Replacement Roof Tiles Discontinued: What Can You Do?

The process

How does harvest and repair work on a tile roof?

Good tiles from a hidden slope go to the front of the house. New tiles go where they are hard to see.

Harvest and repair is what roofers use when no good match exists. The FRSA brief describes it this way. Tiles come off inconspicuous areas that do not face the street. They replace the damaged tiles that people can see. The hip and ridge lines work as natural stopping points, so the work usually runs from hip to hip or gable to gable.

1. Photograph the roof

   A drone or a ladder inspection shows every cracked, slipped or missing tile. You get a written photo report, so you can see what the roofer sees.

2. Check the underlayment

   Lift a few tiles and look. The brief says new or harvested tiles should not go over compromised underlayment. Repair it first if it needs it.

3. Pick the harvest area

   Choose a back or side slope with the same tile. Stay inside the hip and ridge lines so the new tile is not scattered across the roof.

4. Move the good tiles

   Remove undamaged tiles carefully. The Florida High Wind tile manual says to break out damaged tile, not disturb the underlayment, and set the replacement tile right away with adhesive.

5. Fill the hidden slope

   Put new, look-alike or salvaged tile where it is seen least. A roof owner can also keep a few spare tiles for next time.

6. Clean up

   The crew removes all broken tile and debris from the roof, as the manual requires.

If a look-alike has a different design, do not mix it in a single plane. The brief says to replace the whole roof plane, hip to hip, in that case. Hip and ridge tiles cover the cut edges of the field tiles, so a similar but not identical field tile can sit under the same hip and ridge. Learn more about moving tile on our lift and relay guide and our page on concrete and clay tile.

Florida rules

Does Florida's building code allow salvaged or look-alike tile?

Yes, in set conditions. Used tile must be like kind and approved by the building official.

The Florida Building Code, Existing Building, covers repairs to old roofs. As quoted in a Florida Building Commission staff analysis, Section 706.5 allows existing or salvaged slate, clay or concrete tile for reuse to repair an existing tile roof. The salvaged tile must be like kind in both material and profile. Damaged, cracked or broken tile may not be reused. The FRSA brief points to the same section.

The Commission also answered a petition about used concrete tile from a scrap yard. For the 2017 code, staff said used tile that meets the requirements for new materials may be used for repairs, subject to the building official's approval. A Building Officials Association of Florida interpretation from 2019 agrees. It says a repair under the 25 percent limit may use like tile salvaged from another roof.

The 25 percent rule is a separate limit. The version FRSA quotes says no more than 25 percent of a roof or roof section may be repaired, replaced or recovered in a 12-month period unless the whole roofing system or section is brought up to code. There is an exception for roofs built or replaced under the 2007 code or later. Work needed to tie a repair into the old roof does not count toward the 25 percent. Our guide to the 25 percent rule explains it in full.

Code editions change. The 2026 Ninth Edition takes effect December 31, 2026, and FRSA reports that the Florida High Wind tile manual has no changes to its tables or content in this cycle. Your county building department decides what it accepts, so ask it before using salvaged tile.

Insurance

What about matching tile and insurance?

Florida has a matching law for homeowner policies. Your policy and your insurer decide how it applies.

Florida Statute 626.9744 deals with matching. It applies unless your policy says otherwise, and it covers homeowner policies that settle on repair or replacement cost. As the statute reads, when a loss needs replacement of items that do not match in quality, color or size, the insurer shall make reasonable repairs or replacement of items in adjoining areas. In deciding how far that goes, the insurer may weigh the cost of work on undamaged parts, how much uniformity it can achieve without that work, how much useful life the undamaged parts have left, and other factors.

That is a law about how an insurer settles a loss. It is not a building rule. Your policy and your insurer decide what applies to your roof, and a roofer cannot interpret a policy. Our page on Florida's roof matching law goes into more detail.

What a roofer can tell you is what is physically on the roof: which tiles are cracked, which are still good, and which options are available for a match. A written photo report from an inspection gives you that record.