Permitting Authorities / Brevard County - Building Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Unincorporated Brevard County, FL?
Adopted codeBrevard County - Building Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Unincorporated Brevard County, FL, issued by Brevard County - Building Department. Brevard County's online permitting portal, BASS (Brevard's Advanced Service Site), carries a dedicated "RES Reroof" residential permit type; its application asks for the job value, whether the work is storm damage related to a hurricane, the roof pitch, the roof area, the roof underlayment material and the roof covering material. The portal states: "Registered Users (with an approved contractor license added) can apply for building permit applications, make payments and upload documents," and "Registered Users can schedule inspections." The county's enacted administrative code (Brevard County Code Sec. 22-47) requires anyone who wants to "construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish" a building to "first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit for the work"; its permit exceptions list only mechanical work. It exempts re-roofs from plan review, not from the permit: "Plans examination by the building official shall not be required for the following work: ... 2. Re-roofs". For roof assemblies the construction documents "shall illustrate, describe, and delineate the type of roofing system, materials, fastening requirements, flashing requirements and wind resistance rating that are required to be installed." Starting early costs money: "Any person who commences any work on a building, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system before obtaining the building official's approval or the necessary permits shall be subject to a penalty of 100 percent of the usual permit fee in addition to the required permit fees"; emergency work is excused only if "the required permit(s) must be obtained within three (3) business days." The county's citation schedule (Sec. 22-565) lists "Commencement and/or performance of any work for which a building permit is required without such building permit being current" at $75.00 for a first violation and $150.00 for a repeat, and the contractor penalty schedule (Sec. 22-536) lists "Job completed without permit and no inspection" at $250.00 and $500.00. A permit lapses if work does not receive an approved inspection within 180 days of the previous one. Since July 1, 2026 a state statute (Section 553.79(1)(g), Florida Statutes) lets the owner of a single-family home, or the owner's contractor, request a written exemption for work valued at less than $7,500 that is not structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas work and is not on property in a flood hazard area; this record does not decide whether roof work qualifies.
Roof code checklist: Unincorporated Brevard County, FL
| Item | Answer | Code cite | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permit to replace a roof | Yes | library.municode.com | 2026-09-26 | |
| Repair permit threshold | Published | library.municode.com | 2026-09-26 | |
| Layer limit / roof-over | Published | R908.3 | codes.iccsafe.org | 2026-09-26 |
| Deck & sheathing | Published | codes.iccsafe.org | 2026-09-26 | |
| Drip edge | Yes | R905.2.8.5 | codes.iccsafe.org | 2026-09-26 |
| Ice & water shield | No | R905.1.2 | codes.iccsafe.org | 2026-09-26 |
| Mid-roof inspection | Yes | Sec. 110.3 | library.municode.com | 2026-09-26 |
| Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofing | No | library.municode.com | 2026-09-26 | |
| Wind design criteria | Not published | |||
| Adopted code | Published | library.municode.com | 2026-09-26 | |
| Contractor license / registration | Yes | library.municode.com | 2026-09-26 | |
| Sales & use tax | Published | dr15dss_26.pdf | 2026-09-26 |
Each row comes from the sourced record on this page; full wording is in the table below. "Not published" means no official source for that item was found when the record was last verified.
Jurisdiction
Brevard County, Florida (unincorporated)
Jurisdiction type
county
Address
Viera, FL
Contact
- url: https://aca-prod.accela.com/BREVARD/Default.aspx
Permit portal
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- state_level: Roofing is its own licensed trade in Florida. Section 489.113(2), Florida Statutes: "A person must be certified or registered in order to engage in the business of contracting in this state." Section 489.105(3)(e) defines a roofing contractor as one whose services are unlimited in the roofing trade. A state-certified contractor may work statewide; a state-registered contractor may work only where he or she holds the local competency licence (Section 489.117(1)(b): "Registration allows the registrant to engage in contracting only in the counties, municipalities, or development districts where he or she has complied with all local licensing requirements, if any, and only for the type of work covered by the registration."). Verify a licence on the Department of Business and Professional Regulation licence search.
