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Permitting Authorities / City of Columbus - City Clerk's Office

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Columbus, KS?

Adopted code

City of Columbus - City Clerk's Office

The City Clerk's Office at Columbus City Hall issues building permits in the City of Columbus, Kansas (Cherokee County), from 300 E Maple St. The City says it enforces the 2018 International Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings, adopted by Ordinance No. 1453. This listing covers the office's contact details, the Kansas roofing contractor registration rule and the local sales tax rate, and the code facts quoted below; it does not cover every local permit rule.

Roof code checklist: Columbus, KS

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofNot published
Repair permit thresholdNot published
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedR908.3.1.1Ordinance-1453-International-Resi...2026-10-17
Deck & sheathingNot published
Drip edgeYesR905.2.8.5Ordinance-1453-International-Resi...2026-10-17
Ice & water shieldNot published
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNoOrdinance-1453-International-Resi...2026-10-17
Wind design criteriaNot published
Adopted codePublishedSec. 4-202Ordinance-1453-International-Resi...2026-10-17
Contractor license / registrationYesksrevisor.gov2026-10-17
Sales & use taxPublishedksrevenue.gov2026-10-17

Each row comes from the sourced record on this page; full wording is in the table below. "Not published" means no official source for that item was found when the record was last verified.

Jurisdiction
City of Columbus, Kansas
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
300 E Maple St, Columbus, KS 66725
Contact
  • url: https://columbusks.gov/city-clerks-office/business-license-and-permits/
  • phone: (620) 429-2159
Contractor registration required
Required About Kansas roofing contractor registration
Registration details
  • state_level: A KANSAS ROOFING CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. K.S.A. 50-6,123(a)(1): "No person shall engage in the business of or act in the capacity of a roofing contractor within this state without having a valid registration certificate as required by this act." K.S.A. 50-6,122(a)(1) defines a roofing contractor as any person, including a subcontractor and nonresident contractor, who in the ordinary course of business "Engages in the business of commercial or residential roofing services for a fee" or offers or solicits roofing-related services. Section 50-6,122(a)(2) excludes a person doing demolition or debris cleanup, "a person working under the direct supervision of the roofing contractor and who is hired by such roofing contractor as an employee or day laborer," and an "exempt general contractor," a general contractor meeting the conditions of 50-6,122(e) (among them, that roofing is no more than 50% of the project cost, or that roofing is subcontracted to a registered roofer, and no door-to-door sales). This record does not decide whether a given reader falls inside any exclusion. Under K.S.A. 50-6,128 the annual fee is set by the Attorney General, may not exceed $500, and the certificate expires June 30 each year. Working unregistered carries civil penalties under K.S.A. 50-636 (50-6,123(b)).
  • city_level: The City's Licenses & Permits page states: "The City of Columbus requires any person or company that provides services or sells tangible products within Columbus city limits to obtain a business license." It adds that a business based outside city limits that conducts business inside Columbus is still required to obtain one, that "Contractors must provide a copy of liability insurance" and that "Roofing companies require proof of state registration." The City's Building Permit Application states: "All subcontractors must obtain a business license from the City of Columbus before construction begins."
Adopted code
Ordinance No. 1453, passed and approved by the Governing Body of the City of Columbus on November 4, 2019, repealed Section 4-202A of Chapter IV, Article 2 of the Code for the City of Columbus and, in a revised Section 4-202A, adopted and incorporated by reference the International Residential Code, 2018 Edition, as recommended by the International Code Council, to establish rules and regulations for the construction of one-family and two-family dwellings. The ordinance took effect on its publication in the official City newspaper. It is one page long and states no local amendments to the code. The City publishes it on its City Ordinances page; the current codified text of the City Code is hosted on library.municode.com and was not read for this listing.
Drip edge
Required — Drip edge is required at eaves and rake edges of shingle roofs (IRC R905.2.8.5). The City adopted the 2018 International Residential Code via Ordinance No. 1453 (revised Section 4-202A, passed November 4, 2019); that instrument, read in full (Sections 1 through 3, one page), does not amend R905.2.8.5, so the code's drip-edge requirement stands as enacted local law. About drip edge
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Ordinance No. 1453 of the City of Columbus (passed November 4, 2019), which adopts the 2018 International Residential Code as revised Section 4-202A, read in full (title, recital and Sections 1 through 3, one page). Counts across the whole ordinance: "UL 2218" 0, "Class 4" 0, "impact" 0, "hail" 0. The ordinance changes no provision of IRC Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies), so no impact-resistant roof covering is required by local law.
Roof layer limit / recover
Base-code rule, read at 2018 International Residential Code 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." One existing layer may be recovered; a second existing layer means a tear-off to the deck. Ordinance No. 1453 (Sections 1 through 3), read in full, adopts the 2018 IRC without amendment and does not touch Sections R907 or R908.
Sales & use tax
Columbus' combined sales tax rate is 9% (Kansas state 6.5% + Cherokee County 1.5% + City of Columbus 1%), per the Kansas Department of Revenue's Pub. 1700 jurisdiction rate table effective October 1, 2026. Per KDOR Pub. KS-1525, "Services performed to install or apply tangible personal property are exempt from sales tax when the services involve the original construction, reconstruction, restoration, remodeling, renovation, repair or replacement of a residence," so residential re-roof labor is exempt. Materials are not: contractors "are considered to be the final user or consumer of the materials they install for others, and must pay Kansas sales or use tax on them."

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Related guides

Hail-Belt Rules by State Denver-Metro Roofing Permits Filing a Hail Insurance Claim Colorado Hail Season Prep Hiring a Contractor

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Sources

Roofing questions: Columbus, KS

Is drip edge required in Columbus, KS?

Yes. Drip edge is required at eaves and rake edges of shingle roofs (IRC R905.2.8.5). The City adopted the 2018 International Residential Code via Ordinance No. 1453 (revised Section 4-202A, passed November 4, 2019); that instrument, read in full (Sections 1 through 3, one page), does not amend R905.2.8.5, so the code's drip-edge requirement stands as enacted local law.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Columbus, KS?

Base-code rule, read at 2018 International Residential Code 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." One existing layer may be recovered; a second existing layer means a tear-off to the deck. Ordinance No. 1453 (Sections 1 through 3), read in full, adopts the 2018 IRC without amendment and does not touch Sections R907 or R908.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Columbus, KS?

Yes.

What building code does Columbus, KS use?

Ordinance No. 1453, passed and approved by the Governing Body of the City of Columbus on November 4, 2019, repealed Section 4-202A of Chapter IV, Article 2 of the Code for the City of Columbus and, in a revised Section 4-202A, adopted and incorporated by reference the International Residential Code, 2018 Edition, as recommended by the International Code Council, to establish rules and regulations for the construction of one-family and two-family dwellings. The ordinance took effect on its publication in the official City newspaper. It is one page long and states no local amendments to the code. The City publishes it on its City Ordinances page; the current codified text of the City Code is hosted on library.municode.com and was not read for this listing.