Home care
How old is your roof in Sebastian? How to find the real date in city permit records
Roof age comes up when you buy, sell or renew your homeowner's policy. In Sebastian, the answer is usually sitting in the city's permit records. Here is how to find it.
· 4 min read · Sebastian
Ask a Sebastian homeowner how old the roof is, and you often get a guess. "It was new when we moved in." "The last owner did it, maybe around 2012?" A guess works fine at the dinner table. It does not work so well when you are selling, buying or renewing your homeowner's policy.
The good news: you probably do not have to guess. Re-roofing needs a building permit in Sebastian, and permits leave a paper trail. For a house inside Sebastian city limits, that trail is kept by the City of Sebastian.
Why your roof's age matters in Florida
Florida law sets some ground rules for how insurers treat roof age. Under section 627.7011 of the Florida Statutes, an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowner's policy solely because of the roof's age if the roof is less than 15 years old.
If the roof is at least 15 years old, the insurer must let the homeowner get an inspection by an authorized inspector, at the homeowner's expense, before requiring a new roof as a condition of coverage. If that inspection finds 5 or more years of useful life left, the insurer may not refuse to issue or renew solely because of roof age. These rules apply to policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2022.
The law also says how the age is counted. It runs from the last date 100 percent of the roof's surface was built or replaced. If the roof was redone in pieces that together covered the whole surface, the age runs from the date of the first piece. That is why a permit date is so handy. It is a public record of when the work happened.
Where Sebastian keeps the records
Sebastian runs its own Building Department. The city's answer to "When do I need a building permit?" lists re-roofing, along with additions, repairs, screen enclosures, sheds, pools and more. So a roof replaced the proper way should have a city permit on file.
The Building Department is at City Hall, 1225 Main Street. It is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and closed from noon to 1 p.m. The phone number is 772-589-5537.
The city has two online tools worth knowing:
- The city's public records portal, weblink.cityofsebastian.org. You can search and view documents without signing up. The city says its records include land development, zoning and permitting records, plus inspection documents.
- MGO Connect, the city's online permitting portal, which the city launched July 1, 2023. It is used to apply for permits, pay fees and request inspections. For software questions, the MGO help desk is 985-851-0760.
If you cannot find your permit online, ask the city.
What a finished roof permit looks like
A roof permit is not just one piece of paper. The city's re-roof question-and-answer sheet lists the inspections it requires on a roof replacement: sheathing (the re-nailing of the deck), dry-in and flashing, shingle-in-progress, and final. It also says the permit holder must turn in a re-nailing affidavit before the final.
The date that matters most is the final inspection. A permit that was opened but never passed final may mean the job was never closed out.
What to do this week
- Check your closing papers first. A seller's disclosure or your purchase inspection report may list the roof's age.
- Confirm your address is inside Sebastian city limits. If it is, the City of Sebastian is the office that issued your building permits.
- Search weblink.cityofsebastian.org by your address and look for a re-roof or roof replacement permit. Write down the permit date and the final inspection date.
- No luck online? Call the Building Department at 772-589-5537 and ask how to find older permits for your address.
- Still stuck? Make a public records request to the City Clerk at 772-388-8215, in person at 1225 Main Street, or by mail. You do not have to give a reason. If a request takes a lot of staff time, the city says it will give you a cost estimate first. Email addresses are public records, so call or visit if you would rather not share yours.
- Keep a copy of the permit and final inspection with your house papers. You will want it the next time you sell, refinance or renew.
A few things to watch for
- A permit with no final inspection may mean the job was never finished on paper. Ask the Building Department what it takes to close it.
- A repair is not a full replacement. Florida's roof-age rule counts from when the whole surface was replaced.
- If you hire someone for roof work, make sure they are licensed and that they pull the permit. That permit is the very record you just went hunting for.
Ten minutes with the city's records can turn "maybe 2012?" into a real date. That is one less guess the next time someone asks.
Common questions
- How do I find out how old my roof is in Sebastian FL?
- Look up the re-roof permit for your address. Search the city's public records portal at weblink.cityofsebastian.org or call the City of Sebastian Building Department at 772-589-5537.
- Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Sebastian?
- Yes. The City of Sebastian lists re-roofing among the work that requires a building permit under the Florida Building Code.
- How do I request building permit records from the City of Sebastian?
- Send a public records request to the City Clerk, the city's records custodian, by phone at 772-388-8215, in person or by mail to 1225 Main Street. You do not need to give a reason.
- What is the 15-year roof rule in Florida?
- Under section 627.7011, an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowner's policy solely because of roof age if the roof is less than 15 years old. For older roofs, the homeowner may get an inspection first, and if it finds 5 or more years of life left, the insurer may not refuse solely because of age.