Can You Put Solar Panels on a Tile Roof in Florida? What to Check

Yes, solar panels can go on a tile roof in Florida. The code requires wind design, following the maker's instructions and flashing at penetrations, and a tile industry brief recommends two flashing layers at each. Get it in your quote.

Flashing keeps moisture out where something goes through the roof, and each of those spots is a penetration.

The date to watch is December 31, 2026, when the Florida Building Commission's October 2026 schedule has the 9th Edition of the Florida Building Code taking effect, though some steps before it were still undated. The Commission's June report says manufacturers must confirm their existing approvals meet the new edition, so recheck a mount's approval on any job that could run past that date.

What does the Florida Building Code say about solar on a tile roof?

Among the Florida Building Code's conditions for rooftop solar, the ones that touch the roof include wind design, fire classification, installation to the manufacturer's instructions and flashing. Other areas of the code also cover rooftop solar. These come from the 8th Edition (2023), in effect since December 31, 2023, as quoted by the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA).

• Wind: R905.17.1 requires design for wind loads under ASCE 7, the wind-load standard the code uses.
• Fire: R905.17.2 requires the same fire classification required for the roof assembly.
• Installation: R905.17.3 requires following the manufacturer's instructions. R324.3.1 says a mounting system carrying the UL 2703 listing and label must follow those instructions and that listing.
• Flashing: R903.2 requires flashing that keeps moisture out at penetrations through the roof plane.

The tile detail sits in a separate book that the code cites, the FRSA and Tile Roofing Industry Alliance (TRI) Florida High Wind tile manual. The 7th edition, dated December 31, 2023, doesn't use the word "solar" in the copy we read. So ask your installer which of its penetration details, or which maker's instructions, they're following.

The High-Velocity Hurricane Zone has its own code sections and tile standards, Roofing Application Standards 118, 119 and 120. A June 2020 fact sheet from Building A Safer Florida, posted on the Commission's website, names Miami-Dade and Broward counties when it gives that zone's wind speeds. If you're there, ask your building department which rules apply.

How do solar mounts attach to a tile roof?

In the sources that describe the attachment, the mount fastens through the tile layer to the structure below, not to the tile. One maker's January 2020 instructions start by removing a tile, which a replacement flashing takes the place of, then direct lag screws into the center of a rafter. Other products use a tile hook.

Palm Beach County's Building Code Advisory Board has published two advisories on this. They're one county's views, not statewide rules, but they show what a building department may ask for, so ask yours what it accepts:

• In its 2016 advisory, working from the 5th edition of the tile manual, it said attaching solar panels or brackets to concrete and clay tiles is prohibited, and it recommended strict prohibition unless a product approval expressly allows it. It said systems need to fasten to the roof deck or structurally engineered components that give the wind uplift resistance the code requires, with an engineer's approved calculations.
• In its July 2023 advisory, on rooftop solar generally rather than tile alone, it said only products specifying truss or rafter attachment with lag screws had been validated to meet the county's design wind loads. Deck-only methods hadn't produced enough load-resistance data. Site-specific engineering showing a continuous structural path to the foundation may be acceptable to the local building authority.

What flashing does a tile roof penetration need?

A tile industry brief says two layers, and the current Florida manual is less clear, so get your installer's detail in writing. The Tile Roofing Industry Alliance recommends an approved deck or underlayment flashing and a tile flashing at all penetrations, and the page adds that local building officials are the final authority. The copy on the site of Eagle Roofing, a tile maker, says adding an accessory such as solar panels should not affect a concrete tile roof's long-term performance as long as proper flashings are used.

That recommendation is older than the current manual. An article FRSA published in December 2019, by a mount maker's training director, dates the brief to June 2016. The copy we read, posted February 27, 2020, cites a drawing number that is a valley detail in the 7th edition. One of that edition's drawings for pipes and vents (FHW-21, page 43) shows a flexible tile flashing and, in an inset, a pipe flashing. Under the main picture is the note "Optional unless battens are used." The note doesn't say which part it covers, and the drawing shows a plumbing stack, not a solar mount. The manual also says its drawings are illustrative and points to its written text. For plumbing stacks, that text gives a choice: a lead skirt or flexible flashing woven in with the tile courses, or a flashing without returns, with the tile cut close and the gap filled with mortar. The second option points to a different drawing, FHW-20. So ask which current detail your installer follows.