- county_level: Brevard County Code Sec. 22-521(a): "Any person or firm engaged in or desiring to engage in business as a contractor, or perform work as a master or journeyman in the unincorporated areas of the county shall be the holder of a certificate of competency issued by the board or by the state construction industry licensing board before engaging in that business." The county Contractors Licensing Board issues a "Roofing contractor" certificate and a "Journeyman roofer" certificate (Sec. 22-529); a county certificate requires an examination (Sec. 22-523), workers' compensation, public liability and property damage insurance (Sec. 22-524), and annual renewal running September 1 to August 31 (Sec. 22-528). A person certified by the state Construction Industry Licensing Board is exempt from the county licensing article (Sec. 22-478(2)). Sec. 22-479 makes it unlawful for a county-licensed contractor "to employ any person to engage in the skilled work of installing roofing, waterproofing, electrical, plumbing or H.A.R.V. fixtures or systems, or any part thereof, where such person is not duly qualified and certified by the board in such field, or who is not under the direct supervision of a master and/or journeyman, so qualified and certified by the board," with no more than four uncertified persons under one certified person's direct supervision. Sec. 22-533(c)(7): "No general, building or residential contractor certified after 1973 shall act as, hold himself out to be, or advertise himself to be a roofing contractor unless he is certified as a roofing contractor." Certified contractors must show the certificate number on their vehicles and advertising (Sec. 22-532). To apply for permits online, the county's BASS portal says a registered user must have "an approved contractor license added"; licensing questions go to [email protected].
- owner_builder: Brevard County Code Sec. 22-478(9), mirroring Section 489.103(7), Florida Statutes, exempts "Owners of property when acting as their own contractor and providing direct, on-site supervision themselves, when building or improving farm outbuildings or one-family or two-family residences on such property for the occupancy or use of such owners and not offered for sale or lease"; "To qualify for exemption under this subsection, an owner must personally appear and sign the building permit application," and the county's disclosure statement warns: "You may not hire an unlicensed person as your contractor." Whether a particular owner qualifies is for the statute and the county to say, not this record.
Permit process note
Brevard County's online permitting portal, BASS (Brevard's Advanced Service Site), carries a dedicated "RES Reroof" residential permit type; its application asks for the job value, whether the work is storm damage related to a hurricane, the roof pitch, the roof area, the roof underlayment material and the roof covering material. The portal states: "Registered Users (with an approved contractor license added) can apply for building permit applications, make payments and upload documents," and "Registered Users can schedule inspections." The county's enacted administrative code (Brevard County Code Sec. 22-47) requires anyone who wants to "construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish" a building to "first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit for the work"; its permit exceptions list only mechanical work. It exempts re-roofs from plan review, not from the permit: "Plans examination by the building official shall not be required for the following work: ... 2. Re-roofs". For roof assemblies the construction documents "shall illustrate, describe, and delineate the type of roofing system, materials, fastening requirements, flashing requirements and wind resistance rating that are required to be installed." Starting early costs money: "Any person who commences any work on a building, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system before obtaining the building official's approval or the necessary permits shall be subject to a penalty of 100 percent of the usual permit fee in addition to the required permit fees"; emergency work is excused only if "the required permit(s) must be obtained within three (3) business days." The county's citation schedule (Sec. 22-565) lists "Commencement and/or performance of any work for which a building permit is required without such building permit being current" at $75.00 for a first violation and $150.00 for a repeat, and the contractor penalty schedule (Sec. 22-536) lists "Job completed without permit and no inspection" at $250.00 and $500.00. A permit lapses if work does not receive an approved inspection within 180 days of the previous one. Since July 1, 2026 a state statute (Section 553.79(1)(g), Florida Statutes) lets the owner of a single-family home, or the owner's contractor, request a written exemption for work valued at less than $7,500 that is not structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas work and is not on property in a flood hazard area; this record does not decide whether roof work qualifies.
Adopted code
Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), Residential (2021 IRC base), effective December 31, 2023, adopted statewide by Rule 61G20-1.001, Florida Administrative Code, with no local adoption needed. Brevard County Code Sec. 22-46 adopts "the Florida Building Code as established and amended from time to time by F.S. ch. 553 and adopted by the Florida Building Commission" as "the building code of the county, to apply to the unincorporated areas of the county" (Ord. No. 2002-45, amended by Ord. No. 2012-03). Sec. 22-47 adopts the county's own administrative chapter ("Chapter 1, Administration") as "a more stringent administrative section as promulgated by the Florida Building Official's Association" (Ord. No. 2002-45); it dates from 2002 and cites some older code section numbers. Neither section, nor the rest of the county's Florida Building Code article (Secs. 22-46 to 22-51), contains a technical amendment to the roofing provisions. The county code is codified through Ord. No. 25-19 (October 2, 2025); none of the county ordinances adopted since then amends the buildings chapter. The Florida Building Commission's local-amendment registry lists no amendment for the County of Brevard under the 2020 or 2023 code.
