The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / Arizona / City of Tempe - Community Development Department, Building Safety Division

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Tempe, AZ?

Adopted code

City of Tempe - Community Development Department, Building Safety Division

No, Tempe, AZ does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (City of Tempe - Community Development Department, Building Safety Division). The Tempe Administrative Code, Section 105.2 (Work exempt from permit), lists as exempt: "Replacement roof covering, provided the replacement roof covering classification is equal to or greater than the existing roofing classification; the new roof covering does not increase the loads imposed upon the roof structural frame beyond the original design capacity. Exception: replacement of any roof assembly component other than the roof covering requires a permit." A permit is therefore not required for a like-or-better roof covering replacement that adds no load beyond the original design; replacing any other roof assembly component, such as sheathing, requires one.

Roof code checklist: Tempe, AZ

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofNolibrary.municode.com2026-10-25
Repair permit thresholdPublishedlibrary.municode.com2026-10-25
Layer limit / roof-overNot published
Deck & sheathingNot published
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNolibrary.municode.com2026-10-25
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNot published
Wind design criteriaPublishedlibrary.municode.com2026-10-25
Adopted codePublishedtempe.gov2026-10-25
Contractor license / registrationYesazleg.gov2026-10-25
Sales & use taxPublishedSec. 32-1121TPT_RATETABLE_10012026.pdf2026-10-25

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 Tempe, Arizona
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
31 East 5th Street, Garden Level East, Tempe, AZ 85281
Contact
  • url: https://www.tempe.gov/government/community-development/building-safety
  • phone: 480-350-4311
Roofing permit required
Not required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
  • license: STATE LAYER, applies in Tempe as everywhere in Arizona. Contractors are licensed by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors under A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 10 (32-1101 et seq.). A.R.S. 32-1121(A)(14) exempts an unlicensed person only for one project whose aggregate contract price, including labor and materials, is "less than $1,000" and whose work is "of a casual or minor nature," and says the exemption "does not apply: (a) In any case in which the performance of the work requires a local building permit." An unlicensed person who advertises must include the words "not a licensed contractor." Owner-occupants doing their own work on a structure intended solely for their own occupancy are separately exempt under 32-1121(A)(5). The specific roofing classification codes and the Registrar's own licensing page were not read for this record.
Permit process note
The Tempe Administrative Code, Section 105.2 (Work exempt from permit), lists as exempt: "Replacement roof covering, provided the replacement roof covering classification is equal to or greater than the existing roofing classification; the new roof covering does not increase the loads imposed upon the roof structural frame beyond the original design capacity. Exception: replacement of any roof assembly component other than the roof covering requires a permit." A permit is therefore not required for a like-or-better roof covering replacement that adds no load beyond the original design; replacing any other roof assembly component, such as sheathing, requires one.
Adopted code
The City's Building Codes and Amendments page states: "Effective July 1, 2026, the City of Tempe has adopted the 2024 International Code Council (ICC) Codes (I-Codes), the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), and applicable local amendments. A transition period will remain in effect through December 31, 2026, during which permit applications may be submitted under either the 2018 or 2024 adopted codes. Beginning January 1, 2027, all permit applications must comply with the 2024 ICC Codes, the 2023 NEC, and all applicable local amendments." Tempe City Code Sec. 8-300 adopts "The International Residential Code, 2024 Edition," with amendments, and the City publishes a 2024 Tempe Administrative Code. The 2018 codes and amendments remain listed for the transition period.
Ice & water shield
Not required — The City's 2024 IRC Table R301.2 in Tempe City Code Chapter 8, Article III lists "Ice Barrier Underlayment Required" as NO. About ice & water barrier
Repair permit threshold
No dollar or square-footage threshold was found. The test in Tempe Administrative Code Section 105.2 is the roof covering classification and load: a replacement roof covering needs no permit when its classification "is equal to or greater than the existing roofing classification" and it "does not increase the loads imposed upon the roof structural frame beyond the original design capacity." Per the same section, "replacement of any roof assembly component other than the roof covering requires a permit."
Wind design criteria
The City's 2024 IRC, Table R301.2 (Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria) as set out in Tempe City Code Chapter 8, Article III, lists wind speed 115 mph, topographic effects NO, special wind region NO, windborne debris zone NO, seismic design category B, ground snow load 0, weathering negligible, frost line depth 0, and mean annual temperature 71.2F.
Sales & use tax
Roofing is taxed in Arizona as Prime Contracting (business code 015) under the Transaction Privilege Tax, not as a retail sale. The Arizona Department of Revenue Transaction Privilege and Other Tax Rate Tables effective October 1, 2026 list Contracting - Prime at 6.30% for Maricopa County (the 5.6% state rate plus the county rate) and at 1.80% for the City of Tempe (city code TE), a combined 8.10%. A.R.S. 42-5075(B) sets the tax base at "sixty-five percent of the gross proceeds of sales or gross income derived from the business," so the 8.10% applies to 65% of contract income. The same statute excludes from the classification "any work or operation performed by a person that is not required to be licensed by the registrar of contractors pursuant to section 32-1121."

