To prepare for a roof replacement in Florida, start about two weeks out. Get your HOA approval in writing, sign the Notice of Commencement your roofer brings you and decide where you, your kids and your pets will be on tear-off day. The week before, take pictures and mirrors off the walls, cover anything stored in the attic and move patio furniture, grills and plants well away from the house. The day before, get the cars out of the driveway and take before photos.
Florida adds a few steps most checklists skip: the pool, the screen enclosure, solar panels, afternoon storms and a new wind mitigation inspection once the roof passes final. None of it is hard, but the timing matters. The checklist below takes you through each stage in the order you’ll need it.
Free download: Roof replacement prep checklist (PDF). Every step below on one printable page, organized by week, with boxes to tick off.
Two Weeks Before: Paperwork and Planning
The paperwork is what most often delays a start date, so handle it first.
Get your HOA approval in writing. Many South Florida associations must approve the material, tile profile and color before work starts, and some boards only meet once a month. Don’t let the crew schedule a start date until the approval is in hand.
Ask for the permit number. Your roofer applies for the building permit, not you. With the number, you can check its status on your city or county building department website.
Sign the Notice of Commencement. This is a short form, recorded with the county, that officially starts the project. Florida law requires the owner to sign it under Section 713.13, usually in front of a notary. On jobs over $5,000, a recorded copy must reach the building department before the first inspection under Section 713.135. Your permit card will even warn that skipping it can mean paying twice (for example, if the roofer doesn’t pay a supplier and the supplier puts a lien on your home).
Check the product and color against your contract. Confirm the exact shingle, tile or metal panel and its color now, before materials are ordered. Our guide to what a roofing contract should include shows what should be written down.
Plan around the noise. Tear-off (removing the old roof down to the wood deck) is the loudest day, with scraping and hammering right over your head from early morning. If you work from home, have a baby or own a dog that hates thunder, plan to be somewhere else that day.
Tell your neighbors. Let them know the dates, that a dumpster will sit in your driveway and that crews start early. If your homes are close together, ask them to move cars parked near the property line.
The Week Before: Protect Your Home Inside and Out
Hammering on the roof sends vibration through the walls, and debris comes off every edge. This week is about moving things out of the way.
Inside the House and the Attic
- Take pictures, mirrors and clocks off the walls. On a single story home, that means every room under the roof.
- Move fragile items off shelves and the tops of cabinets.
- Cover anything stored in the attic with old sheets or plastic, or move it out. Dust and bits of old roofing can fall through during tear-off.
- Clear shelves along the garage walls, since the garage ceiling is often open to the roof.
The Yard, Pool and Screen Enclosure
- Move patio furniture, grills, potted plants and decorations at least 20 feet from the house.
- Flag sprinkler heads, low voltage lights and delicate plants, and turn off the irrigation for the job so the crew isn’t working on wet ground.
- Trim branches that hang over the roof.
- Ask how the crew will protect your pool. A cover or tarp keeps nails and shingle granules out of the water and the filter.
- If a screen enclosure attaches to the house at the roofline, ask how the crew will protect the screens and reseal that connection.
Solar Panels, Satellite Dishes and Gutters
Solar panels have to come off before tear-off and go back on after the new roof is installed. Schedule that with your solar company early, because it can set your start date. Ask your TV or internet provider about a satellite dish the same way. If your gutters are near the end of their life, replacing them right after the roof is easier than doing it later. See our gutter installations and, if you’ve been thinking about solar, our solar installations, since adding panels to a brand new roof avoids removing them again for decades.
The Day Before
- Move every car out of the garage and the driveway. The dumpster and delivery trucks need the room, and falling debris can scratch paint.
- Unlock the gates and clear the side yard paths.
- Show the crew lead an outdoor power outlet they can use.
- Bring pets inside and keep them away from doors the crew uses.
- Switch off motion and glass break sensors on your alarm, since vibration can set them off.
- Take before photos of the driveway, landscaping, pool deck and every ceiling.
Important: date your before photos. Ten minutes of pictures of your ceilings, driveway, pool deck and landscaping settles any question about damage quickly. Save them somewhere you won’t lose them until the job is finished and paid.
While the Crew Is Working
You don’t have to be home, but stay reachable by phone. Keep kids and pets away from the drop zones where old roofing comes off the edges, and don’t walk under the roofline while work is underway.
Some things are normal: a dumpster in the driveway, a boom truck lifting materials onto the roof, some dust in the attic and an inspector stopping by. Tile roofs pause between stages for inspections, so gaps of a day or more are expected. Our roof replacement process guide explains each stage and how long it takes.
From June to September, afternoon thunderstorms roll in most days. That’s why crews start early and dry in the roof (cover it with underlayment that sheds water) before the rain and at the end of every day.
Call your roofer if the roof is left open overnight without underlayment, if materials don’t match your contract or if something on your property is damaged and nobody mentions it.
After the Final Inspection
The job isn’t finished until the permit is closed and your paperwork is in hand.
- Walk the property with the crew lead. Look at the gutters, beds, driveway and pool.
- Check the nail sweep. A proper cleanup runs a magnetic sweeper across the lawn, beds and driveway.
- Confirm the permit passed final on your building department’s website.
- Collect your paperwork: the final inspection approval, product approval numbers, workmanship warranty, manufacturer warranty registration and final releases of lien (signed statements that the roofer and suppliers were paid).
- Send everything to your insurance agent and ask them to update the roof year on your policy.
Keep it all in one folder. When you sell, the buyer’s insurer will ask for the same documents.
With the new roof in place, the next step that can save you money is a new wind mitigation inspection, because a roof built to current code often earns a bigger insurance discount. Our guide to the wind mitigation inspection in Florida explains what the inspector checks and what it costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I replace my roof during hurricane season?
Yes. Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and roofs are replaced year round in South Florida. The crew dries in the roof each day, and if a storm is forecast, a good roofer will secure the site and reschedule.
Will a roof replacement crack my ceilings?
It shouldn’t. Hairline cracks can sometimes appear in older drywall or at ceiling joints from the vibration, which is why before photos help. Report anything new to your roofer right away.
Do I need to tell my insurance company before the roof is replaced?
Usually not before, but tell them after, with your paperwork. If insurance is paying for the roof, keep your insurer and your mortgage lender in the loop, because the payment is often released in stages as the work is done.
How long does it take from signing to a finished roof?
Permit approval can take from a few days to a few weeks, depending on your city. Once work starts, a shingle roof usually takes 1 to 3 days and a tile roof can take up to 3 weeks with inspections between stages.
Plan Your Roof Replacement With a Local Roofer
APEX Roofing of Delray Beach is a licensed Florida roofing contractor (CCC1336203) that replaces shingle, tile, standing seam metal and flat roofs across Broward and Palm Beach County. Learn more about our roofing services, request a free online roofing estimate or call us at 561.414.2909.
