Permitting Authorities / City of Fort Worth - Development Services Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Fort Worth, TX?
Adopted code
City of Fort Worth - Development Services Department
No — Fort Worth, TX does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (City of Fort Worth - Development Services Department). The department's residential roofing FAQ states that a permit is NOT required "for a replacement roof on a single family or two-family dwelling if I am only replacing shingles and no decking is replaced," but a permit IS required "if any decking is replaced." The FAQ adds that a roof meeting code when built remains in compliance per the International Existing Building Code; that a new layer of decking may not be installed over an existing layer; that when re-roofing, crickets and drip edges are required even where they do not currently exist; and that "an ice barrier underlayment is not required as there is not a history of ice damming in our area" per the city's amendments. Underlayment must meet the manufacturer's recommendations or 2021 IRC section R905, whichever is more restrictive.
Jurisdiction
City of Fort Worth, Texas
Address
100 Fort Worth Trail, Fort Worth, TX 76102
Contact
- url: https://www.fortworthtexas.gov/departments/development-services
- phone: 817-392-2222
Roofing permit required
Not required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- license: The Contractor Registration page states: "Any firm, business, individual or organization obtaining a permit related to the building, mechanical, plumbing or electrical provisions of the City of Fort Worth's Codes shall have on file in the Development Services Department a valid Contractor Registration signed by an official of the business," with two exceptions: owners of single-family residences performing work on their own homestead property, and commercial property owners installing banners on their own property. Registration types include Building Contractor; the annual fee for Building contractors is $168.75, and registrations expire one year from issuance.
Permit process note
The department's residential roofing FAQ states that a permit is NOT required "for a replacement roof on a single family or two-family dwelling if I am only replacing shingles and no decking is replaced," but a permit IS required "if any decking is replaced." The FAQ adds that a roof meeting code when built remains in compliance per the International Existing Building Code; that a new layer of decking may not be installed over an existing layer; that when re-roofing, crickets and drip edges are required even where they do not currently exist; and that "an ice barrier underlayment is not required as there is not a history of ice damming in our area" per the city's amendments. Underlayment must meet the manufacturer's recommendations or 2021 IRC section R905, whichever is more restrictive.
Adopted code
The city's Building & Energy Codes page states Fort Worth "has currently adopted the 2021 International Building, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Fire, and Existing Building Codes, the 2015 Energy Conservation Codes and the 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. The adopted electrical code is the 2023 National Electrical Code. Each code has locally adopted amendments." The department's roofing FAQ applies the 2021 International Residential Code (chapter 9 and section R905) to residential roof assemblies.
Drip edge
Required — Drip edge is required at eaves and rake edges of shingle roofs (IRC R905.2.8.5). The jurisdiction adopted the 2021 International Residential Code via the City's codified IRC amendments (Ord. No. 25383-03-2022, § 1, passed 3-8-2022, eff. 4-1-2022, Code of Ordinances § 7-62); that instrument, read in full, does not amend R905.2.8.5, so the code's drip-edge requirement stands as enacted local law. The city's own roofing FAQ separately states drip edges are required even where they do not currently exist.
About drip edgeIce & water shield
Not required — Table R301.2(1), Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria, as amended by the City's adopted IRC amendments, lists "Ice Barrier Underlayment Required" as "No" for Fort Worth (2021 IRC amendments, Ord. No. 25383-03-2022, Sec. 7-62, passed 3-8-2022, eff. 4-1-2022).
About ice & water barrierImpact-resistant roofing
Not required — Fort Worth Code Sec. 7-62 AMENDMENTS (2021 IRC local amendments, Ord. No. 25383-03-2022) contains no UL 2218, Class 4, or impact-resistance provision. The amended R902.1 appears under the heading "902 FIRE CLASSIFICATION" and requires "Class A, B or C roofing... tested in accordance with UL 790 or ASTM E 108". The roofing sections amended are R902, R904, R905, R908.7 and R908.8; none addresses impact resistance.
Wind design criteria
Table R301.2(1), Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria, as amended by the City's codified IRC amendments (§ 7-62), lists the WIND DESIGN "Speed (mph)" cell as "10 5 mph (3-sec-gust)" -- transcribed exactly as it appears in the source, including the internal space between "10" and "5" that does not match the formatting of any other numeric cell in the table. That spacing is most likely a typographical error in the published table for "105 mph"; the cell is quoted here exactly as the city prints it rather than corrected, so confirm the design wind speed with Development Services before relying on it. Other cells in the same table row: Topographic effects No, Special wind region No, Wind-bourne debris zone No, Seismic Design Category A, Ground Snow Load 5 lb/ft2 (2021 IRC amendments, Ord. No. 25383-03-2022, § 1, passed 3-8-2022, eff. 4-1-2022, Code of Ordinances § 7-62).
Sales & use tax
8.25% combined (6.25% state + 1.00% City of Fort Worth + 0.50% Fort Worth Crime Control District + 0.50% Fort Worth MTA ("The T") transit-authority tax), the Texas local-rate cap. Texas collects no construction use tax at building-permit issuance; use tax, when owed, is self-assessed by the purchaser and remitted directly to the Comptroller's office rather than collected by a city or county permit office (Comptroller Use Tax guidance, comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/sales/use-tax.php). Under Comptroller guidance for real property repair and remodeling, "Labor to repair, remodel, or restore residential real property is not taxable"; on the lump-sum contract typical of residential re-roofing, "you pay tax on all your supplies, materials, equipment, and taxable services when you buy them. You don't charge your customer tax" (Comptroller Pub. 94-116, Real Property Repair and Remodeling, comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/publications/94-116.php) -- so the combined rate above is the roofer's own cost basis on materials purchased, not a rate charged to the homeowner.
Local roofing hub
Related guides
The permitting authority for the City of Fort Worth, Texas. The Development Services Department administers building permits and contractor registration under the city's adopted construction codes, and publishes roofing-specific guidance for residential re-roofing, which is a frequent subject of resident, roofing-company, and insurance-company inquiries in this hail-prone part of North Texas.
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