Permitting Authorities / City of Wichita Falls - Building Inspections Division
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Wichita Falls, TX?
Adopted code
City of Wichita Falls - Building Inspections Division
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Wichita Falls, TX, issued by City of Wichita Falls - Building Inspections Division. The only roof work the City exempts from permit is "Repair of torn shingles or roof patching when no "tear-off" is required and when the area to be repaired is no more than 500 square feet"; a reroof needs a building permit from the Building Inspections Division (1300 7th Street, 940-761-7459), applied for through the City's MGO Connect portal. Permits go to a contractor registered with the City; a homeowner who occupies the house as a permanent residence may take the permit without registering. Fees: "A minimum fee of $47.00 shall be charged for issuing any class of permit required by the building code", plus "Roofing or siding, per square foot of area covered or repaired" at $0.0062 (fee Ordinance No. 47-2025, effective October 1, 2025; its replacement, Ordinance No. 45-2026, passed September 15, 2026 with an effective date of October 1, 2026, prints the same two figures). The City's new-residential permit application and checklist states that "Construction work (including sub-trades) requiring City permits that is initiated without such permits shall be subject to a permit fee twice the normal permit fee and the possibility of citations to the municipal court and/or the revocation of his/her City registration.".
Roof code checklist: Wichita Falls, TX
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 Wichita Falls, Texas
Address
1300 7th Street, Wichita Falls, TX 76301
Contact
- url: https://www.wichitafallstx.gov/745/Building-Inspections
- phone: 940-761-7459
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- state_level: Texas issues no state roofing contractor licence; the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation's program list carries no roofing program.
- city_level: Section 104.2 of the City's building code: "In order to act as a contractor or to perform work pursuant to a building permit, a person or entity must be registered as a contractor with the building official, and must reregister annually". "Unregistered contractors shall not acquire building permits or continue work on currently issued building permits." Under Section 104.3 a registered contractor seeking a permit for listed work must first furnish a compliance bond, "a statement of whether or not said contractor maintains general liability insurance, and if so, a copy of the certificate of insurance"; the bond table sets "Residential roofing" at $25,000.00 and "Commercial roofing" at $100,000.00. "The annual contractor registration carries no fee." "No contractor registration shall be required to issue a building permit for a residential structure to a homeowner who occupies the property in question as his permanent residence." The City's Application for Contractors Registration states "REGISTRATION EXPIRES ONE YEAR FROM DATE ISSUED", and its $25,000 Code Compliance Bond form covers construction work "including residential roofing, siding, and residential/commercial remodel/renovation."
Permit process note
The only roof work the City exempts from permit is "Repair of torn shingles or roof patching when no "tear-off" is required and when the area to be repaired is no more than 500 square feet"; a reroof needs a building permit from the Building Inspections Division (1300 7th Street, 940-761-7459), applied for through the City's MGO Connect portal. Permits go to a contractor registered with the City; a homeowner who occupies the house as a permanent residence may take the permit without registering. Fees: "A minimum fee of $47.00 shall be charged for issuing any class of permit required by the building code", plus "Roofing or siding, per square foot of area covered or repaired" at $0.0062 (fee Ordinance No. 47-2025, effective October 1, 2025; its replacement, Ordinance No. 45-2026, passed September 15, 2026 with an effective date of October 1, 2026, prints the same two figures). The City's new-residential permit application and checklist states that "Construction work (including sub-trades) requiring City permits that is initiated without such permits shall be subject to a permit fee twice the normal permit fee and the possibility of citations to the municipal court and/or the revocation of his/her City registration."
Adopted code
The City of Wichita Falls adopts the 2015 International Residential Code, Chapters 2 through 10, 44 and Appendices F, I and J (Code of Ordinances Sec. 22-700, Ordinance No. 57-2015, passed December 1, 2015; the City's published "Adopted Codes and Amendments" is headed "Effective January 1, 2016, Updated November 22, 2017"). The residential amendments in Sec. 22-701 reach Sections R302.5.1, R313, R317.1, R323 and R703.8.3 and none reaches Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies. The IRC's own Chapter 1 is replaced by the City's Chapter 1, Scope and Administration, which applies to all of the City's technical codes. The City's current new-residential permit application lists the "2015 International Residential Code" among the adopted codes, and the City's later building-code ordinances amend its 2015 editions (Ordinance No. 55-2022, the 2015 International Mechanical Code; Ordinance No. 30-2026, the 2015 International Existing Building Code). The codified Code of Ordinances, hosted by an outside code publisher, could not be opened for this record; the adopting ordinance, the City's compilation and each later Chapter 22 ordinance were read from the City's own ordinance archive. State context: Texas Local Government Code Section 214.212(a) adopts "the International Residential Code, as it existed on May 1, 2012" as a municipal residential building code, and Section 214.212(c) and (e) let a city adopt local amendments by ordinance after a public hearing.
