Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Brentwood, TN?

Roofing questions: Brentwood, TN

When does a roof repair need a permit in Brentwood, TN?

Brentwood publishes no dollar or square-footage threshold for roofing, and it has one provision about roofs that a roofer should read carefully because it exempts something other than the permit. Municipal Code section 14-71 is headed "Seal exemptions" and opens: "Plans and specifications for all buildings and structures shall be submitted by a registered architect or engineer, subject to the following exceptions." Its item (5), headed Roofing design, reads: "Normal maintenance, repair or replacement of an existing roof where the weight, drainage, fire protection, and other code related requirements of the original design are not changed or compromised." THAT IS AN EXEMPTION FROM SEALED PLANS, NOT FROM A PERMIT. It means an ordinary reroof does not need drawings stamped by an architect or engineer; it does not remove the work from the permit requirement, and reading it as though it did would be an expensive mistake. The city's separate list of local modifications to section R105.2 of the residential code, the provision that actually governs work exempt from a permit, reaches accessory structures, fences over seven feet high, decks and playground equipment - roofing is not among them. Note also that the seal exemption is conditional on its own terms: a reroof that changes the weight, the drainage or the fire protection of the original design falls outside it.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Brentwood, TN?

Two layers maximum - one overlay is permitted, and a second existing layer requires a tear-off. Brentwood adopts the 2018 International Residential Code and its Municipal Code Chapter 14 was read in full - roughly a hundred thousand characters covering adoption, administration, permits, fees, seal exemptions, inspections and the local modification list. It contains no amendment to section R908 or to any part of the roof assemblies chapter, so the adopted code text governs unchanged. Section R908.3.1.1 of the 2018 International Residential Code provides that a roof recover shall not be permitted where any of three conditions occur, the third being "where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." One existing layer may be recovered; a second forces removal. The other two conditions apply whatever the layer count: a covering that is water soaked or has deteriorated to the point that it is not an adequate base for additional roofing, and a covering of slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. TENNESSEE PUTS A FLOOR UNDER THIS THAT IS WORTH KNOWING: the statewide minimum for one- and two-family dwellings is the 2018 International Residential Code, and Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-02-23-.12(2) provides that "no city, county, town, municipal corporation, metropolitan government, or political subdivision of the State of Tennessee shall adopt or enforce any ordinance prescribing less stringent standards ... than those established hereunder" without the state fire marshal's written approval. A Tennessee jurisdiction may therefore be stricter than the two-layer rule but cannot be more permissive than it.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Brentwood, TN?

Yes. TENNESSEE LICENSES ROOFING SPECIFICALLY, AND THE LICENCE IS REQUIRED BEFORE BIDDING RATHER THAN BEFORE STARTING WORK. Roofing is its own classification under the Board for Licensing Contractors - classification 21, "Roofing - includes gutters and vinyl siding." Rule 0680-01-.24(1) provides that "pursuant to T.C.A. section 62-6-102, a subcontractor is required to be licensed in order to perform electrical, plumbing, heating ventilation, air conditioning, and roofing work when the amount is twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) or more ... including materials and labor." The Department of Commerce and Insurance states the timing plainly: a contractor licence is required "BEFORE bidding or offering a price, for projects $25,000 and up (includes materials and labor)" as a prime contractor, and roofing subcontractors have been required to be licensed "effective January 1, 2014." A roofer who quotes a job at or above that figure without a licence has already breached the requirement, whatever happens next. The threshold counts materials as well as labour, so a tear-off and replacement reaches it sooner than a labour-only figure suggests. A SECOND, COUNTY-LEVEL LICENCE MAY ALSO APPLY BELOW THAT THRESHOLD: rule 0680-07-.14 provides that "the legislative body of the county may, by two-thirds (2/3) majority vote, adopt the home improvement license law," and a county that has done so must notify the Board of the effective date. Whether this county has adopted it was not established here, so confirm it with the Board before pricing work under $25,000.

What building code does Brentwood, TN use?

The Codes Enforcement Section lists the adopted building codes as the International Residential Code, 2018 edition, including appendices E and F; the International Building Code, 2018 edition; the International Energy Conservation Code, 2018 edition; the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, 2018 edition including appendices A and B; the International Property Maintenance Code; and the 2017 National Electrical Code, which the city notes is regulated and enforced by the State Fire Marshal's Office rather than by the city. The codified provisions sit in Brentwood Municipal Code Chapter 14, Buildings and Building Regulations, current through Supplement No. 58, Update 1. Tennessee sets a statewide minimum of the 2018 International Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings and requires a local government's adopted edition to be "current within seven (7) years of the date of the latest edition published," so a Tennessee city may adopt a newer code than the state minimum but not an older one.