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Permitting Authorities / Illinois / City of DeKalb Building & Code Compliance Division

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in DeKalb, IL?

Adopted code

City of DeKalb Building & Code Compliance Division

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in DeKalb, IL, issued by City of DeKalb Building & Code Compliance Division. THE CITY PUBLISHES ITS OWN ROOFING PERMIT APPLICATION. The Building Permits & Fees page lists a "Roofing Permit Application" among its downloadable permit forms and says "Both homeowners and contractors are required to register for a BS&A Online Account in order to apply for building permits online" and "All online submissions require a completed permit application from the list below to be uploaded with the submittal." The application asks for the project valuation and has the applicant choose between "ROOF RECOVER" and "ROOF REPLACEMENT," the second being where "the Existing Roof Covering is being removed while repairing any damaged substrate, and installing a New Roof Covering." It asks whether sheathing is being replaced and how many square feet, asks for an image of the roof cross section and a materials list, and has the contractor represent that "they are a State of Illinois Licensed Roofing Contractor doing the roofing work" and provide a copy of the license. The form, dated September 2021, refers to "the 2015 International Residential Code," an older edition than the 2021 code the City now lists. The City's amended list of work exempt from permit in Chapter 24 does not name roofing.

Roof code checklist: DeKalb, IL

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofYescityofdekalb.com2026-10-17
Repair permit thresholdNot published
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedcityofdekalb.com2026-10-17
Deck & sheathingPublishedcityofdekalb.com2026-10-17
Drip edgeYescityofdekalb.com2026-10-17
Ice & water shieldYescityofdekalb.com2026-10-17
Mid-roof inspectionYescityofdekalb.com2026-10-17
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNocityofdekalb.com2026-10-17
Wind design criteriaPublishedcityofdekalb.com2026-10-17
Adopted codePublishedcityofdekalb.com2026-10-17
Contractor license / registrationYesilga.gov2026-09-18
Sales & use taxPublishedilga.gov2026-09-18

