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Permitting Authorities / City of Fremont - Department of Building Safety

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Fremont, NE?

Adopted code

City of Fremont - Department of Building Safety

Yes — a permit is required to replace a roof in Fremont, NE, issued by City of Fremont - Department of Building Safety. Applications go to the building official at the Department of Building Safety, 400 E Military Ave, 2nd Floor. The City's own page states that anyone intending to "construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure ... must first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit," and that an application must identify and describe the work, describe the land, state the use and occupancy, carry the construction documents required by City codes, state the valuation of the proposed work and be signed by the applicant or an authorized agent. Roof work is filed on the City's General Building Permit Application, the form the City lists for "all other ancillary work." Its first project-description line reads "ROOF: Roofing Material ____ Location (Residence, Shed, Garage) ____ Including: Soffit Fascia Gutters," so the covering material and the scope of soffit, fascia and gutter work are declared on the face of the application, along with the total value of the proposed work including all materials and labor. The applicant certifies that "inspections requested as outlined on the front side of the yellow permit card," which is where the inspection stages for a given permit are listed. Inspections are scheduled through the Inspection Hotline at 402-727-2657 or by emailing [email protected] with the name and phone number, permit number and address, inspection type, and desired date and time. Work that a permit is required for and that starts before the permit issues draws an escalating penalty fee, and on a third offense the codified Fee Schedule provides that "A general contractor performing work without a permit will not be issued any building permits for six (6) months and must be reviewed by the Building Code Advisory and Appeals Board before reissuance of permits.".

