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Ice & Water Shield Requirements by Jurisdiction

What each jurisdiction’s own sources say about ice barrier (ice & water shield) on residential re-roofs — the conditions are the value. Adjacent cities contradict each other (Denver’s own climate table says No while Aurora’s says Yes), some counties gate the requirement by elevation (above 7,000 ft under Douglas County and the Pikes Peak Regional Building Code), and many cities defer entirely to shingle-manufacturer instructions. The regional split is stark. Every Dallas–Fort Worth authority we checked fills in “No” in its own amended IRC Table R301.2(1) climate criteria — north Texas has no ice-damming history to design for. Kansas splits down the middle of the state: the Kansas City–side suburbs (Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, Leawood, Johnson County) all require an ice barrier 24 in. inside the exterior wall line, while Wichita, Sedgwick County, Derby, Haysville, Butler County, Topeka and Shawnee County all answer “None Required” in their own adopted tables. Two roofs 150 miles apart in the same state, opposite answers. Oklahoma works differently again: a statewide amendment (OUBCC, §905.1.2) requires a 36-inch ice barrier in ALL valleys and at ALL changes in roof pitch where the lower roof is shallower — unconditionally, everywhere in the state — on top of whatever each city says about eaves. So in Oklahoma the honest answer is usually “yes in valleys, maybe not at eaves.” Missouri splits the same way Kansas does, east to west: every Kansas City-side jurisdiction we cover answers “Yes” (Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs, Liberty, Gladstone, Raytown, Grandview, Grain Valley, Belton, North Kansas City, Clay County, Cass County), while every St. Louis-side jurisdiction answers “No” — the City of St. Louis wrote “Ice Shield Underlayment Required: Not Required” into its own amended Table R301.2(1), an explicit decision rather than silence. So the KC metro agrees with itself across the state line while both Kansas and Missouri disagree with their own other halves. Nebraska is the most uniform state we cover: every Omaha/Lincoln-area jurisdiction checked answers “Yes.” The short version for a roofer working the hail belt: assume an ice barrier around Kansas City, assume none in north Texas or around Wichita and St. Louis, and read the card before you bid anywhere in between. Only jurisdictions with an explicit sourced statement appear here. The narrative version, including Colorado’s 7,000-foot elevation gate and Oklahoma’s statewide valley rule, is in the guide: theroofingbook.com/guides/where-code-requires-an-ice-and-water-barrier/.

What the requirement is asking for: Ice and Water Barrier — the material reference, with the governing standard.

Ice barrier required — Colorado (146)

Ice barrier required — Indiana (1)

Ice barrier required — Iowa (15)

Ice barrier required — Kansas (7)

Ice barrier required — Minnesota (24)

Ice barrier required — Missouri (14)

Ice barrier required — Nebraska (4)

Ice barrier required — North Dakota (1)

Ice barrier required — Ohio (21)

Ice barrier required — Oklahoma (11)

Ice barrier required — Other (11)

Ice barrier required — South Dakota (11)

Ice barrier required — Tennessee (1)

Ice barrier required — Wisconsin (3)

Ice barrier required — Wyoming (1)

Ice barrier not required (explicit) — Colorado (37)

Ice barrier not required (explicit) — Arkansas (1)

Ice barrier not required (explicit) — Indiana (2)

Ice barrier not required (explicit) — Kansas (8)

Ice barrier not required (explicit) — Missouri (7)

Ice barrier not required (explicit) — New Mexico (2)

Ice barrier not required (explicit) — Tennessee (9)

Ice barrier not required (explicit) — Texas (11)

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