November 1, 2026 · 9 min read · Tips
The short answer
Most Palm Beach County homeowners re-roof every 13 to 25 years, depending on the material, and the material you choose is the biggest thing that sets the cost. The job needs a permit from your city or the county, and it is built to the Florida Building Code. From the day you sign to the day the crew starts is usually about six weeks. This guide walks through each step in plain English: what to pick, what it costs, what the code asks for and how to choose who does it.
Molsbee Roofing has roofed homes across the county from our shop in Lake Worth Beach under Florida license CCC1327429. Everything below comes from the roofs we quote, permit and build here.
Step 1: Know what you have and how long it lasts
In Palm Beach County's sun, salt and wind, a roof generally lasts:
| Roof type | Typical lifespan here | What usually wears out first |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural shingle | 13 to 18 years | Granules and seal strips at edges and ridges |
| Concrete or clay tile | 15 to 20 years | The underlayment under the tile, not the tile |
| Metal (standing seam) | 20 to 25 years | Sealants, trim and fasteners |
| Flat (mod-bit or TPO) | 15 to 20 years | Seams, drains and edges |
Tile is the one that surprises people. The tile itself can outlast the house, but the waterproofing layer underneath it does not. When that layer is done, the roof is done, even if the tile looks fine from the street.
Signs it is time to look: leaks or stains after rain, cracked or slipped tile, shingles losing granules or lifting at the edges, soft spots when the roof is walked, or simply a roof past the ages above.
Step 2: Repair or replace? The one-quarter roof rule
The question we hear on almost every call: "Can you just repair it?" Sometimes, yes. Repairs are about half of the jobs we win. But Florida has a rule that decides it on some roofs.
The one-quarter roof rule in plain English: under the Florida Building Code, if more than a quarter of a roof system or section is repaired, replaced or recovered within 12 months, the roof covering on that whole section generally has to be brought up to current code. There is an important exception in state law (Fla. Stat. 553.844(5)): if that roof was built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, only the part being repaired has to meet current code, even when a quarter or more of it is damaged.
What that means for you: on an older roof with widespread damage, a "repair" can legally turn into a replacement. On a roof built to the 2007 code or later, a large repair can stay a repair. A good roofer will tell you which side of that line your roof is on at the inspection, with photos.
Step 3: Pick a material
| Shingle | Concrete tile | Clay tile | Standing seam metal | Flat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Lowest | Higher | Highest | About the same as concrete tile | Depends on size; most home sections are small |
| Weight | Light | Heavy | Heavy | Light | Light |
| Lifespan here | 13 to 18 yrs | 15 to 20 yrs | 15 to 20 yrs | 20 to 25 yrs | 15 to 20 yrs |
| Looks | Traditional | Mediterranean, Spanish | Historic, Spanish | Clean, modern | Low-slope sections |
Cost is relative to the other roofs in the table. On any roof, the size, the pitch and how much wood (decking) needs replacing move the number, and every Molsbee quote includes the permit and full tear-off, in writing. For the details on tile, see 2027 tile roofs: concrete vs clay vs barrel.
How to choose:
- Selling in the next few years or on a tight budget? Shingle.
- Want the classic Palm Beach look on a house framed for it? Concrete tile.
- Historic home or a design board that expects it? Clay tile.
- Staying a long time and want fewer replacements? Standing seam metal.
- Who else gets a say: HOAs, historic boards and, on the island, the Town of Palm Beach Architectural Commission. In Lake Worth Beach's historic districts, a Certificate of Appropriateness may be required before the permit.
For the side-by-side details, read tile vs shingle vs metal in 2027 and metal vs shingles.
Step 4: What the code requires on a re-roof
- Full tear-off. Re-roofs here are built to the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition. On our jobs the old roof comes all the way off so the deck can be inspected.
- A secondary water barrier. The code sets secondary water barrier requirements on re-roofs and allows more than one method. We specify a self-adhered barrier over the deck. It is the layer that keeps water out if a storm strips the covering.
- Wind design for your address. The whole county sits in the wind-borne debris region. Design wind speeds run from 150 mph inland to 160 mph across most of the mainland and 170 mph on the barrier islands. Fastening follows the product approval for your band, and the band is set by your parcel, not your ZIP code.
