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Permitting Authorities / City of Rochester, Minnesota - Building Safety Division

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Rochester, MN?

Adopted code

City of Rochester, Minnesota - Building Safety Division

Yes — a permit is required to replace a roof in Rochester, MN, issued by City of Rochester, Minnesota - Building Safety Division. Effective May 1, 2025, Rochester requires a building permit and inspections for all residential re-roofing projects (previously already required for commercial and multi-family properties). Applications are submitted online through Accela Citizen Access. The Re-Roofing Project permit uses a "Simplified roof" plan review and a fixed permit fee, with three required inspections: roof sheathing, underlayment, and final. Homeowners may perform their own reroofing work without a license or registration; a contractor performing the work must hold a state-issued license or registration, and "license and registration status will be verified at the time of permit submittal." The City of Rochester Code of Ordinances Chapter 4-1 separately requires Residential Building Contractors to be licensed with the State of Minnesota.

Jurisdiction
City of Rochester, Minnesota
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
201 4th Street SE, Rochester, MN 55904
Contact
  • url: https://www.rochestermn.gov/business-development/building-renovating/building-permits/
  • phone: 507-328-2600
Permit portal
Permit portal
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
  • license: Minnesota has a statewide mandatory Residential Roofer (RR) license, per Minn. Stat. § 326B.805, subdivision 1: "A person who meets the definition of a residential roofer as defined in section 326B.802, subdivision 14, must be licensed by the commissioner as a residential roofer, residential building contractor, or residential remodeler," enforced statewide with a $15,000 gross-annual-receipts exemption threshold (subd. 6, clause (5)) requiring an affirmative certificate of exemption from the commissioner. Administered by MN DLI, not the City of Rochester. Rochester's own Building Permits page states directly: "Does a contractor performing work require a State license or registration? Yes" and "Roofing contractors must have a state-issued roofing contractor license," while "Homeowners are not required to hold a state license and registration to perform these tasks" and "License and registration status will be verified at the time of permit submittal." Rochester's separate Trade & Contractor Licenses page lists only HVAC, sewer and drain, sign, sidewalk, and tree-care trades as requiring a city-issued trade license -- roofing/building contractors are not among them, consistent with Rochester imposing no additional city-level roofing-contractor registration on top of the state RR license.
Permit process note
Effective May 1, 2025, Rochester requires a building permit and inspections for all residential re-roofing projects (previously already required for commercial and multi-family properties). Applications are submitted online through Accela Citizen Access. The Re-Roofing Project permit uses a "Simplified roof" plan review and a fixed permit fee, with three required inspections: roof sheathing, underlayment, and final. Homeowners may perform their own reroofing work without a license or registration; a contractor performing the work must hold a state-issued license or registration, and "license and registration status will be verified at the time of permit submittal." The City of Rochester Code of Ordinances Chapter 4-1 separately requires Residential Building Contractors to be licensed with the State of Minnesota.
Inspection requirements
Inspections are scheduled through Accela Citizen Access, by phone at 507-328-2600 during office hours, by email to [email protected], or in person at 4001 W River Parkway, Rochester, MN 55901, per Rochester's Building Inspections page. For a residential re-roofing permit specifically, Rochester's Building Permits page lists three required inspections in this order: "Roof sheathing," "Underlayment," and "Final."