The alliance counts anything fastened to or through the sheathing that goes through or alters the underlayment or tile as a penetration. That same maker's January 2020 instructions date from when, as FRSA's December 2019 article quotes it, the code cited the 5th edition of the manual. They add that in Florida the under-tile flashing (sub-flashing) needs flashing on all four sides under the FRSA and TRI manual, while the local authority may approve alternative methods. For pipes and vents flashed directly to the deck, the 7th edition's text says to fasten the base flashing's flanges on all sides. Ask whether that matches the detail your installer follows.

What product approval should a solar mount have?

Ask for the mount's approval number and read what it covers. Palm Beach County's board said in July 2023, before the 8th Edition took effect, that the state's product approval rule includes structural components, so mounting products should keep a current evaluation report approved by the Florida Building Commission. It named several kinds of report, including Miami-Dade's Notice of Acceptance (NOA).

The board said each report must be reviewed for limits of use and design parameters. It also said UL 2703's scope excludes roof attachments for above-roof mounting, and called the opposite belief a widespread misconception. So don't stop at a UL 2703 listing.

For example, Miami-Dade notice 24-1119.04, for an adjustable tile hook, was approved January 2, 2025. It lists an expiration date of August 12, 2026, which has passed, and says it isn't valid after that date. Its scope was Miami-Dade and other areas where the local authority allows it, and it required a copy at the job site for the building official.

We didn't check whether that notice was renewed, and we aren't recommending that product. The point is the date: check it on yours. A later notice can carry a new number, as this one did when it revised an earlier notice, so ask for the current notice rather than assuming it lapsed.

What changes with the 9th Edition, scheduled for December 31, 2026?

Manufacturers have to affirm their existing state product approvals, which matters if your mount's maker holds one, and the flashing text gets more explicit, while the wind-load standard stays put. FRSA warns its summaries may change before publication.

• Product approvals: The June 30, 2026 state product approval presentation lists three ways for a product to comply: self-affirmation, which isn't available if the standards and restrictions for it have changed, a revision, or a new application.
• Flashing: FRSA's summary shows the pending tile section naming penetrations of the roof system. The solar panel section also gets a line saying flashing must comply with the chapter and the roof covering manufacturer's installation instructions. FRSA's April 2026 article says the tile section's flashing changes leave tile work as it is and only point to the manual.
• Salt air: Pending Building volume text says nails within 3,000 feet of a saltwater coastline and screws within 300 feet must comply with Section 1711, which adds corrosion resistance requirements. In the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, the same pending text applies the 3,000-foot limit to fasteners and connectors. We haven't read how that reaches solar mount hardware, so ask if you live near the coast.
• Wind: FRSA's April 2026 article says ASCE 7 is unchanged for this edition, so the FRSA and TRI manual gets no revisions to its tables or content in this cycle. The same article says Miami-Dade staff are making significant changes to the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone's tile standards.

FRSA cites these from the code's Building volume and says the Residential volume has similar sections. The Commission's October 2026 workplan still lists December 31, 2026 and ties it to six months after publication, and state law says a code update takes effect no sooner than six months after publication. That workplan still shows the final rule hearing and the posting of the final code as to be determined, so we wouldn't treat the date as settled. We didn't find a report of the Commission's October 13, 2026 meeting, so confirm the date, and which edition covers your permit, with your building department.

What if my tile roof needs work before solar?

Settle it first, because the panels will sit on the roof you have. A rooftop solar paper from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was written for the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricanes Irma and Maria and is dated April 2018. It cites a National Roofing Contractors Association recommendation that the roof's expected service life equal or exceed the solar system's. It isn't Florida code, but it's a fair question to ask.