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 DeKalb, Illinois
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
164 East Lincoln Highway, DeKalb, IL 60115
Contact
  • url: https://www.cityofdekalb.com/222/Building-Permits-Fees
  • phone: 815-748-2070
Permit portal
Permit portal
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
  • state_level: Illinois licenses roofing contractors statewide with no dollar threshold. 225 ILCS 335/9(2): "No work involving the construction, reconstruction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of any kind of roofing or waterproofing may be done except by a roofing contractor or a qualifying party licensed or credentialed under this Act." Under 225 ILCS 335/5(a-3), "A municipality or a county that requires a building permit may not issue a building permit to a roofing contractor unless that contractor has provided sufficient proof of current licensure as a roofing contractor by the State," and a holder of a limited license is restricted to permits for work on residential properties of 8 units or less. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation lists "Roofing Contractor, Licensed" among the professions it licenses.
  • city_level: A CITY REGISTRATION ON TOP OF THE STATE LICENSE. The City's Contractor Registration page lists "Roofing Contractors" among the State-licensed trades whose members "must complete a registration application and provide a copy of his/her State of Illinois license(s)," and says "No registration will be effective and no permits will be approved until all requirements are on file with the City of DeKalb." Section 0.03 of Chapter 24 of the Municipal Code says "All Roofing Contractors shall meet the requirements of the State of Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act."
Permit process note
THE CITY PUBLISHES ITS OWN ROOFING PERMIT APPLICATION. The Building Permits & Fees page lists a "Roofing Permit Application" among its downloadable permit forms and says "Both homeowners and contractors are required to register for a BS&A Online Account in order to apply for building permits online" and "All online submissions require a completed permit application from the list below to be uploaded with the submittal." The application asks for the project valuation and has the applicant choose between "ROOF RECOVER" and "ROOF REPLACEMENT," the second being where "the Existing Roof Covering is being removed while repairing any damaged substrate, and installing a New Roof Covering." It asks whether sheathing is being replaced and how many square feet, asks for an image of the roof cross section and a materials list, and has the contractor represent that "they are a State of Illinois Licensed Roofing Contractor doing the roofing work" and provide a copy of the license. The form, dated September 2021, refers to "the 2015 International Residential Code," an older edition than the 2021 code the City now lists. The City's amended list of work exempt from permit in Chapter 24 does not name roofing.
Adopted code
THE 2021 INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE WITH CITY AMENDMENTS, PER CHAPTER 24 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE AS THE CITY POSTS IT. Chapter 24, whose latest revision is Ordinance 2024-063 of December 9, 2024, says "There is hereby adopted by reference as the Building Code for the City of DeKalb, the International Code Council (ICC) Building Codes/2021" and lists the "International Residential Code for One-and Two-Family Dwellings - 2021 Edition." Article 2 of the chapter says "The following sections of the International Residential Code, 2021 edition are hereby revised as follows," and its roof amendment, R905.1 a), deals with replacing deteriorated roof sheathing. The City's Building Codes page says "The City of DeKalb's revised Municipal Code Chapter 24 Building Code was approved by the City Council on Dec. 9" and lists the same 2021 edition.
Drip edge
Required — REQUIRED ON A ROOF REPLACEMENT, PER THE CITY'S ROOFING PERMIT APPLICATION. The application says that if the roof is being replaced you must "Provide a Drip Edge at eaves and gables of shingled roofs." This rests on the department's own written sheet; the City's Chapter 24 amendments do not address drip edge. About drip edge
Ice & water shield
Required — REQUIRED ON A ROOF REPLACEMENT, PER THE CITY'S ROOFING PERMIT APPLICATION. Under "If the roof is being replaced you must," the application's first item says "Apply a Self-Adhering Polymer Modified Bitumen Sheet from the eves edge to a point at least 24 inches inside" the "interior face of the exterior wall." The City's amended Table R301.2(1) in Chapter 24 also marks ice barrier underlayment as required. The application is the department's own written sheet; the Chapter 24 amendments, read on the City's site, do not amend the IRC's ice barrier section itself. About ice & water barrier
Mid-roof inspection
Required — AN ICE AND WATER SHIELD INSPECTION, PER THE CITY'S ROOFING PERMIT APPLICATION. The application says "Ice & Water Shield Inspection Required" and "Call at least 24 hours prior to requested inspection." This rests on the department's own written sheet; the City's Chapter 24 amendments do not set out roofing inspections.
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — NOT REQUIRED BY THE CITY'S BUILDING CHAPTER. Chapter 24 of the DeKalb Municipal Code, as the City posts it (97 pages, latest revision December 9, 2024), was read in full, including every amendment to the building, residential, fire, mechanical, fuel gas, pool, existing building, electrical, plumbing and property maintenance codes, and contains no UL 2218, Class 4, hail or impact resistance requirement for roof coverings.
Wind design criteria
The City's amended Table R301.2(1), "CLIMATIC AND GEOGRAPHIC DESIGN CRITERIA," in Article 2 of Chapter 24 gives a ground snow load of 30 psf, a design wind speed of 115 mph, no topographic effects, no special wind region and no windborne debris zone, seismic design category A, climate zone 5A, severe weathering, a 42-inch frost line depth, moderate to heavy termite exposure, a winter design temperature of -4 degrees F, and ice barrier underlayment required. The table does not state a wind exposure category.
Roof layer limit / recover
The City's roofing permit application describes a roof recover as one where "an additional roof covering is being installed over the EXISTING ROOF without removing the Existing Roof Covering" and says "Limit to 2 layers total." The City's Chapter 24 amendments do not address roof layers.
Deck & sheathing requirements
The City amends IRC Section R905.1 in Chapter 24: "Existing structures with deteriorated 3/8 inch plywood roof sheathing where more than fifty (50) percent has deteriorated, and is no longer structurally sound, as determined by the authority having jurisdiction, the entire sheathing shall be replaced with 7/16 inch span rated plywood sheathing." The City's roofing permit application asks whether sheathing is being replaced and how many square feet.
Sales & use tax
Illinois taxes the roofer, not the job, and the operative rate is not keyed to the DeKalb job address. Under 86 Ill. Adm. Code 130.1940(c), a construction contractor "does not incur Retailers' Occupation Tax liability as to receipts from labor furnished and tangible personal property (materials and fixtures) incorporated into a structure," but "incurs Use Tax on the cost price of the tangible personal property that is incorporated into real estate," with "roofing materials" named in the rule's own list of examples. Repair and replacement are taxed identically: 130.1940(a)(3) defines "construct" to include "repair, renovate or remodel." The Illinois Department of Revenue states the Use Tax rate as "6.25% of the purchase price or fair market value, whichever is greater." Where the contractor buys for resale, the local tax follows "the place of business at or from which the contractor or builder handles the transaction" (130.2075(b)(3)), so the combined rate on materials is the supply house's or the contractor's, which this record does not pin down. The authoritative lookup is the Illinois Department of Revenue's MyTax Illinois Tax Rate Finder.