Adopted code
STATE-GOVERNED, NOT CITY-SET. The City of Rochester Code of Ordinances, Chapter 4-1 (Building Code), Sec. 4-1-1, read in full, states: "(a) The state building code is applicable within the city. (b) The state building code and the provisions of this chapter shall be known and may be cited as the 'building code.'" Rochester's own ordinance names no independently-chosen code edition; it adopts whatever edition of the Minnesota State Building Code is currently in force. That code is Minn. Rules ch. 1309, the "Minnesota Residential Code," which under Minn. R. 1309.0010, subpart 1 incorporates by reference "the 2018 edition of the International Residential Code," "except as qualified by the applicable provisions in Minnesota Rules, chapter 1300, and as amended in this chapter." Under Minn. Stat. § 326B.121, subd. 1(a)-(b), "the State Building Code is the standard that applies statewide" and "supersedes the building code of any municipality," and subd. 2(c) bars a municipality from requiring building code provisions "different from any provision of the State Building Code." Chapter 4-1 of Rochester's own code (Sec. 4-1-1 through 4-1-4, read in full) contains no independent roof-related amendment; its remaining sections address re-inspection fees, sidewalk/grading conditions on new-building permits, and the city's building/plan-review fee schedule -- administrative matters only.
Drip edge
Not required — STATE-GOVERNED, NOT CITY-SET -- applies identically in Rochester as everywhere else in Minnesota, because Rochester adopts the Minnesota State Building Code without local amendment (see adopted_code). Minnesota Rules part 1309.0905, subpart 2 states in full: "IRC section R905.2.8.5. Section R905.2.8.5 is deleted in its entirety" -- the base IRC drip-edge provision has no force anywhere in Minnesota, including Rochester. Rochester has no authority to reinstate a drip-edge requirement beyond this state baseline (Minn. Stat. § 326B.121, subd. 2(c)). About drip edge
Ice & water shield
Required — STATE-GOVERNED, NOT CITY-SET -- applies identically in Rochester as everywhere else in Minnesota, because Rochester adopts the Minnesota State Building Code without local amendment (see adopted_code). Minnesota Rules part 1309.0301, subpart 2 amends IRC Table R301.2(1) to pre-fill "ICE BARRIER UNDERLAYMENT REQUIRED[h] ... Yes" for the entire state; footnote h cross-references IRC Sections R905.1.2, R905.2.7, R905.4.3.1, R905.5.3.1, R905.6.3.1, R905.7.3.1 and R905.8.3.1 for the applicable ice-barrier standard. Rochester has no authority to opt out of this (Minn. Stat. § 326B.121, subd. 2(c)). GARAGE NUANCE: because this is a state-level pre-filled table entry, no Rochester-specific garage exemption has been read this session; confirm garage-specific applicability with Building Safety before relying on any blanket exemption. About ice & water barrier
Mid-roof inspection
Required — The city's Building Permits page lists, under "Re-Roofing Project," "Inspections Required: Roof sheathing, Underlayment, Final" -- two interim inspections (roof sheathing and underlayment) occur before the final inspection, in addition to the final.
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Minn. Stat. § 326B.121, subd. 1(a)-(b) makes the State Building Code the standard that applies statewide and supersedes the building code of any municipality, and subd. 2(c) bars a municipality from imposing building code provisions for a component or system that differ from the State Building Code. Minnesota Rules chapter 1309's table of parts (read in full) amends IRC Chapter 9 in exactly two places -- part 1309.0903 (kick-out flashing) and part 1309.0905 (asphalt-shingle sheathing and drip-edge deletion, above) -- neither of which addresses impact resistance, hail, UL 2218, or Class 4. No part exists amending IRC Section R902 (Fire Classification) either. Locally, the City of Rochester Code of Ordinances, Chapter 4-1 (Building Code, Sec. 4-1-1 through 4-1-4), read in full, adopts the Minnesota State Building Code by reference and sets only administrative fees, re-inspection criteria, and sidewalk/grading conditions on new-building permits -- no UL 2218, Class 4, or impact-resistance provision appears anywhere in it.
