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Permitting Authorities / Illinois / City of Sterling Building and Zoning Department

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

Adopted code

City of Sterling Building and Zoning Department

Building permits in the City of Sterling, Illinois, in Whiteside County, are issued by the City's Building and Zoning Department at 212 Third Avenue. The Illinois Capital Development Board says "The State has not adopted a building code for repairs to existing single family residences," so Sterling's roofing rules are its own: the City's Building and Zoning page lists the 2021 International Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings, with local amendments, among the codes it enforces. 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.

Jurisdiction
City of Sterling, Illinois
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
212 3rd Ave, Sterling, IL 61081
Contact
  • url: https://www.sterling-il.gov/339/Building-and-Zoning
  • phone: 815-632-6624
Permit portal
Permit portal
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.
  • city_level: A CITY REGISTRATION ON TOP OF THE STATE LICENSE. The City's Contractor Registration page sets a "REGISTRATION FEE $50.00," a certificate of insurance naming "City of Sterling/Building Department" as holder, and a "$15,000 License Bond honoring the City of Sterling," and lists "Proof of Valid License Required for: Roofing."
Permit process note
The City's Building and Construction Permits page says "All building permits are issued through the Building & Zoning Department" and asks owners to call, stop by the office or write "before beginning work to ensure a smooth process." It says "Residential Roofing Permits are based on the cost of the project," and the City's 2025 permit fee schedule prices "ROOFING, SIDING- AT COST" on a sliding scale that starts at $24.00 for "Work up to $500.00." The page does not say in terms which roofing jobs need a permit, so this listing does not state a yes or no answer for a re-roof. Online building permit applications are filed through the City's Building Permit Portal.
Adopted code
THE 2021 INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE WITH LOCAL AMENDMENTS, PER THE CITY'S OWN BUILDING AND ZONING PAGE. The page says "The following codes are enforced in the City of Sterling" and lists "2021 International Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings" alongside the 2021 International Building, Existing Building and Property Maintenance Codes, "All with local amendments," plus the Illinois Energy Conservation Code. The amendments are codified in the City Code, which the City publishes through an outside code host and which this record did not read, so it does not state whether the City has amended the IRC's roof provisions.
Sales & use tax
Illinois taxes the roofer, not the job, and the operative rate is not keyed to the Sterling 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.

Local roofing hub

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Sources

Roofing questions: Sterling, IL

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

Yes.

What building code does Sterling, IL use?

THE 2021 INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE WITH LOCAL AMENDMENTS, PER THE CITY'S OWN BUILDING AND ZONING PAGE. The page says "The following codes are enforced in the City of Sterling" and lists "2021 International Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings" alongside the 2021 International Building, Existing Building and Property Maintenance Codes, "All with local amendments," plus the Illinois Energy Conservation Code. The amendments are codified in the City Code, which the City publishes through an outside code host and which this record did not read, so it does not state whether the City has amended the IRC's roof provisions.