The strongest proof is a document dated when the roof was installed: a finaled building permit or the roofer’s invoice. If you have neither, search the permit record by address, check old inspection reports and your county’s property records, and compare dated aerial photos. Keep it all in one file and send copies, never originals.
Why insurers ask
Roof age and condition are among the facts insurers use to decide whether to offer or renew a policy. Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance, for example, requires documentation of at least five years of remaining useful life for shingle roofs older than 25 years and hard roofs (tile, slate, clay, concrete, metal) older than 50 years [1].
Where proof lives
Look in this order. The first two were created on the day of the job; the rest support a date you already suspect.
- Building permit record (dated at install). Most cities and counties require a permit to replace a roof. Search your building department’s online permit portal by address or ask for the permit history. Look for a re-roof permit marked final or closed.
- The roofer’s invoice or contract (dated at install). Check your files, the prior owner’s closing packet, or ask the roofing company. A registered shingle warranty also carries a date.
- Prior inspection reports (supporting). Purchase inspections usually estimate roof age; in Florida, 4-point and wind-mitigation reports record roof details [1].
- County property records (supporting). Some property appraisers list permits or improvement dates on the parcel page; it varies by county.
- Dated aerial imagery (supporting). Historical aerial or satellite images with capture dates can narrow when the roof surface changed. Evidence for a conversation, not a document on its own.
What Florida law says
“An insurer may not refuse to issue or refuse to renew a homeowner’s policy insuring a residential structure with a roof that is less than 15 years old solely because of the age of the roof.”
For a roof at least 15 years old, the same subsection says the insurer must let the homeowner get an inspection by an authorized inspector (at the homeowner’s expense) before requiring replacement, and may not refuse to issue or renew solely because of roof age if that inspection shows 5 years or more of useful life remaining. Roof age counts from the last date the whole roof surface was built or replaced to code. It applies to policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2022.
What the law says, quoted from the official text. This is not legal or insurance advice; for your situation, ask your state’s insurance department, contractor board, attorney general or an attorney.
If you find nothing
Ask your insurer which documents it accepts. Then consider an inspection by a licensed roofer or inspector that states the roof’s condition and estimated remaining life in writing. In Florida, an inspection by an authorized inspector showing five or more years of useful life is the document the statute above refers to for roofs 15 years and older [2].
Whatever you find, write down where it came from and the date you retrieved it. A screenshot of a permit portal with the URL and date visible is far more useful than a note that says “I checked.”
Build a roof file
One folder, five things: the permit printout, the invoice, the latest inspection, a current photo of each roof face, and a one-line summary (“Asphalt shingle, installed March 2009, permit #… finaled 2009-04-02”). casaq keeps this in your Home Facts sheet, marks each item proof attached or not documented, and gives you an expiring share link for an agent.
Sources
- Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Florida), “Inspections”. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
- Florida Statutes §627.7011 (2026), Homeowners’ policies. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, consumer resources. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
Information, not legal, insurance or engineering advice. Spot something wrong? Send a correction; accepted corrections are logged publicly with a date.