Repair permit threshold
NO MINIMUM-SIZE THRESHOLD FOUND. The city's Building Permits page states, under "Re-Roofing, Re-Siding and Window Replacement Permits": "Effective May 1, 2025, the City of Rochester will require a building permit and inspections for all residential re-roofing, re-siding and window replacement projects," and its Re-Roofing Project table answers "Building Permit Required? Yes" with no square-footage or cost carve-out stated anywhere on the page. Treat Rochester as requiring a permit for reroofing work of any size, and confirm any borderline small repair with Building Safety at 507-328-2600.
Wind design criteria
STATE-GOVERNED, NOT CITY-SET -- applies identically in Rochester as everywhere else in Minnesota, because Rochester adopts the Minnesota State Building Code without local amendment (see adopted_code). Minnesota Rules part 1309.0301, subpart 2 amends IRC Table R301.2(1) ("Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria") to read, for the Wind Design column: ultimate design wind Speed 115 mph, Topographic effects "YES," and Seismic Design Category "A" -- uniform statewide values built into the table itself, not left for local jurisdictions to fill in. The same table pre-fills "Yes" for "ICE BARRIER UNDERLAYMENT REQUIRED." Ground snow load, one of the few geographically-varying inputs on the table, is fixed by Minnesota Rules part 1303.1700 at the COUNTY level: Olmsted County (Rochester) is not listed among that rule's enumerated higher-snow-load counties, so it falls under the rule's statewide default ground snow load.
Roof layer limit / recover
STATE-GOVERNED, NOT CITY-SET; NO LOCAL OR STATE LAYER-LIMIT AMENDMENT FOUND. Minnesota Rules chapter 1309's own table of parts, read in full, lists only two parts amending IRC Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies): part 1309.0903 (Section R903, Weather Protection -- kick-out flashing) and part 1309.0905 (Section R905, Requirements for Roof Coverings -- sheathing and drip edge, above). No part numbered 1309.0908 exists, meaning base IRC Section R908 (Roof Replacement) is not amended anywhere in the Minnesota Residential Code. Rochester's own Chapter 4-1 (read in full, see adopted_code) makes no independent roof-layer amendment either -- it only adopts the state building code and sets administrative fees. Because Rochester has no authority to set a different layer limit than the state code provides (Minn. Stat. § 326B.121, subd. 2(c)), and because nobody on this project has read a Minnesota-specific numeric layer limit, no number is published here; base IRC Section R908 (as incorporated, unamended) applies in Rochester as a pointer only.
Deck & sheathing requirements
STATE-GOVERNED, NOT CITY-SET -- applies identically in Rochester as everywhere else in Minnesota, because Rochester adopts the Minnesota State Building Code without local amendment (see adopted_code). Minnesota Rules part 1309.0905, subpart 1 amends IRC Section R905.2.1 to read, in full: "R905.2.1 Sheathing requirements. Asphalt shingles shall be fastened to solidly sheathed decks or 1-inch thick nominal wood boards."
Sales & use tax
8.125% combined rate for the City of Rochester, per the Minnesota Department of Revenue's official "Local Sales and Use Tax Rate Guide" (effective 7/1/2026-9/30/2026), Olmsted County table, "Rochester, City of" row: City Rate 0.75%, County Rate (Olmsted County) 0.50%, State Rate 6.875% -- Combined Sales Tax Rate 8.125%. Rochester is outside the seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, so no Metro Area Sales and Use Tax applies here (unlike Plymouth or Bloomington).

