Permitting Authorities / Walton County - Building Division
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Unincorporated Walton County, FL?
Adopted codeWalton County - Building Division
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Unincorporated Walton County, FL, issued by Walton County - Building Division. Re-roofing in unincorporated Walton County is permit work. The Building Department's Roof Permit Information sheet (revised 3/28/24) states: "A LICENSED ROOFING CONTRACTOR MUST PERMIT ALL RE-ROOFS, unless the homeowner pulls the general permit." The County's Application for Building Permit has separate "Re- roof" and "Roof Over" boxes for the type of work, and the Building Division lists a ReRoof Affidavit, a Re-Roof Q and A, a Roof Affidavit for final installation, a Roof to Wall Affidavit and Roof Replacement Regulations among its roof permitting forms. 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). The County's Permit Rules page states: "A permit is required for any construction or alteration that requires the Building Department to do an inspection using the technical codes (see Ordinance 2005-29)." Its owner exemptions cover small non-habitable buildings, small additions and unconditioned accessory structures, not roofing. The County's Re-Roof Q and A sorts each job by whether it strips the old roof or covers over it, when the house was built, whether it is in the wind-borne debris region and whether its value is $300,000 or more (see the deck and sheathing field). The application warns that "A NOTICE OF COMMENCEMENT MUST BE RECORDED AND POSTED ON THE JOB SITE BEFORE THE FIRST INSPECTION," and the County's inspection checklist requires a recorded Notice of Commencement where construction is over $5,000.00.
Roof code checklist: Unincorporated Walton County, FL
| Item | Answer | Code cite | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permit to replace a roof | Yes | mywaltonfl.gov | 2026-10-16 | |
| Repair permit threshold | Published | mywaltonfl.gov | 2026-10-16 | |
| Layer limit / roof-over | Published | R908.3 | codes.iccsafe.org | 2026-10-16 |
| Deck & sheathing | Published | mywaltonfl.gov | 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 | Yes | Sec. 110.3 | mywaltonfl.gov | 2026-10-16 |
| Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofing | No | library.municode.com | 2026-10-16 | |
| Wind design criteria | Published | mywaltonfl.gov | 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
Walton County, Florida (unincorporated)
Jurisdiction type
county
Address
117 E. Sloss Ave., DeFuniak Springs, FL 32433
Contact
- url: https://www.mywaltonfl.gov/74/Building-Division
- phone: 850-892-8160
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," with a scope that includes "required roof-deck attachments; any repair or replacement of wood roof sheathing or fascia as needed during roof repair or replacement." 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," including one- and two-family residences for the owner's own occupancy or use and not offered for sale or lease; this record does not decide whether a particular reader falls within it.
- county_level: Walton County Code section 6-66 provides: "No person shall engage in business as a contractor in any of the categories specified in section 6-67 without a county license for engaging in such business. State certified contractors shall only need to "register" their state license with the Walton County Building Department." Section 6-67 lists "Roofing contractor" among the county's Division Two contractor categories, and section 6-71 provides that no contractor shall be licensed until he or she produces evidence of insurance as required by Florida Statutes and "evidence of registration or certification by the state licensing board, or approval from the Walton County Contractor Competency Board for local specialty licenses." The Building Division's Contractors License page states that "Certified Contractors are required to register their DBPR license with Walton County in order to work in Walton County," that county licenses expire August 31 of every year, and that renewal requires a copy of the active registered or certified DBPR license, a certificate of liability insurance and a certificate of workers' compensation (or a state exemption card) naming the Walton County Building Department as holder. The page adds that Walton County does not have an occupational license. The Building Department's Roof Permit Information sheet states: "Property owners may install or repair any type of roof on their own property. If the owner contracts out the installation or repair of their roof, a licensed Roofing Contractor must obtain the permit." It also states that general, building and residential contractors may build wood shingle, wood shake and asphalt or fiberglass shingle roofs but not tile, metal or TPO roofs.
