What is the difference between a Houston re-roof and an overlay?

The Houston Permitting Center lists separate worksheets: CE-1109 for a residential re-roof and CE-1104 for overlay. Overlay adds a covering over what is already there. Re-roof removes and replaces. Confirm which scope is on the permit before you sign.

How long is a Houston residential roof permit good for?

HPWCODE1140 publishes a valid period of 6 months and a processing time of 10 business days. Confirm both figures on the current Permitting Center page when you apply. Rules change.

Does a Houston roof replacement need a fire permit?

Houston Fire Department LSB Standard 11 applies when the work uses a torch or an asphalt kettle. It is not a blanket rule for every shingle replacement. Ask the contractor which method they will use, then confirm with the fire official and the Permitting Center.

Roof replacement in Houston, TX

Roofer fastening new asphalt shingles on a residential roof

Re-roof and overlay are not the same form

HPWCODE1140 asks for either the Roofing Overlay Only Form (CE-1104) or the Residential Re-Roof Only Worksheet (CE-1109), plus the building permit application and the declaration in support of the application.

Overlay keeps the existing covering and adds another. Re-roof removes and replaces. Those are different jobs, and Houston gives them different worksheets. A quote that does not say which one it is describing is not a complete quote.

iPermits, then inspection

Applications run through iPermits. The published path is: create or log in to the account, email the documents, receive a sales order, and pay online. Plan review is listed as required. The page publishes a processing time of 10 business days and a valid period of 6 months. Treat those as the city's published figures, and confirm they still apply when you file.

After approval, the permit stays on site until final approval. The permit and worksheet have to be on site for the inspection.

Torch and kettle work is a separate standard

If the replacement uses a torch or an asphalt kettle, Houston Fire Department LSB Standard 11 applies on top of the building permit. Kettles are not used inside a building or on a roof unless the fire official approves it. A kettle on a roof needs secondary containment and a trained attendant within 100 feet while the heat source is running.

A shingle tear-off that never uses a torch or kettle is still a building-permit job. It is not automatically a fire-standard job. Ask the contractor which method they will use before you compare quotes.

The Houston Permitting Center describes a residential roofing permit as a permit for a re-roof or roofing overlay on a residence. Plan review and inspection are both listed as required.

Permit for a re-roof or roofing overlay for a residence structure.

Applications go through iPermits. The documents on that page are a building permit application, a declaration in support of the application, and either the Roofing Overlay Only Form (CE-1104) or the Residential Re-Roof Only Worksheet (CE-1109).

What the city has published

HPWCODE1140 publishes a processing time of 10 business days, a valid period of 6 months, and an admin fee of $33.56. The main permit fee is not a dollar on that page. It says to see the City of Houston fee schedule.

After approval, the permit stays on site until final approval. The permit and worksheet have to be on site for the inspection.

Torch or kettle is a second rulebook

Houston Fire Department LSB Standard 11 applies when the work uses a torch or an asphalt kettle. Kettles are not used inside a building or on a roof unless the fire official approves it. A kettle on a roof needs secondary containment and a trained attendant within 100 feet while the heat source is running.

1002 Washington Ave is a city office

Plan Review and Structural Inspections sit at the Houston Permitting Center, 1002 Washington Ave. That is the city office. It is not this site address, and it is not a street we claim as NAP.

Source: Houston Permitting Center, Residential Roofing Permit HPWCODE1140. Fire method rules: Houston Fire Department LSB Standard 11, Roofing Operations. Confirm both before you rely on a figure.