New roof from an insurance claim? When to add solar in Florida

• Roof age resets. For insurance, a roof's age counts from the last time the whole roof was replaced, and Florida law bars insurers from refusing coverage solely because a roof is under 15 years old.
• No remove-and-reinstall bill later. Putting panels on an older roof means paying to take them off when it's replaced. See removing and reinstalling solar panels.
• Cleaner warranties. When the roof and the solar mounts go on close together, it's easier to sort out who covers leaks at the attachments.

If you're choosing a new roof type, see solar panels on a metal roof.

On a home, the insurer generally pays at least the actual cash value first, minus your deductible, and the rest as repairs are completed. Since a 2022 law (SB 2-D), insurers may offer a separate roof deductible of up to 2% of your dwelling coverage or 50% of the roof's replacement cost, whichever is less; you can decline it in writing, and it doesn't apply to hurricane losses, total losses or repairs to less than half the roof.

Hurricane claims use your hurricane deductible: $500 or 2%, 5% or 10% of your dwelling coverage, applied once per calendar year. Florida law doesn't set a state roof payment schedule by age, but some policies have their own terms, so read yours.

One year from the date of loss for a new or reopened claim, and 18 months for a supplemental claim, under the 2022 reforms (SB 2-A). Those deadlines used to be two and three years.

Then roof age starts to matter for coverage. For a roof 15 years or older, Florida law lets you get an inspection from an authorized inspector, at your cost, before an insurer can require a replacement, and if the inspection shows at least 5 years of useful life left, the insurer can't refuse coverage based on age alone. Citizens requires documentation of at least five years of remaining life for shingle roofs older than 25 years and tile, metal or other hard roofs older than 50.

Panels last 25 years or more, so a roof already near 15 will hit these rules while the panels are still young. That's the strongest case for replacing the roof first.

Often. Florida insurers must offer discounts for wind-resistant features documented on the state's uniform mitigation inspection form, including roof covering, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections, roof shape and a secondary water barrier. A revised form took effect April 1, 2026, and a completed form is generally good for up to five years if the home doesn't change.

A code reroof usually adds some of those features: local permit forms note that when a roof is replaced, deck attachment must be strengthened and a secondary water barrier added where the code requires it. Get a new wind mitigation inspection after the roof and solar work, and send it to your insurer. Discount amounts depend on each insurer's filed rates.

Not as often as it used to. The Florida Building Code's 25% rule says no more than 25% of a roof can be repaired or replaced in 12 months without bringing it up to code. Since 2022, s. 553.844 says a roof built, repaired or replaced to the 2007 code or later only needs the damaged part brought up to current code, even when more than 25% is damaged.

So a newer roof with partial damage may get a repair, not a replacement. Plan solar around a full replacement you've confirmed, not one you hope a claim will cover.

Florida law bars roofing contractors from offering anything of value, including waiving your deductible, for a roof inspection or to file a claim, and from adjusting a claim unless they're a licensed public adjuster. Since 2025, roofing contracts must tell you to check your coverage with your insurer before signing. See how to choose a solar company for vetting installers too.

Your roofer does the roof. A certified solar contractor may do roofing work only within 18 inches of each solar attachment, so the solar installer handles the mounts and flashing.

• Owens Corning has a Solar PRO program in which approved contractors and mounts keep the roof warranty in place.
• GAF says it doesn't approve mounting systems, so ask your installer how attachments are flashed.
• Eagle tile's warranty covers the tiles, not installation methods, so leak coverage at tile mounts comes from the solar installer's workmanship warranty.

Get both contractors' warranty terms in writing before work starts. See solar on tile roofs.

On a low-slope roof, see solar panels on a flat roof for warranty and drainage issues.

For solar shingles and the discontinued Tesla Solar Roof, see Tesla Solar Roof in Florida.

It depends on your policy. Ask your insurer in writing whether removing and reinstalling the panels is covered as part of the roof claim before the roofer starts. See solar and home insurance in Florida.