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

Roofing questions: Collierville, TN

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

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Collierville, TN. There is no dollar threshold and no square-footage threshold for roofing in Collierville, and the reason is that the town has cut its permit-exemption list down to a single item. Ordinance 2020-06, in the residential amendments at section 150.070, deletes exemptions 1 through 4 under section R105.2 "Work exempt from permit" in the Building category and amends number 5, so that the first five items now read "Reserved, Reserved, Reserved, Reserved, Sidewalks and driveways on private property not more than 30 inches above adjacent grade." The same ordinance amends section R105.1 to require a permit of "any owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building or structure" - the word repair is in the operative list. Roofing appears nowhere in the exemptions that survive, so roofing work sits on the permit side of the line. Note one further local requirement that reaches roof work even though it is not about the covering: the town's alternative structural compliance method at section R301.2.2.3.8.7 requires that "roof framing members shall be attached to wall top plates with 18 gauge galvanized steel clips (ex. RT7A or H2.5A) or equivalent spaced not more than 4 feet on center," in addition to the fastening required by Table R602.3(1).

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

Two layers maximum - one overlay is permitted, and a second existing layer requires a tear-off. Collierville adopts the 2018 International Residential Code at section 150.070 of Ordinance 2020-06, and the whole of that ordinance was read - twenty-nine pages covering the building, plumbing, mechanical, residential, energy, fire and property maintenance amendments. 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 Collierville, 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 Collierville, TN use?

The Building and Codes Division lists the adopted codes as the 2018 International Building Code, 2018 International Residential Code, 2018 International Plumbing Code, 2018 International Mechanical Code, 2018 International Fuel Gas Code, 2017 National Electrical Code, 2018 International Property Maintenance Code, 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, 2018 International Existing Building Code, 2018 International Energy Conservation Code and 2018 International Fire Code, each with local amendments. The amendments are enacted by Ordinance 2020-06, which the Town publishes in full and which sets out the residential modifications at section 150.070. Tennessee sets a statewide minimum of the 2018 International Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings, so Collierville sits exactly at the state floor rather than above it.