Permitting Authorities / City of Raleigh - Planning and Development (Development Services)
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Raleigh, NC?
Adopted code
City of Raleigh - Planning and Development (Development Services)
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Raleigh, NC, issued by City of Raleigh - Planning and Development (Development Services). The City of Raleigh and North Carolina statute answer the reroof permit question differently. The City's How to Get a Residential Permit page (updated July 13, 2026) says "Projects listed below require a permit but do not require plans" and lists "roofing" under Alterations + Repairs: "Please apply for a Residential Building Alteration/Repair permit (to include any additional Plumbing, Mechanical and/or Electrical work as part of your scope) via the Permit Portal." G.S. 143-138(b5) provides: "No permit shall be required under the Code or any local variance thereof approved under subsection (e) for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration performed in accordance with the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code and costing forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or less in any single family residence, farm building, or commercial building unless the work involves any of the following: (1) The addition, repair, or replacement of load bearing structures. ... (4) The use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina State Building Code. (5) The addition (excluding replacement) of roofing." G.S. 160D-1110(c) says the same. North Carolina's amended R908.3 reads: "Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." This record does not decide whether the City's listing is lawful under the statute. In practice, the City's permit office expects a Residential Building Alteration/Repair permit for roofing, filed through the Permit and Development Portal (permitportal.raleighnc.gov); no plans are required. All contractor information must be entered in the portal, and a homeowner acting as contractor files the City's Owner Exemption Affidavit. Homes in a Historic District or designated as a Raleigh Historic Landmark need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Raleigh Historic Development Commission, and that approval "may be required prior to submitting your permit application." The cost of guessing wrong, under UDO Sec. 11.4.8: "Any person who performs work without a permit when a permit is required shall be subject to an administrative fee equal to the amount of the fee specified for the work," with a civil penalty of $100.00 per trade for a second violation in 12 months and $500.00 per trade for a third or later one. Permit Helpline 919-996-2500.
Roof code checklist: Raleigh, NC
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 Raleigh, North Carolina
Address
One Exchange Plaza, Suite 400, Raleigh, NC 27601
Roofing permit required
Required
Registration details
- state_level: North Carolina's general contractor licence reaches a job whose cost is $40,000 or more: G.S. 87-1(a) defines a general contractor as one who undertakes "the construction of any building, highway, public utilities, grading or any improvement or structure where the cost of the undertaking is forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or more". Roofing is a specialty classification of that licence, S(Roofing), which under 21 NCAC 12A .0202 "covers the installation, demolition, and repair of roofs and decks on residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional structures". G.S. 87-1(b)(2) excepts an owner who "constructs or alters a building on land owned by that person" where the building is "intended solely for occupancy by that person and his family" and the owner complies with G.S. 87-14. Whether a given reroof reaches the $40,000 line depends on its price; this record does not decide it.
- city_level: The City of Raleigh issues no roofing licence of its own; UDO Sec. 11.3.1, Registration of Contractors, carries no text. The City requires that "All contractor information (General contractor and sub-contractors) must be entered into the portal when submitting the project," and its Residential Permit Application states that "Contractors or contractor companies must be registered in the Permit and Development Portal before managing a project, paying fees, or scheduling inspections," with an NC License number field for each contractor. A homeowner acting as the contractor files the City's Owner Exemption Affidavit, which claims exemption from licensure under G.S. 87-1(b)(2) and states that a copy "will be transmitted to the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors for verification".
Permit process note
The City of Raleigh and North Carolina statute answer the reroof permit question differently. The City's How to Get a Residential Permit page (updated July 13, 2026) says "Projects listed below require a permit but do not require plans" and lists "roofing" under Alterations + Repairs: "Please apply for a Residential Building Alteration/Repair permit (to include any additional Plumbing, Mechanical and/or Electrical work as part of your scope) via the Permit Portal." G.S. 143-138(b5) provides: "No permit shall be required under the Code or any local variance thereof approved under subsection (e) for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration performed in accordance with the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code and costing forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or less in any single family residence, farm building, or commercial building unless the work involves any of the following: (1) The addition, repair, or replacement of load bearing structures. ... (4) The use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina State Building Code. (5) The addition (excluding replacement) of roofing." G.S. 160D-1110(c) says the same. North Carolina's amended R908.3 reads: "Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." This record does not decide whether the City's listing is lawful under the statute. In practice, the City's permit office expects a Residential Building Alteration/Repair permit for roofing, filed through the Permit and Development Portal (permitportal.raleighnc.gov); no plans are required. All contractor information must be entered in the portal, and a homeowner acting as contractor files the City's Owner Exemption Affidavit. Homes in a Historic District or designated as a Raleigh Historic Landmark need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Raleigh Historic Development Commission, and that approval "may be required prior to submitting your permit application." The cost of guessing wrong, under UDO Sec. 11.4.8: "Any person who performs work without a permit when a permit is required shall be subject to an administrative fee equal to the amount of the fee specified for the work," with a civil penalty of $100.00 per trade for a second violation in 12 months and $500.00 per trade for a third or later one. Permit Helpline 919-996-2500.
