City pages re-read 9 October 2026. Rules change, and neither city's page promises otherwise: confirm with the city before work starts.
Do I Need A Permit To Replace A Roof In Dallas?
Almost always, yes. I read the City of Dallas permit guide on 9 October 2026. Its entry for residential roofing says a permit is required when the total value of the roofing work, materials plus labor, exceeds $500. A full re-roof clears that bar on any house. The same entry says structural repairs to rafters or joists need a separate building alteration permit, and the city's storm damage page says minor repairs to roofing or roof vents do not require a permit and that no permit is required for temporary measures such as tarps. The guide gives (214) 948-4480 for confirming requirements with city staff.
Who Pulls The Permit In Dallas, Me Or The Roofer?
The guide names two kinds of applicant: a registered roofing contractor, or a property owner on their verified primary homestead who files a Homeowner's Exemption Affidavit and performs the labor themselves. The storm damage page adds that registered contractors may apply online. If a company tells you to pull the permit yourself while it does the work, that is not the homestead route, because the owner must do the labor. Ask for the permit number before the final payment.
Do I Need A Permit To Replace A Roof In Fort Worth?
Not for a shingle-only replacement on a one or two-family home. The Fort Worth roofing FAQ asks that question directly and answers no. It answers yes if any decking is replaced. Since a hail-damaged roof often needs a few boards swapped once the old shingles are off, the practical rule is to ask your roofer in writing whether decking replacement is in the scope and who pulls the permit if it is.
What Else Does Fort Worth Say About Re-Roofing?
The same FAQ is useful for checking a bid. The city enforces the adopted International Codes and says a roof that met code when built stays in compliance, and sheathing in good condition does not have to be replaced. It says the code does not allow a layer of decking over an existing layer. Underlayment must meet the manufacturer's instructions or section R905 of the 2021 International Residential Code, whichever is more restrictive, and an ice barrier is not required under the city's amendments. Crickets and drip edge are required when re-roofing if they do not already exist. A quote that leaves out drip edge on a roof without it is leaving out something the city says is required.
What Do The Open Permit Files Show?
I built the permit index from both cities' open data. Dallas issued 6,252 re-roof permits in 2019, its last full year, with August 2019 the busiest month at 1,116. The file ends in August 2020. Fort Worth received 473 re-roof applications in 2024 and 384 in 2025, with 389 so far in 2026 through October 9, 2026. Its busiest month was June 2024 at 103. Fort Worth's counts understate re-roofs because shingle-only jobs need no permit.
Why Dallas And Fort Worth Numbers Do Not Match
Three differences. Dallas dates a permit by when it was issued and Fort Worth by when the application was filed. Dallas requires a permit for nearly every full re-roof while Fort Worth exempts shingle-only jobs. And Dallas names the contractor on each permit while the Fort Worth file has no contractor field, only the owner. So a company that works both cities can appear in one file and not the other, and absence from either is never a zero.
How Do I Check My Roofer Pulled The Permit?
Ask for the permit number and look it up with the city. For Dallas permits before the freeze, search the open file for your address. For anything newer, the city's own portal is the place, and we did not scrape it. In Fort Worth a shingle-only job will have no permit to find, which is lawful, so the question to ask your roofer is whether decking was replaced. How to check a Dallas-Fort Worth roofer walks through the other records.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Dallas?
- Almost always. The City of Dallas permit guide says a Residential Roofing Permit is required when the total value of the roofing work, materials plus labor, exceeds $500, so a full replacement nearly always needs one. Minor repairs to roofing or roof vents do not. Requirements can change, so the guide tells you to confirm with city staff before starting.
- Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Fort Worth?
- Not for a shingle-only replacement on a single or two-family home. The Fort Worth roofing FAQ answers no to that question, and answers yes if any decking is replaced.
- Can a homeowner pull the roofing permit in Dallas?
- Yes, in one case. Dallas lets a registered roofing contractor apply, or a property owner on their verified primary homestead who files a Homeowner's Exemption Affidavit and does the labor themselves.
- Can I put new decking over the old decking in Fort Worth?
- No. The Fort Worth FAQ says the code does not allow a layer of decking to be installed over an existing layer.
- Does Fort Worth require ice barrier underlayment?
- No. Under the city's amendments an ice barrier is not required, because the city cites no history of ice damming in the area. Underlayment must still meet the manufacturer's instructions or section R905 of the 2021 International Residential Code, whichever is more restrictive.
- How many roofing permits do Dallas and Fort Worth issue?
- Dallas issued 6,252 re-roof permits in 2019, the last full year in its open file, which stopped updating in August 2020. Fort Worth received 473 re-roof applications in 2024 and 384 in 2025. The counts follow different rules and cannot be added or compared.
- Is there a current Dallas permit count?
- Not from open data. Dallas Open Data says its permit file is historical and no longer updated and points to the city's Accela Citizen Access portal. We found no bulk export there and did not scrape it.
- How much is a roofing permit?
- We do not print a fee. Third-party figures conflict and we did not find a current fee on the city pages we read. Ask the city or your roofer for the amount before you sign.
Sources
- City of Dallas, Sustainable Development and Construction. Common Projects guide, Residential Roofing. https://dallascityhall.com/departments/sustainabledevelopment/guide/Pages/default.aspx. Read 9 October 2026.
- City of Dallas. Storm damage repair information. https://dallascityhall.com/departments/sustainabledevelopment/Pages/storm_damage_repair_info.aspx. Read 9 October 2026.
- City of Fort Worth, Development Services. Roofing frequently asked questions (PDF). https://www.fortworthtexas.gov/files/assets/public/development-services/documents/roofing-faq.pdf. Read 9 October 2026.
- Dallas Open Data. Building Permits, described as historical and no longer updated. Dallas Open Data, Building Permits. Read 9 October 2026.
- City of Fort Worth open data. Development Permits. City of Fort Worth open data, Development Permits. Pulled 9 October 2026.
- This site. Texas roof insurance claims: chapter 707, for the state rules on deductibles.