Permitting Authorities / City of Houston - Houston Public Works, Building Code Enforcement (Houston Permitting Center)
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Houston, TX?
Adopted code
City of Houston - Houston Public Works, Building Code Enforcement (Houston Permitting Center)
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Houston, TX, issued by City of Houston - Houston Public Works, Building Code Enforcement (Houston Permitting Center). Houston issues a dedicated Residential Roofing Permit (HPWCODE1140), a "Permit for a re-roof or roofing overlay for a residence structure." Roof covering work up to an aggregate of 100 square feet is exempt; anything larger needs this permit. The applicant files a Building Permit Application (Form CE-1263), the deed-restriction Declaration in Support of Application for City of Houston Building Permit, and either the Roofing Overlay Only form (CE-1104) or the Residential Re-Roof Only Worksheet (CE-1109), through an iPermits account at hpceservices.org, then pays online. When read on 2026-09-26 the permit page listed: Plan Review Required, Inspection Required, Valid Period 6 Months, Processing Time 10 Business Day, fee per the City fee schedule plus an admin fee of $33.56. The Houston Residential Code sets the fee for repair, alterations or remodeling of one- and two-family dwellings at "20% of the calculated fee for new construction" based on square footage. "Permit and worksheet are required to be on-site for the inspection." Starting work first costs extra: "Any person who commences work requiring a permit on a building, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing system before obtaining the necessary permits shall be subject to a fee established by the applicable governing authority equal to the amount of the permit fee and applicable minimum investigation fees required by the Building Code that shall be in addition to the required permit fees" (Houston R108.6). After a declared local disaster, City Code Sec. 10-5 (Ord. No. 2026-0709, August 12, 2026) lets the City suspend permit fees for storm-repair work, but "Nothing in this section eliminates the requirement to obtain permits and associated plan review approvals, or to request and pass required inspections for work regulated by the Construction Code or other applicable laws." Inspections are scheduled through the IVR at 713-222-9922 or Structural Inspections at 832-394-8840.
Roof code checklist: Houston, TX
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 Houston, Texas
Address
1002 Washington Ave., Houston, TX 77002
Contact
- url: https://www.houstonpermittingcenter.org/hpwcode1140
- phone: 832-394-8840
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Not required
Registration details
- state_level: Texas issues no state roofing contractor licence; the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation's own list of the programs it licenses has no roofing program (tdlr.texas.gov).
- city_level: The Houston Permitting Center's Plan Review page states, under Licensing & Registration Requirements: "A general contractor’s license is not required to obtain building permits. However, trade contractors (i.e., Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical) are required to register their license with the City of Houston. The City of Houston has a Voluntary Registration Program for roofing contractors. To register, roofing contractors must have proof of comprehensive general liability insurance in the form of a certificate or policy with minimum limits of $500,000 of death or bodily injury and $500,000 for property damage, per occurrence." The City's Residential Re-Roof Only Worksheet (Form CE-1109) asks for the contractor's registration number "(If applicable)".
Permit process note
Houston issues a dedicated Residential Roofing Permit (HPWCODE1140), a "Permit for a re-roof or roofing overlay for a residence structure." Roof covering work up to an aggregate of 100 square feet is exempt; anything larger needs this permit. The applicant files a Building Permit Application (Form CE-1263), the deed-restriction Declaration in Support of Application for City of Houston Building Permit, and either the Roofing Overlay Only form (CE-1104) or the Residential Re-Roof Only Worksheet (CE-1109), through an iPermits account at hpceservices.org, then pays online. When read on 2026-09-26 the permit page listed: Plan Review Required, Inspection Required, Valid Period 6 Months, Processing Time 10 Business Day, fee per the City fee schedule plus an admin fee of $33.56. The Houston Residential Code sets the fee for repair, alterations or remodeling of one- and two-family dwellings at "20% of the calculated fee for new construction" based on square footage. "Permit and worksheet are required to be on-site for the inspection." Starting work first costs extra: "Any person who commences work requiring a permit on a building, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing system before obtaining the necessary permits shall be subject to a fee established by the applicable governing authority equal to the amount of the permit fee and applicable minimum investigation fees required by the Building Code that shall be in addition to the required permit fees" (Houston R108.6). After a declared local disaster, City Code Sec. 10-5 (Ord. No. 2026-0709, August 12, 2026) lets the City suspend permit fees for storm-repair work, but "Nothing in this section eliminates the requirement to obtain permits and associated plan review approvals, or to request and pass required inspections for work regulated by the Construction Code or other applicable laws." Inspections are scheduled through the IVR at 713-222-9922 or Structural Inspections at 832-394-8840.
