Roof lifespan by material
| Roof covering | Useful life (years) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Asphalt shingle (3-tab) | 20 | Fannie Mae, Appendix F |
| Built-up, EPDM or TPO (flat roofs) | 20 | Fannie Mae, Appendix F |
| Wood shingles (cedar shake) | 25 | Fannie Mae, Appendix F |
| Metal | 40 | Fannie Mae, Appendix F |
| Slate, clay, concrete tile | 40 | Fannie Mae, Appendix F |
Fannie Mae calls these "standardized average" figures and tells inspectors to adjust them for maintenance, environment and geography. They are written for apartment buildings, which use the same roof coverings as houses. No federal agency publishes a separate table for single-family homes that we could read.
What shortens the clock, according to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS):
- Sun. Ultraviolet light degrades the asphalt in shingles, and sunshine "can drive roof temperatures over 200°F".
- Age of the seal. "After 7-10 years, the sealant weakens enough to significantly reduce the shingle's ability to resist" wind uplift.
- Hail. "Hail can damage roof coverings and shorten the life of a roof."
How many roofs get replaced, and what they are filed at
Each of these cities records reroofing as its own permit type, so the file counts the replacements that were permitted and what the contractor told the city they cost.
| City | Roofing permits (3 years) | Usual filed value | Usual days, issue to final | Reached final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis | 18,620 | $13,000 | 85 | 93.0% |
| Saint Paul | 16,928 | $12,600 | 128 | 76.2% |
| San Francisco | 9,537 | $15,275 | 36 | 87.3% |
| Miami | 6,585 | $16,250 | 38 | 97.5% |
| Sacramento County | 5,397 | $16,575 | 19 | 88.1% |
| Cleveland | 4,923 | $10,500 | 91 | 78.3% |
| Cape Coral | 2,018 | $17,200 | 39 | 98.4% |
| Boulder | 2,516 | $11,500 | 41 | 86.3% |
Two things stand out. Colorado Springs (23,508 permits), Minneapolis and Saint Paul file more roofing permits than any other city in our data, and the busiest month is well above average: October runs at 191 in Colorado Springs, where 100 is an average month. Replacements there arrive in bursts rather than evenly through the year. And the usual job ranged from $10,500 in Cleveland to $15,275 in San Francisco, so a quote from another city tells you little.
Repair or replace: the age test
| Roof | Usually | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Asphalt shingle under about 10 years, damage in one area | Repair | Well inside the 20-year useful life |
| Asphalt shingle 15–20 years, damage on several slopes | Replace | Near the end of its useful life; IBHS says the sealant has weakened after 7–10 years |
| Any roof after a hailstorm with random bruising and dented flashing | Get it inspected for a claim | IBHS's signs of real hail damage |
| Metal or tile under about 30 years | Repair first | 40-year useful life |
The filed costs of repairs and replacements, and Florida's 25% rule, are in our roof repair vs replacement guide.
Check your own roof's age in five minutes
- Search your address on your city's permit portal (our building permit record guide explains the fields). The last roofing permit's issue date is the roof's age.
- Compare it with the table above for its material.
- If it is near the end, open your city's roofing compare page (for example Minneapolis) and check each roofer's permit count and finished share before asking for quotes. Our roofing cost guide has the filed values by city.
See every Minneapolis roofer's permit record →
What this does not tell you
A permit does not record the roofing material or the age of the roof it replaced, so we cannot measure how long roofs actually last in these cities; the lifespans come from Fannie Mae's tables. The permit counts include some repairs that cities also permit. Filed values are the contractor's own figure, entered before the work.
How we know this
Roofing permits are those each city files under a roofing or re-roof work type in its three-year window ending September 2026 (Saint Paul's ends June 2025). The usual filed value is the median of permits that carry one; days is the median from issue to final; "reached final" is the share of permits a year or more old that the city closed with a final; the busiest-month index compares a month's permits with an average month. Lifespans are from Fannie Mae's Appendix F and the damage signs from IBHS, read 22 October 2026.
Numbers come from City of Minneapolis construction permits (CCS); City of Saint Paul approved building permits; City of Miami building permits (since 2014); Sacramento County building permits on single-family, duplex and townhouse homes in the unincorporated county (the County's Accela permit layer); San Francisco DBI building permits on one- and two-family homes, with the contractor from the city's permit contacts file; City of Cleveland building permits; City of Cape Coral building permits (the city's open permit table starts January 2025); Pikes Peak Regional Building Department permits inside Colorado Springs city limits, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How long does an asphalt shingle roof last?
About 20 years. Fannie Mae's useful-life tables, which lenders' inspectors use to budget roof replacements on apartment buildings, put a 3-tab asphalt shingle roof at 20 years. IBHS research adds that the shingle sealant weakens enough after 7 to 10 years to reduce its wind resistance.
- How long does a metal, tile or slate roof last?
Fannie Mae's tables give metal 40 years and slate, clay or concrete tile 40 years, against 25 for cedar shake and 20 for asphalt shingle and for flat built-up, EPDM or TPO roofs.
- How do you know when it's time to replace your roof?
Three tests: its age against the useful life for its material (about 20 years for asphalt shingle), damage spread across the roof rather than in one spot, and leaks that return after repair. One damaged area on a younger roof is a repair; our repair vs replacement guide has the filed costs of each.
- What are the signs you need a full roof replacement?
A shingle roof near or past about 20 years (Fannie Mae's useful life for asphalt shingle), granule loss down to the asphalt, which IBHS says follows long sun exposure, and damage across several slopes. A replacement was usually filed at $13,000 in Minneapolis and $15,275 in San Francisco.
- How to detect roof hail damage?
IBHS: real hail damage falls in a random pattern, a bruise can usually be felt at each hit, ridge caps are among the most vulnerable spots, and dents in metal flashing or the A/C unit's fins are good signs that hail hit the house. Look from the ground or a ladder at the gutter line; leave the roof itself to the roofer or adjuster.
- Will homeowners insurance cover my roof?
That depends on your policy and on whether the damage came from a storm or from age; read the policy's roof section or ask the insurer. What the law fixes in Texas: a contractor may not offer to waive, rebate or absorb your deductible, and may not act as your public adjuster on a job it is also doing (Texas Department of Insurance).
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- What's a good completion rate for a contractor? The benchmarks from 12 trades and cities
- Does a new roof add home value? What Realtors, Berkeley Lab and the permit file say
- Roof replacement cost in 2026: what roofing permits were filed at in 16 cities
- Does a contractor need a license? By trade, in 10 states
For one city
- Instructions for Performing a Multifamily Property Condition Assessment, Appendix F: Estimated Useful Life Tables (Form 4099.F, v2.0) — Fannie Mae (2019-08; accessed 2026-10-22)
- Natural Weathering and Hazard Exposure (Roofing Roadmaps) — Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (accessed 2026-10-22)
- Is it hail damage? — Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (accessed 2026-10-22)
- Roofing and insurance: Know the law — Texas Department of Insurance (2025-03-24; accessed 2026-10-22)