An owner wants to reroof in metal or impact-resistant shingles. How should our HOA board review it?

By OurHOA · General information · Revised November 12, 2026

How an HOA board reviews a roof replacement that changes material: Texas, Florida and Colorado roofing laws, what to ask for, approval wording and timelines.

Part of the HOA board handbook: running the board.

The short answer

Approve most roof replacements quickly and spend your attention on the ones that change material or color. Those are the requests where state law now limits the committee. Texas protects wind and hail resistant, energy efficient and solar shingles that look like what the neighborhood already has. Florida requires every HOA to publish hurricane protection specifications, and roof systems are on the list. Colorado bars rules that require flammable roofing or prohibit fire-hardened materials. The practical job is to write a roofing standard before the next storm, so that after a hail event the committee can turn 20 applications around in a week instead of arguing each one. Rules vary by state and by each community's governing documents. This guide is education, not legal advice. Send hard cases, like a covenant that names one shingle brand, to the association's attorney.

What Texas, Florida and Colorado allow

Texas. Property Code 202.011, added by H.B. 362 effective June 17, 2011, bars a property owners' association from enforcing a provision that prohibits or restricts an owner who is otherwise allowed to install shingles from installing shingles designed primarily to be wind and hail resistant, to give better heating and cooling efficiency than customary composite shingles, or to generate solar power. The protection has three conditions, and all must be met once the roof is on: the shingles resemble the shingles used or authorized in the subdivision, are more durable than and of equal or superior quality to them, and match the aesthetics of the surrounding property. The words 'otherwise authorized' matter. Where the association maintains the roofs, the section does not hand an owner the right to reroof. Under 202.004(a), a committee's exercise of discretion is presumed reasonable unless a court finds it arbitrary, capricious or discriminatory, so a written, evenly applied standard is your best protection. Florida. Section 720.3035(6) requires the board or architectural committee of every HOA to adopt hurricane protection specifications for each structure on a parcel. The term includes roof systems recognized by the Florida Building Code that meet ASCE 7-22 standards. The specifications may set color and style and must comply with the building code. Once they exist, the committee may not deny an application that conforms to them, though it may require the owner to follow an existing unified building scheme for exterior appearance. Colorado. C.R.S. 38-33.3-106.5(2) bars an association from requiring cedar shakes or other flammable roofing materials. Section 106.5(3), added by H.B. 24-1091 effective March 12, 2024, voids any provision that prohibits fire-hardened building materials on an owner's property. The statute defines those materials by three standards: the ignition-resistant construction criteria in sections 504 to 506 of the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code, NFPA 1140 and 1144, or the IBHS wildfire-prepared home requirements. The statute expressly allows design standards only for fire-hardened fencing, so a rule that steers an owner away from a fire-hardened roof on looks alone rests on weaker ground. Ask the attorney before denying one.

Write the roofing standard first

A one-page roofing standard does more good than any single decision. Photograph the roofs first. Most neighborhoods have two or three colors and one dominant profile, and the standard should describe what is there. Write it in four parts. Pre-approved products. Name the shingle profile and a short list of colors by appearance, such as 'architectural laminated shingle in weathered wood, charcoal or driftwood, or a substantially similar color from any manufacturer.' Never name one brand. A brand-only rule is the easiest kind to attack under 202.011, and in Florida a list of options locks the committee into letting the owner pick any of them under 720.3035(2). Alternative materials. Say how the committee will judge metal, stone-coated steel, synthetic slate and solar shingles: profile, color, sheen and how the roof reads from the street. Standing seam in a matte color that matches the palette is a different request from bright galvanized panels. Impact ratings. In Texas and Colorado, say plainly that Class 4 impact-resistant shingles in an approved color and profile are pre-approved. Hail resistance is tested under UL 2218, which rates products Class 1 through 4, and Class 4 earns the largest premium credit from the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association according to the Texas Department of Insurance. Each insurer sets its own discount. Florida specifications. Fold the standard into the hurricane protection specifications the board must adopt, so one document governs.

