The Minneapolis rule
The City's roofing handout for one- and two-family homes (linked from its Roofing page, read 23 October 2026) is the reference. Its permit section:
| Job | Permit? | Inspection |
|---|---|---|
| Re-roof or overlay | Yes, a building permit | Final, when the work is complete |
| Repair using less than one bundle (33⅓ sq ft) | No | None |
| Repairs to rafters or trusses | An additional permit | A framing inspection |
| Re-sheathing | Covered by the re-roof permit | Optional extra inspection, "based on the inspector's availability" |
| Underlayment or ice barrier | Covered | "not required"; photos are not required either |
Three code points from the same handout decide what the roofer must do. An overlay is allowed over one existing layer only, and never over wood shakes, slate, clay or cement tiles. Ice barrier is required on every house: Minnesota's climate counts as severe, so the barrier must run from the eave "to a point at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line". Rusted or damaged flashing "shall be replaced", and "Roofing tar or asphalt shall not be used in lieu of approved flashing". You do not have to add attic ventilation to an existing house when re-roofing.
Who can pull it
The roofer, usually. Minnesota DLI says "roofers are required to obtain a license" even when roofing is their only skill (DLI), and the City's Permit Applicants page lists the DLI Residential Roofer license among the licenses a contractor shows to get a building permit. An owner who lives in a one- to four-unit building can pull the permit to do the work themselves; the same page says "You must show a valid photo ID".
How to apply
- Roofers the City has pre-approved apply through express permits, which cover "Reroofs" on existing one- and two-family homes.
- Everyone else fills in the Building Permit Application and emails it to Development@minneapolismn.gov. The City says "Do not submit construction plans with the application", and owner applicants attach a valid ID.
- Final inspection. The name and phone number of the area building inspector are printed on the permit; call them to book the final.
What it costs
Minneapolis prices the permit by job value. From the City's building permit fee schedule (read 23 October 2026):
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Job value $2,001 to $25,000 | $104.20 for the first $2,000, plus $20.60 per added $1,000 |
| Job value $25,001 to $50,000 | $578.00 for the first $25,000, plus $14.90 per added $1,000 |
| Plan review fee | 65% of the building permit fee |
| Minnesota state surcharge | job value × 0.0005 |
| Minimum fee | $84.20 |
Worked through the published formula, a $13,000 re-roof is $330.80 + $215.02 plan review + $6.50 surcharge, about $552. A $20,000 one is about $794. The schedule does not say whether plan review is charged on an express re-roof, so the invoice is the final word.
What 18,620 Minneapolis roofing permits show
| Measure | Minneapolis roofing |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 18,620 |
| Firms that pulled them | 1,483 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months of the window | 672 |
| Usual filed value (middle half of firms) | $13,000 ($9,660 to $16,057) |
| Closed (permits a year or more old) | 93.0% |
| Usual days from issue to close | 85 |
| Busiest month / quietest month | October (index 243) / January (16) |
| Firms with one permit only | 563 (38.0%) |
Roofing swings hard with the seasons: October runs at 243 against an average month of 100, January at 16. Book in spring if you want a choice of crews. The other number to know is churn: 38.0% of roofing firms pulled a single permit in three years, and 144 firms with five or more filed none in the last 12 months of the file. Pick a firm that is still pulling permits, so someone is around when a warranty claim comes up. Prices by home value are on Minneapolis roofing cost; counts by year on Minneapolis permit statistics.
See every Minneapolis roofer by permits closed →
Before you hire
Look the roofer up on the Minneapolis roofer list and check its DLI roofer license (Minneapolis contractor license lookup). The full checklist is in hiring a roofer in Minneapolis, material choice in metal roof vs shingles in Minneapolis, national prices in roof replacement cost, and other cities' rules in do I need a permit for roof replacement.
What this does not tell you
The filed value is what the roofer wrote on the permit, not your invoice. A closed permit means the final passed, not that the shingles were installed to the manufacturer's spec, which the City does not inspect. The roofing handout is dated May 2016 and refers to the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code for anything it leaves out; call Construction Code Services on 612-673-3000 for a case it does not cover.
How we know this
The permit threshold, overlay, ice-barrier and inspection rules are quoted from the City of Minneapolis roofing handout for one- and two-family dwellings, read 23 October 2026; fees from the City's building permit fee schedule as published that day, and the worked examples apply its formula. Permit counts are City of Minneapolis CCS permits classified as roofing, October 2023 to September 2026; closed share uses permits a year or more old, and days to close is the median from issue to completion date.
Numbers come from City of Minneapolis construction permits (CCS), data through October 16, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Minneapolis?
Yes. The City's roofing handout says 'A building permit is required for all re-roofing work, except repairs involving less than one bundle of shingles (33 1/3 square feet of roof area).' A patch smaller than that needs no permit.
- How much is a roofing permit in Minneapolis?
It is set by job value from the City's building permit schedule: $104.20 for the first $2,000 plus $20.60 per extra $1,000 up to $25,000, with the published formula adding a plan review fee of 65% of that and a state surcharge of 0.05% of the job value. On a $13,000 re-roof that formula comes to about $552.
- Can I roof over my old shingles in Minneapolis?
Once. The City's handout allows an overlay over one existing layer, if that layer is not water-soaked or deteriorated, and never over wood shakes, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tiles.
- How long does a roofing permit take to close in Minneapolis?
The usual Minneapolis roofing permit in our file closed 85 days after it was issued, and 93.0% of permits a year or more old were closed. Only one inspection, the final, is required.
- Does a Minneapolis roofer need a license?
Yes. Minnesota DLI requires roofers to hold a residential roofer license even if roofing is the only thing they do. Check the number on DLI's lookup before you sign.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Do I need a permit? 13 common home projects, checked against city rules and permit files
- Minneapolis building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need a roofing permit in Anaheim? The $375 reroof fee, the one-layer rule and two inspections
- Do I need a roofing permit in Bernalillo County? The re-roof application, the tile rule and two inspections
- Do I need a roofing permit in Sacramento County? Yes for a re-roof: the online permit, tear-off inspections and timing
- Do I need a roofing permit in Saint Paul? Reroof permits, fees and inspections
For one city
- Roofing at single-family and two-family dwellings (handout) — City of Minneapolis Construction Code Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Roofing — Building Requirements by Project, City of Minneapolis (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building permit fee schedule — City of Minneapolis (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Permit Applicants — City of Minneapolis (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Express Limited Permits for Contractors — City of Minneapolis (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Permit application — City of Minneapolis (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Who needs a residential contractor license? — Minnesota DLI (accessed 2026-10-22)