Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Chaffee County, CO?

Chaffee County, Colorado

county

Salida, CO

Required

A dedicated Roofing Application is available among the county's building permit applications. Applications may be submitted by email to [email protected] or by mail to P.O. Box 699, Salida, CO 81201. A 2.5 percent transaction fee is assessed on credit card payments.

The Building Safety Department reviews plans prior to issuing permits and verifies inspections for compliance with the codes adopted by the community.

Chaffee County has adopted the 2021 International Residential, Building, Fire, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Energy Conservation, and Existing Building Codes, along with the 2023 National Electrical Code and the 2017 ICC A117.1 accessibility standard. Design criteria include 115 mph ultimate wind speed and location-based snow loads. The Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code takes effect July 1, 2026.

Required — Not separately amended by Chaffee County. Ordinance 2023-02, Exhibit B (Amendments to the 2021 IRC) adopts the 2021 IRC by reference ("Chapters 1-44... as published by the International Code Council... The following amendments are made") and its Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies) amendment section adds only one new subsection, R903.2.3 (roof-jack/vent penetration setback from valleys) -- it does not delete or modify Section R905.2.8.5, so the base 2021 IRC drip-edge requirement stands as adopted code. About drip edge

Required — Chaffee County Ordinance 2023-02, Exhibit B, amended Table R301.2(1) prints "Ice Barrier Underlayment Required: Yes, per 2021 International Residential Code R905.1.2" as part of the county's climatic and geographic design criteria. About ice & water barrier

Not required — Chaffee County Ordinance 2023-02, adopted December 12, 2023 and effective March 1, 2024, was read in full including its exhibits. It adopts the 2021 editions of the International Building Code with Appendices C, G, H and I, the International Residential Code with its listed appendix chapters, and the Fire, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy Conservation, Existing Building, Property Maintenance, and Swimming Pool and Spa Codes, together with the 2021 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code and the Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code, repealing the County's 2015-edition adoptions made by Ordinance 2018-02. The amendments to the Building and Residential Codes reach roofing only at Section 1503.2.2 and the parallel Section R903.2.3, which add a requirement that roof jacks and vents be kept clear of valleys and that valley flashing of not less than 26 gage corrosion-resistant metal be installed over a 36-inch- wide, 72-pound mineral-surfaced cap sheet complying with ASTM D3909. The County's amendments to the Wildland-Urban Interface Code replace its Section 507.1 to read that "Any roof replacement or repair under permit. to include additions, alterations. repair or replacements shall have a roof assembly that complies with a Class A rating when tested in accordance with ASTM E108 or UL 790." That is a fire classification and is independent of impact rating. Neither the adopted codes nor any County amendment requires impact-resistant roof coverings or names a UL 2218 or Class 4 standard. The only statewide instrument reaching reroofing is the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, 8 CCR 1507-39, effective July 1, 2026 in areas designated wildland-urban interface under that code, which requires a Class A roof covering tested to ASTM E108 or UL 790 where 25 percent or more of the roof surface is replaced, at Sections 101.6 and 403.2; that is a fire classification independent of impact rating, and the code sets no impact-resistance requirement.

Chaffee County Ordinance 2023-02, Exhibit B (Amendments to the 2021 International Residential Code), Section R301, "Table R301.2(1) Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria," is "amended to read: Ground Snow Load: In accordance with Snow Load Map and Elevation/Zone Table. Wind Speed: 115 mph (ultimate design wind speed). Topographic Effects: No. Special Wind Region: No. Wind-borne Debris Zone: No. Seismic Design Category: C unless geotechnical study indicates otherwise. Weathering: Severe. Frost Line Depth: 0 feet to 8,000 feet above sea level - 24" below finished grade; 8,001 feet to 10,000 feet above sea level - 30" below finished grade; 10,001 feet and above - 36" below finished grade. Termite: None to slight." The table continues onto the next page: "Ice Barrier Underlayment Required: Yes, per 2021 International Residential Code R905.1.2. Flood Hazards: Entered NFI Program 02/10/87 through Resolution 1987-7... Air Freezing Index: 1,500. Mean Annual Temp: 40 F."

Not separately amended by Chaffee County. Ordinance 2023-02, Exhibit B (Amendments to the 2021 IRC), Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies) amendment section was read in full and contains only one addition, R903.2.3 (roof-jack/vent penetration setback from valleys) -- it does not touch Section R907 (Reroofing) or R908 (Roof Replacement), so the base 2021 IRC roof-recover/layer- limit provisions govern as adopted; the section text itself is behind the ICC paywall and not restated here. Base-code rule, read at 2021 IRC Section R908.3.1.1 (Roof recover not allowed) and quoted here rather than left behind the ICC paywall: a roof recover "shall not be permitted" where "the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering" (nor where the existing covering is water soaked or deteriorated, or is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile). One existing layer may therefore be recovered; a second existing layer forces tear-off to the deck.

5.65% combined (state 2.9% + Chaffee County 2.75%; no RTD/SCFD/RTA district — Chaffee County is outside the Denver-metro RTD/CD boundary). Chaffee County's own Finance Office page states: "Chaffee County sales and use taxes are administrated by the Colorado Department of Revenue," confirming state-collection, and: "Due to the passage of Chaffee County Ballot Issue 1A, the following change will be effective January 1, 2019: In addition to the existing two percent (2.5%) countywide sales tax... there is imposed an additional countywide sales tax of 0.25%... so that the overall sales tax rate is increased from 2.5% to 2.75%." Colorado Department of Revenue form DR 1002 (rev. 06/19/19) separately lists the "Chaffee" county sales tax rate as 2.75%, consistent with the county's own page (note: DR 1002 also lists a distinct 1.90% "Chaffee County" rate under its separate County Lodging District Tax (CLD) table, which applies only to hotel/motel/short-term lodging, not general retail sales, and is not the rate used here). Re-verified 2026-08-27 against the January 2026 edition of Colorado Department of Revenue form DR 1002, read from a rendered image of its tables rather than from extracted text: the state, county and city figures above match that edition exactly. Where the text above names the June 19, 2019 revision of DR 1002, that describes the edition the figure was originally taken from and is not a current citation.