What the application should include

Keep it short. Owners file these while the adjuster is still on the phone. Ask for: - the manufacturer, product line and color name, with a photo or brochure page - a sample shingle or color chip for any color not on the pre-approved list - the impact rating and fire rating printed on the product label - whether vents, skylights, gutters or drip edge are changing color - for solar shingles, a roof plan showing where the active panels go - the roofer's name, license number where the state issues one, and the start date In Florida, 720.3035(1)(c) bars the committee from requiring a building permit as a condition of review. The approval can still require every permit the city or county issues. In Texas, ask for a copy of the TDI form PC068 the roofer completes for an impact-resistant roof.

Judging a material change

When the request is not on the pre-approved list, the committee answers three questions in writing. Does it resemble what is there? Stand across the street with the sample. Look at the profile and shadow line, color, sheen and how the ridge and hips finish. A dimensional Class 4 shingle in an approved color nearly always passes. Stone-coated steel made to look like shake or tile often does. Exposed-fastener metal panels in a neighborhood of composite shingles usually do not. Is it at least as durable and as good? Compare the warranty, wind rating and impact class to the shingle in the standard. In Texas, the owner's product has to be more durable, not merely equal. Does it fit the houses around it? Look at the two houses on each side and the three across the street. A roof can be fine in one section and wrong next to a row of tile. If one answer is close, approve with a condition, such as a darker color or matching ridge caps. Keep the reasons and photos in the file, because the next owner will cite this decision.

Townhomes, shared roofs and association-maintained roofs

Read the maintenance article before reviewing anything. If the association maintains the roofs, the owner is asking the board to change a building component, and the decision belongs in the reserve plan, not on the committee's desk. Our guide on hiring a roofer for an HOA roof replacement covers that project. Where owners maintain their own sections of a continuous townhome roof, require the same product and color on every section of a building. A mismatched strip in the middle of a six-unit row is the clearest example of a roof that does not match the surrounding property. Ask both neighbors to sign the application, and require the roofer to tie flashing into the adjoining sections without cutting into them.

Timeline, denial notice and approval wording

Day 0: date-stamp the complete application. Days 1 to 3: one written request for anything missing. Days 3 to 10: a committee member compares the sample to the standard and the neighboring roofs. By day 14: a written decision. After a large storm, let the chair approve pre-approved products alone and bring only alternatives to the full committee. If the declaration sets a shorter deadline, or says a missed deadline counts as approval, follow it. In Texas, for associations with more than 40 lots once the development period is over, Property Code 209.00505(d) requires a denial by certified mail, hand delivery or electronic delivery. It must describe the basis in reasonable detail, list the changes needed for approval, and tell the owner they may request a board hearing within 30 days. In Florida, 720.3035(4)(a) requires a written denial that states with specificity the rule or covenant relied on and the part of the request that does not comply. Approval wording: 'The Architectural Committee approves the roof replacement at [address] described in your application dated [date]: [manufacturer, product line, color], Class [4] impact rating, with [color] ridge caps and drip edge. You must obtain every permit the city requires and complete the work by [date]. This approval covers appearance only. It does not review the roof's structure, code compliance or installation.' Denial wording: 'The committee denies the request because the proposed bright silver exposed-fastener panels do not resemble the composite shingles used on surrounding homes, as Section 4.1 of the Roofing Standard requires. The committee would approve the same product in a matte charcoal or weathered gray finish.'

Mistakes boards make

Enforcing a brand-name covenant from 1998. If the product is discontinued, the rule now bars every new roof. Amend the standard to describe the look. Denying an impact-resistant shingle in Texas only because it costs more or is not on the list. The question under 202.011 is how it looks and how well it performs, not whether it is on the list. Letting the post-storm backlog sit. Owners with an insurance check and a roofer booked will build without approval. Turn pre-approved products around in days. Approving solar shingles without a roof plan. Texas also has solar device rules in 202.010 that may reach them. Read both sections, or ask the attorney which applies. For the owner's side, see our guide on whether an HOA can require a specific roof color or material. When a storm hits association-maintained roofs, see our guide on inspecting HOA roofs after a hail storm.

Sources

These guides are general education for HOA boards and residents, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules vary by state and by your community's governing documents - check with a professional for your situation.

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