If you’re thinking about doing some do-it-yourself work on your roof, such as a repair or even a full roof replacement you need to make sure all your bases are covered. To make it sure you are meeting proper code and city directions, you will need a permit. This can be intimidating for people who don’t deal with permits and codes often but it can be pretty simple. That’s why we’ve detailed information for getting a permit for home roof repair or preplacement.

Do You Need Roofing Permits?

Your first question should be if you even need a permit. Small repairs such as replacing a few shingles or adding a skylight do not usually require permits, it’s all about scale. If you are unsure whether or not you need a permit you should call your city or jurisdiction’s building division or permitting office to get real answers.

How to Get Roofing Permits

If you already know you do need to get a permit, you should apply for one before starting on a reroof project. Call your city or jurisdiction’s building department or visit their website to find relevant information. It will be helpful if you already have the proper information before applying for the permit such as:

  • How big is the job? How many squares (100 sq. ft) is the job?
  • How much are you tearing off? 1, 2 layers?
  • What type of underlayment is being used?
  • What type of roof covering, type and brand, are you using?
  • What is the pitch or slope of the roof?

Having these answers readily available will make for a much easier roofing process. Now you need to know where to go to get a roofing permit. Some jurisdictions have all of these services available online while you may need to go directly into the building division of some jurisdictions.

How Much does a Roofing Permit Cost?

Permit fees vary by jurisdiction and depending on how big the job is. You can expect to pay anywhere from under 100 to over 500 dollars for your roofing permit.

What Do I Do with the Roofing Permit?

It’s a good idea to post the permit on the project. For a roofing project this could be near the front door of the residence. After the project is done you will need to call a city or county inspector to close out the project. They will either approve the permit and it is closed, or fail with corrections or recomendatoins.

Pulling roofing permits doesn’t take much time and it also insures your project will meet certain code requirements. If you are ever in doubt during the permit process just call your city or jurisdiction for help.