Roofing in Beloit, Wisconsin

Required

Required

State-governed, and Beloit adopts the state code rather than writing its own. One- and two-family dwellings in Wisconsin are built to the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code, chs. SPS 320 to 325 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, which is Wisconsin's own text rather than an adoption of the International Residential Code — which is why its roofing rules differ from the IRC's. Do not expect an IRC edition year for a house in Beloit. Beloit adopts it at section 9.04(1) of the Beloit Municipal Code: "The State Uniform Dwelling Code contained in Chapters SPS 320 through 325, Wis. Admin. Code, and Subchapter II of Chapter 101, Wis. Stats., including any subsequent amendments thereto, are hereby adopted by reference and incorporated herein as if they were fully set forth and made a part hereof." Section 9.05 repeats the adoption and makes it plainly floating, taking the dwelling chapters and the commercial chapters SPS 360 to 366 "as from time to time amended or renumbered," so a later state amendment reaches Beloit without a new ordinance. Section 9.04(3) then goes further than the state code requires, and it is the part that matters most on an older house: the Uniform Dwelling Code applies to additions and alterations to buildings whose initial construction was lawfully begun prior to June 1, 1980. A Wisconsin municipality that exercises jurisdiction adopts the code in its entirety by ordinance and may not add requirements within the scope of that code without the approval of the Department of Safety and Professional Services, and the Beloit Building Code adds no roofing technical requirement of its own for roof coverings. The two roof rules Beloit does write itself are about upkeep and drainage rather than about how a roof is built. Section 9.17 requires that every building be kept in good repair and that "the roof shall be maintained to prevent leakage." Section 9.19 requires that all water be conveyed from buildings so as to prevent dampness in walls, floors and ceilings, provides that "Water shall not be allowed to fall or flow upon any sidewalk," and where that condition exists on an existing structure requires the owner to carry the water under the sidewalk to the gutter or storm sewer within 30 days of written notice from the division. For roof construction itself the chapter points back to the state sections, directing for garages and accessory structures that "Roofs and ceilings shall conform to the requirements of §§ SPS 321.27 and SPS 321.28, Wis. Admin. Code." Outside the Building Code, the Beloit Zoning Code carries a residential design standard a roofer should price in. Section 6.2.11(b)(1) provides: "All dwellings and associated accessory buildings shall have a roof with a pitch of at least 3 inches in height for each 12 inches of width. Roofs shall have eaves which extend at least 12 inches from the wall that supports the roof. All dwellings, accessory garages and carports shall have a roof surfaced with a State approved roofing system." A dwelling that did not meet those standards when they were adopted is treated as a nonconforming use under the same section. Commercial and three-or-more-unit multifamily work runs on the separate commercial chapters and is outside the dwelling-code rules recorded here.

Permits are issued by the Planning and Building Services Division of Community Development, on the third floor of Beloit City Hall at 100 State Street, and applications may be emailed to [email protected] or filed in person. A reroof is filed on the Building Alteration Permit Application, which offers Residential Alteration and Residential Repair as work types, asks for the cost of improvement on a material cost only basis, and requires the Dwelling Contractor ID number and Qualifier number. The residential alteration permit fee is $50.00 plus $5.00 per $1,000 of project cost or fraction thereof in excess of $1,999, set by City Council resolution under section 9.28 of the Beloit Building Code; the published schedule is current through the December 2025 fee resolution. Failing to obtain the permit before starting subjects the responsible parties to a double fee. A weather resistant card is issued with every permit and must be posted in a conspicuous place on the front of the building, not more than 15 feet above adjacent grade, unobstructed from public view, for the entire period of the work. A building permit other than for new one- or two-family construction is void unless work commences within 6 months of issue, and expires one year from the date of original issue. The division answers on (608) 364-6700.