Roofing for Columbia homes: replacement, leaks and storm damage. In Columbia, a like-for-like re-roof needs no permit and 8% of the 4,735 homes went up before 1940. Any permit the job needs is ours to pull.
Columbia runs to about 10.6 square miles and roughly 11,127 people. It sits about 20 miles south of downtown St. Louis. The community dates back to 1859. We cover ZIP code 62236.
No completed roof in Columbia is logged in our job records yet.
Columbia has a relatively young housing stock, with the largest single decade of construction (about 20%) in the 2000s.
Columbia was first incorporated in 1859 as a small farming settlement on the Mississippi River bluffs. It has grown steadily as suburban development pushes south from St. Louis, and Columbia and Waterloo are expected to grow toward each other's borders.
Housing from this stretch in Columbia 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 Census Bureau counts 4,735 homes in Columbia, with a median year built of 1991. 368 of them (8%) went up before 1940 — 20th of 48 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 1,653 (35%) in 2000 or later. The 2000s were the busiest decade, adding 958 of today's homes (20%). Across Monroe County the pre-1940 share is 10%, so Columbia sits below it.
The rule of thumb from Missouri's Department of Commerce and Insurance is a useful life of usually about 25 years for a roof. On that yardstick the 3,082 homes in Columbia built before 2000 (65%) have outlived at least one roof; 1,406 of them (30%) predate 1970, old enough for two replacements already. The 958 homes from the 2000s are where first replacements come up now, while the 695 built since 2010 are mostly still on the roof they were built with. At that age it pays to know whether the last roof was torn off or laid over the one before it, because a second layer hides the deck.
81% of homes in Columbia are single-family detached houses (3,840) and 4% attached ones such as townhouses (190). 478 homes (10%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings and 191 (4%) in buildings of ten units or more, whose roofs are normally an owner's or a board's call rather than a resident's. 82% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 18% rented. Read together, those figures point toward first replacements on 2000s builder-grade shingles and hail checks on newer roofs that look fine from the driveway.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 368 | 8% | |
| 1940s | 154 | 3% | |
| 1950s | 318 | 7% | |
| 1960s | 566 | 12% | |
| 1970s | 342 | 7% | |
| 1980s | 568 | 12% | |
| 1990s | 766 | 16% | |
| 2000s | 958 | 20% | |
| 2010s | 624 | 13% | |
| 2020 or later | 71 | 1% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 4,735 homes, 4,448 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged 23 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of Columbia’s center from 2016 through 2025, on 10 different days. 1 of them was 1.75 inches or larger. The largest, 1.75 inches, came on February 28, 2017, about 4.6 miles west of the center. The most recent was 1 inch on April 2, 2025. These are reports, not a full record: they come from spotters and the public, so busier areas log more.
| Latest reports | Size | From center |
|---|---|---|
| April 2, 2025 | 1 inch | 4.6 mi W |
| March 30, 2025 | 1.5 inches | 1 mi SE |
| March 30, 2025 | 1.5 inches | 1.5 mi E |
| March 30, 2025 | 1 inch | 0.6 mi S |
| March 14, 2025 | 1.5 inches | 0.9 mi N |
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's FAQ says that 'your roofer must be licensed with the State of Illinois,' but that no permit is required to replace a roof.
Columbia does not publish the code edition it currently enforces, so this page does not name one. Editions across the metro run from the 2006 IRC to the 2024 IRC — worth asking any contractor which one they are building to.
The published number is 618-281-7144. Columbia does not publish the building official's name, so this page does not name one. Plenty of sites will show you one anyway. 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.
Columbia borders Dupo, Millstadt and Waterloo. Our pages for them:
| City | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | No | Not published | 1991 |
| Waterloo | Not published | 2006 IRC | 1991 |
All 2 Monroe County cities side by side →
The city's FAQ says that 'your roofer must be licensed with the State of Illinois,' but that no permit is required to replace a roof.
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put the median year built at 1991: 8% of Columbia's 4,735 homes predate 1940 and 35% were built in 2000 or later. At the usual 25-year roof life, 65% have needed at least one new roof already.
23 reports of 1-inch-plus hail fell within 5 miles of Columbia between 2016 and 2025, the biggest 1.75 inches on February 28, 2017 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center).
Not yet: no completed roof in Columbia 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.columbiail.gov · www.columbiail.gov · en.wikipedia.org · censusreporter.org · www.point2homes.com · data.census.gov · www.spc.noaa.gov. Rules and staff change; check with the jurisdiction.
