The short answer (September 2026): A Florida condominium association, not individual owners, is responsible for replacing a roof that is a common element. The board typically needs competitive bids once a contract exceeds 5% of the association’s total annual budget, including reserves, 14 days’ notice before voting on a special assessment, and HVHZ-approved products in Miami-Dade and Broward. Reserves come first.
This guide follows a condo re-roof from the first report to the last inspection. The law on milestone inspections and the Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS) has its own guide: condo milestone inspections, SIRS and the roof. This page is written by a roofing contractor. It is not legal, engineering or financial advice; the association’s attorney and its licensed professionals decide what applies to your building.
Who decides: the board, the owners, or both?
Section 718.113(1), Florida Statutes, makes maintenance of the common elements the association’s responsibility, except for limited common elements the declaration assigns to owners [1]. In most buildings the roof is a common element, so the board acts for the association on its repair and replacement.
Owners get a vote in two common situations:
- A material alteration. If the declaration sets no procedure, 75% of the total voting interests must approve material alterations or substantial additions to the common elements before they start [1]. Replacing a roof with a like system is normally maintenance. Changing the system in a way your documents treat as an alteration may not be. Ask the association attorney before the scope is final.
- Anything your declaration or bylaws reserve to owners, such as some financing decisions. Read the documents early; they drive the calendar.
The bid rule
When a contract for materials, equipment or services will cost the association more than 5% of the association’s total annual budget, including reserves, section 718.3026 requires competitive bids [2]. The same section says the association does not have to accept the lowest bid, and it does not limit getting needed products and services in an emergency [2]. Contracts with attorneys, accountants, architects, engineers, community association managers, timeshare management firms and landscape architects, and contracts for association employees, are outside the bid rule [2].
Bids are only comparable if they price the same thing. A written scope, prepared by the board’s roof consultant, engineer or architect where the building warrants one, is what makes that possible.
Paying for it: reserves, special assessments and loans
Reserves first. The roof is the first item a SIRS must study [3]. For budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, a unit-owner-controlled association that must obtain a SIRS may not vote to fund less than the required reserves [3]. The SIRS guide explains remaining useful life and replacement cost.
Special assessments. If reserves fall short, the board may levy a special assessment under its documents. Two statutory rules shape how:
| Step | What the statute says |
|---|---|
| Notice of the meeting | For a nonemergency special assessment, written notice at least 14 days before the meeting, posted on the property, stating that assessments will be considered and giving “the estimated cost and description of the purposes” [3] |
| Notice to owners | The specific purpose of the assessment must be set out in a written notice to each owner [4] |
| Use of the money | Funds may be used only for the stated purpose; any excess becomes common surplus, returned to owners or credited to future assessments at the board’s discretion [4] |
Loans and phased funding. Some associations borrow and repay through regular or special assessments; others phase the roof by area over more than one budget year. Whether the board can borrow without an owner vote depends on the documents. This is a question for the association attorney and its lender, not for a contractor.
A realistic replacement figure matters for every one of these choices. Ask for it in writing, based on a measured inspection of every roof area, not a per-square-foot rule of thumb.
Condo roof repair, restoration or replacement?
Not every condo roof needs a full tear-off. The Florida Building Code limits the options:
| Option | When the code allows it |
|---|---|
| Restoration or coating | Where the membrane, insulation and details are sound enough for the system’s manufacturer; a condition question |
| Recover (new roof over the old) | Not permitted where the existing roof has two or more applications of any roof covering, or over wood shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile [5] |
| Replacement | Tear-off to the deck, with new materials meeting Chapter 15 [5] |
| Repairs only | No more than 25% of a roof or roof section in any 12-month period unless the whole roof or section is replaced or recovered [5]; see the 25% rule guide for the 2007-code exception |
Perkins’ published condo projects include both restoration and replacement. A silicone coating system on a Miami Beach condominium extended an existing low-slope roof. Majestic Towers in Bal Harbour was a staged restoration on an occupied 22-story oceanfront tower. The Coconut Grove condominium, a five-story waterfront building on Biscayne Bay, was re-roofed.
HVHZ product approvals
Miami-Dade and Broward are the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. Roofing products there need approval for HVHZ use, usually a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) [6][7]. Miami-Dade’s Product Approval Notices page lists 9th Edition changes that affect some existing approvals, including underlayments and roof systems on lightweight concrete over steel decks [7]. The 9th Edition of the Florida Building Code is listed to take effect December 31, 2026; see which code edition applies. If any of your roof areas are tile, the 2027 tile underlayment change applies to permit applications from January 1, 2027.
Ask every bidder to name the exact system and its approval numbers, and check them yourself.
