The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / Forsyth County - Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Unincorporated Forsyth County, NC?

Adopted code

Forsyth County - Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division

The joint City-County Inspections Division of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services Department issues building permits and performs inspections for unincorporated Forsyth County and for the City of Winston-Salem, and for the rest of Forsyth County except inside the town or city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King, which run their own permitting. The Division states that it "reviews plans and issues permits for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and building activities consistent with the codes adopted by the State of North Carolina."

Roof code checklist: Unincorporated Forsyth County, NC

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofNot published
Repair permit thresholdPublishedncleg.gov2026-09-26
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedR908.3oah.nc.gov2026-09-26
Deck & sheathingPublishedR803ncosfm.gov2026-09-26
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNot published
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNoncosfm.gov2026-09-26
Wind design criteriaNot published
Adopted codePublishedncosfm.gov2026-09-26
Contractor license / registrationNot published
Sales & use taxPublishedncdor.gov2026-09-26

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
Forsyth County, North Carolina (unincorporated)
Jurisdiction type
county
Address
Bryce A. Stuart Municipal Building, 100 E First Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Contact
  • url: https://www.cityofws.org/343/Inspections-Division
  • phone: 336-727-2624
  • email: [email protected]
Permit portal
Permit portal
Registration details
  • state_level: North Carolina licenses general contractors by job size. G.S. 87-1(a) reaches anyone who undertakes to construct "any building ... or any improvement or structure where the cost of the undertaking is forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or more"; roofing work is licensed under the specialty classification S(Roofing), which the Licensing Board's rule describes as covering "the installation, demolition, and repair of roofs and decks on residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional structures". G.S. 87-1(b)(2) excepts an owner who "constructs or alters a building on land owned by that person" where the building is "intended solely for occupancy by that person and his family" and the owner complies with G.S. 87-14. This record does not decide whether a given reroof reaches the $40,000 line.
  • county_level: Contractors doing business with the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division file an Application for Contractor ID Number, which asks for the contractor type ("State Licensed" or "Non-State Licensed" for building), the North Carolina state license number "if applicable" and the license qualifier; the ID is used to sign in to the BuildIT permit and inspection portal. Forsyth County Code Sec. 7-9(o) provides that where law requires work to be done by "an appropriately licensed individual, no permit for such type work shall be issued to an unlicensed person or firm." For permits on single-family work issued to North Carolina licensed contractors, the Division collects a $10.00 Homeowner's Recovery Fund fee under G.S. 87-15.6.
Permit process note
G.S. 160D-1110(c) exempts from a permit work "costing forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or less and performed in accordance with the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code in any single-family residence" unless it involves, among other things, "The addition, repair, or replacement of load-bearing structures", "The use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina State Building Code" or "The addition of roofing, excluding replacement". The state reroofing rule adds: "Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." The exemption covers a single-family residence; duplexes are outside it. G.S. 143-138(b5) provides that "No permit shall be required under the Code or any local variance thereof approved under subsection (e)" for that work. The Forsyth County Code, Sec. 7-9(kk), still prints the exemption for work "costing fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.00) or less in any single-family residence or farm building", and the Winston-Salem City Code, Sec. 10-2(a), for work "costing $5,000.00 or less in any single-family residence or farm building". The Division has published no statement of which figure it applies to a reroof, and its fee schedule has no roofing line. Work done without a required permit is charged a late fee equal to the permit fee under County Code Sec. 7-5 and City Code Sec. 10-32. Single-family permits are applied for through the GeoCivix electronic plan review portal; the Division states "All permits must still be applied for electronically". Inspections are scheduled through a contractor's BuildIT account or by calling the Permit Office. The Division covers all of Forsyth County, including the City of Winston-Salem, except inside the town or city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King. Ask the Division at 336-727-2624 or [email protected] whether a permit is needed before starting work on a single-family reroof.
Adopted code
The 2018 North Carolina Residential Code is the edition in force; the 2024 edition has been adopted but has no effective date. The State Fire Marshal's letter on the 2024 code states that until its to-be-determined effective date "the 2018 North Carolina State Building Code remains in full force and should continue to be enforced as the governing standard, unless a building owner or his agent requests that the 2024 Code be applied to the project." Locally, Forsyth County Code Sec. 7-2 (Ord. No. 05-2019) provides that "the North Carolina State Building Codes, and the National Electrical Code as adopted by the Building Code Council, as amended from time to time, shall constitute the building codes applicable in the county", applying to the areas of the county outside Winston-Salem and Kernersville, and Winston-Salem City Code Sec. 10-1 provides that "The North Carolina State Building Code as adopted by the state building code council shall constitute the building codes applicable in the city". The Inspections Division states that it issues permits "consistent with the codes adopted by the State of North Carolina" (read September 26, 2026). North Carolina's amendment to the drip edge section reads: "R905.2.8.5 Drip Edge. Deleted. Not required unless required by the roof covering manufacturer installation instructions."