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Building permits in the City of DeKalb, Illinois, in DeKalb County, are handled by the Building & Code Compliance Division of the City's Community Development department at 164 East Lincoln Highway. The Illinois Capital Development Board says "The State has not adopted a building code for repairs to existing single family residences," so DeKalb's roofing rules are its own: Chapter 24 of the DeKalb Municipal Code, which the City posts on its own site, adopts the 2021 International Residential Code with City amendments. This listing covers the office's contact details, the City's own statements on code and permits, and the rules state law sets for every Illinois roofer.

Working an insurance claim in DeKalb, IL? Everything on this page (drip edge, ice & water shield, inspections, Class 4 rules) formatted as a claim-ready evidence pack: verbatim ordinance quotes, code section cites, verification dates, and official source links, ready to attach to a supplement. See a real sample pack (PDF, 4 pages, free).

Code items like drip edge and ice & water shield are what adjusters ask you to document.

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Sources

Roofing questions: DeKalb, IL

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in DeKalb, IL?

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in DeKalb, IL.

Is ice & water shield required in DeKalb, IL?

Yes. REQUIRED ON A ROOF REPLACEMENT, PER THE CITY'S ROOFING PERMIT APPLICATION. Under "If the roof is being replaced you must," the application's first item says "Apply a Self-Adhering Polymer Modified Bitumen Sheet from the eves edge to a point at least 24 inches inside" the "interior face of the exterior wall." The City's amended Table R301.2(1) in Chapter 24 also marks ice barrier underlayment as required. The application is the department's own written sheet; the Chapter 24 amendments, read on the City's site, do not amend the IRC's ice barrier section itself.

Is drip edge required in DeKalb, IL?

Yes. REQUIRED ON A ROOF REPLACEMENT, PER THE CITY'S ROOFING PERMIT APPLICATION. The application says that if the roof is being replaced you must "Provide a Drip Edge at eaves and gables of shingled roofs." This rests on the department's own written sheet; the City's Chapter 24 amendments do not address drip edge.

Can you roof over an existing roof in DeKalb, IL?

The City's roofing permit application describes a roof recover as one where "an additional roof covering is being installed over the EXISTING ROOF without removing the Existing Roof Covering" and says "Limit to 2 layers total." The City's Chapter 24 amendments do not address roof layers.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in DeKalb, IL?

Yes.

What building code does DeKalb, IL use?

THE 2021 INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE WITH CITY AMENDMENTS, PER CHAPTER 24 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE AS THE CITY POSTS IT. Chapter 24, whose latest revision is Ordinance 2024-063 of December 9, 2024, says "There is hereby adopted by reference as the Building Code for the City of DeKalb, the International Code Council (ICC) Building Codes/2021" and lists the "International Residential Code for One-and Two-Family Dwellings - 2021 Edition." Article 2 of the chapter says "The following sections of the International Residential Code, 2021 edition are hereby revised as follows," and its roof amendment, R905.1 a), deals with replacing deteriorated roof sheathing. The City's Building Codes page says "The City of DeKalb's revised Municipal Code Chapter 24 Building Code was approved by the City Council on Dec. 9" and lists the same 2021 edition.