An entire new roof always requires a permit in the City of St. Louis. So does any roof work that is not a replacement of like material, and any job where more than 25 percent of the sheathing comes off. On a city where the median house was built in 1938 and 57.9 percent of the stock predates 1940, that last clause is not a technicality — it is the most likely thing to change mid-project. We price both outcomes before we start so nothing about your roof arrives as a surprise.
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The City requires a permit for an entire new roof, for work that is not replacement of like material, and where more than 25 percent of the sheathing is removed and replaced. A full replacement sits inside all three of those triggers in most cases. We pull it. In a City Historic District the question does not even arise — a permit is required for all exterior work except painting wood trim, and the Historic District Standards regulate work that would not otherwise need a building permit.
With 100,811 of the City's 174,111 units built in 1939 or earlier and three quarters built before 1960, plank decking is the baseline assumption rather than the exception. We inspect and photograph every sheet or board we replace and price it as an agreed allowance. A tear-off is the only moment anyone sees the deck, and on a house of this vintage the deck is frequently the difference between a roof that lasts twenty years and one that does not.
The City amended only three roofing sections, and valleys is one of them. Open metal valleys need a lining at least 24 inches wide in a corrosion-resistant metal from the code table. Open valleys in mineral-surfaced roll roofing need two plies, an 18-inch bottom layer and a top layer at least 36 inches wide, meeting ASTM D 3909 or D 6380 Class M. Closed valleys take one ply of smooth roll roofing, or two plies of No. 15 building paper at least 36 inches wide, or the same linings — and a self-adhering polymer modified bitumen underlayment meeting ASTM D 1970 is permitted in lieu.
Most jurisdictions require a drip edge outright. St. Louis amended R905.2.8.5 to require one at eaves and rake edges where required as a condition of the shingle manufacturer's warranty. But where one is installed, the specification is mandatory: segments overlapped at least two inches, extending at least a quarter inch below the sheathing and two inches back onto the deck, mechanically fastened at not more than twelve inches on center, with underlayment installed over the drip edge at eaves and under it along rakes. We install to that sequencing, and we install it whenever your warranty depends on it.
District standards commonly require that where historic roof material exists on a sloped roof, that material or an approved replica be used to replace it — and roof form, slope, height, shape and dormer configuration are treated as fixed. Penetrations including vents, skylights and mechanical units must go on non-visible portions. Approval runs about five working days at staff level, but a Preservation Board referral lands on a monthly cycle, the fourth Monday. On a claim deadline, that is the schedule.
The City adopted the 2018 I-codes effective 1 August 2018 and amended Table R301.2(1) to read 20 psf ground snow, a 115 mph wind speed, no topographic effects, Seismic Design Category C, severe weathering, a 30-inch frost line, moderate-to-heavy termite, a 5°F winter design temperature, an air freezing index of 963, a mean annual temperature of 55°F — and ice shield underlayment listed as not required. Note also that the City made no amendment to R908 at all, so the base IRC reroofing provisions govern a replacement here.
City, County or County municipality. Inside a historic district or not. Then we measure, assess the existing assembly and decking, and write a scope covering tear-off, deck allowance, valley lining, drip edge where the warranty requires it, underlayment, flashings, ventilation and field shingle — with disposal costed, because the City accepts no contractor debris at its facilities.
Permit pulled, since a full replacement triggers it. In a district, the Cultural Resources Office application goes in early so a Preservation Board referral does not cost you a month. The contract meets RSMo 407.725 in full: the boldface cancellation statement in at least 10-point type, the duplicate detachable NOTICE OF CANCELLATION form, and no deductible language of any kind, because the statute forbids it.
Everything comes off. We inspect and photograph the deck, replace what needs replacing at the agreed rate, and install valley lining to the amended section, drip edge to the specified sequencing where it applies, underlayment and flashings before the crew leaves. Nothing stays open overnight on a house that has stood for a century without one.
Inspection called where the permit requires it, magnet sweep and ground walk with you, and a closeout file: permit record, district approval where applicable, warranty registration, and the deck, valley and flashing photographs. That file is what makes the next conversation with a buyer, an inspector or a carrier a short one.
A laminated architectural shingle is the right default across most of the City, installed against a 115 mph design wind speed with six-nail patterns and starter at eaves and rakes. The details that actually decide how long it lasts here are the ones the City bothered to amend — valley lining and drip edge — plus decking condition on stock this old. We spend the effort there rather than on the brochure.
Where historic roof material exists on a sloped roof in a City Historic District, the standards commonly require that material or an approved replica. That is a substantially different job and a substantially different number, and the worst version of this conversation is the one that happens after material has been delivered. We read the specific district's ordinance-adopted standards before writing your scope — there is no citywide roof rule, each district has its own.
