Can You Put a Metal Roof Over Shingles in Florida?
Florida code allows a metal recover over one sound layer of shingles in some cases. Two layers or tile mean a tear-off, and Broward's HVHZ has its own rules.
Sometimes. Florida's reroofing rule, Section 706.3 of the Existing Building code, requires a tear-off to the deck when the roof has two or more layers, is tile, slate or wood shake, or is wet or deteriorated. One sound layer of shingles can be covered only with a metal system whose product approval allows it. Broward and Miami-Dade follow separate rules.
In Florida the answer depends on what is on the roof now, which county the house is in, and what the product approval for the metal system says. The one route around a tear-off for any existing roof is a complete, separate system, such as standing seam built on its own structural support, that does not rely on the old roof at all.
When does Florida code require a tear-off before a metal roof?
Section 706.3 of the Florida Building Code, Existing Building, lists the conditions under which every existing layer has to come off down to the deck. The wording below follows the text quoted by the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (February 2022); the 8th Edition (2023) keeps the same section, and the residential volume has a parallel rule in R908.3.
| What is on the roof now | Metal recover allowed? | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| One sound layer of shingles, outside Broward and Miami-Dade | Possible, if the metal system's approval allows a recover and none of the other conditions apply | 706.3 lists no tear-off condition for it; the product approval sets the method |
| Two or more layers of any roof covering | No, tear off to the deck | 706.3, condition 3 |
| Clay or cement tile, slate, wood shake, asbestos-cement | No, tear off to the deck | 706.3, condition 2 |
| Wet or deteriorated roofing that cannot serve as a base | No, tear off to the deck | 706.3, condition 1 |
| New roof attached through the old one where securement rules cannot be met | No, tear off to the deck | 706.3, condition 5 (Section 1504.1 securement) |
| Any roof in Broward or Miami-Dade County | Follows the HVHZ roofing sections instead | 706.3, exception 1 (Sections 1512 to 1525 of the Building volume) |
| Standing seam on its own structural support that does not rely on the old roof | Removal not required | 706.3, exception 2 |
Can a metal roof go over one layer of shingles in Florida?
Only with a system approved for it. Two Florida product approvals we read show the wording to look for. FL 24397 R6, for 1st Coast Metal Roofing Supply's 29-gauge Armour Rib panel, says that in re-roofing and re-covering applications the panels "may be installed over a single layer of existing shingles" under Sections 1507.4 and 1511 of the 2020 code, and that the panel is not qualified for the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. FL 35255 R0, for the 24-gauge Armour Loc HVHZ nailstrip panel, allows the same over a single layer of asphalt shingles, installed under Section 1521 inside the HVHZ or Sections 1507.4 and 1511 outside it.
Both certification reports list 2025 expiration dates (October 12 and November 10), which is the other lesson: check that the approval on your proposal is current before the permit is filed. Snaplock vs nailstrip walks through looking an approval up.
What about Broward and Miami-Dade?
Broward and Miami-Dade make up Florida's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, and exception 1 of Section 706.3 sends those roofs to the HVHZ sections of the Building volume, with Section 1521 covering reroofing there. Palm Beach and Martin County homes, including Boca Raton and Delray Beach, use the general rule in the table. For a Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach or Deerfield Beach address, ask the building department and the panel manufacturer before you plan on a recover. Metal roofing in South Florida explains how the three counties differ.
What do you give up by leaving the shingles on?
- A look at the deck. With the shingles in place, nobody sees the plywood from above, so rot or loose sheathing stays under the new roof.
- Renailing and a sealed deck. A tear-off is when a crew can add fasteners to the deck and apply a self-adhered secondary water barrier over it.
- Wind mitigation items. Roof deck attachment and secondary water resistance are both on Florida's wind mitigation form, which was revised as OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26) for inspections on or after April 1, 2026, according to a Citizens Property Insurance bulletin of March 19, 2026. Ask your agent how a recover would be recorded before you choose one.
What you save is the tear-off and disposal. The ranges in our Boca Raton metal roof cost guide include a tear-off, so ask for the recover and the tear-off priced side by side on the same proposal. The underlayment that goes down after a tear-off is covered in our Polystick XFR review.
Does the 2026 Florida Building Code change the recover rules?
Slightly. The Florida Building Commission's analysis of the 9th Edition lists a clarity rewrite of condition 1 and a revised exception that lets a crew remove only the upper roof covering or roof system when the substrate underneath is adequate for the new roof. The two-layer and tile conditions are not on its list of changes. The rest of the 2026 metal roofing changes are in metal roof changes in the 2026 Florida Building Code.
Frequently asked questions
Can you put a metal roof over a tile roof in Florida?
Not one fastened through to the existing deck. Section 706.3 requires removal down to the deck when the existing covering is clay, cement or other tile, slate, wood shake or asbestos-cement. The exception is a complete, separate system such as standing seam on its own structural support that does not rely on the old roof.
Can a metal roof go over two layers of shingles?
Not fastened through to the deck. Two or more applications of any roof covering is one of the conditions that requires a full tear-off, with the same exception for a separate, self-supporting system.
Does a metal recover over shingles need a permit?
Yes. A recover is reroofing work, so it is permitted and inspected like a tear-off, and the permit names the product approval for the metal system.
Will my insurance company accept a metal roof over shingles?
Ask your agent before you sign. Each carrier sets its own underwriting rules, and the wind mitigation inspection records what the inspector can verify about the deck attachment and the secondary water barrier.
For a shingle roof coming off completely, see metal roof replacement and metal roof vs shingles in Boca Raton.