Adopted code
2021 International Residential Code with the Houston Amendments to the 2021 International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings (together the City of Houston Residential Code), adopted by Ordinance No. 2023-907, passed and approved October 25, 2023, effective January 1, 2024. The same ordinance adopts the ASCE 7 Supplement (updating the Houston Building Code and Residential Code from ASCE 7-16 to ASCE 7-22) and the 2021 International Existing Building Code with Houston amendments. The Houston Permitting Center's List of Adopted Codes (Form CE-1199, revised September 2026) lists the 2021 International Residential Code (with Houston Amendments), effective January 1, 2024, as the residential code the City currently enforces. State context: Texas Local Government Code Sec. 214.212(a) adopts "the International Residential Code, as it existed on May 1, 2012" as a municipal residential building code, and Sec. 214.212(c) and (e) let a city adopt local amendments by ordinance after a public hearing.
Drip edge
Required — Drip edge is required at the eaves and rake edges of shingle roofs under the 2021 International Residential Code, Section R905.2.8.5. Houston's amendments to the 2021 IRC (Ordinance No. 2023-907), read in full, amend Chapter 9 only at R905.7 (wood shingles and wooden shakes); they do not touch R905.2.8.5, so the code's drip-edge requirement applies in Houston unmodified.
About drip edgeIce & water shield
Not required — Houston's own Table R301.2(1), Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria, in the Houston Amendments to the 2021 IRC (Ordinance No. 2023-907), lists ice barrier underlayment required as NO for the City (same row: ground snow load 0, winter design temperature 28, air freezing index under 1500, mean annual temperature 68.2).
About ice & water barrierImpact-resistant roofing
Not required — Neither the Houston Amendments to the 2021 IRC nor the ASCE 7 Supplement, both adopted by Ordinance No. 2023-907, amends Chapter 9's impact-rating provisions; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in the City's adopted residential code or its amendments. The only Chapter 9 amendment is a fire rule at R905.7: "Wood shingles and wooden shakes shall not be used in new construction. Wood shingles or wooden shakes in existing construction shall not be replaced with other wood shingles or wooden shakes unless the replacement wood shingles or wooden shakes are fire-retardant-treated in accordance with Section R902.2 and installed in accordance with this section." The wind-borne debris entry in Houston's Table R301.2(1) concerns protection of openings, not a roof-covering impact rating.
Repair permit threshold
The City of Houston Residential Code (Houston Amendments to the 2021 IRC, Ordinance No. 2023-907) exempts from permit, at R105.2 item 6, "Minor repair and maintenance of existing structures that include:" ... "6.4. Roof covering that does not exceed an aggregate of 100 square feet (9.29 m2)." Roof covering work above an aggregate of 100 square feet, which includes every full reroof or overlay, needs a permit. The same code's ordinary repairs clause, R105.2.2, relieves "ordinary repairs to structures" and "any item listed in Section 105.2" from application or notice. The Houston Permitting Center's Plan Review page repeats the exemption as "(4) Roof covering that does not exceed an aggregate of 100 square feet" and says of larger jobs: "To obtain a permit for re-roof or roof repairs, plans are not required. This does not include the replacement of rafters and/or joists."