• The 25 percent rule: As FRSA quotes it, the code limits repair, replacement or re-covering to 25 percent of a roof area or section in any 12 months. Past that, the roof covering on the whole roof or section has to be replaced or re-covered to meet the code.
• The exception: Florida Statutes 553.844 says that when 25 percent or more of a roof built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 code or later is reworked, only the reworked portion has to meet the code in effect.
• No re-covering over tile: FRSA's quote of the pending Existing Building text says new roof coverings can't go on without removing all layers down to the roof deck where the existing covering is clay or cement tile. FRSA's markup shows it as existing code language, and the section lists exceptions, including buildings in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which follow separate sections.

Our sources don't say whether lifting tiles for mounts counts toward the 25 percent, so ask your building department.

Who should do the flashing and tile work?

Get a named company and its certification or registration in writing, because a tile job can touch two trades. FEMA's April 2018 paper for the U.S. Virgin Islands, which isn't Florida code and doesn't mention tile, recommends that penetrations be flashed by a professional roofing contractor. Florida Statutes 489.105 defines a roofing contractor's work as unlimited in the roofing trade, and a solar contractor's as installing, altering and repairing solar panels, including photovoltaic systems.

We aren't offering a legal reading of who may do each step. You can verify a Florida solar company and vet an installer before you sign.

Can an HOA stop solar on a tile roof in Florida?

Not outright, but a homeowners association (HOA) can have a say in placement. Florida Statutes 163.04 says a deed restriction, covenant or similar agreement may not prohibit solar collectors. An association may pick the roof location within a south orientation or up to 45° either side of due south, if that doesn't impair effective operation. The statute speaks of residential dwellings and the boundaries of a condominium unit, so if your association owns the roof, ask a lawyer how it applies. Our HOA guide covers HOA solar rights more generally.

What should I check in a solar quote for a tile roof?

Before you sign, get these in writing: the mount, what it fastens into, its approval, the flashing, who replaces broken tile, who does the roof work, who answers for leaks, the tile-work price and the code edition. Our guide to reading a proposal line by line covers the price, financing and production numbers.

1. The mount: maker, model, and whether it's a tile replacement flashing, a hook or something else.
2. The attachment: what it fastens into, rafters, trusses or deck, and with what.
3. The approval: its number, its expiration date, and whether it covers your roof type and wind loads.
4. The flashing: which layers it gets, deck or underlayment and tile, and which manual detail or maker's instructions it follows.
5. Broken tile: who supplies and replaces tiles that crack, and what happens if yours can't be matched.
6. The roof work: which company does it, under which certification or registration.
7. Leaks: who answers for a leak at a mount, for how long, and how the work affects any roof warranty you hold.
8. The price: tile work on its own line, so two quotes can be compared.
9. The code: which edition the plans use, if the job could cross December 31, 2026.

We haven't found a tile-work price we can source, so compare that line across your quotes.

Ask your insurer before work starts; our Florida insurance guide covers hurricane questions.

Get a second opinion on your tile roof quote

Solnology is an independent solar broker, and we install nothing. Book a ten-minute call before you sign, or request quotes; that form asks for your phone number with your consent. If you move forward with a solar project, we share the relevant details with the installation partner quoting your project. If a deal closes, an installer may pay us, and you pay us nothing. More on the state is in our Florida guide.

Sources: Florida Building Code text as quoted by FRSA (2019, 2023, 2024 and 2026 articles); Florida Building Commission workplan (October 2026) and facilitator's report of its June 9, 2026 meeting; Building A Safer Florida wind fact sheet (June 2020), on the Commission's site; state product approval presentation (June 30, 2026); Palm Beach County Building Code Advisory Board advisories (2016 and 2023); Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance 24-1119.04; Tile Roofing Industry Alliance brief, dated June 2016 by an article FRSA published in December 2019, as posted by Eagle Roofing (February 27, 2020); FRSA and TRI manual, 7th edition; Quick Mount PV instructions (January 2020); Florida Statutes 163.04, 489.105 and 553.844 (2026); FEMA's rooftop solar paper for the U.S. Virgin Islands (April 2018). Pending code text may change, so confirm current terms with your building department. Not legal advice. Sources checked November 2026.