Lucas County, Ohio - Building Regulations Department

Lucas County, Ohio

county

Toledo, OH

Residential Code of Ohio, Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 4101:8, effective July 1, 2019. Ohio adopts its residential code as a statewide administrative rule rather than leaving the edition to each jurisdiction: the Ohio Board of Building Standards promulgates it under Ohio Revised Code section 3781.10 and it governs one, two and three family dwellings throughout the state. Roof assemblies are Chapter 4101:8-9-01, and its section numbers carry no "R" prefix, so the reroofing rule is section 908 and the asphalt shingle rules are section 905. Ohio law does permit a local authority to add to the state code where the addition does not conflict: Ohio Revised Code section 3781.01(B) provides that the state residential building code "does not prevent a local governing authority from adopting additional regulations governing residential structures that do not conflict with the state residential building code," subject to a Board of Building Standards conflict review. Lucas County states the residential edition itself rather than leaving it to the state rule, which is the strongest form of confirmation available: "All residential one, two, and three family dwellings, and all detached accessory structures shall be constructed in accordance with the requirements of the Residential Code of Ohio, 2019 edition, as referenced in the Lucas County Building Code." Its commercial track is separate and later, the Ohio Building Code 2024 edition, which is worth keeping straight because it does not govern a house. Plumbing and mechanical are the Ohio Plumbing Code and Ohio Mechanical Code 2024 editions. No county roofing amendment is published in that code list.

Not required — Ohio does not prescribe a drip edge, which is a real departure from the model code the rest of the state code follows. The International Residential Code sets a drip edge requirement at R905.2.8.5 with dimensions, an overlap and a fastening schedule. Ohio replaced that text entirely, and the whole of Residential Code of Ohio section 905.2.8.5 now reads: "Drip edge. Refer to Sections 903.1 and 905.1." Neither of those sections carries drip edge language of its own; what they do is make the manufacturer's instructions binding. Section 903.1 requires roof assemblies to "be designed and installed in accordance with this code and the approved manufacturer's instructions," and section 905.1 that "Roof coverings shall be applied in accordance with the applicable provisions of this section and the manufacturer's installation instructions." So the state code imposes no drip edge of its own, while the shingle manufacturer's published installation instructions do carry code force, and most asphalt shingle instructions require one. Omitting a drip edge against those instructions remains a violation in Ohio, by way of 903.1 and 905.1 rather than by way of a drip edge section. About drip edge

Required — Required, and required across the whole state rather than in a mapped zone. Residential Code of Ohio section 905.1.2 conditions the ice barrier on a local history of ice damming "as designated in Table 301.2(1)", and Ohio's own Table 301.2(1) makes that designation statewide: the ICE BARRIER UNDERLAYMENT REQUIRED column reads "Yes", and note h to the table states that "all jurisdictions in Ohio have a history of local damage from the effects of ice damming." There is therefore no per-city determination to look up. The barrier "shall consist of not fewer than two layers of underlayment cemented together, or a self-adhering polymer-modified bitumen sheet shall be used in place of normal underlayment and extend from the lowest edges of all roof surfaces to a point not less than 24 inches (610 mm) inside the exterior wall line of the building," measured along the slope from where the projected outside face of the wall meets the deck. On roofs of 8:12 or steeper it "shall also be applied not less than 36 inches (914 mm) measured along the roof slope from the eave edge." One exception travels with it: "Detached accessory structures and roof assemblies terminating at a vertical wall over unconditioned floor areas." It applies to asphalt shingles, metal roof shingles, mineral surfaced roll roofing, slate and slate-type shingles, wood shingles and wood shakes. About ice & water barrier

Not required

115 mph ultimate design wind speed under the state table, which Lucas County publishes in its own terms as 90 mph. THESE ARE THE SAME LOADING IN TWO DIFFERENT BASES and must not be read as a conflict or averaged. The county's own Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria sheet, issued for Section R301 and "to be used in Table R301.2 (1)", states "WIND SPEED: 90 miles per hour 3-second gust." That is a nominal or allowable-stress-design speed; the state's Table 301.2(1) figure of 115 is an ultimate design wind speed, and the two convert into one another almost exactly at 115 times the square root of 0.6, which is 89.1. Use whichever basis the calculation or the product listing calls for, and never apply a 115 mph ultimate figure to a method expecting the nominal one. The same county sheet fills in the columns the state leaves to the jurisdiction: GROUND SNOW LOAD 20 pounds per square foot, SEISMIC DESIGN CATEGORY A or B, weathering severe, FROST LINE DEPTH thirty-six inches minimum below finish grade, termites moderate to heavy, winter design temperature 1 degree F on 6,494 heating degree days, AIR FREEZING INDEX 1,500 degree days below 32 F, and MEAN ANNUAL TEMPERATURE 50 F. Its ICE SHIELD UNDERLAYMENT REQUIRED entry reads "Yes", agreeing with the state. For the shingles themselves, section 905.2.4 sets wind resistance by ASTM D7158, with an exception that "Asphalt shingles not included in the scope of ASTM D7158 shall be tested and labeled in accordance with ASTM D3161." Both are wind standards; neither speaks to impact.

Two total layers. The default is a full tear off and a recover over one existing layer is the exception; a recover over two or more layers is not allowed. Residential Code of Ohio section 908.3, Roof replacement: "Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck," with an exception permitting an existing ice barrier membrane adhered to the deck to stay and be covered with an additional layer of ice barrier membrane. Section 908.3.1 then permits a recover in four listed situations, the first being where the new covering is installed in accordance with the roof covering manufacturer's approved instructions. Section 908.3.1.1, Roof recover not allowed, sets the bar: "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." Ohio's rule has three conditions and none is a hail exposure condition, so unlike the older model code editions still in force in some states there is no case here in which a single existing layer must come off on hail grounds alone. Under section 908.5 aggregate surfacing "shall not be reinstalled," and existing flashings, edgings, outlets and vents "shall be replaced where rusted, damaged or deteriorated."

Solid sheathing is required under asphalt shingles. Residential Code of Ohio section 905.2.1, Sheathing requirements: "Asphalt shingles shall be fastened to solidly sheathed decks." Ohio states this without the plank-width alternative some states write in, so spaced or skip sheathing will not carry an asphalt shingle roof here. Section 908.2 additionally requires that the structural roof components "be capable of supporting the roof covering system and the material and equipment loads that will be encountered during installation," and section 908.3.1.1 bars a recover over a deck that will not serve as a base, which is the provision that catches deteriorated sheathing found once the old covering is off.

7.75% combined, which is the Ohio state rate of 5.75% plus a Lucas County rate of 2.00%. Ohio levies its local sales tax at the county level and has no separate municipal add-on, so the same 7.75% applies throughout Lucas County and there is no city or village component to add. Read from the Ohio Department of Taxation's own Sales and Use Tax Rates by County table, county code 48. That published table is the one effective October 1, 2026, and it marks a changed county with an asterisk against the county name; Lucas carries no asterisk and Warren is the only Ohio county that changes on that date, so 7.75% is also the rate in force now.