Wind design criteria
Houston's Table R301.2(1), Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria, in the Houston Amendments to the 2021 IRC (Ordinance No. 2023-907, effective January 1, 2024): Ground snow load 0; Wind design speed "See Footnote n"; Topographic effects NO; Special wind region NO; Wind-borne debris zone "Zone 1 or 2"; Seismic design category A; Weathering Negligible; Frost line depth 6 inches; Termite Very heavy; Winter design temp 28; Ice barrier underlayment required NO; Flood hazards Reference Ch. 19 of City Code; Air freezing index under 1500; Mean annual temp 68.2. Footnote n: "Ultimate Design Windspeed shall be determined by entering the physical address of the property where the building will be constructed into the ASCE 7 Windspeed. Website: http://asce7hazardtool.online. Buildings shall be considered Risk Category II. A copy of the windspeed printout from the website shall be attached to the plans for verification." Houston has no single citywide design wind speed; it is looked up by address. The same ordinance adopted an ASCE 7 Supplement moving the Houston Building Code and Residential Code from ASCE 7-16 to ASCE 7-22 wind maps and the ASCE Wind Design Geodatabase. Houston's R301.2.1.1 adds "Appendix L—Conventional Light-Frame Wood Construction for High-wind Areas" to the design methods allowed where wind design is required.
Roof layer limit / recover
Houston's amendments to the 2021 IRC (Ordinance No. 2023-907), read in full, do not amend the IRC's reroofing section, R908, so the 2021 IRC's recover limits at Section R908.3.1.1 (Roof recover not allowed) apply unmodified: "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." (codes.iccsafe.org/content/IRC2021P1/chapter-9-roof-assemblies). Houston's own permit forms add their own conditions. The Roofing Overlay Only form (CE-1104, revised October 9, 2019), signed by the owner or property manager, requests an overlay permit on the statement that "THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS WERE SATISFIED IN A PRELIMINARY INSPECTION", including "1) All roof deck materials are structurally sound.", "2) The roof structure is sufficient to sustain the weight of the additional dead load of the new roofing materials." and "3) The existing roofing is securely attached to the existing roof deck." The Residential Re-Roof Only Worksheet (CE-1109) commits that "1) Existing roof covering and felt materials will be completely removed and disposed of properly." Neither form states a maximum number of layers.
Deck & sheathing requirements
Houston's amendments to the 2021 IRC (Ordinance No. 2023-907), read in full, make no amendment to Chapter 8 (roof-ceiling construction, including roof sheathing) and amend Chapter 9 only at R905.7 (wood shingles and shakes), so the 2021 IRC's roof sheathing and roof deck provisions (Section R803 and the deck requirements of Section R905) apply unmodified. Houston's own Appendix AL, Conventional Light-Frame Wood Construction for Single Family Residential Construction in High-Wind Areas (one of the design methods Houston's R301.2.1.1 allows where wind design is required), sets at AL104.1: "Solid roof sheathing shall be nailed to roof framing in an approved manner and shall consist of a minimum 1 inch thick (25.4 mm) nominal lumber applied diagonally or a minimum 15/32 inch thick (11.9 mm) wood structural panel or particle board (OSB) or other approved sheathing applied with the long dimension perpendicular to supporting rafters. The end joints of wood structural panels or particle board shall be staggered and shall occur over blocking, rafters, or other supports." On the reroof permit itself, the City's Residential Re-Roof Only Worksheet (Form CE-1109) "includes deck and covering but NOT rafters and/or joists" and commits the contractor that "All roof decking will be inspected; decking materials will be replaced if not structurally sound."
Sales & use tax
8.25% combined in the City of Houston (Texas Comptroller local sales tax rate file, July 2026 quarter): 6.25% state + 1.00% City of Houston + 1.00% Houston MTA (transit authority) on the main Harris County row. In some parts of the city a special-purpose district (an emergency services district or a Fort Bend County assistance district) levies the other 1.00% instead of the transit authority; every City of Houston row in the file totals 8.25%, the Texas local-rate cap. 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
More roof permit pages in Texas
Related guides
The permitting authority for the City of Houston. Houston Public Works' Building Code Enforcement branch, working out of the Houston Permitting Center, issues residential building permits, including a dedicated Residential Roofing Permit for a re-roof or roofing overlay, and enforces the City of Houston Construction Code.
Hail reports near Houston, TX
- Reports, last 24 months
- 1
- Largest, last 24 months
- 1.25 in Aug 18, 2025
- Most recent
- Aug 18, 2025 1.25 in
- Reports, last 5 years
- 16
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 Houston, TX (Census point). Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.
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