Permitting Authorities / Lee County - Community Development, Building and Permitting Services
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Unincorporated Lee County, FL?
Adopted codeLee County - Community Development, Building and Permitting Services
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Unincorporated Lee County, FL, issued by Lee County - Community Development, Building and Permitting Services. Lee County issues a dedicated Roof permit (eConnect record type Trades >> Roof). The county's Roof Application and Permitting Guide (last updated April 6, 2026): "A Roof permit is required to replace, repair or re-cover a roof on an existing structure." Contractors must apply through eConnect; owner-builders may file on paper, must attach the Owner-Builder Disclosure Statement, and must appear in person at 1500 Monroe St., Fort Myers to sign for the permit. The application asks whether structural work is involved (if so, "a Roof permit will not be accepted. Please apply for an applicable Residential or Commercial permit"), the roof type, tear off or not, whether it is a partial replacement (a roof plan is then required), the job value and the roof pitch. Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade NOA numbers are required for every roofing product, and the products must meet the design pressures the guide tabulates for the site's wind speed, exposure and roof height. Changing from shingle or metal to tile requires an engineer's approval letter. A recorded Notice of Commencement must be on site before the first inspection when the project value is greater than $5,000. Before the final inspection the county requires its Roof Inspection Affidavit ("required on all re-roof permits for 1 & 2 family homes"), and on residential retrofits its Existing Roof Retrofit Affidavit. The county's fee schedule (effective April 15, 2026) prices the Roofing permit ("Roofing fees are assessed per structure. Required to replace, repair, or re-cover a roof on an existing structure.") at a $25 initial plan review and a $100 structural inspection fee, plus the $50 application fee, $35 technology fee and an operational support fee on every application; work without a permit is charged "Double total review and inspection fees/$200 min". Unincorporated Lee County's own list of work that needs no permit (Land Development Code Section 6-117) exempts only small roof repairs (see the repair threshold). 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; Lee County has published nothing on whether roof work qualifies, and this record does not decide it. Questions go to [email protected] or 239-533-8329.
Roof code checklist: Unincorporated Lee County, FL
| Item | Answer | Code cite | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permit to replace a roof | Yes | Roof Guide.pdf | 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 | RoofReplacement.pdf | 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 | Roof Guide.pdf | 2026-09-26 |
| Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofing | No | library.municode.com | 2026-09-26 | |
| Wind design criteria | Published | R905.2.6.1 | library.municode.com | 2026-09-26 |
| Adopted code | Published | Sec. 6-111 | library.municode.com | 2026-09-26 |
| Contractor license / registration | Yes | leegov.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
Lee County, Florida (unincorporated)
Jurisdiction type
county
Address
1500 Monroe St., first floor (Lee County Public Works Building), Fort Myers, FL 33901
Contact
- url: https://www.leegov.com/dcd/buildingpermitservice
- phone: 239-533-8329
- email: [email protected]
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 and who can "install, maintain, repair, alter, extend, or design" all kinds of roofing. 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: "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: Lee County's Licensed Contractor Agreement states: "TO PERFORM WORK IN UNINCORPORATED LEE COUNTY, CONTRACTORS MUST HAVE A STATE-ISSUED LICENSE OR A CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCY (A.K.A. LOCAL LICENSE), WHICH IS SUBJECT TO AN APPLICATION AND ISSUANCE THROUGH LEE COUNTY. A CONTRACTOR MUST ALSO HAVE A CURRENT CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE FOR LIABILITY AND WORKERS' COMPENSATION AND/OR A CURRENT WORKERS' COMPENSATION EXEMPTION STATUS WITH THE STATE OF FLORIDA." The Roof guide says a licensed contractor must hold either a state-issued licence registered with Lee County or a Lee County-issued certificate of competency. State contractors register by emailing Contractor Licensing the agreement listing authorized signers, a copy of the state licence and a certificate of insurance for general liability and workers' compensation. Lee County Ordinance No. 23-09 (adopted May 2, 2023), which recites that the 2021 House Bill 735 "preempted occupational licensing to the state", repealed the county's construction licensing board ordinance; it grandfathers only listed local categories, and roofing is not among them (its list of local categories that "no longer require a license" includes "Roof Painting", "Roof Spraying" and "Paint and Roof Paint", and the ordinance provides that "if the Florida Building Code governs a scope of work, and state law requires a license for that scope of work, a construction license issued by the State is required"). The county publishes a list of active state roofing contractors registered in unincorporated Lee County. Contractor Licensing: [email protected], 239-533-8119.