Drip edge
Required — Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Edition (2023), Section R905.2.8.5: "Provide drip edge at eaves and gables of shingle roofs." Eave drip edges extend 1/2 inch below the sheathing and 2 inches back onto the roof and are installed over the underlayment. This applies to shingle roofs. Brevard County's building code article (Secs. 22-46 to 22-51), which adopts the Florida Building Code, makes no technical amendment to Chapter 9, so the state text applies unchanged. About drip edge
Ice & water shield
Not required — Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Edition (2023): "R905.1.2 Ice barriers. Reserved." There is no ice-barrier requirement in the Florida code, and Brevard County's building code article (Secs. 22-46 to 22-51) makes no technical amendment to Chapter 9. Self-adhered underlayment is still used in Florida, but as a secondary water barrier or underlayment method, not as an ice barrier. About ice & water barrier
Mid-roof inspection
Required — The Florida Building Code's required-inspection list (Building, Section 110.3) includes "5. Roofing inspection. Shall at a minimum include the following building components:" dry-in, insulation, roof coverings and flashing. Brevard County's enacted administrative code (Sec. 22-47, Section 105.6) states it in its own words: "Roofing inspection: To be made as two inspections on tile, slate or similar roof coverings or as one inspection on all other roof coverings, and shall at a minimum include the following building components:" dry-in, insulation, roof coverings and flashing. It also provides for a "Sheathing inspection: To be made either as part of a dry-in inspection or done separately at the request of the contractor after all roof and wall sheathing and fasteners are complete," and Section 105.7 bars work "beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without first obtaining a written release from the building official." Plan on the inspector seeing the deck fastening and dry-in before the roof covering hides them. Inspections are scheduled through the county's BASS portal.
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Brevard County's building code article (Brevard County Code Secs. 22-46 to 22-51, including the county's administrative chapter in Sec. 22-47) contains no roof-covering rating provision, and the state registry lists no county technical amendment; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in the Florida Building Code's residential roofing chapter, the Building volume's roofing chapter or the Existing Building volume's reroofing provisions, or in the county's code. Florida's shingle classifications (ASTM D3161, TAS 107, ASTM D7158) are wind ratings, not hail-impact ratings. An insurer's discount for an impact-rated roof is not a code requirement.
Repair permit threshold
No roof-repair size or dollar threshold of the county's own. The county's enacted administrative code (Brevard County Code Sec. 22-47, Section 104.1.4) provides: "Ordinary minor repairs may be made with the approval of the building official without a permit, provided that such repairs shall not violate any of the provisions of the technical codes." It does not define "ordinary minor repairs," and the county's permit exceptions (Section 104.1.1) name only mechanical work. State law adds one dollar test. Section 553.79(1)(g), Florida Statutes (effective July 1, 2026): "A local government that issues building permits shall exempt an owner of a single-family dwelling or the owner's contractor from the requirement to obtain a building permit to perform any work valued at less than $7,500 on the owner's property." It does not apply to "Work on a property that is partially or entirely located in a flood hazard area as defined by the Florida Building Code" or to "Any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work performed on property containing a single-family dwelling"; "A construction project may not be divided into more than one project for the purpose of evading the requirements of this paragraph"; and "the owner or the owner's contractor must submit a written request for exemption to the local enforcement agency with a copy of the contract or other documentation demonstrating the nature and the value of the work to be performed." The statute does not say whether roof work is "structural" work, and this record does not decide it; a full reroof is ordinarily valued above $7,500 in any case. The statute adds: "A local government has no legal duty to the owner, contractor, or successors or assigns thereof for exempted work performed under this paragraph." Separately, the Florida Building Code, Existing Building (Section 706.1.1) limits partial work: "Not more than 25 percent of the total roof area or roof section of any existing building or structure shall be repaired, replaced or recovered in any 12-month period unless the roof covering on the entire existing roof system or roof section is replaced or recovered to conform to the requirements of this code," except that where the existing roof was built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, "only the repaired, replaced, or recovered portion is required to be constructed in accordance with the Florida Building Code in effect" (Section 553.844(5), Florida Statutes, bars local amendment of that exception).
