What it actually takes to re-roof a house in Kirkwood — 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.
Kirkwood runs to about 9.2 square miles and roughly 29,461 people. It sits about 12 miles west of downtown St. Louis. There are around 13,106 housing units here, and every one of them has a roof with a clock on it. The community dates back to 1853. We cover ZIP code 63122.
We have not logged a completed roof in Kirkwood yet. We would rather say so than put a number on this page that is not real.
The typical home in Kirkwood dates to around the mid-1960s. A house of that vintage has usually been through two or three roofs. It is also old enough that what is under the shingles matters as much as the shingles: plank decking, older flashing details, and layers someone went over rather than tore off.
Kirkwood's housing spans from 1850s-era districts (Jefferson-Argonne, West Argonne, North Taylor) through a 1920s district (Central Place) to 1950s Mid-Century Modern subdivisions (Barrett Brae, Craig Woods, Sugar Creek Ranch).
We work across Kirkwood rather than one corner of it — Barrett Brae, Central Place, Craig Woods, Jefferson-Argonne, Meramec Highlands, North Taylor, Savoy, Sugar Creek Ranch and West Argonne 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.
Kirkwood has a city Landmarks Commission and 9 locally designated historic districts (spanning the 1850s to the 1950s, including three Mid-Century Modern districts), 4 of which are also individually listed on the National Register, plus 85 designated individual landmarks.
The postwar housing in Kirkwood is mostly straightforward to roof, which is why it gets done badly so often. Decking is usually 1x6 boards or early plywood, still sound but worth walking rather than assuming. The recurring problems are the low-slope sections — porch roofs, carport tie-ins, the flat bit over an addition — where a shingle was installed below its rated pitch and has been failing quietly ever since. Attic ventilation on houses of this era is also routinely short of what current shingle warranties require, and under-venting cooks a roof from underneath. We measure intake against exhaust before we quote rather than just nailing on a ridge vent and calling it solved.
Kirkwood does not publish a clear answer either way on whether a like-for-like roof covering replacement needs a permit. We confirm it with the department before we start, every time, and we pull whatever is needed as part of the job. We would rather write that here than guess on your behalf.
Kirkwood enforces the 2021 IRC. Kirkwood enforced the 2015 ICC family through March 31, 2026 and moved to the 2021 ICC family effective April 1, 2026, with local amendments.
The published number is 314-822-5823. The building official on record is Randy Noland, Building Commissioner (314-822-5814). 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.
Kirkwood borders Des Peres, Frontenac, Glendale, Huntleigh, Oakland and Warson Woods. These are the ones we also cover, each with its own permit rule and code edition:
Elsewhere in St. Louis 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affton | Yes | Not published | 314-615-5184 |
| Ballwin | Yes | 2015 I-Codes (2024 I-Codes proposed for 2026) | 636-227-2129 |
| Brentwood | Not published | 2024 IRC | 314-963-8602 |
| Chesterfield | Not published | 2015 IBC / 2015 IRC | 636-537-4000 |
| Clayton | Not published | 2021 IRC | 314-290-8463 |
| Creve Coeur | Not published | 2009 IRC | 314-872-2500 |
| Des Peres | Not published | 2018 I-Codes | 314-835-6100 |
| Ellisville | Not published | 2015 IRC | 636-227-9660 |
| Eureka | Not published | 2018 IRC | — |
| Florissant | Not published | 2021 IRC | 314-839-7648 |
| Manchester | Not published | Not published | 314-615-5184 |
| Maryland Heights | Yes | 2021 IRC | 314-291-6550 |
| Mehlville | Yes | Not published | 314-615-5184 |
| Oakville | Yes | Not published | 314-615-5184 |
| Richmond Heights | Not published | Not published | 314-646-7658 |
| Unincorporated St. Louis County | Yes | Not published | 314-615-5184 |
| Town and Country | Yes | 2018 I-Codes (2024 I-Codes pending) | 314-587-2820 |
| University City | Not published | 2018 IRC | — |
| Webster Groves | Not published | 2015 IBC family | 314-963-5300 |
| Wildwood | Not published | Not published | — |
Free inspection, a written scope, and photos you keep either way.
Kirkwood does not publish a clear answer either way. We confirm it with the building department before starting and pull whatever is required.
Kirkwood enforces the 2021 IRC. Kirkwood enforced the 2015 ICC family through March 31, 2026 and moved to the 2021 ICC family effective April 1, 2026, with local amendments.
The typical home in Kirkwood dates to around the mid-1960s, 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.
It can. Kirkwood has Downtown Kirkwood (NRHP), East Monroe (NRHP), Jefferson-Argonne (NRHP) and North Taylor (NRHP). Inside a designated district, changing a visible roof material or colour can need preservation review before the permit is issued. Like-for-like replacement usually raises fewer questions, but we check before quoting.
Not yet. We have no completed roof logged in Kirkwood, 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 Kirkwood 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.kirkwoodmo.org · www.kirkwoodmo.org · ecode360.com · en.wikipedia.org · www.kirkwoodmo.org · censusreporter.org · www.bestplaces.net. Municipal staffing, phone numbers and adopted code editions change — confirm with the jurisdiction before relying on anything here.