Broward County Certificate of Competency 21-R-22240-X
Roof Repair & Replacement in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Roof Repair & Replacement for homes in Fort Lauderdale and the rest of Broward County. Free estimate.
Fort Lauderdale sits inside the Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which covers all of Broward County. That means roofing assemblies here — underlayment, fasteners, shingles, tile attachment, flat-roof membranes — have to carry a valid Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) or Florida Product Approval showing HVHZ acceptance, and they have to be installed the way that approval says. With a May-through-October rainy season, near-daily afternoon thunderstorms and a hurricane season running June 1 to November 30, the roof is the part of the house that takes the most weather.
The median Fort Lauderdale home was built around 1972 (Census, ACS 5-year 2022), so a great many single-story concrete block and stucco houses here are on their second or third roof, often over decades-old underlayment. More than half of the city's homes are owner-occupied, which usually means the roof decision sits with the person living under it. Cat 5 Home Shield works on leak diagnosis and repair, full replacement in shingle, concrete and clay tile, metal and flat systems, and storm damage repair with photo documentation and a written scope for insurers. Roofing work is covered by our Broward County Certificate of Competency 21-R-22240-X. Estimates are free.
Fort Lauderdale is called the 'Venice of America' for its hundreds of miles of canals and Intracoastal frontage, and that waterfront exposure shows up on roofs. Constant salt air off the Atlantic and the canals corrodes fasteners and metal flashing faster than it does inland, while intense UV and heat age sealants and underlayment ahead of schedule. Add wind-driven rain and HVHZ wind uplift, and the weak points tend to be the same ones every time: roof-to-wall flashing, aging underlayment on mid-century homes, and low-slope sections that hold water instead of shedding it.
Problems to watch for in Fort Lauderdale
Roof-to-wall flashing leaks
On Fort Lauderdale's 1950s–1970s block homes, water often enters where the roof meets a wall or a second-story addition rather than through the field of the roof. Wind-driven rain during the May–October season pushes moisture sideways into joints that handle vertical rain fine.
Aging underlayment
With a median build year around 1972, many roofs in the city have underlayment that has outlived the covering above it. Heat and humidity break it down even when shingles or tile still look intact from the ground.
Flat-roof ponding
Low-slope built-up, modified bitumen and single-ply sections are common on Broward housing stock, including additions and carport conversions. Standing water after heavy summer rain accelerates seam failure and is usually a sign of drainage or slope problems, not just a membrane problem.
Tile and shingle loss after high winds
In a strong storm, tiles or shingles that were never attached to current HVHZ standards can lift or slide, exposing underlayment to the next rain band. Older roofs installed before modern code requirements are the usual candidates.
Salt-air corrosion on fasteners and metal
Along the canals and Intracoastal, drip edge, flashing and fasteners corrode years earlier than manufacturers' averages. Corroded metal at the edges and penetrations is a frequent entry point for water.
Open or unclosed roof permits
An old roof permit that was never finaled can surface at sale or refinance and stall the closing. A permit should be inspected and closed out; verify the status of any prior permit with the city's building department.
Missed reroof upgrades
On a reroof, roof-to-wall connection and secondary water barrier requirements may be triggered under the Florida Building Code. These are exactly the items a wind-mitigation inspector later looks for, so skipping them is worth avoiding.
What we do
- Leak diagnosis and repairWe trace water back to its actual entry point — flashing, penetration, seam or failed underlayment — rather than patching the stain. Repairs beyond very minor maintenance generally need a permit.
- Full roof replacementShingle, concrete and clay tile, metal and flat systems, matched to the structure and the slope. We walk you through the assembly before anything is torn off.
- HVHZ-approved products, installed to their approvalUnderlayment, fasteners and covering carry a Miami-Dade NOA or Florida Product Approval showing HVHZ acceptance. An approval only counts if the installation follows it, so we build to the detail in the document.
- Storm damage documentationPhoto documentation and a written scope you can hand to your insurer. We describe what we see and what the repair requires.
- Permits, inspections and close-outWe pull the permit when the work needs one, schedule the inspections — including in-progress sheathing and dry-in inspections — and see the permit through to final so it closes.
Permits, codes and licensing in Fort Lauderdale
In Florida, roof repair and replacement generally must be performed by a licensed contractor, most commonly a Roofing Contractor license issued through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and its Construction Industry Licensing Board; general, building and residential contractors may also perform roofing within their license scope. In Broward County, contractor qualification and local registration also run through the Broward County Central Examining Boards, and code administration is overseen by the Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals. Cat 5 Home Shield holds Broward County Certificate of Competency 21-R-22240-X for roofing; you can confirm any contractor's status and scope with DBPR and with Broward County before hiring. A building permit is required for essentially all roof replacements and most repairs beyond very minor maintenance, issued by the building department of the city where the property sits, or by Broward County Building Code Services in unincorporated areas. Current Florida Building Code HVHZ provisions apply throughout Broward; submittal details and inspection sequencing vary, so verify specifics with the city's building department.
Roof Repair & Replacement work is done under Broward County Certificate of Competency 21-R-22240-X.
When to call
Demand climbs ahead of hurricane season in the spring and surges after named storms and heavy summer rain, and leak calls spike through the May–October rainy season. The drier months, roughly November through April, are generally the easiest window to schedule a non-emergency reroof — which overlaps with the snowbird season, when seasonal residents return and open up homes that have been closed for months. To get on the schedule, call (954) 906-1715 or request a quote with the form on this page, and we'll set up a free estimate.
We serve Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods including Victoria Park, Rio Vista, Coral Ridge, Las Olas Isles, Colee Hammock, Sailboat Bend, Flagler Village, Imperial Point, Poinsettia Heights, Tarpon River, Croissant Park and Galt Ocean Mile.
Roofing in Fort Lauderdale: questions we hear
- Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Fort Lauderdale?
- Yes. A building permit is required for essentially all roof replacements and for most repairs beyond very minor maintenance, and it is issued by the city building department where the property is located. Inspections, including in-progress sheathing and dry-in inspections, are part of the process, and you should confirm the final inspection and a closed permit; verify the specific steps with the city's building department.
- Does my new roof need a Miami-Dade NOA?
- Fort Lauderdale is in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so roofing assemblies, underlayment, fasteners and tile attachment must carry a valid Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance or Florida Product Approval showing HVHZ acceptance. The NOA is a product approval, not a location — it applies to materials installed here in Broward. We supply the approval documents for what we install.
- How does a new roof relate to the wind-mitigation form?
- Florida's uniform mitigation verification form OIR-B1-1802 has categories for building code, roof covering, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall attachment, roof geometry, secondary water resistance and opening protection — a reroof touches several of them. Florida law requires insurers to offer discounts or credits for wind-loss-mitigation features (s. 627.0629, Florida Statutes), and a licensed inspector completes the form; we don't perform wind-mitigation inspections. You can use the free Wind Mitigation Credit Checker on this site to see which categories your home may already meet.
- My Fort Lauderdale house is from the early 1970s. Repair or replace?
- With the city's median build year around 1972 (Census), the answer usually depends on the condition of the underlayment and deck rather than the surface covering. We inspect, show you photos, and tell you plainly whether a targeted repair makes sense or whether the assembly has reached the end of its service life.
- Do you work on condos and HOA properties?
- A very large share of Broward properties are condominiums, townhomes or HOA-governed communities, where board approval and association rules apply in addition to permitting. We serve Broward County only, and we'll work with whatever documentation your association requires alongside the permit.
Roofing in nearby cities
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