- Inspections. The building department inspects during the job (for example, the deck and dry-in) and at the end. The permit is not closed until the final passes.
Step 5: Permits, step by step
Every re-roof in Palm Beach County needs a permit. Who issues it depends on where you live:
- Lake Worth Beach: City of Lake Worth Beach Building Division, 1900 2nd Ave N, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm, (561) 586-1647. Applications go through the city's online permit portal. Re-roofing is not on the city's no-permit list.
- Other cities: each has its own building department and portal, for example Civic Access in West Palm Beach, eHub in Boca Raton and ProjectDox in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach.
- Unincorporated areas: Palm Beach County's Planning, Zoning and Building department, through its ePZB portal.
The Notice of Commencement. On larger jobs, Florida law has the owner sign a Notice of Commencement, which is recorded with the County Clerk and posted at the job. Under Fla. Stat. 713.135, a copy has to be filed with the permit office before the first inspection once the contract is above the threshold set in that statute, which nearly every re-roof is. Your roofer should prepare it for you to sign.
Your contractor pulls the permit. It should be pulled under the roofer's license, never in your name as an owner-builder. That puts the legal responsibility for the work where it belongs.
Step 6: Your contract, and Florida's rules
Florida tightened its roofing contract rules in 2024 (Fla. Stat. 489.147). The ones homeowners should know:
- No gifts for an inspection. A contractor may not offer cash, gift cards or other rewards in exchange for letting them inspect your roof.
- An itemized estimate. You should get a written, itemized, detailed estimate before you authorize work.
- The 10-day cancellation right is narrower now. Since July 2024, the right to cancel a roof contract within 10 days without penalty applies only to contracts signed within 180 days after a declared state of emergency for your area. Outside of that, read before you sign.
- What the scope should name: the roof covering by product, the underlayment, the wood allowance and the price for extra wood, the permit, tear-off and disposal, and the warranty.
Step 7: Timing your roof
| Stage | Typical time on our jobs |
|---|---|
| Proposal to signed contract | 3 days (median) |
| Signed contract to production | about 6 weeks (permit, HOA, materials) |
| On the roof | from a few days on shingle to longer on tile and complex roofs |
March is our busiest signing month. December and February are the slowest. If you can plan ahead, signing in the slower months can get you on the schedule sooner. The other timing rule here is the weather: hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, so a roof that is near the end of its life is best replaced before summer, not during it.
Molsbee data
Original numbers from our own job records. Customer names and addresses are never included.
- On signed contracts, the final job value matched the signed proposal total on 48 of 48 jobs (Molsbee Roofing job records, Jun to Oct 2026, n=48).
- The median customer signed 3 days after receiving a proposal (Molsbee Roofing job records, Jun to Oct 2026, n=48).
- From signing to production start took a median of 42 days, about six weeks (Molsbee Roofing job records, Dec 2024 to Oct 2026, n=207).
- Of 45 signed residential re-roofs: 14 were shingle, 12 concrete tile, 7 metal, 7 flat and 5 clay tile (Molsbee Roofing job records, Jun to Oct 2026, n=45).
- About half of the jobs we win are repairs, not replacements: 279 repairs and 270 re-roofs (Molsbee Roofing job records, Dec 2024 to Oct 2026, n=549).
- March was the busiest month for signed jobs; February and December were the slowest (Molsbee Roofing job records, Dec 2024 to Oct 2026, n=270).
Step 8: Choose who does it
The roofer matters as much as the roof. Check the license on the state site, ask who pulls the permit, get the scope and price in writing, and read the reviews. Our 10 questions to ask a roofer has the questions and what good answers sound like. If you live in or near Lake Worth Beach, see our 2027 list of roofing contractors in Lake Worth Beach.
Start with a free inspection
Call (561) 318-8624 or request a free roof inspection. We will tell you whether your roof needs a repair or a replacement, show you the photos, and put the full scope and price in writing before anything starts.
Molsbee Roofing, Inc. · Florida license CCC1327429 · Owens Corning Preferred Contractor
