What Is the 25% Rule in Roofing? A Roofer's Guide

What Changed

• The rule lives in the Florida Building Code, not in insurance policies.
• More than 25% repaired in 12 months means the whole roof or section must meet current code.
• Since 2022, Florida roofs built to the 2007 code or later only need the repaired part brought to code.
• Most states have no 25% rule. California has a 50% trigger for fire rated roofing instead.
• Roofers win this search by answering it for their state and measuring the damage in writing.

The Short Answer for Your Customer

The 25% rule is a Florida building code rule. The 2023 Florida Building Code, Existing Building, says in section 706.1.1 that no more than 25 percent of a roof or roof section can be repaired, replaced or recovered in any 12 month period. Go past that, and the whole roof or section has to meet the current code.

For years that meant one thing in Florida. A storm took a third of the shingles, and the homeowner got a whole new roof, because patching it was not allowed. That is where the idea came from that a quarter of the roof gets you a new one.

Then the law changed. Florida added an exception in 2022, now in section 553.844 of the Florida Statutes. If the roof was built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later one, only the part being worked on has to meet code. Local governments are not allowed to change that exception by ordinance.

Outside Florida, the honest answer is shorter. Most states never had the rule. So the plain answer a roofer can give is this. It is a Florida rule, it now covers mostly older Florida roofs, and if you live somewhere else, other rules decide repair or replace.

Why Homeowners Keep Asking It

The homeowner is not asking for a code lesson. They are asking if they get a new roof. They heard it from a neighbor, a door knocker or a video, and now they want to know if the damage on their house is enough.

We looked at the Google results for this question on October 10, 2026. An AI answer sat on top. The first link under it was a LinkedIn post from a quoting software company. Below that came three short videos from roofers, then pages from roofing and building companies, two Florida law firms and an engineering firm. Only one of the eight links, from a roofer in Spokane, told readers whether the rule applies in their own state.

That last part is the gap. A homeowner in Ohio or California reads a Florida page and walks away thinking the rule is national. Then they meet you with the wrong idea, and you spend the first ten minutes undoing it.

The Spokane page did it right. Alpine Roofing told its readers that the 25% rule never entered Washington's code and then listed the rules that do apply there. That is the page every roofer outside Florida should have on their own site.

How the Rule Works in Florida Today

In Florida, the answer turns on one fact. When was the roof last permitted? The engineering firm Robson Industrial gives a rule of thumb in its June 2026 explainer. Roofs permitted on or after March 1, 2009 were generally built under the 2007 code or newer. The same page dates the 2022 law, known as SB 4-D, to May 26, 2022.

So a Florida roofer sorts every storm job into two piles.

• Older roofs. Permitted before the 2007 code took effect. The full rule still applies. More than 25 percent of a section in 12 months, and the whole section must meet current code.
• Newer roofs. Built or replaced under the 2007 code or later. Only the repaired part has to meet code, even if the repair is large.

The code also has a separate tear off rule. Section 706.3 says the old covering must come off down to the deck when it is water soaked or worn out, when it is tile, slate or wood shake, or when the roof already has two or more layers. That rule can force a full tear off on its own, whatever the percentage.

Insurance sits on top of the code. Florida law says a homeowner policy is deemed to include law and ordinance coverage limited to 25 percent of the dwelling limit unless the owner turns it down in writing. Insurers must also offer a 50 percent version. That is the coverage that helps pay when code forces more work than the storm did. It is a second 25 percent that homeowners mix up with the first one, so name both on your page.

Matching is a third rule people blend in. Florida's matching statute says that when replaced items do not match, the insurer must make reasonable repairs or replacement in adjoining areas. It does not promise a perfect match. It weighs cost and how much of a match is possible.

The homeowner is not asking for a code lesson. They are asking if they get a new roof.

What Applies Outside Florida

Most states build their roofing rules on the model residential code. California is a good example. Its 2022 Residential Code, in section R908, covers reroofing. Old roofing comes off down to the deck for a replacement. A recover is not allowed over a soaked or worn roof, over tile or slate, or over two or more layers. There is no 25 percent repair limit.

