Hurricane shutter and roof permits — Sebastian, Florida

Yes, the City of Sebastian requires a building permit for a re-roof, a roof repair or new storm shutters, because Florida Building Code section 105.1 covers impact resistant coverings (City of Sebastian).

The City of Sebastian Building Permits FAQ quotes section 105.1 of the Florida Building Code, which requires a permit before anyone will construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building, structure or impact resistant covering. That phrase, impact resistant covering, is the code term for storm shutters and hurricane panels, so shutter installs on a Sebastian Highlands block house fall under the same rule as a full re-roof. The department services list names re-roofs and repairs among the construction work it permits and inspects, along with window and door replacement handled through its own form.

A newer state exemption narrows that rule only slightly. According to the city, House Bill 803 in the 2026 legislative session amended Florida Statute 553.79 to allow an exemption from having to obtain a building permit for certain single-family work valued under $7,500. In Sebastian the owner or contractor files a Single-Family Dwelling Exemption Request Form with a copy of the contract or other proof of value, and the Building Department charges a $45 non-refundable review fee. The exemption does not cover any work involving structural, electrical, mechanical, plumbing or gas systems, and it does not apply to property located entirely or partially in a flood hazard area, which rules out many lots along the Indian River Lagoon and the Sebastian canal system. Roof decks and shutter anchors are structural attachments, so most roof and shutter jobs in the city still go through a full permit.

A separate paper step applies to larger jobs. The same city page notes that Florida Statute 713.13 requires any work valued at more than $5,000 to have a Notice of Commencement filed and recorded with the Clerk of Courts before work begins, whether or not a permit is required. The notice protects the owner from paying twice if a contractor fails to pay suppliers; the Indian River County Clerk of Courts records it, and the city lists a blank Notice of Commencement form on its Building Forms page.

A Sebastian residential roof permit is a $165 flat fee and a storm shutter permit is $75, plus a plan review fee of 10 percent with a $75 minimum (City of Sebastian).

Sebastian prices most roof and opening protection permits as flat fees rather than by job value. The Building Code Specialty Permits table on the City of Sebastian website lists a Residential Roof permit, all types, at a $165 flat fee and Commercial Roofs of up to 10,000 square feet at $190. Storm Shutters carry a $75 flat fee, Window and Door Replacement is $75, and Aluminum Structures such as screen rooms are $125. A Sebastian homeowner replacing shingles and adding accordion shutters would therefore pull two permits, $165 and $75, before plan review.

Plan review is added on top of every Sebastian permit. The Other Administrative Fees page sets the Building Code Plan Review Fee at 10 percent of the permit fee with a $75 minimum, and that fee is non-refundable. Failed inspections cost extra: $45 each for the first three re-inspections of the same code violation and $60 for each one after that. An expired permit costs $75 each occurrence, and a plan revision is $45. The penalty for Work Without a Permit is the greater of $200 or double the permit fee when an owner did the work, and the greater of $300 or double the permit fee for a contractor.

Jobs outside the flat-fee list fall to the General Building Permit schedule, which Sebastian sets by valuation: $90 for work of $3,000 or less, and for work between $3,000.01 and $50,000, $90 for the first $3,000 plus $11.50 for each additional thousand. Structural repairs to a hurricane-damaged roof framing system, for example, would be valued and priced under that table.

A Sebastian re-roof passes four city inspections, sheathing, dry-in and flashing, roof in progress and final, each booked in MGO Connect one day in advance (City of Sebastian re-roofing guide).

The City of Sebastian publishes a full packet for re-roofing. Its Building Forms page groups the Guide to Re-Roofing Mitigation Requirements, a Metal Roof Installation sheet, the Re-Roof Mitigation Q and A, a Re-Roofing Permit Application Addendum, a Roof Tile System Worksheet and a Sheathing Re-Nailing Affidavit under one heading, with the Standard Permit Application and the Owner/Builder Application beside them.

The city's re-roofing guide for single family detached structures (a PDF) lays out the order of work. Old roofing layers come off unless the house qualifies for a single roof-over, which requires its own inspection first. Once the deck is bare, Florida Existing Building Code section 706.7.1 requires the sheathing to be re-nailed with 8d ring shank nails at 6 inches on center along the rafters or trusses, and a Sebastian inspector checks that nailing at a sheathing inspection before anything covers it. A secondary water barrier under section 706.7.2 follows, either peel and stick membrane over the whole deck, taped seams under felt, or two layers of underlayment, then a dry-in and flashing inspection. The guide calls for a roof in progress inspection when about one third of the covering is on and a final inspection when the roof is complete and the site is clean, and it requires the high wind method of six nails per shingle.

