florida's regulations?

[larry merlau]

i have a cousin in fla. citrus county. and his wife went to get a roofing permit and was told that they could only use one brand of shingle a owens corning product or that was the way she understood it ..is there anyone on here that knows the true regs. i would think that brand isnt stuck on just one, as for the year rating yes, the ones they mentioned were 50yr shingles. so if anyone has the straight on this please reply or email me. thanks for the help in this.

[larry merlau]

sorry for my mistake :(

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I can't imagine that a regulation would be able to be put in place that would allow only one brand and not only one brand but one line of one brand! I would think that the other manufacturers would fight it!

I wonder if the requirements are just so strict that only one line meets them?

[larry merlau]

that might be a possibilty jeff, but i was hoping to get someone from there that knew the regs. there prices down there right now are outlandish :eek:

[Dan Mages]

Have your cousin demand written documentation of this "regulation" from the building dept. If I remember correctly, the building commissioner is required to provide the documentation under the Freedom of Information Act.

Dan

[Wes Bischel]

Larry,

Having worked in the building products arena for a while, I will tell you this can happen - especially after the weather Florida had last year. Typically what happens is a manufacturer will prove their product has some superior feature that allows it to meet or exceed some test and the state/local code officials will change the code accordingly. (I'm over simplifying) In the mean time, the other manufacturers are either scrambling to meet the new code, or working to change it to favor their product. The local code guy basically told your cousin what met code, rather than explaining the code. I suspect this is a recent change, and one that won't be around for long without another change to broaden the available products.

Have your cousin talk with local suppliers and roofers to confirm this, or get the real low-down on it. There are times when the code guys will tell "non-professionals" what is in their best interest versus what is acceptable.

Good luck, Wes

[Hal Flynt]

I have a son in Florida and we were discussing adding an addition to his home, which brought up the "New Hurricane Code" for construction. There are special requirements for the roof and although I don't know directly for sure, I suspect that it is sufficiently strict that few manufacturers currently meet the requirement. Another area covered is the windows must have storm shutters.

THe Code itself:

http://www.floridabuilding.org/

Roofs Here (see RAS No. 118)

http://www2.iccsafe.org/2004_Florida_Codes/test%20protocols/TestProtocols_FrameSet.htm

[larry merlau]

I have a son in Florida and we were discussing adding an addition to his home, which brought up the "New Hurricane Code" for construction. There are special requirements for the roof and although I don't know directly for sure, I suspect that it is sufficiently strict that few manufacturers currently meet the requirement. Another area covered is the windows must have storm shutters.

THe Code itself:

http://www.floridabuilding.org/

Roofs Here (see RAS No. 118)

http://www2.iccsafe.org/2004_Florida_Codes/test%20protocols/TestProtocols_FrameSet.htm


thanks hal this will answer all my questions for sure, and thanks to all of you who replied as well

[Tony Falotico]

Larry, Citrus County is on the Gulf Coast. If your cousin lives close enough to the ocean to be in a Coastal Construction Zone, I'll bet the codes are VERY strict. In addition to the Building Code, there are state regulations, County, and possibly Municipal codes that get stricter and stricter. All my past work has been on the Atlantic Coast, so I'm not familiar with Gulf Coast codes.

I used to (note past tense) design houses and small commercial buildings, but since hurricane Andrew in the early '90s and the newer codes, I don't do structures anymore. For the money you make -- It just ain't worth it to me.

And, take Dan's advice Have your cousin demand written documentation of this "regulation" from the building dept. If I remember correctly, the building commissioner is required to provide the documentation under the Freedom of Information Act. Florida has very strict Government in the Sunshine Laws. My past experiences with the local "non-professional" inspectors have been interesting, to say the least.

[Earl Kelly]

Larry, I have a friend that works for the building permitting office here in Escambia county. After Ivan lot's of roofs were destroyed, also lot's of temp blue roofs still around after 6 months.

Anyway she told me the shingles will have a wind code number on the package and it is different for coastal versus inland. They do not specify a certain shingle but that they have the appropriate wind code stamp. It might be that the shingle they are telling your cousin to get is the only one available with that rating. They need to get the code necessary and go from there. The permit offices though, are not know for giving out info without jumping thrru a few hoops.

I would be surprised if the 50yr shingles are the only approved, here my inlaws just got some 20yr put on their house and shop by a licensed roofer. I do know that counties can put there own little twist to the codes as long as they exceed the state requirements.