Drip edge
Required — Wichita Falls adopts Chapter 9 of the 2015 International Residential Code (Code of Ordinances Sec. 22-700, Ordinance No. 57-2015); the City's residential amendments in Sec. 22-701, read in full, do not amend Section R905.2.8.5 (Drip edge), so the base 2015 IRC drip-edge provision applies unmodified.
About drip edgeMid-roof inspection
Not required — The City replaces the IRC's administrative chapter with its own Chapter 1, and its Section 110.3 list of required inspections (footing and foundation, slab and under-floor, lowest floor elevation, frame, lath and gypsum board, fire-resistant penetrations, energy, plumbing, mechanical, evaluation, special inspections, testing and final) names no roofing or in-progress reroof inspection; "The final inspection shall be made after all work required by the building permit is completed." Section 110.3.13 lets the building official "make or require other inspections of any construction work to ascertain compliance", so an inspector may still ask to see work before it is covered.
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Neither Ordinance No. 57-2015 (adopting the 2015 IRC and the City's Chapter 1 administrative code) nor the City's later residential and building-code amendments (compiled through November 22, 2017, and Ordinances No. 55-2022 and No. 30-2026) amends Chapter 9's roof-covering provisions; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in the City's adopted code or its amendments.
Repair permit threshold
The City's building code exempts from permit only "Repair of torn shingles or roof patching when no "tear-off" is required and when the area to be repaired is no more than 500 square feet" (Section 105.2, item 6(d), of the City's Chapter 1, Scope and Administration, which applies to all of the City's adopted technical codes). Any tear-off, and any roof repair over 500 square feet, needs a permit; a full reroof is permit work. Section 105.1 requires a permit before anyone will "construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure", and the City's fee ordinance carries its own roofing line, "Roofing or siding, per square foot of area covered or repaired". The exemption does not excuse code compliance: "Exemptions from permit requirements of the technical codes shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any work to be done in any manner in violation of the provisions of the technical codes or any other applicable laws."
Roof layer limit / recover
Wichita Falls adopts the 2015 International Residential Code (Code of Ordinances Sec. 22-700, Ordinance No. 57-2015). Texas has no state amendment to the IRC reroofing section (Texas leaves amendments to each city), and the City's residential amendments in Sec. 22-701, read in full, amend nothing in Section R908 (Reroofing), so the base 2015 IRC rule applies: Section R908.3.1.1, "Roof re-cover not allowed," bars a re-cover "Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering," as well as over a roof covering that is water soaked or deteriorated and over slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. One existing layer may be re-covered once; a roof that already has two layers must be torn off. A tear-off also takes the job outside the City's permit exemption for small roof repairs.
Deck & sheathing requirements
Wichita Falls adopts Chapters 8 and 9 of the 2015 International Residential Code (Code of Ordinances Sec. 22-700, Ordinance No. 57-2015). The City's residential amendments in Sec. 22-701, read in full, amend nothing in Chapter 8 (Roof-Ceiling Construction) or Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies), so the base 2015 IRC provisions on roof sheathing (Section R803) apply unmodified.
Sales & use tax
8.25% combined (6.25% state + 2.00% City of Wichita Falls), the Texas local-rate cap, with no county, special-purpose district or transit tax on the Comptroller's row for Wichita Falls in Wichita County (Texas Comptroller local sales tax rate file, July 2026 quarter). Under Comptroller guidance for real property repair and remodeling, "Labor to repair, remodel, or restore residential real property is not taxable"; on the lump-sum contract typical of residential re-roofing, "you pay tax on all your supplies, materials, equipment, and taxable services when you buy them. You don't charge your customer tax" (Comptroller Pub. 94-116, Real Property Repair and Remodeling, comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/publications/94-116.php) -- so the combined rate above is the roofer's own cost basis on materials purchased, not a rate charged to the homeowner.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Texas
Related guides
The permitting authority for the City of Wichita Falls. The Building Inspections Division, part of Development Services, issues building permits, inspects construction for building code requirements, and registers contractors.
