Do You Need a Permit to Replace a Roof?
The roof of your home is one of the most important elements of protection. It literally protects you from the elements. At least, it should.
But if your roof is old, outdated, and otherwise deteriorating, it may not be doing its job. A damaged roof could be letting water into your home, causing damage to the structure, the ceiling, or the walls. It can also be causing mold, which can silently destroy your health.
Replacing an old roof is one of the best investments you can make. But do you need a permit to replace a roof? And how much does a roof replacement cost, anyway?
Keep reading our roof replacement guide down below to find out now.
What Is a Permit?
If you’re new to homeownership, or to home renovations, you might be surprised to find out that you need permission for many household projects.
You can’t just alter your home as you see fit, and expect it to be fine. For many different types of projects, you need to get a construction permit from your city’s planning department.
This is to ensure that the upgrade you are making to the home is safe, follows all current building regulations, and isn’t going to negatively affect your home or any of the surrounding homes.
Small projects often cost less than $100 for a building permit. Larger remodels can cost hundreds of dollars for a building permit. But generally, only projects that require structural changes, or electrical and plumbing work would need a permit.
Does a roof qualify?
Do You Need a Permit to Replace a Roof?
So you’re ready to replace your roof, so your house can be properly protected. Do you need a permit to replace a roof?
In most cases, no. If you have asphalt shingles, and just need to have these torn off and replaced with brand-new asphalt shingles, you wouldn’t need a building permit. Shingle replacement doesn’t require any structural changes.
But if your roofing needs are more complex, you might need to pull a permit. Asphalt is very light. If you want to replace it with heavier material like stone, clay, or terra cotta, you might need to make structural improvements to the roof in order to handle the extra weight.
In this case, you would definitely need a roof replacement permit. Likewise, if your roof replacement is going to be very expensive, it might be worth applying for a permit, or at least contacting your local planning department, to see what they think.
Roof Replacement Tips
So who should apply for the permit? Only a homeowner and a licensed contractor can do so. And you should only apply for your own permit if you are doing the work.
If the work is being done by a contractor, like this roofing company, they will need to pull the permits for the project. Since they do it all the time, it will be much easier that way.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask
So do you need a permit to replace a roof? In many cases, you won’t need a permit, but it never hurts to consult your roofing company, or your local planning department ahead of time.
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