How to Install Roll Roofing: A Complete South Florida Roofing Guide

Roll roofing in South Florida must be installed in compliance with the Florida Building Code (FBC) High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) provisions when used in Miami-Dade or Broward counties — meaning the product itself must carry a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA), and installation must follow the NOA-specified fastening pattern and overlap dimensions, not just the manufacturer's general instructions.

Roll roofing — also called rolled roofing or mineral-surface roll roofing — is a fiberglass or organic-mat material saturated with asphalt and surfaced with mineral granules. It comes in 36-inch-wide rolls, typically 33 to 38 linear feet long, covering roughly one roofing square (100 sq ft) per roll. It is primarily designed for roofs with a pitch between 1:12 and 4:12 (low-slope to slightly sloped). Steeper pitches call for shingles or tiles, both of which you can explore in our guide to roofing materials and styles.

In South Florida, roll roofing is most commonly used on detached garages, storage sheds, screened enclosures, carports, and flat-to-low-slope residential additions. It is rarely the right choice for the primary roof of a main dwelling, where TPO roofing, EPDM roofing, or metal standing seam systems provide far superior wind resistance, longevity, and energy performance. That said, understanding roll roofing installation is valuable knowledge for any South Florida homeowner.