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — North Carolina's approved amendments to the 2018 North Carolina Residential Code contain no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement, and neither the Forsyth County Code, Chapter 7 (Buildings and Building Regulations, read in full, Articles I through VI), nor the Winston-Salem City Code, Chapter 10 (Building Regulations, read in full, Articles I through VII), adds one. The only roof-covering rating in either local chapter is a fire rating in the City's housing code, "The roof covering shall be at least class C, as defined by the State Building Code", which is a fire classification and not an impact rating.
Repair permit threshold
G.S. 160D-1110(c) reads "No permit issued under Article 9 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration costing forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or less and performed in accordance with the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code in any single-family residence, farm building, or commercial building unless the work involves any of the following: (1) The addition, repair, or replacement of load-bearing structures. ... (4) The use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina State Building Code. (5) The addition of roofing, excluding replacement." The North Carolina Residential Code's reroofing section, as amended, draws the structural line for a tear-off: "R908.3 Roof replacement. Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." The statutory exemption covers a single-family residence; a duplex is outside it. G.S. 143-138(b5) says the same and opens "No permit shall be required under the Code or any local variance thereof approved under subsection (e)". The Forsyth County Code, which the Division enforces outside the Winston-Salem city limits, still prints an older version of that exemption at $15,000 in Sec. 7-9(kk): "No permit shall be required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration costing fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.00) or less in any single-family residence or farm building unless the work involves: the addition, repair or replacement of load bearing structures; ... the use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina Uniform Residential Building Code; or the addition (excluding replacement of like grade of fire resistance) of roofing." The Winston-Salem City Code, Sec. 10-2(a), prints the same exemption at $5,000: "No permit issued under G.S. 143-136 et seq. or G.S. 143-151.8 et seq. shall be required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement or alteration costing $5,000.00 or less in any single-family residence or farm building unless the work involves ... the addition (excluding replacement of like grade of fire resistance) of roofing." The Division has published no statement of which figure it applies to a single-family reroof, and its published fee schedule has no roofing line; single-family "altercations/repairs" are priced by square foot with a $100 minimum building fee. Ask the Division (336-727-2624, [email protected]) before starting work on a single-family reroof priced above $5,000 in the city or $15,000 in the county.
Roof layer limit / recover
North Carolina's residential code limits re-covering in its own reroofing section. The state's 2024 rulemaking text, which shows its changes from the 2018 code, carries this list over from 2018 unmarked: "A roof recover shall not be permitted where any of the following conditions occur: 1. Where the existing roof or roof covering is water soaked or has deteriorated to the point that the existing roof or roof covering is not adequate as a base for additional roofing. 2. Where the existing roof covering is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. 3. Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." North Carolina also amended the tear-off definition: "R908.3 Roof replacement. Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." Neither the Forsyth County Code, Chapter 7, nor the Winston-Salem City Code, Chapter 10, adds a local layer rule.
Deck & sheathing requirements
North Carolina's reroofing rule allows limited deck work within a roof replacement: "Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." (North Carolina Residential Code R908.3, as amended). Deck replacement beyond that is structural work, which the state's permit exemption for single-family houses does not reach. The state's approved residential amendments (2017 to 2024) do not amend the roof sheathing section (R803), so the 2018 North Carolina Residential Code's roof sheathing provisions apply as printed; they are not restated here. Neither the Forsyth County Code, Chapter 7, nor the Winston-Salem City Code, Chapter 10, sets a sheathing thickness, span or fastening rule of its own; the City's minimum housing standards, which set the condition required of existing dwellings, say only "No rotted, loose or sagging sheathing shall be allowed."
Sales & use tax
7% total in Forsyth County, per the North Carolina Department of Revenue's Current Sales and Use Tax Rates page (read September 26, 2026), which lists each county's "total (4.75% state rate plus applicable local and transit rates)"; Forsyth's 7% carries no transit rate. How it applies to roofing depends on the job. The Department's Services to Real Property Taxability Chart lists "Complete replacement of roofing systems" as a capital improvement, which is a real property contract: the Department states that "The real property contractor is the consumer of the item that the real property contractor purchases, installs, or applies for others to fulfill a real property contract", so the roofer pays sales or use tax on materials and does not charge sales tax to the homeowner on the job. The same chart lists "Repair, maintain, or partially replace all types of roofing systems" as taxable, which makes the repair a taxable repair, maintenance and installation service charged at the 7% combined rate.

