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Roofing in Des Moines, Iowa

Hail belt

No — Des Moines, IA does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (City of Des Moines, Iowa - Development Services Department, Permit and Development Center). Des Moines is a no-permit-for-reroofing jurisdiction, which inverts the usual workflow. The City of Des Moines Permit & Development Center handout "Residential Asphalt Shingle Requirements" governs how the work must be done (deck, underlayment, recover limits) even though the work itself is unpermitted; compliance is substantive rather than procedural for a straight re-roof. A building permit becomes necessary the moment sheathing or rafters are repaired or replaced. Applicants should therefore treat deck condition, not roof area, as the permit trigger. Des Moines, Iowa sits in one of the country's most hail-prone regions. This hub aggregates Des Moines's roofing permit and contractor-registration requirements and impact-resistant material options — every fact linked to its sourced directory record.

Roofing permits & building code in Des Moines

Roofing permit and contractor-licensing rules in Des Moines are set locally by City of Des Moines, Iowa - Development Services Department, Permit and Development Center. Iowa requires every contractor doing business in the state to register with the Division of Labor under Iowa Code chapter 91C, and roofers are named among the trades that must register, while cities may layer their own licensing on top — Iowa Code 103A.10 leaves roofing code content local for any city over 15,000 that adopts its own code, so the city rather than the state sets the requirements — always confirm the current requirements with the authority before starting work.

Roofing permit
Not required
Contractor registration
Required
Adopted building code
CITY-SET, NOT STATE-GOVERNED, AND CURRENTLY 2024-EDITION, NOT 2021. Des Moines adopts its construction codes by its own ordinance, at Des Moines Municipal Code Chapter 26 (Buildings and Building Regulations), Article III (Building Code). Ordinance No. 16,317 originally amended Chapter 26 to adopt the 2021 editions of the International Building Code, the International Residential Code and the International Existing Building Code. That 2021 adoption has since been superseded: the city's Permit and Development Center "Construction Codes" page states, effective January 1, 2026, "the 2024 International Building Code, 2024 International Residential Code, 2024 International Existing Building Code, and 2024 International Fire Code are adopted by the City of Des Moines," and the Municipal Code as currently codified (Sec. 26-300, Supp. No. 37, codified through Ordinance No. 16,558 adopted May 18, 2026) now reads "International Building Code, 2024 edition," "International Residential Code, 2024 edition" and "International Existing Building Code, 2024 edition," reflecting further amendment by Ordinance Nos. 16,412 and 16,520 after 16,317. The city's residential asphalt-shingle handout has not been reprinted to match: it still states that residential roof-covering installations for one- and two-family dwellings must comply with Chapter 9 of "the 2021 edition of the IRC." Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies) section numbers between the 2021 and 2024 IRC editions were not independently confirmed to match, so provisions in this record sourced from that handout or from the 2021-edition ICC section citations should be treated as reflecting the 2021 text pending re-verification against the 2024 edition. Iowa Code § 103A.10(2)(d) is what leaves this to the city: the State Building Code applies as a default only "in each city with a population of more than fifteen thousand that has not adopted a local building code that is substantially in accord with standards developed by a nationally recognized building code organization" -- Des Moines has adopted one, so the state default does not displace it.
Registration details
  • license: STATEWIDE registration, not a city licence and not a competency licence. Iowa Code § 91C.2 provides that "A contractor doing business in this state shall register with the director and shall meet all of the following requirements as a condition of registration," those conditions being compliance with Iowa workers' compensation insurance law with annual evidence of coverage; possession of an employer account number or a special contractor number issued by the department of workforce development under chapter 96, the Iowa employment security law; and, for an out-of-state contractor, either a surety bond in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars or a statement of prequalification to bid on Iowa Department of Transportation projects. Registration is administered by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL), whose contractor-registration page lists roofers among the covered trades. Threshold: under Iowa Code § 91C.1(1)(a) a person "who earns less than two thousand dollars annually or who performs work or has work performed on the person's own property is not a contractor for purposes of this chapter," so the registration duty attaches at $2,000 of annual earnings. Nothing in chapter 91C imposes a competency exam, apprenticeship hours or a trade-specific licence on general construction or roofing contractors -- it is administrative registration only. City-vs-state split: this is a state requirement that applies in Des Moines by operation of state law; no separate Des Moines city roofing-contractor registration or licence was identified.
Permit process
Des Moines is a no-permit-for-reroofing jurisdiction, which inverts the usual workflow. The City of Des Moines Permit & Development Center handout "Residential Asphalt Shingle Requirements" governs how the work must be done (deck, underlayment, recover limits) even though the work itself is unpermitted; compliance is substantive rather than procedural for a straight re-roof. A building permit becomes necessary the moment sheathing or rafters are repaired or replaced. Applicants should therefore treat deck condition, not roof area, as the permit trigger.

View the full Des Moines permitting authority record →

Impact-resistant roofing materials for Des Moines hail

Des Moines, Iowa sits in one of the country's most hail-prone regions. For hail exposure, the highest impact rating a roof covering can earn is UL 2218 Class 4. These cataloged material categories reach Class 4:

Class 4 impact-resistant materials

Class 4 Impact-Resistant Shingle Corrugated Metal Panel Metal Shingle Rubber (Polymer) Shingle Standing-Seam Metal Roof Stone-Coated Steel Synthetic Shake Synthetic Slate Synthetic Tile

Browse every option on the Class 4 impact-resistant materials hub, and read the Class 4 impact-resistant shingles buyer's guide. Many insurers offer premium credits for a documented Class 4 roof — confirm terms with your carrier.

Local permitting authority

City of Des Moines, Iowa - Development Services Department, Permit and Development Centercity

Roofing guides

Class 4 Impact-Resistant ShinglesGuide Asphalt vs. Metal vs. TileGuide Wind & Fire RatingsGuide

Sources