Roofing for Arnold homes: replacement, leaks and storm damage. In Arnold, the 2021 IRC is in force and 84% of the 8,982 homes were built before 2000. Any permit the job needs is ours to pull.
Arnold runs to about 11.5 square miles and roughly 20,956 people. It sits about 15 miles south of downtown St. Louis. The community dates back to 1972. We cover ZIP code 63010.
No completed roof in Arnold is logged in our job records yet.
Most of Arnold's homes were 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, which is why we look before we quote.
Arnold was formed in 1972 by the merger of six older communities: Beck, Flamm City, Maxville, Old Town Arnold, Ten Brook and Wickes. It sits near where the Meramec River meets the Mississippi and has a history of major flooding, including a record Meramec River crest of 47.26 feet on December 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.
By the Census Bureau's estimate there are 8,982 homes in Arnold, with a median year built of 1977. 162 of them (2%) went up before 1940 — 35th of 48 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 1,455 (16%) in 2000 or later. The 1960s were the busiest decade, adding 2,307 of today's homes (26%). (Jefferson County as a whole: 3% before 1940.)
About 25 years is the usual working life of a roof, by the figure Missouri's insurance department publishes. On that yardstick the 7,527 homes in Arnold built before 2000 (84%) have outlived at least one roof, and the 3,682 built before 1970 (41%) are usually on a third covering or later. First replacements are arriving on the 905 homes built in the 2000s, while the 550 built since 2010 are mostly still on the roof they were built with. On houses that old, the question worth asking is how many layers are up there: a roof laid over an old one hides the deck.
Detached single-family houses make up 79% (7,092); attached houses and townhouses 6% (523). 489 homes (5%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings and 552 (6%) in buildings of ten units or more, where a resident rarely gets to choose the roofer. The count also takes in 310 mobile homes, which are a different kind of roof job. 80% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 20% rented. With houses like these, the jobs we expect most are full tear-offs on houses past two roof lives.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 162 | 2% | |
| 1940s | 136 | 2% | |
| 1950s | 1,077 | 12% | |
| 1960s | 2,307 | 26% | |
| 1970s | 1,195 | 13% | |
| 1980s | 1,024 | 11% | |
| 1990s | 1,626 | 18% | |
| 2000s | 905 | 10% | |
| 2010s | 473 | 5% | |
| 2020 or later | 77 | 1% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 8,982 homes, 8,394 occupied. Survey estimates.
From 2016 through 2025, NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center recorded 30 reports of hail of 1 inch or more within 5 miles of Arnold’s center, spread over 10 storm days. 9 of them were 1.75 inches or larger. The largest, 2.5 inches, came on May 11, 2016, about 1.7 miles west of the center. The most recent was 1 inch on April 2, 2025. Counts follow people as much as storms, since every report is a spotter’s or a resident’s.
| Latest reports | Size | From center |
|---|---|---|
| April 2, 2025 | 1 inch | 3.2 mi E |
| April 2, 2025 | 1 inch | 4.8 mi NE |
| March 14, 2025 | 1.25 inches | 4.6 mi S |
| March 14, 2025 | 1.75 inches | 4 mi S |
| March 14, 2025 | 1.5 inches | 3.2 mi E |
A bruised shingle can look fine for a season or two, which is why a storm inspection after a date like these is worth having.
The city says 'construction, remodeling, or demolition of buildings and structures requires a permit' but does not name re-roofing. Arnold is its own city, so Jefferson County's re-roof permit exemption does not apply here. We confirm Arnold's requirement with the city before work starts.
Arnold enforces the 2021 IRC. The city uses the 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.
The design figures are metro-wide rather than local: 115 mph ultimate design wind and a 20 psf ground snow load. What they do to a roof is in the roofing code guide.
Also in Jefferson County:
| City | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1977 |
| Festus | Not published | Not published | 1983 |
| Imperial | No | 2015 IRC | 1990 |
All 3 Jefferson County cities side by side →
The city says 'construction, remodeling, or demolition of buildings and structures requires a permit' but does not name re-roofing. Arnold is its own city, so Jefferson County's re-roof permit exemption does not apply here. We confirm Arnold's requirement with the city before work starts.
Arnold enforces the 2021 IRC. The city uses the 2021 IBC, IRC, IPC, IMC, IFC, IECC, IFGC, IPMC, ISPSC and IPSDC, plus the 2020 NEC.
Median year built 1977, by the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates. Of 8,982 homes, 7,527 were built before 2000 and 162 before 1940, so most roofs in Arnold are not the first one the house has had.
30 reports of 1-inch-plus hail fell within 5 miles of Arnold between 2016 and 2025, the biggest 2.5 inches on May 11, 2016 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center).
The building official on record is Brian M. Herr, CBO, Building Commissioner. The department's own number is on this page, beside its name.
Not yet: no completed roof in Arnold is in our job records, so this page shows no job count.
Researched 2026-09-09; housing, Census ACS 2020–2024; hail, NOAA SPC. Sources: www.arnoldmo.org · www.arnoldmo.org · en.wikipedia.org · censusreporter.org · www.point2homes.com · data.census.gov · www.spc.noaa.gov. Rules and staff change; check with the jurisdiction.