Jurisdiction
City of Fremont, Nebraska
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
400 E Military Ave, 2nd Floor, Fremont, NE 68025
Contact
  • url: https://www.fremontne.gov/159/Permits-Inspections
  • phone: 402-727-2636
  • email: [email protected]
Roofing permit required
Required
Permit process note
Applications go to the building official at the Department of Building Safety, 400 E Military Ave, 2nd Floor. The City's own page states that anyone intending to "construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure ... must first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit," and that an application must identify and describe the work, describe the land, state the use and occupancy, carry the construction documents required by City codes, state the valuation of the proposed work and be signed by the applicant or an authorized agent. Roof work is filed on the City's General Building Permit Application, the form the City lists for "all other ancillary work." Its first project-description line reads "ROOF: Roofing Material ____ Location (Residence, Shed, Garage) ____ Including: Soffit Fascia Gutters," so the covering material and the scope of soffit, fascia and gutter work are declared on the face of the application, along with the total value of the proposed work including all materials and labor. The applicant certifies that "inspections requested as outlined on the front side of the yellow permit card," which is where the inspection stages for a given permit are listed. Inspections are scheduled through the Inspection Hotline at 402-727-2657 or by emailing [email protected] with the name and phone number, permit number and address, inspection type, and desired date and time. Work that a permit is required for and that starts before the permit issues draws an escalating penalty fee, and on a third offense the codified Fee Schedule provides that "A general contractor performing work without a permit will not be issued any building permits for six (6) months and must be reviewed by the Building Code Advisory and Appeals Board before reissuance of permits."
Adopted code
Fremont Municipal Code Chapter 9, Building Regulations, Section 9-101 adopts "International Residential Code (IRC) - 2018 Edition: Chapters 1-10, Chapters 43-44; and Appendices E, F, H, and I," alongside the 2018 International Building Code (Chapters 1-26 and 30-35, Appendices C, G, I and J), the 2018 International Fire Code, the 2023 National Electrical Code, the 2018 International Existing Building Code, the 2018 Uniform Mechanical Code, the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code, the 2018 International Fuel Gas Code, the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code and the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code. IRC Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies, is inside the adoption. The current adoption and its local amendments are carried by Ordinance No. 5579, Section 1, adopted July 27, 2021, and Ordinance No. 5687, Section 1 (Attachment A), adopted July 30, 2024; the City's own Building Codes page describes the original enactment as Ordinance No. 5456, July 31, 2018. The City's own Residential/Commercial Building Permit Application, revised April 17, 2026, prints the same list and names "Local Amendments- Fremont Ordinance 5579, (adopted 7-27-2021)". The local amendments to the Residential Code sit at Fremont Municipal Code Section 9-402. Nebraska sets an edition floor rather than a content floor: Neb. Rev. Stat. 71-6406(3)(a) provides that a local code does not conform generally with the state building code if it "[i]ncludes a prior edition" of a component of that code, while 71-6406(2)(a) lets a city amend, modify or delete any portion of it.
Drip edge
Required — BASE-CODE GOVERNED, AND FREMONT DOES NOT AMEND IT. Fremont adopts the 2018 International Residential Code, Chapters 1-10, and its complete local amendment list at Fremont Municipal Code Section 9-402, items (a) through (z), does not add, amend or delete any section of IRC Chapter 9 other than Section R908, Reroofing. The base 2018 IRC drip-edge provision for shingle roofs, Section R905.2.8.5, therefore applies in Fremont unmodified; read that section for the required overlap, the extension below the roof sheathing and back onto the deck, and the fastener spacing. About drip edge
Ice & water shield
Required — Fremont fills in the ice-barrier column of its own climate table. Fremont Municipal Code Section 9-402(h) amends "Table R301.2(1) Climatic And Geographic Design Criteria" and prints "Ice Barrier Underlayment Required" as "Yes." The table reproduces the model footnote h that governs that column: "In accordance with Sections R905.1.2, R905.4.3.1, R905.5.3.1, R905.6.3.1, R905.7.3.1 and R905.8.3.1, where there has been a history of local damage from the effects of ice damming, the jurisdiction shall fill in this part of the table with 'YES.'" Fremont's amendment list does not touch R905.1.2 or any other section of IRC Chapter 9 except R908, so the base 2018 IRC ice-barrier provisions apply unmodified; read R905.1.2 and the covering-specific sections named in footnote h for the required extent and materials. About ice & water barrier
