The Saint Paul rule
DSI's handout When is a permit required? (read 23 October 2026): "A general building permit is required to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of residences, garages, carports, decks and similar structures", and minor alterations need one when the value "exceeds $500.00". Roofing is not on the exemption list. Two add-ons:
- Heritage districts. If the house is in a Heritage Preservation District or is a designated site, the Heritage Preservation Commission must approve "exterior work or repairs that require a building permit", which includes a reroof. Call HPC staff on 651-266-9078 before ordering shingles.
- The garage counts too. The rule names garages, so a detached garage reroof is its own permit.
Who can pull it
DSI issues permits "to the homesteader of the property for single and two-family residential construction or to a contractor licensed by the City of Saint Paul", and "State of Minnesota contractor's licenses do not exempt contractors from city licenses requirements". For roofing, the City honors the state license: Minnesota DLI requires a residential roofer (or building contractor or remodeler) license for roofing, the one special skill it does not leave to cities (DLI; details in Saint Paul contractor license lookup). A roofer offering a City one-skill license only is not licensed for your roof.
What it costs
The permit is priced on the job's value from the building permit fee schedule effective 25 February 2023, which is still the one DSI links:
| Job value | Permit fee |
|---|---|
| $8,001 to $9,000 | $253 |
| $9,001 to $10,000 | $274 |
| $12,001 to $13,000 | $337 |
| $15,001 to $16,000 | $400 |
| $20,001 to $21,000 | $505 |
| $25,001 to $26,000 | $606 |
On top: a state surcharge of 0.0005 times the job value (about $6 on a $12,000 roof), and a plan check fee the schedule sets at 65% of the permit fee on valuations over $1,000. Whether a plain reroof is charged plan check is something to confirm with DSI on 651-266-8989; the invoice in PAULIE is final. For scale, the middle half of Saint Paul roofers usually file between $9,050 and $16,000, which falls in the $274 to $400 rows.
Inspections and code points DSI flags
- Call when work starts. DSI's reroofing inspection requirements ask the roofer to notify the area inspector named on the permit card, preferably the day before and "no later than 9:00 a.m. on the day that work is to start", between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m.
- Chimney crickets. The same sheet says chimneys wider than 30 inches need a saddle or cricket on the high side, with flashing and counter-flashing; "If such a 'saddle' or 'cricket' does not exist, it must be provided."
- Board sheathing. DSI's reroofing guideline (May 2023) applies the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code: shingles go on solid sheathing or 1-inch nominal boards, and although City policy tolerates boards with gaps, the contractor must follow the manufacturer's spacing, typically a 1/8-inch maximum. On an old Saint Paul house with plank decking, ask whether the quote includes re-sheathing.
- Deadline. DSI's permit pages say exterior work on a one- or two-family home "must be completed within one year from the date issued".
How to apply
Apply in PAULIE, the City's permitting system since 17 September 2025. Afterwards, search your address in PAULIE's Find Property Information to see the roofer's name on the permit and its status (Saint Paul building permit search).
What 8,566 Saint Paul roofing permits show
| Measure | Saint Paul roofing |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 8,566 |
| Firms | 1,301 |
| Firms with one permit only | 558 (42.9%) |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months | 702 |
| Finaled (permits a year or more old) | 68.7% |
| Usual days from issue to final | 106 |
| Usual filed value | $12,429 |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm finished share (10+ permits) | 37.8% / 84.6% |
| Busiest / quietest month | October (224) / January (17) |
Saint Paul roofing is seasonal and crowded. Filing in October runs at 224 on a scale where 100 is an average month, against 17 in January, and 42.9% of roofing firms filed a single permit in three years, so many quotes will come from firms with almost no Saint Paul record. 103 of the 196 roofers with 10 or more permits finaled under 70%, and 75 with 5 or more permits filed none in their last 12 months on file. Prices by job size: Saint Paul roofing cost. Counts by year: Saint Paul permit statistics.
See every Saint Paul roofer by permits finaled →
Before you hire
The full Saint Paul checklist is in hiring a roofer in Saint Paul; compare firms on the Saint Paul roofer list. Other cities' reroof rules are in do I need a permit for roof replacement, and national prices in roof replacement cost.
What this does not tell you
Our file is missing permits issued from about July to mid-September 2025, and a roof done without a permit is invisible to us. "Finaled" means the City closed the permit, not that the roof was priced fairly. The fee table is the City's 2023 schedule; PAULIE calculates the current amount.
How we know this
Rules, fees and inspection steps are quoted from City of Saint Paul DSI handouts read 23 October 2026, and the roofer license rule from Minnesota DLI, read 22 October 2026. Permit counts are City of Saint Paul building permits classified as roofing on homes, October 2023 to September 2026; finished share uses permits a year or more old, and days to final is the middle permit's issue-to-final time.
Numbers come from City of Saint Paul building and trade permits (the City's old approved-permits file up to June 2025, and the City's PAULIE permit system since September 2025), with the contractor named on each permit, data through October 22, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Saint Paul?
Yes. Saint Paul requires a general building permit to 'repair' a residence or garage, and any minor alteration over $500 in labor and materials needs one. A shingle tear-off and reroof is well over that line.
- How much is a roofing permit in Saint Paul?
It is priced on the job's value from the City's building permit fee table (effective 25 February 2023): $274 for a $9,001 to $10,000 job, $337 for $12,001 to $13,000 and $400 for $15,001 to $16,000, plus a state surcharge of 0.05% of the value. The schedule also lists a plan check fee of 65% of the permit fee on valuations over $1,000.
- Can a homeowner pull a roofing permit in Saint Paul?
Yes. DSI issues permits for single and two-family homes to 'the homesteader of the property' or to a licensed contractor. A roofer you hire needs a Minnesota DLI license; roofing is the one single-skill trade the state licenses.
- How long does a roofing permit take in Saint Paul?
The usual Saint Paul roofing permit in our file was finaled 106 days after issue, and 68.7% of reroof permits a year or more old were finaled. DSI's pages say exterior work on a one- or two-family home must be completed within one year of the permit.
- Does Saint Paul inspect a reroof?
Yes. DSI asks the roofer to notify the area building inspector when work begins, ideally the day before and no later than 9:00 a.m. on the start day, using the inspector named on the permit card.
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 to replace my roof? It splits: the rule in 16 cities, and how many get filed
- Saint Paul 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 Sugar Land? Yes: an express permit issued online, and a final half of them never pass
- Do I need a roofing permit in Tyler, TX? The $100 reroof permit, who files it, and why most stay open
For one city
- When is a permit required? — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Information & Applications — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective 25 February 2023) — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Reroofing Inspection Requirements — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Reroofing Guideline (May 2023) — City of Saint Paul DSI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Residential contractor licensing — Minnesota DLI (2026-10-22)