When to Replace Your Roof in Palm Beach County

In Palm Beach County a shingle roof generally lasts 13 to 18 years, tile 15 to 20, metal 20 to 25, and a flat roof 15 to 20. Asphalt shingle is the shortest-lived covering here.

Flat and low-slope sections are judged by the seams and the ponding, not the calendar.

A free inspection is a roofer on the roof and in the attic where we can get in, with a camera. On shingle we look at granule loss, lifted or cracked tabs, exposed nail heads, and how many layers are up there.

On tile we count cracked and slid tiles, check the hip and ridge mortar or foam, and lift a tile or two to see the underlayment. On metal we check fasteners, seams and rust at cut edges.

On every roof we look at the flashings around chimneys, walls, skylights and pipe boots, because that is where most leaks begin, and at the valleys. In the attic we look for stains on the underside of the deck, daylight at the eaves, soft boards, and whether the roof is breathing.

You get the photos and a plain written report, and if the roof has years left we say so.

After a storm, walk the property before you call anyone. Look for shingle tabs on the lawn, tiles on the ground or slid out of line, ridge caps missing, drip edge pulled away, and debris piled in the valleys.

Inside, look at the ceilings the day after the rain and again a week later, because a stain that grows is a live leak. Do not go on the roof.

The October 2024 tornado from Hurricane Milton ran through Wellington, The Acreage, Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter Farms, and on those roofs the question afterward was whether the trusses and deck were still tied down, not only the covering. That is an inspection item.

Call 561-318-8624 and we come out, tarp what needs tarping, and put the findings in writing.

We repair when the roof has real life left and the problem is local: one flashing, one valley, a run of shingle, a handful of cracked tiles. We recommend replacement when three things line up.

The roof is at or past the usual age band for its material, set out above. The trouble is spread across the roof, or repairs are being made every year.

And what is under the covering has gone: soft deck, failed underlayment, or fasteners that no longer hold. Florida's building code adds a fourth test.

The quarter-roof rule considers how much of a roof system or section is repaired, replaced or recovered in any 12-month period. Above a quarter, the roof covering across that entire system or section generally must be replaced or recovered to meet current code requirements.

If that system or section was built, repaired or replaced in compliance with the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later edition, only the portion being worked on must meet applicable current code requirements. We check which applies before we price.

On clay barrel tile that is still sound over failed underlayment there is a middle road: lift the tile, replace the underlayment and reset the same tile. Concrete tile is priced as new tile over new underlayment.

We tell you which applies at the inspection, in writing, and you decide.

A few things have changed recently and they affect timing. The Florida Building Code, 8th Edition, has applied to every permit application since the end of December 2023.

It sets secondary water barrier requirements when a covering is removed and replaced, with more than one compliant method, and on some homes it requires the roof-to-wall connections to be strengthened during the re-roof. New FEMA flood maps for the whole county took effect in December 2024, and from October 2026 a flood legend must be attached to every county permit application.

The permit desk depends on the town: some issue a licensed roofer's permit on upload, some take a week or two to review, some insist on live inspections at every stage. Historic districts in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton review the roof before the permit can issue.

We handle all of that and build it into the schedule.

The coastal strip and the barrier islands sit in the county's highest wind band and take salt air every day, so fasteners, flashings and metal edges age faster there than inland. Inland towns west of the Turnpike have less salt and more of the large tile roofs, where the underlayment cycle drives the decision.

Historic districts and HOAs can decide the material before you do. Each of our town pages carries a short section on when to replace a roof there.

1. Book the free roof inspection or call 561-318-8624, phone answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A roofer inspects, photographs and writes up what the roof needs, whether that is nothing yet, a repair, or a replacement.
2. If it is a replacement you receive a written scope and price in lines, with the permit and inspections included. Financing options are available and we explain them if you ask.
3. Every roof we install carries our Lifetime Workmanship Warranty. We are a GAF Certified Contractor and an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor certified.

Once a year is sensible, and after any named storm.

Yes. We roof year round.

The roof is dried in before we leave it on the day it is opened, and the schedule is planned around the forecast. Many of our re-roofs are done between November and February when the afternoons are dry, but a failing roof should not wait for winter.