How to Read a Building Permit for Roofing Work

Building permits are public records that tell you exactly what work has been done on a property. Knowing how to read them — and more importantly, when there ISN'T one — is a powerful prospecting tool.

What Is a Roof Permit?

Replacing a roof requires a building permit in most US jurisdictions. The permit creates a permanent public record: property address, type of work, date issued, contractor name, and inspection status.

Where to Find Permits

EnerGov — Many Florida cities including Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Tampa, Jacksonville. Accela — Denver, Fort Collins, and many cities nationwide. Socrata / Tyler — Some Florida counties for open data portals. Custom portals — West Palm Beach's CityView, Fort Lauderdale's PZAB.

What to Look For

Permit type: "roof replacement," "re-roof," or "roofing." Date: If the last roof permit is from 2005, that's a 20+ year old roof. Status: "Final" or "Closed" = work done and passed inspection. "Issued" = may have been started but never inspected. No permits at all: Home built in 1995 with zero roofing permits = likely original roof.

The Limitation

Not every replacement gets permitted. Some skip the process, especially for insurance work. But the vast majority of professional replacements DO get permits, especially since insurance companies check records.

Using Permit Data at Scale

Manually searching hundreds of addresses is impractical. Lead-Spy connects to permit databases across 25 jurisdictions and identifies homes with aging roofs instantly. Draw a neighborhood and get results in seconds.