Tulsa's code does something almost no Texas city bothers to do: it defines what a good deck is. A solidly sheathed deck, by ordinance, means sawn lumber boards or structural panels providing solid holding power for fasteners, without gaps wider than the shingle manufacturer allows, and without warped, split, cracked, deteriorated or rotten boards. That single sentence turns re-decking from a judgment call a contractor has to argue for into a code requirement anyone can point at. It is the best decking language in any market we work.
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Tulsa's amended R908.3.1.1 bars a re-cover where the existing roof is water-soaked or deteriorated, where the covering is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile, where two or more applications already exist, and — item four — where the existing roof has one or more applications of asphalt shingles. The same item appears verbatim in Tulsa's commercial IBC amendment at 1511.3.1.1 and again in the Oklahoma statewide rule. No hail map to read, no exposure zone to argue. Every asphalt replacement in Tulsa is a full tear-off, and anyone quoting you otherwise is quoting something that does not exist.
Tulsa's amended R905.2.1 defines solidly sheathed in the ordinance itself, and lists the disqualifying conditions: gaps wider than the manufacturer's instructions allow, and boards that are warped, split, cracked, deteriorated or rotten. Tulsa repeats the same definition for concrete and clay tile, metal roof shingles and mineral-surfaced roll roofing. That means re-decking is not a contractor's opinion here — it is a requirement with text behind it. We photograph every sheet we replace and price it as an agreed per-sheet allowance.
Oklahoma requires a 36-inch ice barrier installed in all valleys, running the length and centered on the valley, and a 36-inch barrier at every change in roof pitch where the lower roof has the lower pitch. New construction adds an 18-inch barrier at wall-to-roof intersections adjacent to living space. Tulsa's own code carries the valley and pitch-change requirements independently, so this is city and state saying the same thing. None of the Texas cities we work in require any of it, and it is the single biggest assembly difference between a Tulsa roof and a Dallas one.
Tulsa's amended R905.2.8.5 requires drip edge at eaves and rake edges, adjacent segments overlapped not less than two inches, extending not less than a quarter inch below the roof sheathing and two inches back onto the deck, mechanically fastened at not more than twelve inches on center. One exception exists, for a nominal one-by-two shingle mold attached to the fascia with the starter course extended. This is a detail that is quietly skipped on a great many roofs, and it is written into the ordinance with dimensions.
Tulsa filled in the wind cell Oklahoma's rule leaves blank: 115 mph ultimate design wind speed, with exposure category determined site-specifically per R301.2.1.4 rather than published as a value. The table also gives a 10 psf ground snow load, Seismic Design Category A, an 18-inch frost line, a 12°F winter design temperature — the coldest in our whole market set — and an air freezing index of 442. Storm shelters carry a 250 mph design wind speed statewide. We work from the published cells and do not publish the two whose mapping in the table is ambiguous.
Oklahoma statute requires proof of general liability and workers' compensation before Tulsa issues a residential permit; a homeowner doing the work personally can file a notarized affidavit, a contractor cannot. Permit cost is valuation-based under Title 49 and we quote it as line items rather than a single number. On editions: Tulsa's Title 51 adopts the 2018 codes by Ordinance No. 24935 of October 2022 while incorporating OAC Title 748 Chapter 20, and Oklahoma's statewide minimum moved to the 2024 editions on 14 September 2026. We confirm what is being enforced with Development Services rather than guessing on a web page.
We measure, record the existing assembly, and write a scope covering tear-off, deck allowance, ice barriers at valleys and pitch changes, drip edge, underlayment, flashings, ventilation, field shingle and hip and ridge. Because a layover is unavailable in Oklahoma, competing bids are genuinely comparable here — which makes it easier to see which one has quietly left the ice barriers out.
State registration and endorsement verified, liability and workers' compensation proof filed as Oklahoma statute requires, HP Permit first if your address is in one of the eight overlay districts, then the city permit against a real declared valuation. Hauling arranged with a licensed waste collector, because unlicensed hauling in Tulsa risks impoundment of the container.
Everything comes off to the sheathing, and the sheathing is judged against the ordinance definition rather than a shrug. Bad sheets replaced and photographed. Then the 36-inch barriers in every valley and at every pitch change, drip edge to the fastening specification, underlayment and flashings — all before the crew leaves.
Field shingle to the manufacturer's high-wind instructions with enhanced nailing, hip and ridge sealed and fastened, ventilation completed to a calculated figure. Inspections scheduled through the city portal, with Monday inspections called in. Magnet sweep, walk-through, and the closeout file: permit, HP permit where applicable, warranty registration and the deck and barrier photographs.
Tulsa County recorded 297 hail reports over eleven years including a 4.25-inch stone near the airport in March 2015 and three-inch hail southwest of Broken Arrow in May 2024. A Class 4 impact-rated laminate is the reasonable baseline and most carriers discount the premium. We are precise about the limits: it is a UL 2218 steel-ball rating, it improves bruise resistance measurably, and nothing stops a four-inch stone. Get your carrier's discount figure before you choose.
