The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / City of Winter Haven - Building & Permitting Division

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Winter Haven, FL?

Adopted code

City of Winter Haven - Building & Permitting Division

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Winter Haven, FL, issued by City of Winter Haven - Building & Permitting Division. Re-roofing in Winter Haven is permit work. City Code section 5-9 provides that "Permits shall be procured from the building official by every person, contractor, or subcontractor before doing any structural work of any character, whether permanent or temporary, and; for all nonstructural work where the cost of materials exceeds eight hundred dollars ($800.00)." The City's inspection code list has a separate "Re-Roof Permit" type with its own "Roof Dry-In Flash In Progress" (1402) and "Roof Final" (1403) inspections. Applications, plan review status, contractor registration and inspection scheduling run through the City's Accela Citizen Access portal; inspections on permits from 2026 onward may also be requested by text to 888-513-8552, and "Requests must be made by 7 am for same day inspections." The City's Building Permit Application must be notarized and warns: "Your failure to record a Notice of Commencement may result in your paying twice for Improvements to your property. A Notice of Commencement must be recorded and posted on the job site before the first inspection." The City's Re-Roof Affidavit is "To be completed by the permit holder and posted at the jobsite for the final inspection for all roofing permits," and "Final inspection will fail if affidavit is incomplete, not legible or damaged." 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).

Roof code checklist: Winter Haven, FL

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofYeslibrary.municode.com2026-10-16
Repair permit thresholdPublishedlibrary.municode.com2026-10-16
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedR908.3codes.iccsafe.org2026-10-16
Deck & sheathingPublishedcodes.iccsafe.org2026-10-16
Drip edgeYesR905.2.8.5codes.iccsafe.org2026-10-16
Ice & water shieldNoR905.1.2codes.iccsafe.org2026-10-16
Mid-roof inspectionYesSec. 110.3mywinterhaven.com2026-10-16
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNolibrary.municode.com2026-10-16
Wind design criteriaNot published
Adopted codePublishedSec. 553.73(6)library.municode.com2026-10-16
Contractor license / registrationYeslibrary.municode.com2026-10-16
Sales & use taxPublisheddr15dss_26.pdf2026-10-16

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
City of Winter Haven, Florida
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
490 Third Street NW, Winter Haven, FL 33881
Contact
  • url: https://www.mywinterhaven.com/342/Building-Permits-Licenses
  • phone: 863-291-5695
Permit portal
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: Under City Code section 5-2 the City is a member of the Municipal Board of Examiners Inc. of Polk County, which handles "competency examinations for the certification of the construction trades" and issues "certificates of competency for those who engage in contracting and subcontracting within the city."
  • city_level: City Code section 5-4 makes it "unlawful for any person to engage in a trade or business as a contractor or subcontractor without a certificate or registration issued pursuant to this article"; certificates run for one year and "become null and void after September 30 of each year." Under section 5-5 a person qualifies with "a state certificate of competency, a certificate of competency issued by the board of examiners" or long-standing recognition by the City. Section 5-6 requires every registered contractor to carry contractors liability insurance "with minimum limits of not less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) for one (1) person and three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00) for more than one (1) person," property damage insurance of at least $25,000, proof of workers' compensation or employees' liability insurance, and "a bond in the amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) executed by good and sufficient surety payable to the city and consumer." Section 5-7 provides: "No work shall be done by and no permits shall be issued to any contractor or subcontractor who has not obtained a certificate of registration and license bond or both." Contractor registration is made through the City's Accela Citizen Access portal. The City's business tax receipt, issued on presentation of the certificate of registration (section 5-8), is a business tax, not a trade credential.
Permit process note
Re-roofing in Winter Haven is permit work. City Code section 5-9 provides that "Permits shall be procured from the building official by every person, contractor, or subcontractor before doing any structural work of any character, whether permanent or temporary, and; for all nonstructural work where the cost of materials exceeds eight hundred dollars ($800.00)." The City's inspection code list has a separate "Re-Roof Permit" type with its own "Roof Dry-In Flash In Progress" (1402) and "Roof Final" (1403) inspections. Applications, plan review status, contractor registration and inspection scheduling run through the City's Accela Citizen Access portal; inspections on permits from 2026 onward may also be requested by text to 888-513-8552, and "Requests must be made by 7 am for same day inspections." The City's Building Permit Application must be notarized and warns: "Your failure to record a Notice of Commencement may result in your paying twice for Improvements to your property. A Notice of Commencement must be recorded and posted on the job site before the first inspection." The City's Re-Roof Affidavit is "To be completed by the permit holder and posted at the jobsite for the final inspection for all roofing permits," and "Final inspection will fail if affidavit is incomplete, not legible or damaged." 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).
Inspection requirements
Inspections on permits from 2026 onward are scheduled through the City's Accela Citizen Access portal or by text to 888-513-8552 with the permit number and inspection code; re-roof codes are 1402 "Roof Dry-In Flash In Progress" and 1403 "Roof Final." "Requests must be made by 7 am for same day inspections." The City states that "All required documentation (approved plans, truss engineering, permit placard, etc.) must be on the job site, accessible to the inspector, and protected from the weather. Any deviation may result in work delays and/or re-inspection fees imposed." The notarized Re-Roof Affidavit, posted at the jobsite for the final inspection, records the nail schedule for re-nailing decking or purlins, framing and sheathing repairs, the underlayment specification, overlap and roof pitch, sealed edges and valleys, the nail schedule of drip edge, metal and shingles, and roof and attic vents, and attests that "all work, including items conceled prior to inspection, meet the requirements of the current Florida Building Code."
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." City Code section 5-21 (as amended by Ord. No. O-23-08, May 22, 2023) adopts "The Florida Building Code as adopted and amended by the Florida Building Commission" as the building code of the City, and the City's current Building Permit Application is headed "FL. BUILDING CODE 8TH EDITION." The City's own amendments in section 5-23 are flood provisions (an elevation rule for "Other Flood Areas," plan review and inspection items under Building sections 107.3.5 and 110.3, the Substantial Damage definition, Building section 1612.4.5 and Residential sections R322.2.1 and R322.2.2); none touches the roofing chapters, and no local technical amendment registered with the Florida Building Commission for the 2023 code reaches Residential Chapter 9 or Building Chapter 15.
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 City's building code article (City Code Chapter 5, Article II, read in full) does not amend it, and no registered local amendment reaches Residential Chapter 9. The City's Re-Roof Affidavit asks the permit holder to record the "NAIL SCHEDULE OF DRIP EDGE, METAL, ROOF SHINGLES." 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." Neither the City's building code article (City Code Chapter 5, Article II, read in full) nor any registered local amendment adds an ice barrier. A self-adhering ASTM D1970 underlayment remains one of the permitted underlayment methods under section R905.1.1.1; it is not prohibited. About ice & water barrier
Mid-roof inspection
Required — The City's inspection code list gives the "Re-Roof Permit" type a "Roof Dry-In Flash In Progress" inspection (code 1402) before the "Roof Final" (code 1403). The Florida Building Code, Building, section 110.3 (applied to the Residential code) also lists a "Roofing inspection" that "Shall at a minimum include the following building components," listed as dry-in, insulation, roof coverings and flashing.
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Neither the City's building code article (City Code Chapter 5, Article II, read in full, including its Florida Building Code amendments in section 5-23) nor any local technical amendment registered with the Florida Building Commission for the 2023 code reaches Residential Chapter 9 or Building Chapter 15; 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 Winter Haven. 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
City Code section 5-9 requires a permit "before doing any structural work of any character, whether permanent or temporary, and; for all nonstructural work where the cost of materials exceeds eight hundred dollars ($800.00)." Nonstructural roof repair whose materials cost $800 or less falls below that line; a reroof ordinarily exceeds it. 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." 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).
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 City's building code article (City Code Chapter 5, Article II, read in full) states no layer limit of its own and does not amend section R908.3, and no registered local amendment reaches Residential Chapter 9.
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 Winter Haven, the City's Re-Roof Affidavit has the permit holder record the "NAIL SCHEDULE (RE-NAIL DECKING OR PURLIN)" and any "FRAMING/SHEATHING REPAIR OR REPLACEMENTS," and the City's inspection code list carries "Roof Sheathing Nail Off" inspections for residential and commercial building permits. The City's building code article does not amend these provisions.
Sales & use tax
7% combined: 6% Florida state sales and use tax plus Polk County's 1% discretionary sales surtax, made up of two 0.5% levies that the Department of Revenue's Form DR-15DSS for calendar year 2026 lists as effective January 1, 2004, with an expiration date of December 31, 2033, and effective January 1, 2005, with an expiration date of December 31, 2044. 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.

