The short answer (September 2026): For tile roof permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2027, Miami-Dade’s Product Control Section says underlayments beneath tile may only be installed as their product approval (NOA) allows, including its uplift resistance. Under the 9th Edition Florida Building Code, the prescriptive “yellow stripe” underlayment allowance is eliminated.
In plain terms: from 2027, the underlayment under a new tile roof in Miami-Dade has to be a product whose approval covers that use. This guide sets out what the county’s memo says, who it affects, what it does not change, and what to ask if a tile re-roof is on your calendar. Nothing here means an existing roof has to be replaced.
What Miami-Dade’s July 31, 2026 memo says
The memo comes from the Product Control Section of Miami-Dade’s Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources [1]. The county lists it with its other product approval notices from the Board and Code Administration Division [2][3]. It is addressed to the industry, mainly the manufacturers that hold underlayment approvals. The key sentences, quoted exactly [1]:
| Topic | The memo’s wording |
|---|---|
| New code date | “Effective December 31, 2026, the 9th Edition of the Florida Building Code will become effective.” |
| Approval required | “Under the new code, all roofing underlayments intended for use beneath roof tile systems must have product approval.” |
| Prescriptive option | “The previous allowance for prescriptive underlayments (yellow stripe) has been eliminated.” |
| Wind uplift | Underlayments approved for tile “must demonstrate resistance to uplift pressures for component and cladding loads in accordance with ASCE 7 or as specified in Roofing Application Standard (RAS) 127.” |
| Existing approvals | “Existing NOAs will remain valid and will not be withdrawn.” |
| The 2027 date | “for permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2027, roofing underlayments used beneath roof tile systems may only be installed in accordance with the approved uses and applicable uplift resistance identified in the current product approval or NOA.” |
The memo also encourages approval holders to submit revisions “as soon as practical” so their approvals reflect the new code before it takes effect [1].
What changes, in plain words
- Approval, not just a standard. Until now, the HVHZ tile rules have allowed a prescriptive underlayment option. The memo calls it “yellow stripe” and says it is gone under the new code [1]. It does not define the term. In the current code, ASTM standard roll goods are marked with a yellow line to identify the standard they meet [6].
- The approval has to cover the use. For applications from January 1, 2027, the underlayment must be installed within “the approved uses and applicable uplift resistance” in its current approval [1]. A product approved for one use is not automatically approved for another.
- Uplift is part of the approval. Underlayments approved for tile must show resistance to wind uplift under ASCE 7 or RAS 127 [1].
This has happened before. When the 8th Edition took effect, the same office said permits applied for from January 1, 2024 for certain underlayments “will be limited to the use specified in the current NOA” [4].
Who it affects
| Situation | What the memo means for it |
|---|---|
| Tile re-roof or new tile roof in Miami-Dade, permit applied for on or after January 1, 2027 | The underlayment must be used as its current approval allows, including uplift [1] |
| Same work, permit applied for before January 1, 2027 | The memo’s 2027 limit is tied to the application date. Ask the building department which code edition and rules apply to your application |
| Broward County | Broward is also in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone [5]. The memo is Miami-Dade’s. On September 25, 2026, we found no notice about it on the Broward Board of Rules and Appeals product approval page [10]. Ask your Broward building department |
| Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Monroe | Outside the HVHZ. The HVHZ roofing rules apply there only where the local jurisdiction has adopted them [6] |
| Metal, shingle or flat roofs | This memo is about underlayment beneath tile. Miami-Dade has posted separate 9th Edition notices on hip and ridge shingles and on roof systems over lightweight concrete on steel decks [2] |
| An existing tile roof you are not replacing | Nothing to do. The memo is about new permit applications [1] |
The High-Velocity Hurricane Zone “consists of Broward and Miami-Dade counties” [5]. There, every roofing component already needs “a valid and current product approval” [6]. Our Miami-Dade County and Broward County pages cover how we work in each.
The timeline
| Date | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| July 31, 2026 | Miami-Dade Product Control issues the underlayment memo | [1] |
| December 31, 2026 | The Florida Building Code, 9th Edition (2026), takes effect | [1][7] |
| January 1, 2027 | Permit applications from this date: tile underlayments only as their current approval allows | [1] |
Our guide to which Florida Building Code edition applies covers the changeover in more detail.
If you are planning a tile re-roof
This is a change to how the job is specified, not a reason to rush a roof that does not need replacing. If the problem is a few cracked tiles or one leak, see tile roof repair first. If a re-roof is already planned, these are the useful questions:
- When will the permit application go in? The memo’s date is the application date, not the start of work [1]. Ask the building department which edition and rules apply to your application.
