Straight answers to the questions Florida homeowners ask most before hiring a roofer in St. Petersburg: licenses, permits, insurance claims, the 25% rule and what a fair estimate looks like.
Every licensed roofer in St. Petersburg holds a license issued by the Florida DBPR (Construction Industry Licensing Board). Look the company or qualifier up at myfloridalicense.com (free, no account needed), or use the Verify button on any listing here — our data is the state's own weekly license extract. Check that the status is Current/Active, the name on the license matches the company quoting you, and look at the discipline tab for complaints.
Yes. In Florida, roofer work is a licensed trade under Chapter 489 of the Florida Statutes. A contractor must hold either a state-certified license (valid in every county) or a state-registered license (valid only in the counties where they hold a local competency card). Hiring an unlicensed roofer means no permit, no recourse through the DBPR, and your homeowner's insurance may deny a related claim.
A full re-roof always needs a permit in Florida, and only a licensed roofing contractor (or you as owner-builder) can pull it. Minor repairs under a small square-footage threshold may be exempt depending on the county, but anything involving decking, underlayment or more than a few squares normally requires one. The permit triggers the inspections (dry-in and final) that your insurer and any future buyer will ask about.
Not anymore in most cases. Florida's old "25% rule" required replacing the entire roof section when more than 25% was repaired within a year. Senate Bill 4-D (2022) removed that requirement for roofs that were built or replaced to the 2007 Florida Building Code or later — those can be repaired rather than replaced. Roofs older than that may still fall under the rule; your building department applies it.
Florida law (SB 76, 2021) bars insurers from refusing to write or renew a policy solely because a roof is less than 15 years old. For older roofs, you can get a licensed inspection showing at least five years of remaining useful life and the insurer must consider it. Many carriers now also use actual-cash-value roof coverage on older roofs, which changes what a claim pays.
Under SB 2-A (December 2022), a new or reopened claim must be reported to the insurer within one year of the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months. Assignment-of-benefits agreements are prohibited for policies issued on or after January 1, 2023, so a roofer cannot take over your claim — you deal with the insurer and pay the contractor.
CCC is a Certified Roofing Contractor — licensed by the state after passing the state exam, and allowed to work in every Florida county. RC is a Registered Roofing Contractor — holds a local competency card and is registered with the state, but may only work in the counties where that card is valid. Both are legitimate; just confirm an RC is registered for your county.
Roofing is priced per square (100 sq ft), not by the hour. Typical 2026 Florida ranges run roughly $450–$900 per square installed for architectural asphalt shingles, more for metal and tile, with tear-off, decking repairs, permit fees and hurricane-code upgrades on top. Our cost guides give city-level ranges; always compare three written estimates.
Yes. Contracting without a license is a first-degree misdemeanor on a first offense and a third-degree felony on repeat offenses — and any unlicensed contracting during a declared state of emergency (for example after a hurricane) is a felony. The DBPR runs unlicensed-activity stings and you can report unlicensed work to them. A contract with an unlicensed contractor is unenforceable by the contractor, but you still carry the risk of bad work and no permit.
Often yes, under Florida's owner-builder exemption: you may pull permits and do work on your own primary residence, provided you do the work yourself or with employees you supervise, you are not building to sell (the home cannot be sold within one year), and you sign the owner-builder disclosure at the building department. The work still has to pass inspection to code. Some jurisdictions restrict owner-builder roofer work, so ask your local building department first.
No. Florida has no handyman license, and a handyman can only do work that does not require a contractor license (painting, drywall patching, flooring, cabinet installs and similar). Roofer work that requires a permit must be done by a licensed roofer. A handyman offering it is contracting without a license.
Get at least three written estimates. Each should show the company's legal name and Florida license number, the scope of work and materials, who pulls the permit and whether permit fees are included, start and completion dates, a payment schedule (Florida practice is a modest deposit, never full payment up front), warranty terms on labor and materials, and proof of general liability insurance and workers' compensation (or a valid exemption). The license number on the estimate should match what you see at myfloridalicense.com.
Walk away if they: cannot give you a Florida license number, ask you to pull the permit yourself as the homeowner, want cash or full payment before work starts, offer to "waive your deductible" on an insurance job (insurance fraud in Florida), pressure you to sign today, or show up uninvited after a storm. Also check the discipline section on their listing here — it comes from the DBPR's own disciplinary reports.
Find licensed licensed roofers in St. Petersburg