More roof permit pages in North Carolina

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Hail reports near the center of Forsyth County, NC

Reports, last 24 months
0
Largest, last 24 months
None
Most recent
None in 24 months
Reports, last 5 years
4
4 most recent reports, last 5 years
DateHail sizeDistance
Apr 6, 20230.75 in10 mi SE
Jun 17, 20221.00 in3 mi N
Jun 17, 20220.88 in6 mi N
Jun 17, 20220.75 in8 mi E

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database and daily storm reports (reports since the start of the current year are preliminary), within 10 miles of the center of Forsyth County, NC. Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.

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Sources

Roofing questions: Unincorporated Forsyth County, NC

When does a roof repair need a permit in Unincorporated Forsyth County, NC?

G.S. 160D-1110(c) reads "No permit issued under Article 9 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration costing forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or less and performed in accordance with the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code in any single-family residence, farm building, or commercial building unless the work involves any of the following: (1) The addition, repair, or replacement of load-bearing structures. ... (4) The use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina State Building Code. (5) The addition of roofing, excluding replacement." The North Carolina Residential Code's reroofing section, as amended, draws the structural line for a tear-off: "R908.3 Roof replacement. Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." The statutory exemption covers a single-family residence; a duplex is outside it. G.S. 143-138(b5) says the same and opens "No permit shall be required under the Code or any local variance thereof approved under subsection (e)". The Forsyth County Code, which the Division enforces outside the Winston-Salem city limits, still prints an older version of that exemption at $15,000 in Sec. 7-9(kk): "No permit shall be required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration costing fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.00) or less in any single-family residence or farm building unless the work involves: the addition, repair or replacement of load bearing structures; ... the use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina Uniform Residential Building Code; or the addition (excluding replacement of like grade of fire resistance) of roofing." The Winston-Salem City Code, Sec. 10-2(a), prints the same exemption at $5,000: "No permit issued under G.S. 143-136 et seq. or G.S. 143-151.8 et seq. shall be required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement or alteration costing $5,000.00 or less in any single-family residence or farm building unless the work involves ... the addition (excluding replacement of like grade of fire resistance) of roofing." The Division has published no statement of which figure it applies to a single-family reroof, and its published fee schedule has no roofing line; single-family "altercations/repairs" are priced by square foot with a $100 minimum building fee. Ask the Division (336-727-2624, [email protected]) before starting work on a single-family reroof priced above $5,000 in the city or $15,000 in the county.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Unincorporated Forsyth County, NC?

North Carolina's residential code limits re-covering in its own reroofing section. The state's 2024 rulemaking text, which shows its changes from the 2018 code, carries this list over from 2018 unmarked: "A roof recover shall not be permitted where any of the following conditions occur: 1. Where the existing roof or roof covering is water soaked or has deteriorated to the point that the existing roof or roof covering is not adequate as a base for additional roofing. 2. Where the existing roof covering is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. 3. Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." North Carolina also amended the tear-off definition: "R908.3 Roof replacement. Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." Neither the Forsyth County Code, Chapter 7, nor the Winston-Salem City Code, Chapter 10, adds a local layer rule.

What building code does Unincorporated Forsyth County, NC use?

The 2018 North Carolina Residential Code is the edition in force; the 2024 edition has been adopted but has no effective date. The State Fire Marshal's letter on the 2024 code states that until its to-be-determined effective date "the 2018 North Carolina State Building Code remains in full force and should continue to be enforced as the governing standard, unless a building owner or his agent requests that the 2024 Code be applied to the project." Locally, Forsyth County Code Sec. 7-2 (Ord. No. 05-2019) provides that "the North Carolina State Building Codes, and the National Electrical Code as adopted by the Building Code Council, as amended from time to time, shall constitute the building codes applicable in the county", applying to the areas of the county outside Winston-Salem and Kernersville, and Winston-Salem City Code Sec. 10-1 provides that "The North Carolina State Building Code as adopted by the state building code council shall constitute the building codes applicable in the city". The Inspections Division states that it issues permits "consistent with the codes adopted by the State of North Carolina" (read September 26, 2026). North Carolina's amendment to the drip edge section reads: "R905.2.8.5 Drip Edge. Deleted. Not required unless required by the roof covering manufacturer installation instructions."