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The permitting authority for the City of Rochester, Minnesota (Olmsted County), the county seat and largest city in southeastern Minnesota, home to the Mayo Clinic. This is the Rochester in Olmsted County, Minnesota, not Rochester, New York or Rochester, Michigan. Rochester's Building Safety Division administers the Minnesota State Building Code, which is the exclusive statewide building-code-content standard and supersedes any city building code; the city's own role is limited to permit administration, fees, and inspections.

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Roofing questions — Rochester, MN

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Rochester, MN?

Required. NO MINIMUM-SIZE THRESHOLD FOUND. The city's Building Permits page states, under "Re-Roofing, Re-Siding and Window Replacement Permits": "Effective May 1, 2025, the City of Rochester will require a building permit and inspections for all residential re-roofing, re-siding and window replacement projects," and its Re-Roofing Project table answers "Building Permit Required? Yes" with no square-footage or cost carve-out stated anywhere on the page. Treat Rochester as requiring a permit for reroofing work of any size, and confirm any borderline small repair with Building Safety at 507-328-2600.

Is ice & water shield required in Rochester, MN?

Required — STATE-GOVERNED, NOT CITY-SET -- applies identically in Rochester as everywhere else in Minnesota, because Rochester adopts the Minnesota State Building Code without local amendment (see adopted_code). Minnesota Rules part 1309.0301, subpart 2 amends IRC Table R301.2(1) to pre-fill "ICE BARRIER UNDERLAYMENT REQUIRED[h] ... Yes" for the entire state; footnote h cross-references IRC Sections R905.1.2, R905.2.7, R905.4.3.1, R905.5.3.1, R905.6.3.1, R905.7.3.1 and R905.8.3.1 for the applicable ice-barrier standard. Rochester has no authority to opt out of this (Minn. Stat. § 326B.121, subd. 2(c)). GARAGE NUANCE: because this is a state-level pre-filled table entry, no Rochester-specific garage exemption has been read this session; confirm garage-specific applicability with Building Safety before relying on any blanket exemption..

Is drip edge required?

Not required — STATE-GOVERNED, NOT CITY-SET -- applies identically in Rochester as everywhere else in Minnesota, because Rochester adopts the Minnesota State Building Code without local amendment (see adopted_code). Minnesota Rules part 1309.0905, subpart 2 states in full: "IRC section R905.2.8.5. Section R905.2.8.5 is deleted in its entirety" -- the base IRC drip-edge provision has no force anywhere in Minnesota, including Rochester. Rochester has no authority to reinstate a drip-edge requirement beyond this state baseline (Minn. Stat. § 326B.121, subd. 2(c))..

Is a mid-roof inspection required?

Required — The city's Building Permits page lists, under "Re-Roofing Project," "Inspections Required: Roof sheathing, Underlayment, Final" -- two interim inspections (roof sheathing and underlayment) occur before the final inspection, in addition to the final..

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Rochester, MN?

Required. Minnesota has a statewide mandatory Residential Roofer (RR) license, per Minn. Stat. § 326B.805, subdivision 1: "A person who meets the definition of a residential roofer as defined in section 326B.802, subdivision 14, must be licensed by the commissioner as a residential roofer, residential building contractor, or residential remodeler," enforced statewide with a $15,000 gross-annual-receipts exemption threshold (subd. 6, clause (5)) requiring an affirmative certificate of exemption from the commissioner. Administered by MN DLI, not the City of Rochester. Rochester's own Building Permits page states directly: "Does a contractor performing work require a State license or registration? Yes" and "Roofing contractors must have a state-issued roofing contractor license," while "Homeowners are not required to hold a state license and registration to perform these tasks" and "License and registration status will be verified at the time of permit submittal." Rochester's separate Trade & Contractor Licenses page lists only HVAC, sewer and drain, sign, sidewalk, and tree-care trades as requiring a city-issued trade license -- roofing/building contractors are not among them, consistent with Rochester imposing no additional city-level roofing-contractor registration on top of the state RR license..

What building code does Rochester, MN use?

STATE-GOVERNED, NOT CITY-SET. The City of Rochester Code of Ordinances, Chapter 4-1 (Building Code), Sec. 4-1-1, read in full, states: "(a) The state building code is applicable within the city. (b) The state building code and the provisions of this chapter shall be known and may be cited as the 'building code.'" Rochester's own ordinance names no independently-chosen code edition; it adopts whatever edition of the Minnesota State Building Code is currently in force. That code is Minn. Rules ch. 1309, the "Minnesota Residential Code," which under Minn. R. 1309.0010, subpart 1 incorporates by reference "the 2018 edition of the International Residential Code," "except as qualified by the applicable provisions in Minnesota Rules, chapter 1300, and as amended in this chapter." Under Minn. Stat. § 326B.121, subd. 1(a)-(b), "the State Building Code is the standard that applies statewide" and "supersedes the building code of any municipality," and subd. 2(c) bars a municipality from requiring building code provisions "different from any provision of the State Building Code." Chapter 4-1 of Rochester's own code (Sec. 4-1-1 through 4-1-4, read in full) contains no independent roof-related amendment; its remaining sections address re-inspection fees, sidewalk/grading conditions on new-building permits, and the city's building/plan-review fee schedule -- administrative matters only.