🏘️ Roof Replacement
Tearing off and replacing the roofing material, typically in the same footprint and pitch.
Permit requirements for Roof Replacement differ by state and city. The table below summarizes the rule in each covered state — open a state for full detail, fees, and official sources.
| State | Permit? | Authority | Typical fee | Timeline | Go / No-Go | Key notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Conditional | city | Roofing permit fee set by the city; in-kind shingle re-roof may be Over-the-Counter. | SF: same-day Over-the-Counter reroofing. | Generally allowed | Re-roofing usually requires a permit; structural deck replacement triggers a full building permit. Exempt: Tear-off / re-roof is generally permitted work. |
| Texas | Conditional | city | Roofing permit fee set by the city. Verify with the city building department. | 1–3 weeks. | Generally allowed | A full re-roof generally requires a roofing permit; structural deck damage requires a building permit. Exempt: Dallas: re-roof of a single-family/duplex dwelling if value ≤$500 needs no permit. |
| Florida | Permit required | city | Roofing permit fee set by the city. Verify with the city building department. | 1–3 weeks. | Generally allowed | Re-roofing requires a roofing permit; the HVHZ requires product-approved materials. Exempt: N/A |
| New York | Conditional | city | Roofing permit fee set by the city. Verify with the city building department. | 1–3 weeks. | Generally allowed | Re-roofing generally requires a permit; NYC requires a roofing permit. Minor repair may be exempt. Exempt: N/A |
| Pennsylvania | Permit required | city | Roof-covering permit fee set by municipality. | — | Generally allowed | Roof covering replacement is typically permitted (Philadelphia EZ Permit). Minor leak repairs may be exempt. |
| Illinois | Permit required | city | Roof-covering permit fee set by municipality. | — | Generally allowed | Re-roofing is covered by Chicago’s Express Permit; elsewhere a roofing permit is required. Minor repairs may be exempt. |
| Ohio | Permit required | city | Roof-covering permit fee; Columbus minimum $125. | — | Generally allowed | Roof covering replacement is typically permitted; minor leak repairs may be exempt. |
| Georgia | Permit required | city | Roof-covering permit fee; Atlanta minimum $150 plus $25 fee. | — | Generally allowed | Re-roofing is permitted (Atlanta Express covers re-roofing without structural change); minor repairs may be exempt. |
| North Carolina | Permit required | city | Building permit (re-roof) per city schedule; verify locally. | Often 1–2 weeks; inspection after decking/underlayment and after shingles. | Generally allowed | Charlotte and Raleigh require a permit for roof replacement even when matching the existing design; wind-load nailing schedules are enforced. Exempt: Re-roofing in the same footprint requires a permit in NC jurisdictions. |
| Michigan | Permit required | city | Building permit (re-roof) per city schedule; verify locally. | Often 1–2 weeks; inspection after decking/underlayment and after shingles. | Generally allowed | Detroit requires a permit for roof replacement. Other jurisdictions vary — verify locally before starting. Exempt: Detroit requires a permit for roof replacement (removal of substantial shingles). |
| New Jersey | No permit | city | Generally no construction permit fee for a like-for-like re-roof. | Not required for ordinary re-roof; structural work adds review time. | Generally allowed | A like-for-like re-roof on a 1- or 2-family home is ordinary maintenance under the NJ UCC and needs no permit; structural decking/rafter work does. Exempt: Re-roofing a 1- or 2-family home is ordinary maintenance and does not require a permit. |
| Virginia | No permit | city | Generally no construction permit fee for a like-for-like re-roof in 1-2 family dwellings. | Not required for ordinary re-roof; structural decking work adds review time. | Generally allowed | A like-for-like re-roof on a 1- or 2-family home is ordinary repair under the VUSBC and needs no permit; replacing >256 sq ft of roof sheathing does. Exempt: Re-roofing a 1- or 2-family home is ordinary repair and does not require a permit. |
| Washington | Conditional | city | Often Subject-to-Field-Inspection or exempt for same-footprint re-roof. | STFI re-roofs can be approved same-day. | Generally allowed | Snow-load and seismic detailing apply in eastern WA (Spokane). Exempt: Same-material, same-slope re-roof often exempt/STFI. |
| Arizona | Conditional | city | Often over-the-counter or exempt for same-footprint re-roof. | Phoenix re-roof can be same-day/next-business-day if submitted before 3 p.m. | Generally allowed | Dust-control plans may be required during summer excavation/cutting. Exempt: Same-material, same-slope re-roof often exempt/over-the-counter. |
| Massachusetts | Conditional | city | Valuation-based; ordinary repairs may be exempt. | Worcester roof replacement plan review usually <1 week. | Generally allowed | Boston requires an asbestos survey for homes built before 1980 before re-roofing. Exempt: Ordinary repairs (no structural change) are exempt; full tear-off/replacement needs a permit. |
| Tennessee | Conditional | city | Often over-the-counter or exempt for same-decking re-roof. | Nashville requires a permit for re-roofing; Memphis exempts re-roof where no decking is modified. | Generally allowed | Repairs not exceeding 33% of roof area are normal maintenance in Nashville. Exempt: Re-roof not changing decking/structure is often exempt (Memphis); Nashville requires a permit. |
| Indiana | Permit required | city | Roof-covering/structural permit fee set by the local department. | — | Generally allowed | Indianapolis requires a structural permit for a tear-off and reroof. Minor leak repairs may be exempt. Verify locally. |
| Missouri | Conditional | city | Roof-covering permit fee set locally; in-kind re-roof may be exempt. | Varies by municipality — in-kind re-roofs often same-day. | Generally allowed | Roof covering replacement is typically permitted; structural deck replacement triggers a full building permit. |
| Maryland | Permit required | city | Roof-covering permit fee set by the city. | — | Generally allowed | Roof covering replacement is typically permitted. Minor leak repairs may be exempt. |
| Wisconsin | Conditional | city | Roof-covering permit fee set by the municipality; in-kind re-roof may be exempt. | Varies by municipality — in-kind re-roofs often same-day. | Generally allowed | Roof covering replacement is typically permitted; structural deck replacement triggers a full building permit. |