How Do You Find Out How Old Your Roof Is?

How do you look up the roof permit step by step?

Find the parcel number, pick the right office, search by address, and read the date on the most recent roofing permit.

1. Get your address and parcel or folio number ready

   Hillsborough County says the property appraiser's website is where you find your folio number and past addresses. Sarasota County's permit search takes either an address or a parcel ID.

2. Pick the right office

   Homes inside a city may be permitted by the city, not the county. If the county portal shows nothing, check the city, or call the county and ask which office covers your address.

3. Search permits by address

   Look for a roofing or reroof permit type. Sarasota County's search lets you narrow by permit type and date range. Manatee County runs permits through its Online Services (Accela) portal.

4. Read the date

   Use the date the permit was issued or finaled. The permit date is usually close to when the roof was installed, so treat it as a close date, not an exact one. If the portal shows a final inspection date, that is the closest sign of when the job was finished.

5. Check for more than one roof permit

   If there are two, the newer one tells you the current roof. A repair permit is not the same as a replacement permit. Look at the permit description.

6. Ask for older records if nothing is online

   Hillsborough keeps records from 1976 to 2004 off the web. For those, you submit a records request with the year the home was built, the address, any earlier addresses, the folio number and, for 1976 to 1989, the permit application year.

What do roof lifespans say about your roof's age?

Asphalt shingles typically last 20 to 30 years, tile 100 or more and metal 40 to 80, and Florida heat can shorten asphalt.

Those figures come from InterNACHI's standard life expectancy chart. It assumes regular maintenance and normal wear, and it notes that hot climates shorten asphalt shingle life and severe weather can shorten any roof. Treat them as guides, not guarantees. See our guide on how long roofs last in Florida.

Wear can also tell you the roof is older than the paperwork says. Fine Homebuilding names three signs of shingles wearing out: shingles blowing off in mild weather, heavy granule loss that leaves bare patches, and curling or lifting. Read more in granules in the gutters, shingle cupping and curling and signs your roof has 2 to 3 years left.

Whatever the age, the useful step is an inspection. Coastline sends a written photo report that shows the roof's condition now. Our signs you need a new roof guide helps you tell a repair from a replacement, and roof replacement covers what comes next. For pricing, see the roof inspection cost guide.