Permitting Authorities / Jackson County - Building Services
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Unincorporated Jackson County, FL?
Adopted codeJackson County - Building Services
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Unincorporated Jackson County, FL, issued by Jackson County - Building Services. A re-roof in unincorporated Jackson County is permit work. Building Services publishes a Roof Permit Application on which "Roofing" is a permit purpose, with a "ROOFING INFORMATION ONLY" section (shingle, metal or tile, number of squares, slope, deck material, underlayment and roof contract value) and the instruction "ATTACH ROOF INSPECTION AFFIDAVIT." The County's fee schedule (effective April 4, 2016) carries a separate "ROOFING PERMITS" category priced by squares, and states that "Each trade that performs work on a project is required to obtain a permit." Under that schedule, "Where work for which a permit is required by this code is started prior to obtaining a permit, the fees will be doubled, and the payment of the double fee will not relieve any persons from fully complying with the requirements of this code in the execution of the work." State law makes it "unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, or governmental entity to construct, erect, alter, modify, repair, or demolish any building within this state without first obtaining a permit" (section 553.79(1)(a), Florida Statutes). County Code section 10-29 provides that "A permit shall not be valid until the fees prescribed by law have been paid." Applications are made through the County's online permitting portal or at the Building Services office.
Roof code checklist: Unincorporated Jackson County, FL
| Item | Answer | Code cite | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permit to replace a roof | Yes | roof-permit-applicationtagged.pdf | 2026-10-16 | |
| Repair permit threshold | Published | library.municode.com | 2026-10-16 | |
| Layer limit / roof-over | Published | R908.3 | codes.iccsafe.org | 2026-10-16 |
| Deck & sheathing | Published | codes.iccsafe.org | 2026-10-16 | |
| Drip edge | Yes | R905.2.8.5 | codes.iccsafe.org | 2026-10-16 |
| Ice & water shield | No | R905.1.2 | codes.iccsafe.org | 2026-10-16 |
| Mid-roof inspection | Not published | |||
| Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofing | No | library.municode.com | 2026-10-16 | |
| Wind design criteria | Published | library.municode.com | 2026-10-16 | |
| Adopted code | Published | Sec. 553.73(6) | library.municode.com | 2026-10-16 |
| Contractor license / registration | Yes | leg.state.fl.us | 2026-10-16 | |
| Sales & use tax | Published | dr15dss_26.pdf | 2026-10-16 |
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
Jackson County, Florida (unincorporated)
Jurisdiction type
county
Address
4979 Healthy Way, Suite B, Marianna, FL 32446
Contact
- url: https://www.jacksoncountyfl.gov/services/community-development/building-services/
- phone: 850-482-9805
Permit portal
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- state_level: Roofing contractor is a separately licensed trade in Florida. Section 489.105(3)(e), Florida Statutes, defines a "Roofing contractor" as "a contractor whose services are unlimited in the roofing trade"; section 489.113(2) provides that a person "must be certified or registered in order to engage in the business of contracting in this state." A state-certified contractor may work statewide; under 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." Section 489.103(7) contains an owner-builder exemption for "Owners of property when acting as their own contractor and providing direct, onsite supervision themselves of all work not performed by licensed contractors"; this record does not decide whether a particular reader falls within it.
- county_level: Building Services issues contractor competency cards. A state-certified contractor files the County's Certified Contractor Form with a "Current copy of State Certified License" and a "Current General Liability Insurance Certificate and Workman's Compensation listing Jackson County Bldg Dept as holder or Workman's Compensation exemption." A state-registered contractor applies for a Jackson County competency card, which calls for notarized reference letters, "passing test scores from approved testing facility or county jurisdiction in the field of work you wish to be licensed in," insurance, and a copy of the current state licence or an application for state registration; the card's fee table lists a roofing contractor category. The County's permit application asks for the contractor's licence number and "Comp Card # if Applicable," and quotes the owner-builder exemption in section 489.103(7), ending: "To qualify for exemption under this subsection, an owner must personally appear and sign the building permit application."
Permit process note
A re-roof in unincorporated Jackson County is permit work. Building Services publishes a Roof Permit Application on which "Roofing" is a permit purpose, with a "ROOFING INFORMATION ONLY" section (shingle, metal or tile, number of squares, slope, deck material, underlayment and roof contract value) and the instruction "ATTACH ROOF INSPECTION AFFIDAVIT." The County's fee schedule (effective April 4, 2016) carries a separate "ROOFING PERMITS" category priced by squares, and states that "Each trade that performs work on a project is required to obtain a permit." Under that schedule, "Where work for which a permit is required by this code is started prior to obtaining a permit, the fees will be doubled, and the payment of the double fee will not relieve any persons from fully complying with the requirements of this code in the execution of the work." State law makes it "unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, or governmental entity to construct, erect, alter, modify, repair, or demolish any building within this state without first obtaining a permit" (section 553.79(1)(a), Florida Statutes). County Code section 10-29 provides that "A permit shall not be valid until the fees prescribed by law have been paid." Applications are made through the County's online permitting portal or at the Building Services office.
Adopted code
Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), Residential volume (2021 International Residential Code base), effective December 31, 2023, adopted statewide by the Florida Building Commission under Rule 61G20-1.001, Florida Administrative Code; section 553.73(6), Florida Statutes, provides that the code and each update "is deemed adopted for use statewide without adoptions by local government." County Code section 10-24 (Ord. No. 2023-08, June 26, 2023; Ord. No. 2026-03, April 28, 2026) provides: "The most recent edition of the Florida Building Code, as now constituted and as it may be updated or amended in the future by the Florida Building Commission, is hereby adopted, in total, as the Jackson County Building Code." County Code Chapter 10, Buildings and Building Regulations, read in full, contains no roofing technical provisions; its sections 10-26 and 10-27 set design wind speeds (see the wind design field), and section 10-28 allows municipalities to contract with the County for enforcement within their limits.
