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Permitting Authorities / City of Tulsa Development Services Department - Permit Center

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Tulsa, OK?

Adopted code

City of Tulsa Development Services Department - Permit Center

The City of Tulsa's Development Services Department operates the Permit Center, which issues residential and commercial building and trade permits, reviews plans (including roof framing and roof covering specifications submitted with new residential construction and additions), and registers licensed trade contractors.

Jurisdiction
City of Tulsa, Oklahoma
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
175 E. 2nd Street, 4th Floor, Tulsa, OK 74103
Contact
Permit process note
The Residential Building Permit Process handbook states "Generally a building permit must be obtained from the Building Official before beginning construction or tenant improvements," and that plans must show "compliance with the current edition of ICC International Residential Building Code For One And Two-Family Dwellings." For new residences and additions, submittal requires a "Roof plan and details" showing roof pitch, rafter/truss sizing, "complete roofing specifications," sheathing material and thickness, and roof covering type. Separately, a "Repair No-Expansion (Fire, deterioration, etc.)" permit category exists for repair work; these permits "must be applied for in person," and construction plans are additionally required "if damage is extensive or structural," as determined by the Architectural Plans Examiner.
Adopted code
The City of Tulsa's Plans Review page states the city has adopted the 2018 ICC codes, listing the International Building Code (IBC), International Existing Building Code (IEBC), International Fire Code (IFC), International Residential Code (IRC), International Plumbing Code (IPC), International Mechanical Code (IMC), and International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), plus the 2020 edition of the National Electrical Code (NEC), applicable to commercial building permits only.
Drip edge
Required — Tulsa Code of Ordinances Title 51, Chapter 2, Section 201, R905.2.8.5 Drip Edge - Amendatory: "A drip edge shall be provided at eaves and rake edges of shingle roofs. Adjacent segments of drip edge shall be overlapped not less than 2 inches (51 mm). Drip edges shall extend not less than ¼ inch (6.4 mm) below the roof sheathing and extend up back onto the roof deck not less than 2 inches (51 mm). Drip edges shall be mechanically fastened to the roof deck at not less than 12 inches (305 mm) on center with fasteners as specified in Section R905.2.5. Underlayment shall be installed over the drip edge along eaves and under the underlayment along rake edges." Exception: "If a nominal 1 inch by 2 inch (25 mm by 51 mm) shingle mold is used, attached to the fascia and the starter course of shingles is extended a minimum of ¼ inch (6.35 mm) and not more than 1 inch (25 mm) then a metal drip edge is not required." About drip edge
Ice & water shield
Required — Tulsa Code of Ordinances Title 51, Chapter 2, Section 201, Section 905.1.2 Ice barriers (locally amended): base trigger is "In areas where there has been a history of ice forming along the eaves causing a backup of water as designated in Table R301.2(1), an ice barrier shall be installed for asphalt shingles ... 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," plus two Tulsa-added unconditional triggers: "(B) A 36-inch wide (914 mm) ice barrier shall be installed in all valleys, run the length of the valley, and centered on the valley," and "(C) A 36-inch wide (914 mm) ice barrier shall be installed at all change in roof pitch in which the lower roof has a lower pitch than the upper roof. The ice barrier is run the length of the change in pitch and cemented on the change in pitch." About ice & water barrier
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Tulsa Code of Ordinances Title 51, Chapter 2, "ICC International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, 2018 Edition, Adopted" -- Section 200 (adopting the IRC 2018, Ord. No. 24935, § 1, 10-26-2022) and Section 201 "Amendments to the International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, 2018 Edition" (same Ord. No. 24935, § 1, 10-26-2022, further amended by Ord. No. 25021, § 1, 4-19-2023). Section 201 was read in full, R101 through the AQ Tiny House Appendix. Its Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies) amendments are limited to: R905.2.1 Sheathing requirements (amendatory, adding a "solidly sheathed decks" definition, repeated at R905.3.1, R905.4.1, R905.5.1, R905.6.2, R905.7.1, R905.10.1, R905.16.1, and R905.17.1 for each covering type), R905.2.8.5 Drip edge (amendatory), Section 905.1.2 Ice barriers (amendatory, adding two Tulsa-specific valley and pitch-change triggers), and R908.3.1.1 Roof re-cover (amendatory, a layer-limit rule). Section 201 does not touch R902 Fire Classification of roof coverings or any other roof-covering-performance section, so R902 and any wind/impact-performance provisions of Chapter 9 stand as the unamended base 2018 IRC text. No UL 2218, Class 4, or impact-resistance provision appears anywhere in Section 201's text. Oklahoma is a floor state (59 O.S. § 1000.23) preserving municipal authority to be stricter, so this negative rests on the local ordinance itself, not on the state rule; the matching-vintage Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission IRC 2018 Permanent Rule (OAC Title 748, Ch. 20, Subch. 5-6, Chapter 9 at 748:20-6-14, 13 modifications), read by a prior worker, independently contains zero UL 2218, Class 4, or hail provisions, corroborating the local result.
Wind design criteria
115 mph design wind speed; topographic effects "Yes" (Table R301.2(1) as amended by Tulsa Code of Ordinances Title 51, Chapter 2, Section 201 -- "IRC 2018 Chapter 3 Building Planning" table). Read directly from the live rendered table (Ground Snow Load 10 PSF | Speed (mph) 115 | Topographic effects Yes | Seismic Design Category A | Weathering "MODERATE" | Frostline Depth 18" | Termite YES | Winter Design Temp 12°F | Ice Barrier Underlayment Required No | Flood Hazards "See note a." | Air Freezing Index 442 | Mean Annual Temp 60.3). Tulsa's amended table's "Wind Design" column carries only two sub-columns, "Speed (mph)" and "Topographic effects" -- no Special Wind Region or Windborne Debris Zone cells are present in the rendered table (the OUBCC's statewide template for this table has four Wind Design sub-columns; Tulsa's own table carries only two).
Roof layer limit / recover
"R908.3.1.1. Roof re-cover - Amendatory. A roof re-cover 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. 4. Where the existing roof has one or more application of asphalt shingles additional applications of asphalt shingles shall not be permitted." Net effect: full tear-off is required once a roof already carries two layers of any covering, or already carries one layer of asphalt shingles (a second asphalt layer is barred), or the existing covering is water-soaked/ deteriorated, or is slate/clay/cement/asbestos-cement tile.
Deck & sheathing requirements
"R905.2.1 Sheathing requirements - Amendatory. R905.2.1 Sheathing requirements. Asphalt shingles shall be fastened to solidly sheathed decks. Solidly sheathed decks shall be defined as sawn lumber boards or structural panels that provide a solid holding power for fasteners that do not have deficit conditions (gaps greater than those allowed by the roof covering manufacturer's installation instructions, warped, split, cracked, deteriorated or rotten boards)." Tulsa's ordinance adds the identical "solidly sheathed decks" definition to R905.3.1 (concrete/clay tile), R905.4.1 (metal shingles), R905.5.1 (mineral-surfaced roll roofing), R905.6.2 (slate), R905.7.1 (wood shingles), and R905.17.1 (BIPV panels) as well -- the deficit-conditions test (gaps beyond manufacturer tolerance, warped/split/cracked/deteriorated/rotten boards) applies uniformly across roof covering types.
Sales & use tax
Tulsa's own city sales tax rate is 3.65% everywhere, but the COMBINED rate varies by county because Tulsa's corporate limits cross three county lines. The OTC rate chart lists Tulsa under three jurisdiction codes, all at the same 3.65% city rate: COPO 7281 (Tulsa County), COPO 7381 (Wagoner County), and COPO 5781 (Osage County). Combined: 8.517% in the Tulsa County portion (state 4.5% + city 3.65% + county 0.367% -- the large majority of the city); 9.7% in the Wagoner County portion (+1.55% county); 9.4% in the Osage County portion (+1.25% county). CONTRADICTS a common assumption (repeated in this project's own wave-planning notes) that Tulsa also extends into Rogers County: the OTC's current-quarter rate chart has no fourth (Rogers County) jurisdiction code for Tulsa -- only Owasso, not Tulsa proper, carries a Rogers County code in this chart. A roofer should confirm which of the three counties a specific Tulsa address sits in before quoting a combined rate. Oklahoma taxes roofing contractors as consumers/users: they pay sales tax on materials, supplies, and equipment at the point of purchase from the vendor, and do not separately charge the homeowner sales tax on labor or the finished job (Oklahoma Tax Commission Rule OAC 710:65-7-13(a): "Contractors are defined by statute as consumer/users and must pay sales tax on all taxable services and tangible personal property, including materials, supplies, and equipment purchased to develop, repair, alter, remodel, and improve real property."). No construction use tax collected at building-permit issuance was found in OTC or city sources -- Oklahoma's local sales tax is OTC-administered and collected by material vendors at the point of sale, not assessed by the permitting authority at permit issuance.

