The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / Illinois / City of Lake Forest Community Development Department

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

Adopted code

City of Lake Forest Community Development Department

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Lake Forest, IL, issued by City of Lake Forest Community Development Department. The City's Building Permits page says "Most home improvement projects require a permit before work begins" and lists a "Roof Permit" among its Residential Permit Applications. That link opens the City's Building Permit Application, which lists "Roof" under Scope of Work and has a "Roofing Project Information" section with the choices "Tear-off and Reroof" and "Reroof over existing roof (2 total layers permitted by Code)," and asks "Is any hot work (torching) proposed?," the "Number of Squares of Roofing Material Applied," the existing and proposed material, and "the fair market value of the project including all materials, labor and professional fees." Its roofing contractor block asks for a "LICENSE #" "ISSUED BY STATE OF ILLINOIS." The page says applicants "are encouraged to submit permit applications" online via the City's Web Portal, and that fees can be paid "by credit card (a 2.95% fee is assessed for credit card transactions)." The City's Quick Tips sheet says "a final inspection is required" and "cash bonds are often required at the beginning of a project." The page also links a separate "Roofing Process for Historic District Homes and Local Landmarks," which this listing did not read.

Roof code checklist: Lake Forest, IL

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofYescityoflakeforest.com2026-10-17
Repair permit thresholdNot published
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedFillable_Permit_Application_-_1.3...2026-10-17
Deck & sheathingNot published
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNot published
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNot published
Wind design criteriaNot published
Adopted codePublishedcityoflakeforest.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 Lake Forest, Illinois
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
800 Field Drive, Lake Forest, IL 60045
Contact
  • url: https://www.cityoflakeforest.com/departments/community_development/index.php
  • phone: 847-810-3504
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.
Permit process note
The City's Building Permits page says "Most home improvement projects require a permit before work begins" and lists a "Roof Permit" among its Residential Permit Applications. That link opens the City's Building Permit Application, which lists "Roof" under Scope of Work and has a "Roofing Project Information" section with the choices "Tear-off and Reroof" and "Reroof over existing roof (2 total layers permitted by Code)," and asks "Is any hot work (torching) proposed?," the "Number of Squares of Roofing Material Applied," the existing and proposed material, and "the fair market value of the project including all materials, labor and professional fees." Its roofing contractor block asks for a "LICENSE #" "ISSUED BY STATE OF ILLINOIS." The page says applicants "are encouraged to submit permit applications" online via the City's Web Portal, and that fees can be paid "by credit card (a 2.95% fee is assessed for credit card transactions)." The City's Quick Tips sheet says "a final inspection is required" and "cash bonds are often required at the beginning of a project." The page also links a separate "Roofing Process for Historic District Homes and Local Landmarks," which this listing did not read.
Adopted code
THE 2021 INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE, AS MODIFIED BY CHAPTER 150 OF THE CITY CODE, PER THE CITY'S OWN BUILDING CODE PAGE. The page says "The following National and State Codes, as modified by Chapter 150, Buildings, of the City of Lake Forest Code, are adopted," and lists the "International Residential Code for One/Two Family Dwelling, 2021 Edition" and the "International Building Code, 2021 Edition (Commercial Construction)." The amendments are codified in Chapter 150 of the City Code, which this record did not read, so it does not state whether the City has amended the IRC's roof provisions.
Roof layer limit / recover
The City's Building Permit Application offers, as a roofing choice, "Reroof over existing roof (2 total layers permitted by Code)." The City Code text behind that statement was not read for this listing.
Sales & use tax
Illinois taxes the roofer, not the job, and the operative rate is not keyed to the Lake Forest 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 Lake Forest, Illinois, in Lake County, are handled by the City's Community Development Department at the Municipal Services Building, 800 Field Drive. The Illinois Capital Development Board says "The State has not adopted a building code for repairs to existing single family residences," so Lake Forest's roofing rules are its own: the City's Building Code page lists the 2021 International Residential Code, as modified by Chapter 150 of the City Code. The City publishes a Roof Permit application whose roofing section covers a tear-off and reroof; 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 Lake Forest, 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).

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Sources

Roofing questions: Lake Forest, IL

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

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

Can you roof over an existing roof in Lake Forest, IL?

The City's Building Permit Application offers, as a roofing choice, "Reroof over existing roof (2 total layers permitted by Code)." The City Code text behind that statement was not read for this listing.

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

Yes.

What building code does Lake Forest, IL use?

THE 2021 INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE, AS MODIFIED BY CHAPTER 150 OF THE CITY CODE, PER THE CITY'S OWN BUILDING CODE PAGE. The page says "The following National and State Codes, as modified by Chapter 150, Buildings, of the City of Lake Forest Code, are adopted," and lists the "International Residential Code for One/Two Family Dwelling, 2021 Edition" and the "International Building Code, 2021 Edition (Commercial Construction)." The amendments are codified in Chapter 150 of the City Code, which this record did not read, so it does not state whether the City has amended the IRC's roof provisions.