- Which underlayment is in the proposal, and what is its approval number? Ask for the Miami-Dade NOA or Florida product approval number in writing.
- Does that approval cover tile, your roof’s uplift pressures and the tile system you chose? Your contractor should check this against the current approval, not old literature. Where the manufacturer’s literature and the approval conflict, the approval prevails [6].
- What happens to the price if the permit slips into 2027? A proposal written for one set of rules may need revisiting under another. Get the answer in writing.
You can look up approvals yourself. Miami-Dade’s Product Control search lists NOAs [8], and the Florida Building Commission’s product approval search lists state approvals [9].
If the house is near the ocean, the bay or a canal, also run the salt or brackish water check before choosing tile, fasteners and metals. It estimates how far the roof is from mapped salt water.
Where Perkins fits
Perkins installs tile roof systems with the Miami-Dade NOAs and Florida product approvals required in the HVHZ, from the Miami office. Our tile roofing proposals name the products and approvals they assume. For planning numbers, see tile roof cost per square and our tile roof options. We have not published any price effect of this change, and we will not guess at one.
Frequently asked questions
Does the 2027 underlayment change mean I have to replace my tile roof? No. The memo applies to permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2027. An existing roof you are not replacing is not affected.
What is the “yellow stripe” underlayment? Miami-Dade’s memo uses the term for the prescriptive underlayment allowance, which it says is eliminated under the 9th Edition. The memo does not define it. In the current HVHZ code, ASTM standard roll goods are marked with a yellow line to identify the standard they meet.
Are existing Miami-Dade underlayment NOAs being withdrawn? No. The memo says existing NOAs “will remain valid and will not be withdrawn.” For applications from January 1, 2027, the underlayment can only be used as its current approval allows, including uplift resistance.
Does the change apply in Broward County? Broward is also in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, but the memo is Miami-Dade’s. We found no Broward notice about it on September 25, 2026, so ask your Broward building department which rules apply to your permit.
How do I check an underlayment’s product approval? Ask your contractor for the Miami-Dade NOA or Florida product approval number. Then look it up in Miami-Dade’s Product Control search or the Florida Building Commission’s product approval search, and check that the approval covers use under tile.
Will the change raise the price of a tile re-roof? We have not published a price effect and the memo says nothing about cost. Ask for the underlayment and its approval number in writing, and ask whether the price changes if the permit application moves into 2027.
Next step
Planning a tile re-roof in Miami-Dade? Start with the roof calculator for a rough estimate (not a quote), then contact the Miami office for a measured, written proposal that names the code edition, the underlayment and its approval number.
This guide is general information, not legal or engineering advice. The building department with jurisdiction decides what the code requires for your permit. Sources were checked on September 25, 2026.
Sources
- Miami-Dade County, Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, Product Control Section, “9th Edition FBC (2026) Roofing Underlayment Updates” (July 31, 2026). https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/economy/board-and-code/documents/9th-edition-fbc-roofing-underlayment.pdf
- Miami-Dade County, Board and Code Administration Division, Product Approval Notices. https://www.miamidade.gov/global/economy/board-and-code/product-approval-notices.page
- Miami-Dade County, Board and Code Administration Division. https://www.miamidade.gov/global/economy/board-and-code/home.page
- Miami-Dade County, Product Control Section, “8th Edition FBC (2023) Roofing Underlayment Updates” (June 30, 2023). https://www.miamidade.gov/building/library/2023-8th-edition-fbc-update-underlayments-notification.pdf
- Florida Building Code, Building, 8th Edition (2023), Section 202, definition of High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (code text viewer). https://up.codes/viewer/florida/fl-building-code-2023/chapter/2/definitions
- Florida Building Code, Building, 8th Edition (2023), Sections 1512.2, 1512.2.1 and 1517.4.1 (code text viewer). https://up.codes/viewer/florida/fl-building-code-2023/chapter/15/roof-assemblies-and-rooftop-structures
- Florida Building Commission, “Key Commission Milestones, July 1996 to Present” (updated April 14, 2026). https://www.floridabuilding.org/fbc/commission/FBC_0626/Commission/FBC-Updated-Commission-Milestones_14-April-2026.pdf
- Miami-Dade County, Product Control Search (NOAs). https://www.miamidade.gov/building/pc-search_app.asp
- Florida Building Commission, Product Approval search. https://www.floridabuilding.org/pr/pr_app_srch.aspx
- Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals, Products Approval resources. https://www.broward.org/CodeAppeals/Pages/ProductsApproval.aspx