If you have read that Florida’s HB 815 took effect on July 1, 2026, and that it created new roof-inspection rights for homeowners — that is not correct. HB 815 and its identical Senate companion, SB 808, both died in committee on March 13, 2026. Neither became law. Nothing about Florida’s roof insurance rules changed on July 1, 2026 as a result of these bills.
We are publishing this correction because inaccurate articles are actively circulating — some of them encouraging roofing companies to build new “HB 815 inspection” services around a law that does not exist. Homeowners deserve an accurate answer, and the real protections you already have under Florida law are worth understanding.
Why So Many Articles Say HB 815 “Took Effect July 1”
This is the part almost no one explains, and it is the entire source of the confusion.
Florida bills carry their own proposed effective date inside the bill text. SB 808’s filed text ends with a plain line: “This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.” That sentence is a proposal — it only means anything if the bill actually passes both chambers and is signed into law.
It appears that writers read the bill text, saw “shall take effect July 1, 2026,” and reported it as settled law — without checking the bill’s history, where the last recorded action is “Died in Insurance & Banking Subcommittee, 3/13/2026.” Once one article made that leap, others repeated it.
So when you see a confident article about “Florida’s new July 1 roof law,” it is worth checking a single field on the Legislature’s own website: the bill’s last action. A bill that died in committee never reaches an effective date.
What HB 815 and SB 808 Actually Proposed
The bills were a genuine attempt to expand Florida’s roof-age protections. Reading what they proposed is useful — both to understand what did not happen, and to recognize the ideas if they return in a future session. Per the filed bill text, they would have:
- Widened who counts as an “authorized inspector.” The definition would have been expanded to include a Registered Roof Consultant and a Registered Roof Observer certified by the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants.
- Applied to “property insurance” policies rather than the narrower homeowner’s policy language in current law.
- Barred refusal based on roof age for roofs under 15 years old. The text provided that an insurer “may not refuse to issue or refuse to renew a property insurance” policy solely because of the roof’s age where the roof is less than 15 years old.
- Required insurers to distinguish low-slope from steep-slope roofs in their offer for coverage.
- Created a five-year useful-life pathway for steep-slope roofs 15 years or older — an inspection finding that “the roof has 5 years or more of useful life remaining.”
- Created a coating pathway for low-slope roofs — allowing a “roof coating system applied which will result in the roof having 5 years or more” of useful life remaining.
The low-slope coating provision was the most genuinely new idea in the bills. It does not exist in current Florida law.
What Florida Law Actually Provides Today
Here is the part that matters for your roof right now. Florida Statute §627.7011 already contains meaningful roof-age protections, and they were not created or changed by HB 815:
- A roof less than 15 years old cannot be refused or non-renewed solely because of its age.
- For a roof 15 years old or older, the homeowner must be given the opportunity to obtain an inspection before replacement is required as a condition of coverage.
- If that inspection documents at least five years of remaining useful life, coverage cannot be refused solely because of the roof’s age.
Read that again, because it is the point competing articles keep burying: the five-year remaining-useful-life pathway already exists. You did not need HB 815 to have it. It has been part of Florida law since the 2022–2023 insurance reforms.
Proposed Legislation vs. Current Law
A side-by-side makes the difference clear. The left column never took effect. The right column applies today.
| Issue | Proposed — HB 815 / SB 808 (never became law) | Current Florida law — §627.7011 (in effect) |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Died in committee, March 13, 2026 | In effect now |
| Effective date | Proposed July 1, 2026 — never reached | Already in effect |
| Roof under 15 years | Could not be refused solely on roof age | Cannot be refused or non-renewed solely on roof age |
| Roof 15 years or older | Inspection showing 5+ years of useful life | Opportunity for an inspection first; 5+ years of remaining useful life means coverage cannot be refused solely on age |
| Who may inspect | Would have added Registered Roof Consultants and Roof Observers (IIBEC-certified) | “Authorized inspector” as currently defined — the expanded list was never adopted |
| Low-slope roofs | A roof coating system achieving 5+ years of useful life would have qualified | No coating-specific pathway exists |
| Policy types covered | “Property insurance” — broader | Homeowners’ policies |
What Florida Homeowners Can Legitimately Do Right Now
No new law is needed for any of this. If your insurer is pressuring you to replace a roof because of its age, these are the real, currently available steps:
- Get the roof inspected. A documented inspection establishes the roof’s actual condition rather than its age.
- Get the condition documented properly. Photographs, findings, and a written report create a record you can hand to a carrier or a buyer.
- Repair what has actually failed. Most roofs fail in specific areas — valleys, flashing, underlayment sections — while the rest of the system remains sound. See repair vs. replacement.
- Have remaining useful life evaluated. This is the measurement §627.7011 actually turns on. Learn more about remaining useful life.
- Obtain a certification where appropriate. A 5-Year Roof Certification documents condition and remaining useful life in a form you can submit to a carrier, lender, or buyer.
None of these depend on HB 815. They are available today, and they were available before the bill was ever filed.
How to Tell Whether an Article About HB 815 Is Accurate
Since this misinformation is likely to persist, here is a short test you can apply to any article — including this one:
- Does it link to the Legislature? Accurate coverage cites flsenate.gov, not another blog.
- Does it mention the bill’s last action? “Died in Insurance & Banking Subcommittee, 3/13/2026” is a matter of public record. Any article that skips it is not checking.
- Does it distinguish a proposed effective date from an enacted one? “Shall take effect July 1, 2026” appears in the bill text of a bill that died.
- Is it selling you a service built on the new “law”? There is no HB 815 inspection requirement, because there is no HB 815 law.
Important note. This article is general educational information about Florida legislation and is not legal advice or insurance advice. Bill status is reported from the Florida Senate’s public records as of publication; legislation can be refiled in a future session. Whether any particular roof qualifies for repair, certification, or continued coverage depends on its actual condition as determined by inspection. Documentation may support insurance and maintenance decisions but is not a guarantee of any insurance outcome; coverage decisions rest with your carrier. Reviewed by Mike McGilvary, Florida Certified Roofing Contractor, license CCC1331721.
About Mike McGilvary Roofing
Mike McGilvary Roofing serves Palm Beach County and surrounding South Florida communities with a repair-first philosophy focused on roof preservation, tile roof repairs, roof certifications, leak investigations, and condition-based roofing decisions. Rather than recommending replacement solely because of roof age, the company emphasizes thorough inspections, quality repairs, and responsible documentation to help homeowners maximize the safe service life of their roofing systems. Learn more about Florida’s Roof Age Law, review our roof certification for insurance guidance, or explore our resource center.