- owner_builder: Section 489.103(7)(a), Florida Statutes, exempts "Owners of property when acting as their own contractor and providing direct, onsite supervision themselves of all work not performed by licensed contractors" when building or improving "one-family or two-family residences on such property for the occupancy or use of such owners and not offered for sale or lease", and separately "When repairing or replacing wood shakes or asphalt or fiberglass shingles on one-family, two-family, or three-family residences" for the owner's or a tenant's use after damage from an event declared a state of emergency by the Governor. Lee County requires the Owner-Builder Disclosure Statement, completed in person, and "Owner-Builders are required by Florida Statute to personally appear ... to sign for the building permit regardless of how it was submitted." Whether a particular owner qualifies is for the statute and the county to say, not this record.
Permit process note
Lee County issues a dedicated Roof permit (eConnect record type Trades >> Roof). The county's Roof Application and Permitting Guide (last updated April 6, 2026): "A Roof permit is required to replace, repair or re-cover a roof on an existing structure." Contractors must apply through eConnect; owner-builders may file on paper, must attach the Owner-Builder Disclosure Statement, and must appear in person at 1500 Monroe St., Fort Myers to sign for the permit. The application asks whether structural work is involved (if so, "a Roof permit will not be accepted. Please apply for an applicable Residential or Commercial permit"), the roof type, tear off or not, whether it is a partial replacement (a roof plan is then required), the job value and the roof pitch. Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade NOA numbers are required for every roofing product, and the products must meet the design pressures the guide tabulates for the site's wind speed, exposure and roof height. Changing from shingle or metal to tile requires an engineer's approval letter. A recorded Notice of Commencement must be on site before the first inspection when the project value is greater than $5,000. Before the final inspection the county requires its Roof Inspection Affidavit ("required on all re-roof permits for 1 & 2 family homes"), and on residential retrofits its Existing Roof Retrofit Affidavit. The county's fee schedule (effective April 15, 2026) prices the Roofing permit ("Roofing fees are assessed per structure. Required to replace, repair, or re-cover a roof on an existing structure.") at a $25 initial plan review and a $100 structural inspection fee, plus the $50 application fee, $35 technology fee and an operational support fee on every application; work without a permit is charged "Double total review and inspection fees/$200 min". Unincorporated Lee County's own list of work that needs no permit (Land Development Code Section 6-117) exempts only small roof repairs (see the repair threshold). 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; Lee County has published nothing on whether roof work qualifies, and this record does not decide it. Questions go to [email protected] or 239-533-8329.
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. Lee County's Building and Permitting Services page states that building permit applications and plans "must be certified as meeting the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023)." Lee County Land Development Code Section 6-111 adopts the Florida Building Code by reference and supplements only its administrative chapter (right of entry under Section 104; permit revocation, transferability, inspection timing and use permits under Section 105.4; impact fees on permit renewals under Section 105.4.1.4); Section 6-117 adds local permit exemptions to Section 105.2, and Section 6-112 adopts the county's wind-borne debris region and basic wind speed map. None of these touches the roofing chapters. The Florida Building Commission's registry of local technical amendments to the 2023 code lists none for Lee County.
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, are installed over the underlayment, and are mechanically fastened at a maximum of 12 inches on center (4 inches on center where the allowable stress design wind speed is 110 mph or more or the mean roof height exceeds 33 feet). This applies to shingle roofs. Lee County's building chapter (Land Development Code Chapter 6) amends only administrative provisions of the Florida Building Code, and the state registry lists no Lee County technical amendment, 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 Lee County's building chapter (Land Development Code Chapter 6) does not amend the roofing provisions. Self-adhered underlayment is still used in Florida, but as underlayment or a secondary water barrier, not as an ice barrier. About ice & water barrier
Mid-roof inspection
Required — Lee County's Roof Application and Permitting Guide (last updated April 6, 2026) lists the common inspections by roof type: for shingle tear-off, shingle or metal over shingle, and modified roofs, "501 Roof Dry In" and then "503 Roof Final"; for tile, "501 Roof Dry In", "502 Roof In Process" and "503 Roof Final"; for single ply/TPO, only "503 Roof Final". The final is scheduled "after submittal of the Inspection Affidavit and after the job is completed". The county's Roof Inspection Affidavit, which the guide says is "required on all re-roof permits for 1 & 2 family homes", has an engineer, architect, licensed contractor, Chapter 468 building inspector or owner-builder certify that "the roof deck nailing and secondary water barrier" were installed according to the Hurricane Mitigation Retrofit Manual; "This form must be received by the Lee County Building Inspections office prior to requesting the 503 final roof inspection." The Florida Building Code's required-inspection list (Section 110.3) includes a "Roofing inspection" that at a minimum covers dry-in, insulation, roof coverings and flashing.
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Lee County's building chapter (Land Development Code Chapter 6, which adopts the Florida Building Code with administrative amendments only) contains no roof-covering provision, and the state registry lists no Lee County technical amendment; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in the Florida Building Code's residential roofing chapter, the Existing Building volume's reroofing provisions, or the county's Roof permit guide and application. The "IMPACT" column on the county's product approval form applies to doors and windows (windborne-debris protection of openings), not roof coverings. An insurer's discount for an impact-rated roof is not a code requirement.