Roof layer limit / recover
Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Edition (2023), Section R908.3: "New roof coverings shall not be installed without first removing all existing layers of roof coverings where any of the following conditions occur: ... 3. Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." Tear-off is also required where the existing roof is water soaked or deteriorated, where it is wood shingle or shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile, where blisters are not cut and secured, and where the existing covering cannot meet the securement provisions; the Existing Building volume (Section 706.3) repeats the same conditions. One re-cover over a single existing layer is therefore the most the code allows. Brevard County's building code article (Secs. 22-46 to 22-51), read in full, makes no amendment to the reroofing sections, and the state registry lists no county technical amendment. Chapter 9: https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/FLRC2023P1/chapter-9-roof-assemblies
Deck & sheathing requirements
On a house not originally permitted under the Florida Building Code, a reroof triggers deck re-nailing and a secondary water barrier. Florida Building Code, Existing Building, 8th Edition (2023), Section 706.7: "When a roof covering on an existing structure with a sawn lumber, wood plank or wood structural panel roof deck is removed and replaced, the following procedures shall be permitted to be performed by the roofing contractor: (a) Roof-decking attachment shall be as required by Section 706.7.1. (b) A secondary water barrier shall be provided as required by Section 706.7.2. Exception: Structures permitted subject to the Florida Building Code are not required to comply with this section." Section 706.7.1.1: "Roof decking consisting of sawn lumber or wood planks up to 12 inches wide and secured with at least two nails (minimum size 8d) to each roof framing member it crosses shall be deemed to be sufficiently connected"; wood structural panels follow the fastening provisions of Section 706.7.1.2, and 8d nails must be at least 0.113 inch in diameter and 2 1/4 inches long to count. Section 706.7.2: "When a roof covering is removed and replaced, a secondary water barrier shall be installed" (roofs under 2:12 with a continuous roof system are deemed to comply). Brevard County's own inspection rule (Sec. 22-47, Section 105.6) adds: "Sheathing fasteners installed and found to be missing the structural member (shiners) shall be removed and properly reinstalled prior to installation of the dry-in material." The county's building code article makes no other change to these provisions.
Sales & use tax
7% combined on materials: the 6% Florida state sales and use tax plus Brevard County's 1% discretionary sales surtax, made up of two 0.5% levies, one effective January 1, 2015 and one effective January 1, 2017, each with an expiration date of December 31, 2026, per the Florida Department of Revenue's Form DR-15DSS for calendar year 2026. Brevard County Ordinance No. 2026-06 (May 19, 2026) provides for renewal of the half-cent Save Our Indian River Lagoon surtax through December 31, 2036, subject to approval by the county's voters in a referendum. The surtax applies only to the first $5,000 of the sales amount of any single item of tangible personal property (Department of Revenue discretionary sales surtax guidance). Florida treats roofing as a real property contract (Rule 12A-1.051, Florida Administrative Code, lists "(cc) Roofing work"): "Contractors are the ultimate consumers of materials and supplies they use to perform real property contracts and must pay tax on their costs of those materials and supplies, unless the contractor has entered a retail sale plus installation contract," and "They should charge no tax to their customers, regardless of whether they itemize charges for materials and labor in their proposals or invoices." Repairs and replacements are treated the same way.
More roof permit pages in Florida
Unincorporated Charlotte County, FLRoof permit
Unincorporated Citrus County, FLRoof permit
Unincorporated Clay County, FLRoof permit
Unincorporated Collier County, FLRoof permit
Unincorporated Hernando County, FLRoof permit
Roofing in FloridaState hub
Related guides
The building department of Brevard County, Florida (the Space Coast). It administers the Florida Building Code in the unincorporated areas of the county, issues building permits, including residential reroof permits, through the county's online permitting portal (BASS), and performs the required inspections. A city with its own building department issues permits within its own limits.
Hail reports near the center of Brevard County, FL
- Reports, last 24 months
- 2
- Largest, last 24 months
- 1.00 in May 24, 2025
- Most recent
- May 24, 2025 1.00 in
- Reports, last 5 years
- 7
| Date | Hail size | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2025 | 1.00 in | 9 mi NW |
| Jan 19, 2025 | 1.00 in | 8 mi N |
| Apr 29, 2023 | 2.00 in | 8 mi NNW |
| Apr 29, 2023 | 1.25 in | 8 mi NNW |
| Apr 27, 2023 | 1.00 in | 10 mi NW |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database and daily storm reports (reports since the start of the current year are preliminary), within 10 miles of the center of Brevard County, FL. Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.
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Sources
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- aca-prod.accela.com verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- aca-prod.accela.com verified 2026-09-26
- codes.iccsafe.org verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- floridarevenue.com verified 2026-09-26
- codes.iccsafe.org verified 2026-09-26