The 25% Rule: When a Roof Repair Becomes a Full Replacement
Florida Building Code §706.1.1 says that if more than 25% of a roof section is repaired, replaced, or recovered in any 12-month period, the entire section has to be brought up to current code — not just the damaged part. A 2022 law narrowed that: if the existing roof section already complies with the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later edition, only the repaired portion has to meet current code, not the whole section.
What is the 25% rule?
It's a threshold in the Florida Building Code, not an insurance rule: once repair, replacement, or recovering work reaches more than a quarter of a roof section's area within a 12-month window, the code treats the whole section as needing to meet current building code — not just the part that was damaged.
Is there an exception?
Yes, and it's the part homeowners usually don't hear about. Senate Bill 4-D, effective in 2022, added subsection (5) to Florida Statute 553.844. If the existing roof section was already built, repaired, or replaced in compliance with the 2007 Florida Building Code or any later edition, the code no longer forces a full-section replacement past the 25% mark — only the repaired, replaced, or recovered portion has to meet the current code. In practice, this covers most roofs built or fully replaced in Florida over the last two decades.
How is 25% measured?
Per roof section, not the roof as a whole. A section is a distinct plane bordered by things like ridges, valleys, or expansion joints — so a large or irregularly shaped roof can have several sections, each measured on its own. Damage concentrated on one section can cross the 25% threshold for that section without coming close to it for the roof overall.
Where this comes up in practice
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| Repair affects 25% or less of a roof section | Only the repaired area needs to meet current code. |
| Repair affects more than 25% of a section, and the section already complies with the 2007 code or later | Only the repaired, replaced, or recovered portion has to meet current code (F.S. 553.844(5)). |
| Repair affects more than 25% of a section, and the section predates the 2007 code | The entire section must be brought up to current code (FBC §706.1.1). |
Storm damage is the most common way homeowners run into this: hail or wind can put a single section well past 25% even when the rest of the roof is fine. See our storm damage & insurance page for how that claim process works.
Not sure which side of 25% your damage falls on? See the Roof Replacement page →
Sources
- Florida Statute 553.844(5), The Florida Senate — accessed August 26, 2026.
- Declaratory Statement DS 2021-007, Florida Building Commission (FBC §706.1.1 staff analysis) — accessed August 26, 2026.
Ready to have your roof evaluated?
TSC is a Florida Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC1328047). We can tell you whether your repair stays under 25% or needs a full section replacement — and handle either one.