Your roofing contract in Florida is supposed to contain very specific, legally required language, some of it in bold, oversized print, and a lot of roofing companies simply aren’t including it. It’s a violation of Florida law, and it’s usually on you (not the contractor).
This guide walks you through what a legal Florida roofing contract has to include, why those rules exist, why some contractors leave them out, and how to protect yourself before you sign anything.
Why Florida Requires These Contract Notices & Disclosures?
Florida added or tightened almost every one of these rules after homeowners got burned – usually right after a hurricane, when people are desperate to get a tarp off their roof and a contract in front of them.
Take the 10-day cancellation right. It was added by House Bill 939 in 2024, specifically in response to a wave of complaints following Hurricane Ian and other storms. Roofers were showing up in disaster zones, getting homeowners to sign on the spot, collecting a deposit, and never doing the work. The law now gives homeowners a documented, no-penalty way out.
Or take the Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund notice. Most people don’t even know this fund exists until the day they need it. By law, contractors have to tell you about it upfront, before you ever sign a contract.
Every disclosure on this list exists because homeowners, at some point, lost real money without one. So when you come across a contract that’s missing them, that’s a gap where your protection should be.
What You Should Look for Before Signing a Roofing Contract
Here’s the simple checklist. Go through your contract line by line against this list before you sign anything.
1. The License Number, Business Name, and Insurance
Your contract should list the roofing company’s exact legal business name and license number, along with proof of active general liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage.
Don’t take this on faith – verify it yourself in about two minutes at myfloridalicense.com, DBPR’s official license lookup. It’ll show you whether the license is active, what type of work it covers, and whether there’s any disciplinary history.
This is really important because a contract signed with an unlicensed contractor is legally unenforceable in Florida, meaning that if something goes wrong, you may have no legal path to get your money back.
While you’re checking, pay attention to the license type as well:
| Certified Building Contractor (CBC) | Certified General Contractor (CGC) | |
| Height limit | 3 stories max for new construction | Unlimited |
| Residential and commercial work | Yes | Yes |
| Underground utilities | No | Yes |
| Site work outside the job site | No | Yes |
| New shingle roof on their own construction | Yes | Yes |
| Structural pool work | No | Yes |
For most residential roof replacements, either license type is appropriate. Where this matters is on larger, taller, or mixed-scope commercial roofing projects – that’s when it’s worth confirming the license class matches what’s being built.
2. The Bold, Oversized Disclosures
Florida law requires certain sections of your roofing contract to appear in bold type, at least 14-point font – noticeably bigger than the rest of the contract. It’s the law, specifically so you can’t later claim you didn’t see your own rights buried in fine print.
If you signed your contract within 180 days of a state of emergency declared by the Governor, there’s specific language your contractor is legally required to include – in bold, right above your signature line. It has to say almost word for word:
“You, the residential property owner, may cancel this contract without penalty or obligation within 10 days after the execution of the contract or by the official start date, whichever comes first, because this contract was entered into within 180 days of events resulting in the declaration of a state of emergency by the Governor.”
And if your roof work involves an insurance claim in any way, there’s a second requirement: your contract needs a bolded notice telling you to check in with your insurance company first – to confirm what’s covered, what your deductible is, and what your policy terms say – before you sign anything.
Beyond those two, your contract should also include (this part doesn’t have to be in giant bold type, but it does have to be there):
- A Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund notice – a heads-up that this state-backed fund exists to help homeowners recover money from a licensed contractor’s misconduct, as a last resort after other options are exhausted.
- A Construction Lien Law notice – required for residential jobs on 1-4 unit properties, warning you that unpaid subcontractors or suppliers can place a lien on your home even if you already paid your contractor in full.
If these sections are missing or buried in the same small print as everything else, that’s a real compliance gap.
3. Who’s Responsible for the Permit (It’s Not You)
In Florida, the licensed contractor is responsible for pulling the building permit, not the homeowner.
If a roofer asks you to pull the permit yourself, treat that as a serious red flag. It usually means one of two things: they’re trying to avoid a licensing or insurance issue coming to light, or they’re not licensed to do the work at all. Either way, it shifts legal responsibility for the job onto you, which is exactly what the law is set up to prevent.
4. The Deposit and Payment Schedule
Florida law caps how much a contractor can collect upfront before specific deadlines kick in. If a contractor collects more than 10% of the total contract price as an initial payment, they’re legally required to:
- Apply for the necessary permits within 30 days of receiving that payment, and
- Start the actual work within 90 days after the permits are issued.
Let’s say a contractor blows past both of these deadlines without your written agreement to extend them and doesn’t refund your money. Under Florida law, that can rise to the level of theft, with real criminal exposure.
Practically, this means: be cautious of a large lump-sum deposit before any materials show up or work begins. A better structure ties payments to completed stages – materials delivered, tear-off complete, dry-in complete, final inspection passed.
5. Exact Material Specifications
Your contract should name the exact brand, product line, warranty class, and color of every material going on your roof. “Premium shingles” or “top-grade underlayment” isn’t a specification. It’s a placeholder that lets a contractor substitute cheaper materials without technically breaking any written promise.
Roofing materials sold and installed in Florida generally go through a state or Miami-Dade product approval process, which assigns each approved product a specific approval or NOA (Notice of Acceptance) number. The entities that certify the test data behind these approvals are themselves regulated, with real fines (up to $10,000) and license revocation on the table if they misrepresent a product’s performance. That system exists to make sure the shingles or metal roofing going on your house meet Florida’s wind and weather codes.