Adopted code
Raleigh adopts the North Carolina State Building Code by reference in its Unified Development Ordinance, Sec. 11.1.3 Technical Codes: "The most recent Edition, including all subsequent amendments, of the North Carolina Residential Code, as adopted by the North Carolina State Building Code Council, is hereby adopted by reference as fully as though set forth here." The 2018 North Carolina Residential Code is the edition in force; the 2024 edition has been adopted but has no effective date. The North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors' code update of June 1, 2026 says of that date: "The earliest possible date is May 1, 2027, but that has not been set and may be further delayed." The City's own residential code page for accessory dwelling units (updated July 14, 2026) is headed "Based on the 2018 NC Residential Building Code." Raleigh's building chapter, UDO Chapter 11 (Articles 11.1 through 11.9), adds no amendment to the residential code's roofing provisions; its only roof text is the minimum housing code's maintenance standard at Sec. 11.6.3.C.7 (Roofs), quoted under the layer limit. Sec. 11.1.4 adds: "Where the provisions of this UDO conflict with any of the technical codes listed above, the more restrictive provisions shall apply." North Carolina's own amendments delete the model code's drip-edge rule: "R905.2.8.5 Drip Edge. Deleted. Not required unless required by the roof covering manufacturer installation instructions."
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Raleigh adopts the North Carolina Residential Code by reference (UDO Sec. 11.1.3), and neither its building chapter (UDO Chapter 11, including the minimum housing code's roof standards) nor North Carolina's approved amendments to the 2018 North Carolina Residential Code contain a UL 2218 or Class 4 impact-resistance requirement for roof coverings.
Repair permit threshold
North Carolina statute: "No permit issued under Article 9 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration costing forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or less and performed in accordance with the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code in any single-family residence, farm building, or commercial building unless the work involves any of the following: (1) The addition, repair, or replacement of load-bearing structures. ... (4) The use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina State Building Code. (5) The addition of roofing, excluding replacement." (G.S. 160D-1110(c).) G.S. 143-138(b5) states the same exclusion and opens: "No permit shall be required under the Code or any local variance thereof approved under subsection (e)". North Carolina's amended residential code draws the structural line for a reroof: "R908.3 Roof replacement. Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." The exclusion names single-family residences, farm buildings and commercial buildings; a duplex or other multi-family building is not among them. The City of Raleigh nonetheless lists roofing as permit work: its How to Get a Residential Permit page (updated July 13, 2026), written for "single-family homes, one- and two-family dwellings, and townhomes," says "Projects listed below require a permit but do not require plans" and lists "roofing" under Alterations + Repairs, with the instruction "Please apply for a Residential Building Alteration/Repair permit (to include any additional Plumbing, Mechanical and/or Electrical work as part of your scope) via the Permit Portal." The City's page does not mention the $40,000 line. This record does not decide whether the City's listing or the statute prevails for a single-family reroof costing $40,000 or less; a reroof over $40,000, one that replaces load-bearing structure or more than 15% of the deck, or one on a duplex or multi-family building is outside the statutory exclusion.
Roof layer limit / recover
Raleigh's minimum housing code, UDO Sec. 11.6.3.C.7 (Roofs), item (i): "New roof coverings shall not be installed without first removing existing roof covering where any of the following conditions exist: (i) 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; (ii) The existing roof covering is wood shake, slate, clay tile, cement tile or asbestos-cement tile; or (iii) The existing roof has 2 or more applications of any type of roof covering." North Carolina amends the reroofing section of its residential code; its R908.3 reads: "Roof replacement. Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." This record states both texts rather than a single layer count.
Deck & sheathing requirements
North Carolina's amended R908.3 sets the deck work that comes with a roof replacement: "Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." Raleigh's minimum housing code, UDO Sec. 11.6.3.C.7 (Roofs), adds a maintenance standard for dwellings: "Sheathing shall not be loose and shall be structurally sound." Raleigh adopts the North Carolina Residential Code by reference (UDO Sec. 11.1.3) and its building chapter, UDO Chapter 11, adds no sheathing thickness, span or fastening rule of its own, so the state code's roof sheathing provisions apply without a local amendment.
Sales & use tax
North Carolina sales tax is set by county. NCDOR's Current Sales and Use Tax Rates page, read September 26, 2026 and reflecting the July 1, 2026 changes, lists Wake County at 7.25% and Durham County at 7.5%, each the total of the "4.75% state rate plus applicable local and transit rates" and each including the 0.50% transit tax. An address in the Wake County part of Raleigh takes 7.25%; an address in the Durham County part takes 7.5%. Replacement and repair are taxed differently. NCDOR's Services to Real Property Taxability Chart lists "Complete replacement of roofing systems" as a Capital Improvement and "Repair, maintain, or partially replace all types of roofing systems" as Taxable. On a capital improvement (a real property contract) NCDOR says "The real property contractor is the consumer of the item that the real property contractor purchases, installs, or applies for others to fulfill a real property contract": the roofer pays the tax on materials when buying them and does not add sales tax to the homeowner's bill. The chart adds that the substantiation requirements of G.S. 105-164.4H(a1) "must be met for items listed as a capital improvement to qualify as a capital improvement." A repair is a repair, maintenance and installation service, and NCDOR says its sales price or gross receipts are subject to the "general state, applicable local, and applicable transit rates of sales and use tax", so on a repair or partial replacement the roofer charges the homeowner the combined county rate above.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in North Carolina
Related guides
The City of Raleigh's Planning and Development Department issues building and trade permits and performs inspections for residential projects inside the city limits and its extraterritorial jurisdiction. Residential applications are filed through the City's Permit and Development Portal or by email to the Customer Service Center.
Hail reports near Raleigh, NC
- Reports, last 24 months
- 9
- Largest, last 24 months
- 1.50 in Apr 22, 2025
- Most recent
- Jul 8, 2026 1.25 in
- Reports, last 5 years
- 13
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 Raleigh, NC (Census point). Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.
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