California does have a percent trigger, just a different one. Under section R902.1.1, when more than 50 percent of the total roof area is replaced within one year in a fire hazard severity zone, the whole roof covering has to be at least Class A. Outside those zones, R902.1.2 sets the same trigger with a Class C minimum.

Here is how the rules stack up for the jobs you quote most.

Some roofer pages say insurers use 25 percent as a rule of thumb everywhere. None of the ones we read cited a policy or a law for that. Do not repeat it. If a homeowner later learns it was not true, the roofer who said it is the one they stop trusting.

How a Roofer Wins the Homeowner Who Searched It

1. Answer it for your state. Write one page on your site called What Is the 25% Rule in Roofing. Give the plain Florida answer first, then say what applies where you work. A good roofing website has a page like this, and most do not.
2. Add the questions in their words. Put four or five questions at the bottom, like Does the 25% rule apply in my state. Mark them up so search engines can read them. The free schema generator builds the FAQ markup.
3. Measure and write the percent. Count the damaged squares and the squares in each roof section, and write both on the estimate with the percent.
4. Pull the permit date before the adjuster comes. In Florida, that one date decides which rule applies. Bring it in writing.
5. Name the coverage, not just the code. Ask the homeowner to check for law and ordinance coverage. You are not their adjuster, but they should know the word.
6. Never promise a free roof. Say what the code requires and what the damage shows. Let the policy decide the rest.

Here is a worked example with round numbers, not a real job. A roof section has 30 squares and the storm damaged 6 of them. That is 20 percent, under the line even in old Florida rules. If the damage is 9 squares, it is 30 percent, and on an older Florida roof the whole section goes to code.

That one line on the estimate changes the talk. The homeowner stops asking if the roof is bad enough. They see the number, and they see you measured it.

What to Do This Week

1. Search your city plus the words twenty five percent rule roofing and see who answers. If it is a Florida page or a forum, that is your opening.
2. Write the page. Plain answer first, your state's rules second, a short FAQ last.
3. Add a percent damaged line to your storm estimate template.
4. Make sure your local search basics are in place, so the homeowner who reads your page can find your map listing and call.
5. After a storm job where you told the truth, send a review link. Honest calls make the best reviews.

The question is not going away. Every storm season brings it back, and every door knocker repeats it. The roofer who answers it plainly, for the homeowner's own state, is the one they call when the next storm comes through.

Sources

Every number in this story comes from one of these. If a figure is ours, the paragraph says so.

• Florida Statutes, section 553.844, roofing and the 2007 code exception
• Florida Building Code, Existing Building, 2023, section 706.1.1 and 706.3, via UpCodes
• Florida Statutes, section 627.7011, law and ordinance coverage
• Florida Statutes, section 626.9744, matching in homeowner claims
• California Residential Code 2022, chapter 9, roof assemblies, via UpCodes
• Robson Industrial Group, the Florida 25% roof rule and SB 4-D explained (June 7, 2026)
• Alpine Roofing, the 25% rule for roofing in Washington

Common Questions

What is the 25% rule in roofing?

It is a Florida Building Code rule. If more than 25 percent of a roof or roof section is repaired, replaced or recovered in any 12 month period, the whole roof or section has to be brought up to the current code. In practice that often meant a full replacement.

Does the 25% rule still apply in Florida?

Only to older roofs. A 2022 law says that if the roof was built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, only the part being worked on has to meet current code. Older roofs still fall under the full rule.

Does the 25% rule apply in my state?

Probably not. It is written into Florida's code. Most other states follow the model residential code, which has rules about layers and tear off but no 25 percent repair limit. Some states have other triggers, like California's 50 percent rule for fire rated roofing.

Will insurance replace my whole roof if 25% is damaged?

Not by any rule outside Florida. The insurer pays for the damage the policy covers. In Florida the code rule can make a full replacement required, and ordinance or law coverage in the policy is what helps pay for code upgrades.

How do I know if my roof was built to the 2007 Florida code?

Look at the permit date for the last roof job. Your county or city permit records show it, and so may your closing papers. Roofs permitted on or after March 1, 2009 were generally done under the 2007 code or newer.