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Neither Fremont's adopting section (Fremont Municipal Code 9-101 and 9-401, adopting the 2018 International Residential Code, Chapters 1-10) nor its complete list of local amendments to that code (Section 9-402, items (a) through (z)) imposes an impact rating on a roof covering. The only item in that list touching IRC Chapter 9 is item (z), which makes Section R908, Reroofing, "Reserved." No UL 2218, Class 4, Class IV or FM 4473 impact requirement appears anywhere in Fremont Municipal Code Chapter 9, Building Regulations, including its Building Code, Fire Code, Residential Code, Existing Building Code and Property Maintenance Code articles and its Fee Schedule appendix. Nebraska sets no impact requirement above the City either: Neb. Rev. Stat. 71-6403 adopts the 2018 IRC by reference "except section R313 and chapters 25 through 33," which leaves Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies, unmodified at the state level. An insurance carrier may still discount an impact-rated covering; that is a policy matter, not a Fremont code requirement.
Repair permit threshold
Fremont publishes no dollar-value, roof-area or layer threshold below which roof work escapes a permit. The Department of Building Safety's own permit FAQ answers "When is a Building Permit required?" with "All construction, alteration or repair of buildings in the City of Fremont, or within the City's 2-mile jurisdiction requires a permit," and adds that "A contractor can obtain the permit for the work; but it is the property owner's responsibility to be certain that all construction has a permit." The same FAQ's complete answer to "What type of projects do NOT require permits?" reads: "Painting, wallpapering and carpeting do not require permits. Additionally, sidewalks NOT in the City right-of-way do not require permits." Roof work is not among them. The City's local amendments to IRC Section R105.2, Work exempt from permit, rewrite building exemptions 1, 2, 6, 7 and 10 (sheds not over 80 square feet, fences not over 30 inches, "Painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, counter tops and similar finish work," prefabricated pools less than 18 inches deep, and small detached decks) and strike the electrical, gas and mechanical exemptions outright; none of them reaches roof-covering work. On the fee side, the codified Fee Schedule puts roofs in the valuation-based band rather than the flat-fee list, starting at the "$1.00 to $1,600.00" valuation tier, so there is no minimum job size that falls outside the schedule.
Wind design criteria
Fremont's amended climate table, Fremont Municipal Code Section 9-402(h), "TABLE R301.2(1) CLIMATIC AND GEOGRAPHIC DESIGN CRITERIA," prints these values: Ground Snow Load "25lb LL"; Wind Design Speed (mph) "115 (55) EXPC"; Topographic effects "N/A"; Special Wind region "No"; Wind-borne debris zone "No"; Seismic Design Category "A"; Weathering "Severe"; Frost line depth 36 inches; Termite "Moderate to Heavy"; Winter Design Temp -5; Ice Barrier Underlayment Required "Yes"; Air Freezing Index 2500; Mean Annual Temp 50. Two cautions on the wind figure. The table does not state on its face whether 115 mph is a nominal or an ultimate design wind speed, and the two bases differ by a factor of the square root of 0.6, so a figure taken from one and applied to a method expecting the other is wrong by about 23 percent. Fremont's own reproduction of footnote d says only that "The jurisdiction shall fill in this part of the table with the wind speed from the basic wind speed map [Figure R301.2(4)A]. Wind exposure category shall be determined on a site-specific basis in accordance with Section R301.2.1.4." The parenthetical "(55)" and the "EXPC" that share the cell with 115 are printed there in the codified table without explanation, though EXPC reads as Exposure Category C. Confirm the basis and the exposure category with the building official before using the number in a calculation.
Roof layer limit / recover
FREMONT DELETED THE RESIDENTIAL REROOFING SECTION, SO ITS RESIDENTIAL CODE STATES NO LAYER LIMIT. Fremont Municipal Code Section 9-402, the City of Fremont local amendments to the adopted 2018 International Residential Code, closes at item (z): "Section R908 Reroofing; amend to read as follows: R908 Reroofing Reserved." (Ord. No. 5579, Section 1, July 27, 2021). Section R908 is where the model code's roof-recover restrictions live, and it is the only section of IRC Chapter 9 that Fremont touches anywhere in that amendment list. The result is that the Residential Code as adopted in Fremont contains no cap on the number of roof-covering layers and no roof-recover prohibition. Two things a roofer should still weigh. First, Fremont also adopts the 2018 International Existing Building Code in full, with its local amendments at Section 9-602 reading "Reserved," and that code carries its own reroofing provisions, which are not restated here. Second, deleting the rule does not delete the manufacturer's instructions or the fire and wind listings a covering is approved under. Ask the building official which code he is applying to a recover before bidding one.
Deck & sheathing requirements
Fremont states no deck or sheathing rule of its own for roofs. Its local amendments to the adopted 2018 International Residential Code (Fremont Municipal Code Section 9-402, items (a) through (z), read in full) touch permit and administrative sections, the climate table, fire separation, egress-door landings, automatic sprinklers, footings and foundation drains, and Section R908 Reroofing, which they make "Reserved." They do not touch IRC Chapter 8, Roof-Ceiling Construction, and they do not touch any section of Chapter 9 except R908. So the base 2018 IRC provisions govern the deck a covering is fastened to, including the roof-sheathing requirements in Chapter 8 and the deck requirement for asphalt shingles at Section R905.2.1; read those sections for the spans, thicknesses and fastening. Fremont's amended Table R301.2(1) supplies the loads those sections are applied against, including a 25 pound-per-square-foot ground snow load and a wind design speed printed as "115 (55) EXPC."

