City of Strongsville, Ohio - Building Department

City of Strongsville, Cuyahoga County, Ohio

city

16099 Foltz Parkway, Strongsville, OH 44149

Required

Required

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 municipality: 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, Strongsville included. 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 city 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. Strongsville maintains its own Ordinances and Codes page and its contractor registration rests on Chapter 1422 of the Codified Ordinances, but no local roofing amendment was found among its published building materials, so the state rules below are what governs a reroof here.

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 — No mid-roof, dry-in or underlayment inspection is established for a Strongsville reroof, on the City's own documents and on the state code beneath them. A roof permit is plainly required -- the Building Department's FAQ answers "Do I need a permit for my project?" with "Many construction projects require a permit, including additions, decks, fences, sheds, roof, windows-doors, pools, electrical work, plumbing, HVAC, garages and signs." What the City does NOT do is name a roofing inspection stage. Its FAQ describes inspections only in general terms: "Required inspections are conducted at various stages of construction to verify compliance before the project proceeds to the next phase or is completed," with scheduling by telephone on at least 24 hours notice -- "All inspections must be called into the Building Department 440-580-3105 from 8 am to 5 pm and require at least a 24-hour notice. Do not leave requests for inspection on the Building Department voicemail." No stage list appears anywhere on the page. The City's printable Application for Permit was read in full and names no inspection stage either; its only use of the word is the department name in its letterhead. And Strongsville publishes trade handouts for Deck, Pool, Solar, Fence and Accessory Structure but NONE for roofing, where a city inspecting reroofs partway through would be expected to publish one. The state floor was read directly rather than assumed. The Residential Code of Ohio sets its inspection scheme at section 108 -- NOT at 109, which is "Adjudication orders" -- and RCO 108.2 requires the building official to hand the owner "a list of all required inspections for each project" at plan approval, that list being "created from the applicable inspections set forth in sections 108.2.1 to 108.2.12." That enumeration is closed and contains no roofing stage: lot line markers, footing or foundation, concrete slab and under-floor, lowest floor elevation, frame, lath or gypsum board, fire-resistant penetrations, energy efficiency, testing of building service equipment, other inspections, compliance with construction documents, and industrialized units. Measured across the whole of section 108, the anchored word "roof" appears on exactly ONE line, and it runs against a mid-roof reading: 108.2.5 provides that "Framing inspections shall be made after the roof deck or sheathing, all framing, fire blocking and bracing are in place." The terms dry-in, underlayment, shingle and roof covering appear ZERO times. ⚠️ Ohio permits non-conflicting LOCAL additions to the RCO (ORC 3781.01(B)), so the state floor is a default and not a substitute for a city rule -- and in Ohio that caution is real rather than formal, because hamilton-oh's own roofing permit application DOES require an ice-guard and underlayment inspection. For Strongsville no such city instrument was found. Recorded as a negative on the documents the City publishes, not as proof that no inspector will ever look at a roof: RCO 108.2.10 leaves the building official discretionary authority to require "other inspections of any residential construction work." The authoritative list for a specific job is the one issued with that job's plan approval under RCO 108.2.

Not required

NO THRESHOLD. A roof needs a permit in Strongsville outright, with no dollar figure or square footage to cross first, and the City names it in its own Frequently Asked Questions: "Many construction projects require a permit, including additions, decks, fences, sheds, roof, windows-doors, pools, electrical work, plumbing, HVAC, garages and signs." The City adds the sensible caveat that "If you are unsure whether your project requires a permit, please contact the Building Department before beginning work." Sequence matters here more than in most jurisdictions, because registration gates the permit rather than running alongside it: "Contractors performing work in Strongsville must register with the city before permits can be issued." So an unregistered roofer cannot obtain the permit at all, and the registration paperwork below is the first thing to start, not the last. Applications go through the City's IWorq portal, available 24/7, or in person on weekdays between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm. Inspections are scheduled by telephone on 440-580-3105 between 8 am and 5 pm and need at least 24 hours' notice; the City states plainly that scheduling "does not guarantee a 24 hour response" and that requests must not be left on the Building Department voicemail.

115 mph ultimate design wind speed, set statewide. Ohio fills in the wind column of Table 301.2(1) of the Residential Code of Ohio once for the whole state rather than leaving it to each jurisdiction, and the WIND DESIGN Speed (mph) entry is 115. Exposure category is not fixed by the table; note d directs that "Wind exposure category shall be determined on a site-specific basis in accordance with Section 301.2.1.4." Ohio has struck three of the model table's wind entries outright, recorded in notes k, l and m: topographic wind speed-up effects, unusual wind conditions and wind-borne debris zones are all deleted, so no wind-borne debris protection applies in Ohio. 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.

8.00% combined, which is the Ohio state rate of 5.75% plus a Cuyahoga County rate of 2.25%. Ohio levies its local sales tax at the county level and has no separate municipal add-on, so the same 8.00% applies throughout Cuyahoga County and there is no Strongsville city component to add. Read from the Ohio Department of Taxation's own Sales and Use Tax Rates by County table, county code 18. That published table is the one effective October 1, 2026, and it marks a changed county with an asterisk against the county name; Cuyahoga carries no asterisk and Warren is the only Ohio county that changes on that date, so 8.00% is also the rate in force now.