Concealed-clip standing seam removes exposed fasteners from the uplift equation, which after a measured 100 mph gust three miles from downtown is a concrete argument rather than a theoretical one. Oklahoma's adopted rule also recognizes a complete separate system such as standing seam as a legitimate route over an existing roof where the loads transmit directly to the structure — one of the few paths the tear-off rule leaves open. We are direct about cosmetic hail denting on panels.
Tulsa requires a minimum quarter-inch vented airspace between wood shingles or shakes and the roofing underlayment above the structural sheathing — a detail that does not exist in the Texas cities we serve and that a crew unfamiliar with Oklahoma will simply omit. Wood also cannot be re-covered under the adopted rule, so this is always a tear-off conversation. Most homeowners move to impact-rated asphalt or metal, and we price both honestly alongside it.
Most premium laminates carry a limited lifetime warranty with a non-prorated initial period of roughly ten to fifteen years, 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. We read the document with you rather than letting the word carry the sale.
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 past material into workmanship for a defined term. It only exists if the roof is genuinely built as a system — including the ice barriers and the drip edge detail the ordinance already requires.
Our own coverage on the installation — deck, barriers, flashings, fastening, ventilation. Behind it sits Oklahoma's framework: registration with the Construction Industries Board, at least $500,000 in residential liability with the CIB as certificate holder, automatic suspension on a lapse, and no ability for an unregistered roofer to sue in an Oklahoma court to collect.
Don't see your question? Call us at (539) 444-9955 — we're happy to talk it through.
No. Tulsa's amended R908.3.1.1 prohibits a re-cover where the existing roof has one or more applications of asphalt shingles. The identical item appears in Tulsa's commercial IBC amendment at 1511.3.1.1 and in the Oklahoma statewide rule adopted by the Uniform Building Code Commission. Three independent sources, with no hail map to interpret and no exposure zone condition. Slate, clay, cement and asbestos-cement tile can never be re-covered, and two or more existing layers of anything bars it. If a bid on your table proposes a layover, it is proposing work the code does not permit.
In Tulsa you can read the standard yourself. The amended R905.2.1 defines a solidly sheathed deck as sawn lumber boards or structural panels providing solid holding power for fasteners, without gaps wider than the shingle manufacturer allows and without warped, split, cracked, deteriorated or rotten boards. That is a published test, not a contractor's opinion. We photograph every sheet we replace, with its location, and price deck replacement as a stated per-sheet allowance agreed before we start.
Because the state requires them, and the climate criteria explain why. Oklahoma mandates a 36-inch ice barrier in all valleys, centered and running the full length, and at every change in roof pitch where the lower roof has the lower pitch, plus an 18-inch barrier at wall-to-roof intersections on new construction. Tulsa's code repeats the valley and pitch-change requirements independently. Tulsa's adopted winter design temperature is 12°F and its air freezing index is 442, against DFW's 22°F and 150. No Texas city we serve requires any of this.
Required, with dimensions. Tulsa's amended R905.2.8.5 calls for drip edge at eaves and rake edges, segments overlapped not less than two inches, extending not less than a quarter inch below the roof sheathing and two inches back onto the deck, mechanically fastened at not more than twelve inches on center. The one exception is a nominal one-by-two shingle mold attached to the fascia with the starter course extended. It is a commonly skipped detail and it is in the ordinance.
Tulsa prices permits on declared valuation under Title 49, and we will not compress it into one number on a web page because the published pieces interact. The application fee is $66.00 on declared valuations up to $15,000 and $101.50 to $100,000. The building permit fee is $137.00 up to $5,000 of estimated valuation and $219.00 to $40,000, with per-thousand rates above that, less a credit for the application fee already paid. Add a $5.00 permit system maintenance surcharge and a system development fee of $5.50 plus eight percent. We compute it against your scope and show the lines.
Here is the honest position. Tulsa's Title 51 adopts the 2018 IRC, IBC and IEBC by Ordinance No. 24935 of 26 October 2022, and that adoption incorporates the OUBCC's amendments at OAC Title 748 Chapter 20 by reference. Oklahoma's statewide minimum moved to the 2024 editions effective 14 September 2026. Whether that reference carries Tulsa forward automatically is a legal question, and Tulsa's own repair-permit handout revised in May 2026 was still citing the 2018 IRC. We confirm with Development Services for your job rather than publishing a guess. The roofing requirements above are common to both.
Most Tulsa single-family roofs are one to two days for the roof itself, with the permit and inspection sequence either side, plus HP Commission timing if your address is in an overlay district. Deck replacement extends it. On timing, Tulsa's hail is heavily concentrated in May — 142 of 297 county reports over eleven years — with a real autumn and winter tail that DFW does not have. Late summer is usually the quietest scheduling window, and a crew with room in the calendar does better work than one running a storm queue.
To a permitted construction and demolition landfill, via a hauler holding a current City of Tulsa waste collector's license. Tulsa's code defines construction and demolition waste as unacceptable waste for the ordinary city collection stream, so it cannot go into a residential cart or a general container. Unlicensed hauling is an offense and the ordinance allows the vehicle and the container to be impounded and confiscated. We will not publish a tipping rate, because Tulsa regulates C&D landfill operators without publishing a gate fee.
Free inspection, honest scope, real warranty. Most service work scheduled within 24–48 hours.
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