So, ask your contractor for the product approval or NOA number for your specific roofing system, and make sure it’s written into the contract alongside the brand and product name. That turns “premium shingles” into something specific, code-approved, and traceable if a problem shows up later.
Why Some Contractors Don’t Provide This Information
To be fair, it’s not always malicious. A few honest reasons this happens:
- Outdated templates. Some of these requirements – especially the 10-day cancellation language – are relatively recent additions to Florida law. A contractor still using a contract template from a few years ago may simply be out of date.
- Out-of-state or storm-chasing crews. After major hurricanes, Florida sees an influx of roofing crews from other states who aren’t familiar with Florida-specific disclosure requirements, because their home states don’t require the same things.
- It costs them time and invites scrutiny. A fully compliant contract takes more effort to put together, and it also puts a lot of specific, checkable claims in writing – license number, insurance, exact materials, and a real payment schedule. A contractor who’s cutting corners elsewhere (skipping permits, using unlicensed subs, substituting materials) generally doesn’t want a contract that makes any of that easy to catch.
Whatever the reason, the outcome for you is the same: a contract missing these pieces isn’t offering you the protections Florida law says you’re entitled to.
How These Requirements Help Protect Homeowners
It’s worth connecting each rule back to what it does for you, because on paper, it can read like bureaucracy:
- The 10-day cancellation right gives you a real, documented exit if you signed under pressure – during a storm, during a stressful moment, before you had time to compare quotes.
- The 10% deposit cap and permit/start deadlines mean your money can’t legally sit in a contractor’s account or fund someone else’s job while your roof waits.
- Permit responsibility resting with the contractor keeps a licensed, accountable party on record for the structural work being done to your home, not you.
- The Recovery Fund notice means you go into the job knowing there’s a state-backed backstop if a licensed contractor mismanages your project, rather than finding out about it after the fact.
- The lien law notice means you’re not blindsided by a stranger’s legal claim on your home because a sub or supplier didn’t get paid.
- The DBPR/CILB complaint process gives all of the above real teeth. Florida’s Construction Industry Licensing Board can fine a contractor up to $10,000 per violation, place them on probation, suspend their license, or revoke it entirely – and if you file a complaint, it goes through an actual investigation, a probable-cause review, and either a settlement or a formal hearing before the case is closed.
None of this is automatic, though. It only protects you if the required disclosures are in your contract in the first place, which is exactly why checking for them before you sign matters more than most homeowners realize.
Why Choosing a Licensed, Compliant Contractor Matters
A contract that’s missing these disclosures is usually a signal about how the rest of the job will go. A contractor who’s careful enough to get their contract right is generally the same contractor who’ll pull the permit properly, use the materials they promised, and be around to honor the warranty.
That’s the standard we hold ourselves to at Florida Roofing & Renovations Inc., serving Melbourne and Palm Bay. Our contracts are drafted by licensed attorneys specifically to meet all disclosures required by Florida law. That means clear license and insurance information you can verify, compliant payment milestones instead of a big upfront ask, and materials specified by exact brand, product, and approval number before you ever sign.
If you’re comparing quotes right now, it’s worth looking at our before-and-after roofing portfolio and getting in touch with us for a free estimate. We make sure you’re protected under Florida law, so you can move forward with confidence.
Quick Checklist Before You Sign A Roofing Contract
- License number and exact business name are listed and verified on myfloridalicense.com
- Proof of general liability and workers’ comp insurance is included
- Bolded, 14-point disclosures are present: cancellation rights (if applicable), insurance notice, Recovery Fund notice, lien law notice
- The contract states the contractor (not you) will pull the permit
- Deposit is 10% or less, or a compliant permit/start timeline is documented in writing if it’s more
- Materials are named by exact brand, product, warranty class, and color – plus the product approval or NOA number
- The payment schedule is tied to completed work milestones, not arbitrary dates
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it Legal for a Florida Roofer to Ask Me to Pull the Building Permit Myself?
No. Pulling the permit is the licensed contractor’s legal responsibility. A roofer asking you to pull it yourself is a red flag and shifts liability for the work onto you.
How Much Can a Roofer Legally Charge as a Deposit in Florida?
There’s no legal limit on how big a deposit can be. But if a contractor asks for more than 10% of the total contract price upfront, the law kicks in some accountability: they have to pull the permits within 30 days and actually start the work within 90 days of getting those permits.
What is the Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund?
It’s a state-backed fund, administered by Florida’s Construction Industry Licensing Board, that can compensate homeowners who suffer financial losses from a licensed contractor’s misconduct – as a last resort after other options are exhausted. Contractors are required to disclose it in their contract.
How Do I Check if a Florida Roofing Contractor’s License is Active?
Search their name, business name, or license number at myfloridalicense.com, DBPR’s official license lookup. It shows license status, scope, and any disciplinary history.
What’s the Difference Between a CGC and a CBC License, and Does It Matter for My Roof?
A CBC license is limited to buildings up to three stories; a CGC license has no height limit and covers a broader scope of work. For most home roof replacements, either license type is qualified – the distinction matters more on larger or mixed-scope commercial projects.
What Happens If I File a Complaint Against a Florida Roofing Contractor?
DBPR looks into the complaint, and a probable cause panel under the Construction Industry Licensing Board reviews what they find. If the panel decides there’s enough evidence, the case gets resolved either through a negotiated settlement or a formal hearing — and the Board has real teeth here. They can fine a contractor up to $10,000 per violation, put them on probation, suspend their license, or revoke it entirely.
