Where the line falls
Connecticut enforces the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code, which adopts the 2021 International Residential Code with the state’s own amendments. Under it:
- A roof replacement needs a building permit. Tearing off the old roof and putting on a new one is work the code expects your town’s building official to see.
- A small repair does not. Connecticut lets repairs of up to 25 percent of the roof covering in a calendar year go ahead without a permit — replacing some wind-damaged shingles, a failed vent boot, a stretch of flashing.
The 25 percent is counted across the calendar year, not job by job. Four separate repairs of a fifth of the roof in one year are not four small repairs.
Who should pull the permit
The contractor doing the work should apply for the permit, in the contractor’s name, with its Connecticut Home Improvement Contractor registration number on the application. That puts the contractor on record as responsible for the work the inspector is about to look at.
A homeowner can usually pull a permit for work on the house they live in — but then the homeowner, not the contractor, is the one answerable to the building department for the job. A roofer who asks you to pull the permit yourself is asking you to take on its responsibility. That is a reason to ask why. See how to choose a roofer in Connecticut.
What the building inspector checks
Inspection practice varies by town. Some building departments want to see the roof partway through, so the ice barrier and the deck can be checked before the shingles cover them; others inspect at the end. What the code requires on a new Connecticut roof is the same everywhere:
- The old roofing removed down to the deck (IRC R908.3), unless a recover is one of the limited cases the code allows (R908.3.1) — and never over two existing layers (R908.3.1.1).
- An ice barrier at every eave (R905.1.2), which Connecticut’s climate table makes mandatory statewide.
- A self-adhering membrane strip over every joint in the deck, a Connecticut amendment to R905.1.1.
- A drip edge at eaves and rakes (R905.2.8.5), and flashing replaced wherever the old is rusted, damaged or worn (R908.5).
- Shingles rated for the town’s design wind speed (R905.2.4.1) and fastened with at least four nails per strip shingle (R905.2.6).
See the Connecticut roofing code for the wind speed and snow load in every town, and what to expect during a roof replacement for where each of those parts goes on.
Finding your town’s building department
Every one of our 169 Connecticut town pages names that town’s building official and lists the building department’s phone number, along with the town’s own wind speed and snow load. The permit application, the fee and the inspection booking all go through that office.
When a roof needs more than a building permit
- Historic districts. In a local historic district, a commission can require a certificate of appropriateness for visible exterior changes, which can include the roofing material. That is a separate approval from the building permit. See slate and cedar roofing.
- Heavier materials. Switching to natural slate or another much heavier roof means checking that the framing can carry it, which the building department may want to see.
- Structural repairs. Replacing rafters or trusses is structural work, not roofing, and is treated that way.
Why the permit is worth having
It is easy to see a permit as paperwork and a fee. What it actually buys is a second set of eyes on the parts of the roof nobody will see again — the ice barrier, the deck, the flashing — from someone who does not work for the roofer. And it matters when you sell: a roof replaced without a permit, or a permit left open and never signed off, can turn up in the buyer’s due diligence and hold up a closing. A closed permit is the record that the roof was done to code.
How we handle it
We pull the permit on every roof we replace, in our name, with our registration number, HIC.0705614. We book the inspections the town requires and make sure the permit is signed off at the end, and you get the paperwork.
We pull the permit, you get the sign-off
Free inspection, a written estimate, and the permit handled from application to the inspector's final sign-off.
Common questions about roofing permits in Connecticut
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Connecticut?
Yes. A roof replacement needs a building permit from your town. Repairs of up to 25 percent of the roof covering in a calendar year can go ahead without one.
Who pulls the roofing permit, me or the contractor?
The contractor should, in its own name and with its Connecticut HIC registration number, which puts it on record as responsible for the work. A homeowner can usually pull one for their own house, but then becomes the responsible party.
Do I need a permit to repair my roof?
Not for a small repair. Connecticut lets repairs of up to 25 percent of the roof covering in a calendar year go without a permit. The 25 percent is counted across the year, not job by job.
What does a building inspector check on a new roof?
Practice varies by town, but the code requires the old roof removed to the deck, an ice barrier at every eave, Connecticut's membrane strip over the deck joints, drip edge, new flashing where needed, and wind-rated shingles.
What happens if a roof was replaced without a permit?
It can come up when the house is sold, in the buyer's due diligence, and hold up a closing. An open permit that was never signed off can do the same.
How much does a roofing permit cost in Connecticut?
It depends on the town. Each of Connecticut's 169 towns sets its own building permit fees, usually based on the value of the work. Your town's building department can tell you.