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The permitting authority for the City of Winter Haven. The City's Building & Permitting Division, part of the Economic Opportunity & Community Investment department, takes building permit applications, registers contractors and schedules inspections through the City's Accela Citizen Access portal, and issues the City's business tax receipts.

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Roofing questions: Winter Haven, FL

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Winter Haven, FL?

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Winter Haven, FL. City Code section 5-9 requires a permit "before doing any structural work of any character, whether permanent or temporary, and; for all nonstructural work where the cost of materials exceeds eight hundred dollars ($800.00)." Nonstructural roof repair whose materials cost $800 or less falls below that line; a reroof ordinarily exceeds it. 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." 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).

Is ice & water shield required in Winter Haven, FL?

No. 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." Neither the City's building code article (City Code Chapter 5, Article II, read in full) nor any registered local amendment adds an ice barrier. A self-adhering ASTM D1970 underlayment remains one of the permitted underlayment methods under section R905.1.1.1; it is not prohibited.

Is drip edge required in Winter Haven, FL?

Yes. 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 City's building code article (City Code Chapter 5, Article II, read in full) does not amend it, and no registered local amendment reaches Residential Chapter 9. The City's Re-Roof Affidavit asks the permit holder to record the "NAIL SCHEDULE OF DRIP EDGE, METAL, ROOF SHINGLES."

Can you roof over an existing roof in Winter Haven, FL?

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 City's building code article (City Code Chapter 5, Article II, read in full) states no layer limit of its own and does not amend section R908.3, and no registered local amendment reaches Residential Chapter 9.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Winter Haven, FL?

Yes.

What building code does Winter Haven, FL use?

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." City Code section 5-21 (as amended by Ord. No. O-23-08, May 22, 2023) adopts "The Florida Building Code as adopted and amended by the Florida Building Commission" as the building code of the City, and the City's current Building Permit Application is headed "FL. BUILDING CODE 8TH EDITION." The City's own amendments in section 5-23 are flood provisions (an elevation rule for "Other Flood Areas," plan review and inspection items under Building sections 107.3.5 and 110.3, the Substantial Damage definition, Building section 1612.4.5 and Residential sections R322.2.1 and R322.2.2); none touches the roofing chapters, and no local technical amendment registered with the Florida Building Commission for the 2023 code reaches Residential Chapter 9 or Building Chapter 15.