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Roofing questions — Tulsa, OK

Is ice & water shield required in Tulsa, OK?

Required — Tulsa Code of Ordinances Title 51, Chapter 2, Section 201, Section 905.1.2 Ice barriers (locally amended): base trigger is "In areas where there has been a history of ice forming along the eaves causing a backup of water as designated in Table R301.2(1), an ice barrier shall be installed for asphalt shingles ... 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," plus two Tulsa-added unconditional triggers: "(B) A 36-inch wide (914 mm) ice barrier shall be installed in all valleys, run the length of the valley, and centered on the valley," and "(C) A 36-inch wide (914 mm) ice barrier shall be installed at all change in roof pitch in which the lower roof has a lower pitch than the upper roof. The ice barrier is run the length of the change in pitch and cemented on the change in pitch.".

Is drip edge required?

Required — Tulsa Code of Ordinances Title 51, Chapter 2, Section 201, R905.2.8.5 Drip Edge - Amendatory: "A drip edge shall be provided at eaves and rake edges of shingle roofs. Adjacent segments of drip edge shall be overlapped not less than 2 inches (51 mm). Drip edges shall extend not less than ¼ inch (6.4 mm) below the roof sheathing and extend up back onto the roof deck not less than 2 inches (51 mm). Drip edges shall be mechanically fastened to the roof deck at not less than 12 inches (305 mm) on center with fasteners as specified in Section R905.2.5. Underlayment shall be installed over the drip edge along eaves and under the underlayment along rake edges." Exception: "If a nominal 1 inch by 2 inch (25 mm by 51 mm) shingle mold is used, attached to the fascia and the starter course of shingles is extended a minimum of ¼ inch (6.35 mm) and not more than 1 inch (25 mm) then a metal drip edge is not required.".

What building code does Tulsa, OK use?

The City of Tulsa's Plans Review page states the city has adopted the 2018 ICC codes, listing the International Building Code (IBC), International Existing Building Code (IEBC), International Fire Code (IFC), International Residential Code (IRC), International Plumbing Code (IPC), International Mechanical Code (IMC), and International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), plus the 2020 edition of the National Electrical Code (NEC), applicable to commercial building permits only.