Repair permit threshold
Lee County Land Development Code Section 6-117 amends the Florida Building Code's permit exemptions (Section 105.2) for unincorporated Lee County: "The following individual improvements or repairs performed within a 12-month period to a single individual dwelling unit do not require a permit. This exemption does not apply to any combination of items that exceed $500.00 or improvements undertaken as part of a larger project or work being performed on multiple dwelling units:" and the list includes "(5) Roof repair, including replacement of wood, within any 12-month period, when less than 25 percent of the total roof area." A full reroof is outside that exemption. The county's Disaster Recovery page lists, among work not requiring a permit after a disaster event, "Roof Shingle replacement of 1 square of shingles (10ft x 10ft area, or less)" and states: "If work is not listed below, a permit is required prior to commencement." 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 "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." Neither the statute nor the county says 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. 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."
Wind design criteria
Lee County Land Development Code Section 6-112 adopts the county's Wind-Borne Debris Region and Basic Wind Speed Map (Appendix M), which "establishes the geographical boundaries of the wind speed zones and the wind-borne debris region in the County" and states that the lines "coincide with Figures 1609A (Ultimate Design Wind Speeds - Risk Category II Buildings), 1609B ... and 1609C ... of the Florida Building Code." The county's Risk Category II map (Figure 1609A, prepared by Lee County GIS March 21, 2012, "Revised by 2010 Florida Building Code, effective Mar. 15, 2012") shows ultimate design wind speed zones of 150 mph (the northeast corner of the county), 160 mph (most of the mainland) and 170 mph (the barrier islands and Gulf coast), and states "WIND-BORNE DEBRIS REGION: Entire County." The county's Roof permit guide (April 2026) tabulates the roof-component design pressures products must meet for 150, 160 and 170 mph at exposures B and D. Read the site's wind speed from the county map or the statewide map in the Florida Building Code (Figure R301.2(4) for houses). Lee County is not in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which the code defines as "Broward and Miami-Dade counties." Asphalt shingles must be tested and classified to ASTM D3161, TAS 107 or ASTM D7158 to resist the site's basic wind speed (Section R905.2.6.1).
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. Lee County's building chapter (Land Development Code Chapter 6), read in full, does not touch the reroofing sections, and the state registry lists no Lee County technical amendment. Lee County permits a re-cover as a Roof permit ("Shingle over Shingle" and "Metal over Shingle" are roof types on its application) and has a separate Roofover permit for a roof built on top of a roof, "most often used with manufactured homes". 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." Sawn lumber or plank decking up to 12 inches wide "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 Section 706.7.1.2. 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, and clay and concrete tile systems installed to the code, are deemed to comply). Lee County enforces this through its Roof Inspection Affidavit, filed before the final inspection, certifying that "the roof deck nailing and secondary water barrier" were installed according to the Hurricane Mitigation Retrofit Manual (Section 553.844, Florida Statutes). Roof-to-wall connections: the whole county is in the wind-borne debris region, and Section 706.8 requires roof-to-wall connections to be improved on a reroof of a house with an insured (or, if uninsured, just) value of $300,000 or more, capped at "a 15 percent increase in the cost of reroofing". Lee County's handout "Roof Replacements on Conventionally Built Single Family Residences with a Value Greater than $300,000" (12/2023): "If the structure was permitted prior to 1995 and the value of the building is greater than $300,000, roof to wall connections will be required pursuant to section 706.8 unless" a licensed contractor, inspector, architect or engineer letter shows the connectors already exist, or a contractor letter shows installing them would cost more than 15 percent of the roof; otherwise "the applicant will need to apply for a Residential (RES) permit to do mitigation & the reroof will be a sub permit to the residential permit". Lee County's building chapter does not amend these provisions.
Sales & use tax
6.5% combined on materials: the 6% Florida state sales and use tax plus Lee County's 0.5% discretionary sales surtax (effective January 1, 2019, with an expiration date of December 31, 2028, per the Florida Department of Revenue's Form DR-15DSS for calendar year 2026). 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.
The building department for unincorporated Lee County, Florida (the Fort Myers area). Building and Permitting Services, part of the Community Development Department, reviews applications, issues building and trade permits, including Roof permits, through the eConnect online system, and performs inspections.
Hail reports near the center of Lee County, FL
- Reports, last 24 months
- 1
- Largest, last 24 months
- 1.00 in Jun 25, 2025
- Most recent
- Jun 25, 2025 1.00 in
- Reports, last 5 years
- 2
| Date | Hail size | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 25, 2025 | 1.00 in | 9 mi NE |
| May 13, 2022 | 1.00 in | under 1 mi |
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 Lee County, FL. Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.
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Sources
- leegov.com verified 2026-09-26
- leegov.com verified 2026-09-26
- leegov.com verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- codes.iccsafe.org verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- floridarevenue.com verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- leegov.com verified 2026-09-26