repair or a full re-roof, how much decking or fascia is rotted, the covering being installed and whether an after-the-fact permit is involved. The estimate is free.
- Are you licensed to work in Tampa?
- Yes. 360 Home Improvements holds Florida Certified Building Contractor licence CBC1267336 and Florida Certified Roofing Contractor licence CCC1335340. Both are state certifications, valid in every Florida county and verifiable on the Florida DBPR website.
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, tell you what the violation needs and agree the price in writing before work starts — call (954) 906-7864 or send a request through the form on this site. Questions about the case itself, including your deadline, any hearing, fines or a lien, 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.
Same violation in nearby cities
Other violations in Tampa
- Daily fines are adding up
- A lien was recorded on my property
- Work done without a permit
- Open or expired permits
- Overgrown lot, yard or debris
- Fence, wall or pool barrier citation
- Unsafe structure or building in disrepair
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.