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The permitting authority for the City of Fremont, Nebraska, in Dodge County. The Department of Building Safety issues building and trade permits and performs inspections inside the city and throughout Fremont's two-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction, so a roof outside the city limits can still be Fremont's permit. The unusual thing about Fremont is what its code leaves out: the City adopted the 2018 International Residential Code and then struck Section R908, Reroofing, in its entirety, so the residential code as it applies in Fremont carries no roof-recover or layer restriction of its own.

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Roofing questions — Fremont, NE

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Fremont, NE?

Required. Fremont publishes no dollar-value, roof-area or layer threshold below which roof work escapes a permit. The Department of Building Safety's own permit FAQ answers "When is a Building Permit required?" with "All construction, alteration or repair of buildings in the City of Fremont, or within the City's 2-mile jurisdiction requires a permit," and adds that "A contractor can obtain the permit for the work; but it is the property owner's responsibility to be certain that all construction has a permit." The same FAQ's complete answer to "What type of projects do NOT require permits?" reads: "Painting, wallpapering and carpeting do not require permits. Additionally, sidewalks NOT in the City right-of-way do not require permits." Roof work is not among them. The City's local amendments to IRC Section R105.2, Work exempt from permit, rewrite building exemptions 1, 2, 6, 7 and 10 (sheds not over 80 square feet, fences not over 30 inches, "Painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, counter tops and similar finish work," prefabricated pools less than 18 inches deep, and small detached decks) and strike the electrical, gas and mechanical exemptions outright; none of them reaches roof-covering work. On the fee side, the codified Fee Schedule puts roofs in the valuation-based band rather than the flat-fee list, starting at the "$1.00 to $1,600.00" valuation tier, so there is no minimum job size that falls outside the schedule.

Is ice & water shield required in Fremont, NE?

Required — Fremont fills in the ice-barrier column of its own climate table. Fremont Municipal Code Section 9-402(h) amends "Table R301.2(1) Climatic And Geographic Design Criteria" and prints "Ice Barrier Underlayment Required" as "Yes." The table reproduces the model footnote h that governs that column: "In accordance with Sections R905.1.2, R905.4.3.1, R905.5.3.1, R905.6.3.1, R905.7.3.1 and R905.8.3.1, where there has been a history of local damage from the effects of ice damming, the jurisdiction shall fill in this part of the table with 'YES.'" Fremont's amendment list does not touch R905.1.2 or any other section of IRC Chapter 9 except R908, so the base 2018 IRC ice-barrier provisions apply unmodified; read R905.1.2 and the covering-specific sections named in footnote h for the required extent and materials..

Is drip edge required?

Required — BASE-CODE GOVERNED, AND FREMONT DOES NOT AMEND IT. Fremont adopts the 2018 International Residential Code, Chapters 1-10, and its complete local amendment list at Fremont Municipal Code Section 9-402, items (a) through (z), does not add, amend or delete any section of IRC Chapter 9 other than Section R908, Reroofing. The base 2018 IRC drip-edge provision for shingle roofs, Section R905.2.8.5, therefore applies in Fremont unmodified; read that section for the required overlap, the extension below the roof sheathing and back onto the deck, and the fastener spacing..

What building code does Fremont, NE use?

Fremont Municipal Code Chapter 9, Building Regulations, Section 9-101 adopts "International Residential Code (IRC) - 2018 Edition: Chapters 1-10, Chapters 43-44; and Appendices E, F, H, and I," alongside the 2018 International Building Code (Chapters 1-26 and 30-35, Appendices C, G, I and J), the 2018 International Fire Code, the 2023 National Electrical Code, the 2018 International Existing Building Code, the 2018 Uniform Mechanical Code, the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code, the 2018 International Fuel Gas Code, the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code and the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code. IRC Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies, is inside the adoption. The current adoption and its local amendments are carried by Ordinance No. 5579, Section 1, adopted July 27, 2021, and Ordinance No. 5687, Section 1 (Attachment A), adopted July 30, 2024; the City's own Building Codes page describes the original enactment as Ordinance No. 5456, July 31, 2018. The City's own Residential/Commercial Building Permit Application, revised April 17, 2026, prints the same list and names "Local Amendments- Fremont Ordinance 5579, (adopted 7-27-2021)". The local amendments to the Residential Code sit at Fremont Municipal Code Section 9-402. Nebraska sets an edition floor rather than a content floor: Neb. Rev. Stat. 71-6406(3)(a) provides that a local code does not conform generally with the state building code if it "[i]ncludes a prior edition" of a component of that code, while 71-6406(2)(a) lets a city amend, modify or delete any portion of it.