Roof replacement, repair and storm damage in all 4 jurisdictions we cover in Lincoln County, each with its own page: the local permit rule, the code edition it enforces and the building department's number. Of the county's 23,790 homes, 55% were built before 2000 — past the usual 25-year life of a roof — and the median year built is 1997.
We list a building official's name only where the jurisdiction publishes one — 0 of 4 here do. We list a permit answer only where the jurisdiction states one — 0 of 4 here do, and 0 of those clearly require a permit. Everything else is left blank on purpose.
Lincoln County, town by town
Each line is a summary of that town's own page.
Elsberry — 725 homes, median built 1965, 23% before 1940; code edition not published; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Moscow Mills — 1,401 homes, median built 2007, 9% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Troy — 5,183 homes, median built 2000, 4% before 1940; code: 2015 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Winfield — 626 homes, median built 2000, 8% before 1940; code: 2018 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Homes across Lincoln County: the Census numbers
Built before 2000
55%
13,177 homes
Median year built
1997
5% built before 1940
Built 2000 or later
45%
10,613 homes
Owner-occupied
79%
77% detached houses
Lincoln County has 23,790 homes in the Census count, with a median year built of 1997. 5% were built before 1940, 26% before 1980 and 45% in 2000 or later; the single biggest decade was the 2000s, with 5,848 homes (25%). 77% of homes are single-family detached houses and 79% of occupied homes are owner-occupied; the count includes 3,322 mobile homes.
About 25 years is the usual working life of a roof, by the figure Missouri's insurance department publishes. On that yardstick, 13,177 homes across Lincoln County (55%) were built before 2000 and have outlived at least one roof, and 3,687 (15%) predate 1970. The 5,848 homes from the 2000s are where first replacements are coming up now.
Across the 4 places we cover here with their own Census figures, Elsberry has the oldest housing (23% before 1940) and Moscow Mills the newest (64% built in 2000 or later). Troy is the largest, at 5,183 homes, and Elsberry has the highest share of renters (47%), where the roof is more often a landlord's decision.
Figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates (tables B25001, B25003, B25024, B25034, B25035). Survey estimates carry margins of error, widest in the smallest places. Census table.
Hail reports in Lincoln County, 2016–2025
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged 12 reports of hail 1 inch or larger in Lincoln County from 2016 through 2025, on 11 days. 5 were 1.75 inches or larger, and 1 of those reached 2 inches; the largest, 2.5 inches, fell on March 27, 2020. The busiest single day was April 20, 2023, with 2 reports.
Year
Reports
2016
0
2017
1
2018
1
2019
0
2020
3
2021
0
2022
0
2023
4
2024
3
2025
0
Counted within 5 miles of each town’s center, Moscow Mills has the most reports (2) and Elsberry the fewest (1). Each town’s own page lists its latest dates. Reports come from spotters and the public, so busier places log more of them.
Outside the cities in Lincoln County
Outside city limits, Lincoln County has no planning and zoning department, and the county itself issues no building or occupancy permits for unincorporated land, so a re-roof there needs no county permit. The one county permit that does apply is a floodplain development permit, required for any improvement, construction or development inside the county's mapped floodplain and issued by the county's Floodplain Management Office. Outside the cities, occupancy permits and electrical codes are a matter for the local fire district, and septic permits for the county health department. Inside city limits, each city runs its own planning, zoning and permits.
Why the city matters more than the county
Missouri has no statewide residential building code, and Lincoln County issues no building permits for its unincorporated land: each city adopts an edition by ordinance and runs its own permits. Across the 4 jurisdictions we cover in Lincoln County, that adds up to 3 different editions in force:
2021 IRC: Moscow Mills
2015 IRC: Troy
2018 IRC: Winfield
Elsberry publishes no edition we could read. Ask before work starts which one the roof will be inspected against.
The design figures are the same across the metro (115 mph ultimate design wind, 20 psf ground snow), so the local difference is the code edition and the permit route. What each figure does to a roof is in our St. Louis roofing code guide.
Common questions about roofing across Lincoln County
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Lincoln County?
It depends on the city, not the county. Of the 4 jurisdictions we cover across Lincoln County, 4 publish no answer either way. Each city page says which applies and links the building department. Outside city limits the county issues no building permits at all, though work inside the county floodplain needs a floodplain development permit.
Which building codes are in force across Lincoln County?
Across Lincoln County the jurisdictions we cover enforce 3 different editions: the 2021 IRC in Moscow Mills; the 2015 IRC in Troy; the 2018 IRC in Winfield. 1 publishes no edition we could read. The edition in force is the one your roof is inspected against.
How old are the houses across Lincoln County?
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put the median year built across Lincoln County at 1997, with 5% of its 23,790 homes built before 1940 and 45% in 2000 or later. 55% were built before 2000, so most have had at least one new roof already.
Does a roofer need a license in Lincoln County?
Missouri has no state roofing license; licensing and registration are set city by city. We found no published registration requirement among the cities we cover in Lincoln County, which is not the same as none, so ask the city before work starts.
Which Lincoln County jurisdictions name their building official?
None of the 4 jurisdictions we cover here publishes the building official's name. Where a name is published, it is on that city's page with the department's own number.
Town rules from each jurisdiction's own pages, researched 2026-10-24; housing, Census ACS 2020–2024; hail, NOAA Storm Prediction Center. Sources: www.lincolncomo.gov · data.census.gov · www.spc.noaa.gov · www.stlpr.org. Rules and staff change; check with the jurisdiction.
Free roof inspection
Roofing anywhere in Lincoln County
Free inspection, a written scope, and photos you keep either way.