A great many St. Louis replacements are flat or near-flat behind a parapet, and on those the membrane is the easy part. The parapet base flashing, the coping, the through-wall detail and the secondary drainage are what decide the outcome — and the City's amended R903.4.1 sets specific requirements for overflow drains and scuppers, including a two-inch inlet height and a prohibition on tying overflow into roof drain lines.
Most premium laminates carry a limited lifetime warranty with a non-prorated initial period, after which it prorates. It is tied to your ownership and it is material-only unless the full system is installed by a certified contractor. Note that in St. Louis the drip edge requirement is itself keyed to the manufacturer's warranty conditions — which is a good illustration of why reading the warranty document matters here.
Where underlayment, starter, field shingle, hip and ridge and ventilation come from one manufacturer and are installed by a contractor that manufacturer has certified, coverage extends into workmanship for a defined term. It only exists if the roof is genuinely built as a system, and we will tell you which components that depends on before you choose.
Our own coverage on the installation — decking, valleys, flashings, fastening, drainage detailing. Behind it sits Missouri's framework under RSMo 407.725: no deductible rebates, no sales inducements, no contractor negotiating your claim, a five-business-day cancellation right after your insurer's written notice, and a ten-day refund obligation.
Don't see your question? Call us at (573) 370-7663 — we're happy to talk it through.
Yes. The City's residential permit criteria require a permit for an entire new roof, for roof work that is not replacement of like material, and where more than 25 percent of the roof sheathing is removed and replaced. A full replacement normally hits the first trigger outright. Two further points: in a City Historic District a permit is required for all exterior work except painting wood trim regardless of scope, and work in a floodway may require a Floodway Development Permit. A County address follows County rules and often a municipality's as well.
We cannot tell you exactly until the roof is off, and anyone who quotes you a precise figure beforehand is guessing. What we can tell you is that with 57.9 percent of the City's housing built in 1939 or earlier, plank decking is the baseline expectation and deck work is likely. We price it as an agreed allowance, photograph every board or sheet we replace, and flag before we start that crossing 25 percent changes the permit position on any job that started out exempt.
No. Ordinance 70795, which adopted the 2018 IRC for the City, amends Table R301.2(1) so that ice shield underlayment is listed as not required, and nothing else in the ordinance reinstates R905.1.2. That surprises people given a 5°F winter design temperature and an air freezing index of 963. We often specify a self-adhering membrane anyway — the City's own amended valley section expressly permits an ASTM D 1970 membrane in lieu of valley lining, and manufacturers frequently require it for warranty coverage. We will tell you which reason applies.
Because the City did. Its amended R905.2.8.2 sets out what is acceptable: open metal valleys lined at least 24 inches wide in a corrosion-resistant metal from the code table; open valleys in two plies of mineral-surfaced roll roofing meeting ASTM D 3909 or D 6380 Class M, with an 18-inch bottom layer and a top layer at least 36 inches wide; closed valleys in one ply of smooth roll roofing, or two plies of No. 15 building paper at least 36 inches wide, or the metal or roll linings — with an ASTM D 1970 self-adhering membrane permitted in lieu. Valleys and drip edge are two of only three roofing sections the City amended at all.
The City's drafting here is unusual and worth knowing. Its amended R905.2.8.5 requires a drip edge at eaves and rake edges where required as a condition of the shingle manufacturer's warranty — rather than unconditionally, as the unamended IRC does. But where one is installed the specification is mandatory: overlapped at least two inches, extending at least a quarter inch below the sheathing and two inches back onto the deck, fastened at not more than twelve inches on center, with underlayment over the drip edge at eaves and under it at rakes. In practice most warranties require it, so in practice we install it.
Outside a historic district, yes — but it takes the job out of the like-material permit exemption, so a permit is required. Inside a City Historic District it may not be allowed: the district standards we have read require that where historic roof material exists on a sloped roof, that material or an approved replica be used. Roof form, slope, height, shape and dormer configuration are also treated as fixed. We read the specific district's standards document before writing the scope, because each district's ordinance is its own.
Add the review. The Cultural Resources Office says most permits are approved within five working days, and some routine items are handled at its counter — but anything escalated to the Preservation Board goes onto a monthly cycle, with the Board meeting the fourth Monday of each month. So a district job can run on the same timeline as any other, or it can gain a month, depending on how the review is routed. That is exactly why we file the application at the start rather than at the end.
Commercial disposal, priced in. The City's guidance states that refuse from any business will not be accepted at City facilities, that any load appearing to be commercial waste will be rejected, and that anyone suspected of hauling for hire will be rejected — so neither a contractor nor a homeowner acting for one can route tear-off through City transfer stations. On a pre-1980 roof with built-up or mastic layers, asbestos is a question we raise at the survey and test for rather than assume either way, because we would rather find out before the tear-off than during it.
Free inspection, honest scope, real warranty. Most service work scheduled within 24–48 hours.
(573) 370-7663