Hurricane season · 2026
Hurricane-Season Roof Prep: The Tampa Bay Homeowner's Checklist
The 14 things Tampa Bay homeowners should do to their roof before June 1 — and the 3 things that scam contractors will pressure you into that you don't actually need.
The short version
- Start prep in April, not June — the good contractors are booked solid by mid-May.
- The three highest-ROI items are secondary water barrier verification, ridge vent inspection, and hurricane strap documentation for insurance.
- 'Free roof inspections' offered by out-of-state contractors after a named storm are almost always a lead-gen scam.
The April window
By the first week of June, every reputable Tampa Bay roofer's calendar is full. If you wait until a named storm is in the Gulf to book an inspection, you'll get whoever answers the phone — which is almost never who you want on your roof.
The 14-item pre-season checklist
- Photograph every roof plane from the ground with a phone — establishes a pre-season baseline for any insurance claim.
- Have a licensed roofer walk the roof; DIY inspections miss soft decking and nail pops.
- Verify the presence of a secondary water barrier (peel-and-stick underlayment). If the roof was installed before 2007, it probably doesn't have one.
- Inspect and reseal all pipe boots — the #1 leak source in Tampa Bay.
- Check ridge vent baffles for baffling collapse; this is what turns wind uplift into interior water damage.
- Confirm all soffit vents are open and screened.
- Trim tree limbs to 10 feet from the roof plane.
- Clear all gutters and downspouts — a full gutter in a hurricane acts like a sail.
- Photograph and document the hurricane strap connection (Form 1802) for wind mitigation credit.
- Check flashing at every roof-to-wall intersection.
- Reseal every exposed fastener on any metal roof.
- Inspect the chimney cap and cricket flashing if applicable.
- Verify skylight seals and weep holes.
- Store a copy of your wind mitigation inspection somewhere off-site (cloud storage counts).
Post-storm scams to watch for
After every named storm, Tampa Bay gets flooded with out-of-state 'storm chaser' contractors driving unmarked pickups. They knock doors, offer a free inspection, climb your roof, and manufacture damage on the way down.
How to spot the scam in 30 seconds
Ask for their Florida CCC license number. Legitimate Tampa Bay roofers will recite it from memory. Storm chasers will fumble, offer a business card, or claim their 'office manager' has it.