Scheduling runs through the MGO Connect customer portal. The Building Department page states that inspections must be booked in the portal one day in advance and that Remote Video Inspections are available for certain inspections. The guide adds that the sheathing inspection can be split into phases so a deck is not left open to an afternoon thunderstorm over the Indian River Lagoon.

Roofs and shutters on ordinary Sebastian homes are designed for 160 mph, under wind speeds the Sebastian City Council adopted in Ordinance O-12-08 (City of Sebastian).

Sebastian sets its design wind speeds by ordinance. The city's Ultimate Wind Speeds page states that under City Ordinance Number O-12-08 the adopted ultimate wind speeds are 150 mph for Risk Category I, 160 mph for Risk Category II, and 170 mph for Risk Category III and IV buildings, applied under section 1609.4 of the Florida Building Code. A typical house in the Sebastian Highlands is a Risk Category II structure, so roof coverings, fasteners and shutter anchors there are engineered for 160 mph.

The governing code changed at the end of 2023. The Florida Building Commission gives the effective date of the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), as December 31, 2023, and the City of Sebastian applies that edition. A state law limits how much of an older roof has to be brought up to date during repairs: Florida Statutes section 553.844 provides that when a roof built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later edition has 25 percent or more repaired, replaced or recovered, only that portion must meet the current code. Roofs on Sebastian homes built before 2007 do not get that relief.

Shutters are inspected against their approvals. The city's Storm Shutter Installation Affidavit requires the owner or contractor qualifier to swear before a notary in Indian River County that every panel or shutter was installed and fits its opening, and it states that the Building Department inspects the structural attachment of panel rails or the shutter assembly per the manufacturer's product approvals at the final inspection. Hardware on emergency escape and rescue openings, usually bedroom windows, needs Building Department approval in advance.

A licensed contractor registered with the City of Sebastian, or the owner acting as owner/builder on a one or two family home, can pull a roof or shutter permit (City of Sebastian).

The city's services page states that every contractor working in Sebastian must be licensed and registered with the city and must show liability and workers' compensation insurance or an exemption. The Building Permits FAQ explains the owner/builder route under Florida Statute 489.103: an owner may build or improve a one or two family dwelling for the owner's own use, must supervise the work in person, and may not hire unlicensed workers except as direct employees on payroll. The FAQ gives the Department of Business and Professional Regulation complaint line, 866-532-1440, for reporting unlicensed contractors working in Sebastian.

Owner/builder roofs start at the counter. The Online Permits page notes that owner/builder permits can use the MGO Customer Portal afterward, but the initial application must be made in person at the building department at 1225 Main St. in Sebastian under Florida statutory requirements. Contractors can submit everything online, or by e-mail to the department with a 30MB file limit. Sebastian City Hall keeps the department open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed from noon to 1 p.m.

After a declared hurricane emergency, Florida law requires Sebastian and other affected local governments to expedite roof repair and reroofing permits, and it lets them waive the fees (Florida Statutes).

State law speeds up the simplest permits after a declared emergency. Florida Statutes section 553.7922, added in 2023, requires local governments impacted by a natural emergency to approve special processing to expedite permits that do not require technical review, including roof repairs, reroofing and the replacement of one window or one door, and allows them to waive application and inspection fees for those permits. Any such waiver in Sebastian would be set by the city for that storm; the permit itself is still required.

Homes just outside the city limits answer to a different office. The Indian River County Building Division serves the unincorporated county and the City of Vero Beach from 1801 27th Street in Vero Beach, so roof permits for unincorporated areas such as Roseland and Wabasso go there rather than to Sebastian City Hall. After Hurricane Milton, the county division did not require permits for listed hurricane repairs to one and two family homes from October 14, 2024 through January 17, 2025, a county order that did not cover property inside Sebastian.

Grant money exists for strengthening rather than repair. The state My Safe Florida Home program offers free wind mitigation inspections and grant assistance of up to $10,000 for approved upgrades such as roof-to-wall connections and opening protection, and Sebastian homeowners who use it still pull city permits for the work. Last verified: October 10, 2026, on the City of Sebastian website.