Every roofing component installed in Florida requires a current Florida Product Approval (FPA) or Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA). For owners and architects, the ability to verify approval status independently is a valuable check on the contractor's work. The process is straightforward.
Where to look
Florida Product Approval
State portal: floridabuilding.org → Product Approval
The portal allows lookup by:
- FPA number (e.g., FL-15571)
- Manufacturer name
- Product category
- Product description
Miami-Dade NOA
County portal: miamidade.gov/building → Building Code Compliance → Product Control → Notice of Acceptance search
The portal allows lookup by:
- NOA number (e.g., 19-0814.02)
- Manufacturer name
- Product type
What to check
For each major component on your roof:
1. The approval is current
Both FPA and NOA documents have effective and expiration dates. An expired approval is not valid for new installations. The expiration date should be after the date of installation.
For existing roofs, the relevant date is when the roof was installed — the approval just needs to have been valid at installation, not necessarily currently.
2. The approval covers the installation conditions
The approval document specifies wind speed ratings, exposure categories, and installation conditions. The conditions on your roof must match what the approval covers.
For example, an underlayment approved for "wind speeds up to 150 mph in exposure category C" is not approved for a 170 mph coastal exposure D installation.
3. The attachment method matches the approval
The approval document specifies an attachment method (fastener type, spacing, pattern). The installation must follow this method exactly.
What the documentation should show
Your contractor should provide, in the closeout package:
- The FPA or NOA document for each major component (underlayment, field material, flashings, fasteners)
- The reference to the specific attachment table within each document
- The date of installation, demonstrating that the approval was current at install
If your contractor cannot produce these on request, you have grounds to ask why.
What we provide
Every closeout package we deliver includes the FPA or NOA documents for every major component. The documents are organized in a single section of the closeout package. Each is annotated with the relevant page references for the specific attachment method we used.
For HVHZ projects, we also include the wind zone calculation that demonstrates the approval covers the building's specific conditions.
A common pitfall
Substitutions during construction are common. Sometimes the underlayment specified at contract is unavailable at delivery, and the contractor substitutes "an equivalent product." The substitute must carry its own current approval.
We document substitutions in writing in the change-order section of the contract. The substitute product's approval document goes in the closeout. Without this documentation, the substitute may be code-compliant in practice but undocumented for the homeowner.
Two minutes of online verification
If you are reviewing a contractor's bid before signing, verify the major component approvals online before the contract is signed. Two minutes per component. If anything fails to verify (expired, mismatched conditions, missing), bring it up with the contractor before signing.
The verification is not adversarial; it is due diligence. A good contractor will appreciate the question and provide the answer. A bad contractor will resist; that is the signal to find a different bidder.
Filed under