Permit process note
Re-roofing in unincorporated Walton County is permit work. The Building Department's Roof Permit Information sheet (revised 3/28/24) states: "A LICENSED ROOFING CONTRACTOR MUST PERMIT ALL RE-ROOFS, unless the homeowner pulls the general permit." The County's Application for Building Permit has separate "Re- roof" and "Roof Over" boxes for the type of work, and the Building Division lists a ReRoof Affidavit, a Re-Roof Q and A, a Roof Affidavit for final installation, a Roof to Wall Affidavit and Roof Replacement Regulations among its roof permitting forms. 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). The County's Permit Rules page states: "A permit is required for any construction or alteration that requires the Building Department to do an inspection using the technical codes (see Ordinance 2005-29)." Its owner exemptions cover small non-habitable buildings, small additions and unconditioned accessory structures, not roofing. The County's Re-Roof Q and A sorts each job by whether it strips the old roof or covers over it, when the house was built, whether it is in the wind-borne debris region and whether its value is $300,000 or more (see the deck and sheathing field). The application warns that "A NOTICE OF COMMENCEMENT MUST BE RECORDED AND POSTED ON THE JOB SITE BEFORE THE FIRST INSPECTION," and the County's inspection checklist requires a recorded Notice of Commencement where construction is over $5,000.00.
Inspection requirements
Inspections are scheduled by calling the Building Department at 850-892-8160, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. through 2:30 p.m.; the County charges re-inspection fees of $30 per trip per trade. Before the roof final (certificate of completion) can be called, the County needs the notarized Inspection Affidavit - Re-roof with photographs of each roof plane, and its Final Installation Affidavit, which states: "This form must be on file at the Building Department prior to calling for a C/C or C/O inspection." Where roof-to-wall mitigation applies, the Re-Roof Q and A states: "C/C inspection will not be scheduled for re-roof until affidavit is received."
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." Walton County Code section 6-26 (last amended by Ord. No. 2025-17, October 14, 2025) adopts by reference "the most recent edition of the Florida Building Code" Building, Residential and Existing Building volumes, among others, as "the minimum standards with which compliance is required for construction of any improvements in Walton County, Florida," together with the Walton County Wind-Borne Debris Regions and Basic Wind Speeds Map. The Building Division's Permits page states that projects "submitted after December 31, 2023 will have to be designed and built using the 2023 version of the Florida Building Code." The County's building chapter (Walton County Code Chapter 6, Buildings and Building Regulations, read in full) contains no technical amendment to the roofing provisions of the Florida Building Code.
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. The County's building chapter (Walton County Code Chapter 6, 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." The County's building chapter (Walton County Code Chapter 6, read in full) adds no ice barrier. A self-adhering ASTM D1970 underlayment remains one of the permitted underlayment methods; it is not prohibited. About ice & water barrier
Mid-roof inspection
Required — The Florida Building Code, Building, section 110.3, which applies to residential permits, lists a "Roofing inspection" that "Shall at a minimum include the following building components," listed as dry-in, insulation, roof coverings and flashing. In Walton County the deck nailing and secondary water barrier on a re-roof are certified by affidavit: the County's Inspection Affidavit - Re-roof is signed by a contractor, engineer, architect or inspector certified under Chapter 468, Florida Statutes, who states that he or she did "personally inspect the roof deck nailing" and/or the "secondary water barrier work," and must "Include photographs of each plane of the roof with the permit # or address # clearly shown marked on the deck for each inspection." The Re-Roof Q and A states that the applicant receives the roofing affidavit "to complete and turn back in prior to the roof final inspection (C/C)."
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — The County's building chapter (Walton County Code Chapter 6, read in full) adopts the Florida Building Code by reference and does not amend its roofing provisions; 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 Walton County. The County's wind-borne debris regions concern protection of openings, not the impact rating of roof coverings.
Repair permit threshold
The County's Permit Rules page states: "A permit is required for any construction or alteration that requires the Building Department to do an inspection using the technical codes (see Ordinance 2005-29)." The exemptions it lists are for owner-built non-habitable buildings of 400 square feet or less, additions of 100 square feet or less and unconditioned accessory structures outside the Coastal Building Zone; none concerns roof work. The County publishes no dollar threshold for roof repairs. 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." Section 553.79(1)(g), Florida Statutes (effective July 1, 2026), 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," 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." A full re-roof ordinarily costs more than $7,500. Separately, the Florida Building Code's 25 percent rule applies to roof repairs (see the deck and sheathing field).
