Monroe County, FL Hurricane Preparedness: Roof Standards (2026)

The Building Department enforces roof and windload requirements under Chapter 6 of the Monroe County Code. Section 6-26 ties every major structure in the unincorporated county, other than mobile and manufactured homes, to the design requirements of the Florida Building Code, which sets the wind-uplift and impact-resistance criteria a Keys roof must meet given the county's Area of Critical State Concern exposure. Outside of a declared emergency, re-roofing is not exempt: Section 6-100's permit table lists any new construction, remodeling, or work in the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing trades as requiring a permit, and sheds and fences lost their exemptions on July 1, 2013.

When the BOCC declares a local state of emergency, Section 6-100(d) opens three narrow, time-limited exemptions. The relevant one for roofs lets a property owner replace 300 square feet or less of storm-damaged roof shingle and underlayment without a permit, but only for 60 days from the BOCC resolution, and the BOCC alone may extend that window by further resolution. A separate 60-day exemption covers emergency repairs made to prevent imminent danger to life or further damage, and a 90-day exemption covers demolition of storm-wrecked accessory structures.

The Building Official still requires photographs of pre- and post-repair conditions for inclusion with any later permit application. Once the exemption period lapses, the work must go through the normal permit process under Section 6-101, and the Building Official may still require correction of any work that does not meet the Florida Building Code.