Drip edge
Required — Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Edition (2023), section R905.2.8.5 Drip edge: "Provide drip edge at eaves and gables of shingle roofs. Overlap to be a minimum of 3 inches (76 mm). Eave drip edges shall extend 1/2 inch (13 mm) below sheathing and extend back on the roof a minimum of 2 inches (51 mm). Drip edge shall be installed over the underlayment." The requirement is written for shingle roofs. County Code Chapter 10 (read in full) does not amend it. About drip edge
Ice & water shield
Not required — Not required. The Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Edition (2023) reads "R905.1.2 Ice barriers. Reserved." and, for asphalt shingles, "R905.2.7 Ice barrier. Reserved." County Code Chapter 10 (read in full) adopts the Florida Building Code in total and adds no ice barrier. A self-adhering ASTM D1970 underlayment remains one of the permitted secondary water barrier methods on a re-roof; it is not prohibited. About ice & water barrier
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — County Code Chapter 10 (read in full) adopts the Florida Building Code in total and amends nothing in the roofing chapters; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in the Florida Building Code, Residential Chapter 9, Building Chapter 15 or Existing Building Chapter 7 as they apply in unincorporated Jackson County. Florida's shingle classes under section R905.2.6.1 (ASTM D3161, TAS 107, ASTM D7158) are wind ratings, not impact ratings.
Repair permit threshold
Jackson County's building code chapter (County Code Chapter 10, read in full) adopts the Florida Building Code in total and enacts no repair exemption of its own; it lists a "Permit exemption request" among the fees the County may charge. Since July 1, 2026, section 553.79(1)(g), Florida Statutes, reads: "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" or to "Any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work," requires "a written request for exemption to the local enforcement agency with a copy of the contract," and provides that "A construction project may not be divided into more than one project for the purpose of evading the requirements of this paragraph." The Florida Building Code's own relief, Building section 105.2.2, allows "Ordinary minor repairs" without a permit only "with the approval of the building official." Separately, the Florida Building Code's 25 percent rule applies to roof repairs (see the deck and sheathing field).
Wind design criteria
County Code section 10-26, Wind speed line adopted and created (Ord. No. 2026-03, April 28, 2026): "For Risk Categories 1 and 2 (see Table 1 of this Chapter): 130 miles per hour covering the entire county; For Risk Category 3 (see Table 1 of this Chapter): 140 miles per hour for the entire county; For Risk Category 4 (see Table 1 of this Chapter): 150 miles per hour for the entire county." Ordinary houses fall in Risk Category II. Section 10-27 adds: "The wind speed, for three-second gust at 33 feet above ground, for all portions of Jackson County shall be 130 miles per hour, subject to the converted equivalent basic wind speed velocity according to the Florida Building Code Table 1606.1.6.1."
Roof layer limit / recover
Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Edition (2023), section R908.3 Recovering versus replacement: "New roof coverings shall not be installed without first removing all existing layers of roof coverings where any of the following conditions occur: 1. Where the existing roof or roof covering is water soaked or has deteriorated to the point that the existing roof or roof covering is not adequate as a base for additional roofing. 2. Where the existing roof covering is wood shingle or shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. 3. Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." A single re-cover over one existing layer is therefore the most the code allows. County Code Chapter 10 (read in full) states no layer limit of its own and does not amend section R908.3.
Deck & sheathing requirements
Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Edition (2023), section R908.7 Wind mitigation: "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 R908.7.1. (b) A secondary water barrier shall be provided as required by Section R908.7.2. Exception: Structures permitted subject to the Florida Building Code are not required to comply with this section." Section R908.1.1 (the 25 percent rule): "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," with an exception for roofs built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later. In Jackson County, the roof permit application asks for the deck material and underlayment, and its Inspection Affidavit, signed by the homeowner or a licensed contractor, engineer, architect or building inspector, covers the "Deck nailing and/or secondary water barrier work" and affirms that "the installation will be done according to the Hurricane mitigation Retrofit Manual (Based on Florida Statute 553.844) and the current Florida Building Code." County Code Chapter 10 does not amend these sections.
Sales & use tax
7.5% combined: 6% Florida state sales and use tax plus Jackson County's 1.5% discretionary sales surtax, which the Department of Revenue's Form DR-15DSS for calendar year 2026 lists as two levies, 1% effective June 1, 1995 with no expiration date and 0.5% effective July 1, 1996 with an expiration date of December 31, 2035; the form notes that the "Current 1% small county surtax is extended (effective 1/1/2026) and expires upon repeal." Per the Department, the surtax "applies to the first $5,000 of the sales amount on the sale, use, lease, rental, or license to use any item of tangible personal property." Under Rule 12A-1.051, Florida Administrative Code, "Roofing work" is a real property contract, and "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"; such contractors "should charge no tax to their customers, regardless of whether they itemize charges for materials and labor in their proposals or invoices." The rate is the roofer's cost on materials, repair and replacement alike, not a tax charged to the homeowner.
Jackson County Building Services, part of the County's Community Development department, which issues building permits, including roofing permits, performs inspections and issues contractor competency cards for the unincorporated area of Jackson County under the Florida Building Code, which the County has adopted as the Jackson County Building Code.
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Sources
- jacksoncountyfl.gov verified 2026-10-16
- jacksoncountyfl.gov verified 2026-10-16
- leg.state.fl.us verified 2026-10-16
- library.municode.com verified 2026-10-16
- codes.iccsafe.org verified 2026-10-16
- floridarevenue.com verified 2026-10-16