Wind design criteria
Walton County Code section 6-26(15) adopts "The Walton County Wind-Borne Debris Regions and Basic Wind Speeds Map (Exhibit A)," which the Code notes is on file in the county offices. The Building Division publishes "Walton County, Florida Wind Speed and Wind Born Debris Areas," which describes wind speed lines by road and waterway for each building risk category. For Category 2 buildings (ordinary houses) it lists 150 Vmph starting "At the Gulf of Mexico and Extension of Snowdrift Rd," 140 Vmph starting "At Choctawhatchee River at BMW Rd.," and "130 Vmph - Northeaster boundary of County," with the Category 2 wind-borne debris region bounded by the same line as the 140 Vmph area. For Category 3 and Category 4 buildings it states "Wind Born Debris - All of Walton County." The published document does not state which edition of the Florida Building Code it was prepared under; its file is dated August 9, 2023, before the 8th Edition (2023) took effect on December 31, 2023. Walton County is not in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which the Florida Building Code defines as Broward and Miami-Dade counties. This record reads no design wind speed off any map; the County's document and the Building Division are the reference for a given address.
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. The County's building chapter (Walton County Code Chapter 6, read in full) states no layer limit of its own and does not amend section R908.3. The County's permit application offers a "Roof Over" type of work, and its Re-Roof Q and A treats a "Cover over existing roof" as a permitted application without stating a layer number.
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. The County's Re-Roof Q and A applies these rules to a single-family house when the old roof is stripped and the house was not built after March 1, 2002 under the Florida Building Code: "The contractor must check the nail pattern and make corrections if necessary," with a maximum spacing of 6 inches on center on the edges and in the plane, and "They must also provide a secondary water barrier." Where such a house is in the wind-borne debris region and its just market or insured value is $300,000 or more, the Q and A states: "Roof to wall connection mitigation required by a General, Building or Residential Contractor. Roofing Contractor can be issued the permit, but they cannot start the job until a structural contractor obtains the necessary permit," unless an affidavit from a structural contractor, engineer or architect states that no mitigation is necessary or that it would exceed the 15 percent of re-roof cost the law requires. A cover over an existing roof, new construction and non-residential buildings are outside these re-roof rules under the Q and A.
Sales & use tax
7% combined: 6% Florida state sales and use tax plus Walton County's 1% discretionary sales surtax, which the Department of Revenue's Form DR-15DSS for calendar year 2026 lists as effective February 1, 1995, with no expiration date. 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.
More roof permit pages in Florida
Unincorporated Washington County, FLRoof permit
Wellington, FLRoof permit
West Melbourne, FLRoof permit
West Palm Beach, FLRoof permit
Winter Garden, FLRoof permit
Roofing in FloridaState hub
Related guides
The Walton County Building Division issues building permits, including re-roof and roof-over permits, performs plan review and building inspections, and issues contractor licenses for unincorporated Walton County. Its office is at 117 E. Sloss Ave. in DeFuniak Springs, and permit accounts, invoices and scheduled inspections are handled through the County's online self-service portal.
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Sources
- mywaltonfl.gov verified 2026-10-16
- mywaltonfl.gov verified 2026-10-16
- leg.state.fl.us verified 2026-10-16
- mywaltonfl.gov verified 2026-10-16
- mywaltonfl.gov verified 2026-10-16
- mywaltonfl.gov verified 2026-10-16
- library.municode.com verified 2026-10-16
- codes.iccsafe.org verified 2026-10-16
- mywaltonfl.gov verified 2026-10-16
- mywaltonfl.gov verified 2026-10-16
- floridarevenue.com verified 2026-10-16
- mywaltonfl.gov verified 2026-10-16
- mywaltonfl.gov verified 2026-10-16