Hail reports near Wichita Falls, TX
- Reports, last 24 months
- 32
- Largest, last 24 months
- 2.00 in Apr 25, 2026
- Most recent
- Apr 26, 2026 1.75 in
- Reports, last 5 years
- 87
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database and daily storm reports (reports since the start of the current year are preliminary), within 10 miles of Wichita Falls, TX (Census point). Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.
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Roofing questions: Wichita Falls, TX
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Wichita Falls, TX?
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Wichita Falls, TX. The City's building code exempts from permit only "Repair of torn shingles or roof patching when no "tear-off" is required and when the area to be repaired is no more than 500 square feet" (Section 105.2, item 6(d), of the City's Chapter 1, Scope and Administration, which applies to all of the City's adopted technical codes). Any tear-off, and any roof repair over 500 square feet, needs a permit; a full reroof is permit work. Section 105.1 requires a permit before anyone will "construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure", and the City's fee ordinance carries its own roofing line, "Roofing or siding, per square foot of area covered or repaired". The exemption does not excuse code compliance: "Exemptions from permit requirements of the technical codes shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any work to be done in any manner in violation of the provisions of the technical codes or any other applicable laws."
Is drip edge required in Wichita Falls, TX?
Yes. Wichita Falls adopts Chapter 9 of the 2015 International Residential Code (Code of Ordinances Sec. 22-700, Ordinance No. 57-2015); the City's residential amendments in Sec. 22-701, read in full, do not amend Section R905.2.8.5 (Drip edge), so the base 2015 IRC drip-edge provision applies unmodified.
Can you roof over an existing roof in Wichita Falls, TX?
Wichita Falls adopts the 2015 International Residential Code (Code of Ordinances Sec. 22-700, Ordinance No. 57-2015). Texas has no state amendment to the IRC reroofing section (Texas leaves amendments to each city), and the City's residential amendments in Sec. 22-701, read in full, amend nothing in Section R908 (Reroofing), so the base 2015 IRC rule applies: Section R908.3.1.1, "Roof re-cover not allowed," bars a re-cover "Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering," as well as over a roof covering that is water soaked or deteriorated and over slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. One existing layer may be re-covered once; a roof that already has two layers must be torn off. A tear-off also takes the job outside the City's permit exemption for small roof repairs.
Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Wichita Falls, TX?
Yes.
What building code does Wichita Falls, TX use?
The City of Wichita Falls adopts the 2015 International Residential Code, Chapters 2 through 10, 44 and Appendices F, I and J (Code of Ordinances Sec. 22-700, Ordinance No. 57-2015, passed December 1, 2015; the City's published "Adopted Codes and Amendments" is headed "Effective January 1, 2016, Updated November 22, 2017"). The residential amendments in Sec. 22-701 reach Sections R302.5.1, R313, R317.1, R323 and R703.8.3 and none reaches Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies. The IRC's own Chapter 1 is replaced by the City's Chapter 1, Scope and Administration, which applies to all of the City's technical codes. The City's current new-residential permit application lists the "2015 International Residential Code" among the adopted codes, and the City's later building-code ordinances amend its 2015 editions (Ordinance No. 55-2022, the 2015 International Mechanical Code; Ordinance No. 30-2026, the 2015 International Existing Building Code). The codified Code of Ordinances, hosted by an outside code publisher, could not be opened for this record; the adopting ordinance, the City's compilation and each later Chapter 22 ordinance were read from the City's own ordinance archive. State context: Texas Local Government Code Section 214.212(a) adopts "the International Residential Code, as it existed on May 1, 2012" as a municipal residential building code, and Section 214.212(c) and (e) let a city adopt local amendments by ordinance after a public hearing.
Is a mid-roof inspection required in Wichita Falls, TX?
No. The City replaces the IRC's administrative chapter with its own Chapter 1, and its Section 110.3 list of required inspections (footing and foundation, slab and under-floor, lowest floor elevation, frame, lath and gypsum board, fire-resistant penetrations, energy, plumbing, mechanical, evaluation, special inspections, testing and final) names no roofing or in-progress reroof inspection; "The final inspection shall be made after all work required by the building permit is completed." Section 110.3.13 lets the building official "make or require other inspections of any construction work to ascertain compliance", so an inspector may still ask to see work before it is covered.