Mike Silvers, CPRC, Owner, Silvers Systems Inc. and FRSA Technical Director - May 2026
We're in the third year of the Florida Building Code (FBC) triennial cycle, which, for us, is the education and training portion. The changes to the 2026 Florida Building Code Ninth Edition are close to complete but as of this writing they have not yet been published, which is typical of the cycle. Due to our involvement in the code development process, we have a clear idea of what changes have been made that will have an impact on the roofing industry. We know our members and the rest of Florida’s roofing industry need to know what to expect well before the new code takes effect on December 31, 2026. To help accomplish this, we began including many of the most important changes in a series of articles starting in the February issue of Florida Roofing magazine: code-based articles are also available on the homepage of FRSA’s website, www.floridaroof.com.
These articles will continue to be featured well into next year in order to highlight code changes. Presentations on the code changes usually begin during the Convention that precedes the code’s adoption. This year, FRSA’s Educational and Research Foundation offers a slate of 17 hours of continuing education seminars designed to help contractors understand the changes in the code. In addition, some of these will be presented at FRSA headquarters and at locations around the state. We will also present several in conjunction with the Building Officials Association of Florida (BOAF), not only for building department employees but for contractors too.
Shortly after the code takes effect, we will begin promulgating the next edition of the FBC by reviewing changes made in the International Building Code (IBC) that may be suitable for inclusion in the FBC. This process is referred to as step one. It will continue over the next year, with many meetings of the Florida Building
Commission and Technical Advisory Committees (TACs). Concurrently, FRSA holds meetings to establish our position on the IBC modifications and attempt to influence the outcome in a way that addresses our concerns. During this same period, FRSA begins developing code modifications that we would like to see included in the next code.
The second year of the cycle is where the public (including FRSA) can submit and then champion their changes and support other changes that we agree with for inclusion in the code. Just as importantly, we also try to amend or eliminate any modifications that we don’t view as favorable. Our success rate in achieving our goals is extremely high. Much of this success is based on reaching out to other stakeholders and working on a consensus before the changes are finalized. Another big part of our success is bringing forward clear positions that not only help the roofing industry but also Florida’s citizens and property owners.
More Florida Building Commission and (TAC) meetings take place while the changes are finalized. We are fortunate to have many roofing professionals on the TACs and the Commission that understand the positions. After two years, we find ourselves back at the education and training portion of our cycle.
During these cyclical processes, many other regulatory occurrences need our attention. Sometimes it is due to legislative changes that can override the code’s normal three-year cycle or other legislative changes that require our attention but are not directly related to the building code. A recent example of this is when our Governmental Affairs team was able to convince the Legislature to expand the scope of a roofing contractor’s license to include the ability to evaluate and enhance roof-to-wall connections. You may be surprised to know that for many years, the code for certain reroofs included requirements to evaluate and enhance any needed roof-to-wall connections. It also allows the building owner to opt out of doing so based on cost. To help you understand this licensing scope change and how it affects you, we are presenting a two-hour seminar to prepare roofing contractors who perform reroofing to properly expand into this type of work. Keep in mind that even if you don’t intend to expand into performing roof-to-wall connection enhancements, there are still requirements to address them when reroofing buildings that fit the parameters of the FBC’s mandated hurricane mitigation requirements.
When looking at the three-year code cycle, it is important to become aware of and understand code changes during the year that the code takes effect (2026, 2029, etc.). However, as I’ve explained previously, there are many ways that the regulatory environment can change outside of that introductory year. FRSA’s volunteers and staff work diligently to provide input during these regulatory processes and to bring this information to you. Please pay special attention to the technical, governmental affairs and legal articles in Florida Roofing magazine and attend FRSA’s seminars to stay aware of Florida’s ever-changing regulatory landscape.