Roof replacement, repair and storm damage in all 2 jurisdictions we cover in Monroe 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 14,759 homes, 68% were built before 2000 — past the usual 25-year life of a roof — and the median year built is 1990.
We list a building official's name only where the jurisdiction publishes one — 0 of 2 here do. We list a permit answer only where the jurisdiction states one — 1 of 2 here do, and 0 of those clearly require a permit. Everything else is left blank on purpose.
Monroe County, town by town
Each line is a summary of that town's own page.
Columbia — 4,735 homes, median built 1991, 8% before 1940; code edition not published; re-roof permit: no; no official named.
Waterloo — 4,818 homes, median built 1991, 11% before 1940; code: 2006 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Homes across Monroe County: the Census numbers
Built before 2000
68%
10,061 homes
Median year built
1990
10% built before 1940
Built 2000 or later
32%
4,698 homes
Owner-occupied
85%
84% detached houses
Monroe County has 14,759 homes in the Census count, with a median year built of 1990. 10% were built before 1940, 41% before 1980 and 32% in 2000 or later; the single biggest decade was the 2000s, with 2,872 homes (19%). 84% of homes are single-family detached houses and 85% of occupied homes are owner-occupied; the count includes 286 mobile homes.
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, 10,061 homes across Monroe County (68%) were built before 2000 and have outlived at least one roof, and 4,729 (32%) predate 1970. The 2,872 homes from the 2000s are where first replacements are coming up now.
Across the 2 places we cover here with their own Census figures, Waterloo has the oldest housing (11% before 1940) and Columbia the newest (35% built in 2000 or later). Waterloo is the largest, at 4,818 homes, and Waterloo has the highest share of renters (22%), 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 Monroe County, 2016–2025
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged 29 reports of hail 1 inch or larger in Monroe County from 2016 through 2025, on 14 days. 5 were 1.75 inches or larger, and 1 of those reached 2 inches; the largest, 2.75 inches, fell on March 14, 2024. The busiest single day was March 14, 2025, with 7 reports.
Year
Reports
2016
4
2017
4
2018
1
2019
0
2020
0
2021
1
2022
0
2023
2
2024
6
2025
11
Counted within 5 miles of each town’s center, Columbia has the most reports (23) and Waterloo the fewest (2). Each town’s own page lists its latest dates. Reports come from spotters and the public, so busier places log more of them.
Why the city matters more than the county
Illinois' residential building code covers new construction only, so a re-roof here follows the code each city has adopted for itself. Across the 2 jurisdictions we cover in Monroe County, that adds up to 1 edition in force:
2006 IRC: Waterloo
Columbia 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 Monroe County
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Monroe County?
It depends on the city, not the county. Of the 2 jurisdictions we cover across Monroe County, 1 exempts a like-for-like re-roof (Columbia); the other 1 publishes no answer either way. Each city page says which applies and links the building department.
Which building codes are in force across Monroe County?
Across Monroe County the jurisdictions we cover enforce 1 different edition: the 2006 IRC in Waterloo. 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 Monroe County?
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put the median year built across Monroe County at 1990, with 10% of its 14,759 homes built before 1940 and 32% in 2000 or later. 68% were built before 2000, so most have had at least one new roof already.
Does a roofer need a license in Monroe County?
Yes. Illinois licenses roofing contractors statewide under the Roofing Industry Licensing Act (225 ILCS 335), so a roofer working anywhere in the Metro East needs a current IDFPR roofing license. Some cities add their own registration on top; ask the building department.
Which Monroe County jurisdictions name their building official?
None of the 2 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 2026-09-09; housing, Census ACS 2020–2024; hail, NOAA Storm Prediction Center. Sources: data.census.gov · www.spc.noaa.gov · cdb.illinois.gov · cdb.illinois.gov. Rules and staff change; check with the jurisdiction.
Free roof inspection
Roofing anywhere in Monroe County
Free inspection, a written scope, and photos you keep either way.
