Market note, October 13, 2026:
Florida suspended its roofing rule, and Alabama has its own numbers

1. Florida: DBPR Emergency Order 2026-01, signed October 10, amended October 11

DBPR Secretary Melanie Griffin signed Emergency Order 2026-01 on October 10 and Emergency Order 2026-02 on October 11, which adds Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas to the list. The order now covers 30 counties, from Escambia in the west to Citrus and Pinellas on the Gulf coast, and "expires December 5, 2026, or upon the earlier expiration or rescission of Executive Order 26-202". For construction contractors it does four things, quoted from the order itself:

• Roofing without a roofing sub. Section 489.113(3) is suspended "to the extent that a certified or registered general, building, or residential contractor is not required to subcontract roofing work for the repair or installation of any roof type". Outside the emergency a general contractor must hand roofing to a licensed roofer; in these 30 counties, until December 5, the GC may do it with their own crew.
• Registered contractors may cross county lines. A registered license in Florida is normally good only where the local competency card was issued. The order suspends those limits (489.117(1)(b) and (c)) and says a registered contractor working outside that area "is not guilty of unlicensed contracting" while the order is in effect. The condition: give "state registration, proof of compliance with applicable workers' compensation" and the liability and property damage insurance "to the jurisdiction in which the work is being performed". The same relief, with the same paperwork, applies to registered electrical and alarm contractors.
• Permits pulled during the order keep the relief. Paragraph 4: the three points above "continue to be applicable to all projects for which a building permit has been applied for or obtained during the effective date" of the order. A roof permitted on December 4 can be finished by the GC after December 5.
• Tarps need no contractor license; water-damaged drywall needs no mold license. Emergency tarps fall under the exemptions in 489.103(6), and removing water-damaged building materials does not require a mold remediator license "so long as they are not holding themselves out for hire to the public as mold remediators". Local permit and inspection ordinances still apply to both.

What the state counted by Monday

From the governor's office on October 12: more than 70% of the affected accounts had power back at 1 PM EDT; 34 of the 260 pre-approved debris sites were open; the Disaster Contractors Network stood at 7,172 contractors and suppliers after nearly 500 registrations on Sunday alone; DBPR had expedited about 200 contractor applications, roofers included, and 21 mold applications; and its inspectors had made 57 site visits in Bay and Escambia counties. For a small business with storm losses, FloridaCommerce opened the Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program: $10 million in zero-interest short-term loans, applications through November 25, 2026, or until the money runs out.

2. Alabama: a felony above $10,000, a roofer's license above $2,500, gouging at 25%

Alabama got the second half of Isaias, and its rules are written differently from Florida's. The Home Builders Licensure Board's release of October 8, the day after Governor Ivey's emergency proclamation for 40 counties from Mobile and Baldwin up to Tuscaloosa and Lee, spells them out. A state homebuilder's license is required "when the cost of the job exceeds $10,000"; a roofer's license is required for replacing a storm-damaged roof when "the cost of the job exceeds $2,500". Unlicensed work is "normally a class A misdemeanor", but under the Aggravated Home Repair Fraud law it becomes a class C felony when the services are offered after an emergency declaration. Executive director Seth Gowan: the board "will work with law enforcement and district attorneys to charge and prosecute you".

The same release lists what a licensed homebuilder's written contract must contain: the contractor's full name, address and phone, a description of the work, "starting and estimated completion dates, and the total cost of the job", plus the board license number. Hand a homeowner a quote without a start date and a finish date and you have already missed the state's list.

Prices: the Attorney General's October 9 notice invokes Code of Alabama 8-31-1, in force since 4 PM on October 7 for the 40 counties. The law does not define an unconscionable price; the release describes it as a price "25 percent or more above the average price charged in the same area during the previous 30 days", unless the increase is attributed to a reasonable cost. The fine is up to $1,000 per violation, and a business that "willfully and continuously" breaks the law can be barred from doing business in the state. The release names "repair and clean-up services" among the covered items. This is a summary of agency releases, not legal advice; check with the board and your attorney before you price a storm job.

What to do about it this week

1. 01Florida general, building or residential contractor in one of the 30 counties: you may roof with your own crew until December 5. Pull the permit while the order is in force; that is what keeps the relief if the job runs long.
2. 02Florida registered (county) contractor: before you drive to another county, put three documents in one folder on your phone: the state registration, the workers' comp proof or exemption, and the liability and property damage certificate. The local building department will ask for them.
3. 03Alabama: no license, no job above $10,000, and no roof replacement above $2,500. Every quote carries the HBLB number, a start date, an estimated completion date and the total.
4. 04Both states: keep the September price list and every supplier receipt from October. Florida measures gouging against your own 30-day average; Alabama against the area's, at 25 percent. The receipt that shows plywood cost you more is the only defense either law offers.
5. 05Register on DCNOnline.org if you are Florida-licensed and have not yet; 7,172 companies are already listed, and that is where the state sends homeowners.

Where WorkTime CRM helps with this

With the paperwork, which is what both states ask for. It does not issue a license and it does not file a permit.

• The documents the local jurisdiction wants: Settings → Company → Documents holds the Insurance Certificate and the Contractor License as a photo or PDF, reads the expiration date by itself and warns before they lapse. Show them from the phone at the counter.
• The receipt that proves a cost: snap it at the store (the green "Snap a receipt" button in Receipts & documents, or a photo to the Telegram bot), pick the project, and it becomes an expense line on that job's Money tab with the original attached. That is your 30-day-average argument, dated.
• A quote with the company data on it: the estimate prints the phone, address and license number from Settings → Company; write the start and finish dates into the estimate notes before the client signs online.