How to compare condo roofing bids
Line the bids up against the same scope. These are the items that most often differ:
| Item | What to ask each bidder |
|---|---|
| Roof areas | Main roof, penthouse, elevator and stair bulkheads, A/C tower enclosures, pool or amenity decks that act as roofs |
| Tear-off and deck | Number of layers removed; how wet insulation and deck repairs are priced (unit rates) |
| System | Manufacturer, membrane, insulation and attachment, with NOA numbers |
| Drainage | Tapered insulation, drains, scuppers and overflow |
| Equipment | Curbs, stands and lines raised or re-set; who disconnects and reconnects |
| Access | Crane or hoist days, street or sidewalk permits, staging |
| Warranty | Manufacturer system warranty (term, what it covers, inspections) and the contractor’s workmanship warranty |
| License and insurance | The contractor’s Florida license, checkable on the DBPR site |
Our guide to comparing South Florida roofers covers license checks and red flags. If a firm that prepared your SIRS or milestone inspection also bids the work, Florida law requires written disclosure; the SIRS guide explains it.
Re-roofing an occupied building
Condo roofs are replaced over people’s homes. The plan should cover daily dry-in, phasing by roof area, material hoisting, protection of balconies, entrances and parked cars, and rooftop mechanical shutdowns agreed with management. Residents need written notice of crane days, noise, and any A/C or elevator interruptions. The Pinnacle Condominium A/C towers in Sunny Isles Beach and the Fisher Island clay barrel tile re-roof, in a ferry-access community, show how access shapes a scope.
The order of steps
- Condition report. A documented roof survey of every area, with photos keyed to a roof plan and moisture findings where wet insulation is suspected.
- Decide the path. Restoration, recover or replacement, with the reserve professional’s figures in view.
- Scope and specification. Written by the board’s consultant, engineer or architect where the building needs one.
- Bids. Competitive bids where section 718.3026 applies [2].
- Funding. Reserves, then any special assessment with the statutory notices [3][4].
- Contract and permit. The permit names the approved products. Check the code edition that will apply.
- Work and inspections. Phased, with the building department’s inspections and a closeout package for the association’s records and the next SIRS.
Where Perkins fits
Perkins inspects condo roofs, documents their condition, and prepares a written restoration or re-roof scope with an itemized proposal. We do not prepare the SIRS or the milestone inspection, and we do not give legal or financial advice to the board. See our condo and high-rise services and commercial roofing pages.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays for a condo roof replacement in Florida? The association, because the roof is normally a common element it must maintain. It pays from reserves and, if those fall short, from special assessments on the unit owners. Check your declaration for any roof areas assigned to owners as limited common elements.
Does a condo board need an owner vote to replace the roof? Usually not for replacement with a like system, which is maintenance of the common elements. A change your documents treat as a material alteration can need owner approval: 75% of the voting interests where the declaration is silent. Ask the association attorney.
How many bids does a Florida condo need for a new roof? Section 718.3026 requires competitive bids when a contract costs the association more than 5% of the association’s total annual budget, including reserves. It does not set a number of bids, and the association does not have to accept the lowest one. Your documents may add rules.
How much notice is required for a special assessment for the roof? Written notice of the board meeting at least 14 days before it, posted on the property, stating that assessments will be considered and giving the estimated cost and purposes. Owners then receive written notice of the assessment’s specific purpose.
Can a condo re-roof be done over the old roof? Sometimes. The Florida Building Code does not allow a recover where there are already two or more roof coverings, or over slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. Otherwise it depends on the existing roof’s condition and the new system’s approval.
Can residents stay in the building during a condo re-roof? Usually, with phasing, daily dry-in and protection at entrances and balconies. It depends on the scope, access and the building’s condition, and the plan should be agreed with management before work starts.
Next step
Bring the roof sections of your SIRS, any milestone inspection findings, roof drawings and leak history. Perkins can inspect every roof area and prepare a written scope. Request a board consultation from the Miami or Jupiter office.
This guide is general information, not legal, engineering or financial advice. Statutes and code sections were checked on September 25, 2026. Confirm your association’s obligations with its attorney and licensed professionals.
Sources
- Section 718.113, Florida Statutes (2026), subsections (1) and (2)(a). https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/718.113
- Section 718.3026, Florida Statutes (2026), contracts for products and services; competitive bids. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/718.3026
- Section 718.112, Florida Statutes (2026), subsections (2)(c)1, (2)(f)2.b and (2)(g). https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/718.112
- Section 718.116, Florida Statutes (2026), subsection (10). https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/718.116
- Florida Building Code, Existing Building, 8th Edition (2023), Sections 706.1, 706.1.1 and 706.3 (code text viewer). https://up.codes/viewer/florida/fl-existing-building-code-2023/chapter/7/alterations-level-1
- Florida Building Code, Building, 8th Edition (2023), Section 202 (High-Velocity Hurricane Zone) and Section 1512 (code text viewer). https://up.codes/viewer/florida/fl-building-code-2023/chapter/15/roof-assemblies-and-rooftop-structures
- Miami-Dade County, Product Approval Notices. https://www.miamidade.gov/global/economy/board-and-code/product-approval-notices.page