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The City of Tempe, Arizona (Maricopa County) issues building permits through the Building Safety Division of its Community Development Department, at 31 East 5th Street, Garden Level East, in the Tempe City Hall Complex. The City's Building Codes and Amendments page says that "Effective July 1, 2026, the City of Tempe has adopted the 2024 International Code Council (ICC) Codes (I-Codes), the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), and applicable local amendments," with a transition period through December 31, 2026 during which applications may be submitted under either the 2018 or 2024 adopted codes. Arizona has no statewide building code, so Tempe's own adoption controls. This listing covers the office's contact details, the adopted code editions, the roof covering permit exemption in the Tempe Administrative Code, the wind and ice-barrier values in the City's Table R301.2, and the state licensing and tax rules that apply to a roofer working in Tempe.

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Sources

Roofing questions: Tempe, AZ

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Tempe, AZ?

No, Tempe, AZ does not require a permit to replace a roof. No dollar or square-footage threshold was found. The test in Tempe Administrative Code Section 105.2 is the roof covering classification and load: a replacement roof covering needs no permit when its classification "is equal to or greater than the existing roofing classification" and it "does not increase the loads imposed upon the roof structural frame beyond the original design capacity." Per the same section, "replacement of any roof assembly component other than the roof covering requires a permit."

Is ice & water shield required in Tempe, AZ?

No. The City's 2024 IRC Table R301.2 in Tempe City Code Chapter 8, Article III lists "Ice Barrier Underlayment Required" as NO.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Tempe, AZ?

Yes. STATE LAYER, applies in Tempe as everywhere in Arizona. Contractors are licensed by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors under A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 10 (32-1101 et seq.). A.R.S. 32-1121(A)(14) exempts an unlicensed person only for one project whose aggregate contract price, including labor and materials, is "less than $1,000" and whose work is "of a casual or minor nature," and says the exemption "does not apply: (a) In any case in which the performance of the work requires a local building permit." An unlicensed person who advertises must include the words "not a licensed contractor." Owner-occupants doing their own work on a structure intended solely for their own occupancy are separately exempt under 32-1121(A)(5). The specific roofing classification codes and the Registrar's own licensing page were not read for this record.

What building code does Tempe, AZ use?

The City's Building Codes and Amendments page states: "Effective July 1, 2026, the City of Tempe has adopted the 2024 International Code Council (ICC) Codes (I-Codes), the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), and applicable local amendments. A transition period will remain in effect through December 31, 2026, during which permit applications may be submitted under either the 2018 or 2024 adopted codes. Beginning January 1, 2027, all permit applications must comply with the 2024 ICC Codes, the 2023 NEC, and all applicable local amendments." Tempe City Code Sec. 8-300 adopts "The International Residential Code, 2024 Edition," with amendments, and the City publishes a 2024 Tempe Administrative Code. The 2018 codes and amendments remain listed for the transition period.