What it actually takes to re-roof a house in Arnold — whether the city wants a permit, which code edition applies, who to call at the building department, and how old the housing here really is. No sales copy dressed up as local knowledge.
Arnold runs to about 11.5 square miles and roughly 20,956 people. It sits about 15 miles south of downtown St. Louis. There are around 8,982 housing units here, and every one of them has a roof with a clock on it. The community dates back to 1972. We cover ZIP code 63010.
We have not logged a completed roof in Arnold yet. We would rather say so than put a number on this page that is not real.
The typical home in Arnold dates to around the late-1970s. A house of that vintage has usually been through two roofs, and the one on it now is often the second — which means it is old enough to be checked rather than assumed.
Mostly built from the 1960s into the 1970s, around the time of the city's 1972 incorporation.
We work across Arnold rather than one corner of it — Beck, Flamm City, Maxville, Old Town Arnold, Ten Brook and Wickes included. Age and construction change between them, sometimes by thirty years and a whole different framing method, which is why we look before we quote rather than after.
Arnold was formed in 1972 by the merger of six older communities (Beck, Flamm City, Maxville, Old Town Arnold, Ten Brook and Wickes). Sitting near the Meramec-Mississippi confluence, it has a documented history of major flooding, including a record Meramec River crest of 47.26 feet on Dec. 31, 2015 that affected more than 300 homes.
Housing from this stretch in Arnold sits on plywood or OSB decking and was largely first roofed with three-tab shingles. Most are on their second covering by now. The things worth checking are the penetrations rather than the field: pipe boots from this era are the single most common leak we trace, because the rubber collar splits long before the shingles wear out. Ridge venting was inconsistent through these years, and OSB that has been damp for a season goes soft in a way plywood does not — you find it with your feet, not from the ground.
The city states that 'construction, remodeling, or demolition of buildings and structures requires a permit' but does not name re-roofing. Important: Arnold is an incorporated city and does NOT inherit Jefferson County's re-roof permit exemption — confirm Arnold's own position by phone.
Arnold enforces the 2021 IRC. 2021 IBC, IRC, IPC, IMC, IFC, IECC, IFGC, IPMC, ISPSC and IPSDC, plus the 2020 NEC.
The published number is 636-282-2378. The building official on record is Brian M. Herr, CBO, Building Commissioner (bherr@arnoldmo.org). The department page is here.
Permitting is on us, not on you.
Unlike some states, Missouri does not assign each municipality its own wind and snow numbers — these are metro-wide.
| Criterion | Figure | What it drives |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimate design wind (Vult) | 115 mph | Fastener schedule and the manufacturer wind rating we specify |
| Nominal design wind (Vasd) | 89 mph (derived, not published locally) | The allowable-stress figure older specs quote |
| Ground snow load | 20 psf | Structure, and how much the eaves hold in a freeze-thaw |
| Frost depth | 30 in | Footings, not roof covering |
| Seismic design category | C residential / D commercial | Lateral bracing and structural connections — not shingles |
What each of these actually does to a roof, why New Madrid does not change how shingles go on, and the difference between the code minimum and the manufacturer minimum on nails per shingle, are all in the St. Louis roofing code guide.
Elsewhere in Jefferson County we also cover:
Missouri sets none of this at state level, so a specification that was right one municipality over is not automatically right here.
| City | Permit for a re-roof | Adopted code | Building dept. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Festus | Not published | Not published | 636-937-6646 |
| Imperial | No | 2015 IRC | — |
Free inspection, a written scope, and photos you keep either way.
The city states that 'construction, remodeling, or demolition of buildings and structures requires a permit' but does not name re-roofing. Important: Arnold is an incorporated city and does NOT inherit Jefferson County's re-roof permit exemption — confirm Arnold's own position by phone.
Arnold enforces the 2021 IRC. 2021 IBC, IRC, IPC, IMC, IFC, IECC, IFGC, IPMC, ISPSC and IPSDC, plus the 2020 NEC.
The typical home in Arnold dates to around the late-1970s, so most roofs here are on their second or third covering rather than their first. That figure is an ACS-derived median republished by housing-data services, not a survey of individual roofs.
Not yet. We have no completed roof logged in Arnold, and we would rather say so than put a number on this page that is not real.
Missouri has no state-level roofing contractor licence. Licensing and registration are imposed municipally, and several St. Louis metro cities require it. Illinois does licence roofers statewide, so a contractor working the Metro East needs an IDFPR roofing licence.
Permit and code details for Arnold come from the jurisdiction's own published pages and codified ordinances. Population, housing and neighbourhood detail come from census data and the sources below; housing-age figures are ACS-derived medians republished by housing-data services, so treat them as approximate. Sources: www.arnoldmo.org · www.arnoldmo.org · en.wikipedia.org · censusreporter.org · www.point2homes.com. Municipal staffing, phone numbers and adopted code editions change — confirm with the jurisdiction before relying on anything here.