In Richmond Heights, 43% of the 4,599 homes went up before 1940. We replace and repair roofs here and inspect after hail, starting with a free, photographed inspection.
Richmond Heights runs to about 2.29 square miles and roughly 9,096 people. It sits about 7 miles west of downtown St. Louis. The community dates back to 1913. We cover ZIP code 63117.
No completed roof in Richmond Heights is logged in our job records yet.
Residential development in Richmond Heights began in the 1890s-1910s. Developer Frederick Neisen acquired land in 1892, and John Rankin Dyer developed 120 acres after the 1904 World's Fair. The city incorporated in 1913.
That includes Hadley Township. Housing age and construction shift across Richmond Heights, sometimes by decades within a few streets, which is why we look at the roof before we quote rather than after.
Hadley Township was a Black neighborhood established in 1907 as workers' housing for the Evens & Howard Fire Brick Co. Annexed by Richmond Heights in 1918, it survived multiple redevelopment threats but was demolished in 2014 under a blight and eminent-domain study to make way for a Menards. A historical marker was placed in 2019.
On houses this old in Richmond Heights the deck is usually solid boards, not plywood, and boards shift: gaps open, nails work loose, and a shingle nailed over a gap holds on to nothing. Chimneys and wall joints often still carry their original step and counter-flashing, which is where many leaks really start while the shingles look fine. Two or three roofs piled on one another are common on streets like these; every extra layer hides the deck, adds weight and voids most manufacturer warranties. Any original slate or tile on the house calls for a different plan from an asphalt tear-off.
By the Census Bureau's estimate there are 4,599 homes in Richmond Heights, with a median year built of 1947. 1,957 of them (43%) went up before 1940 — the 2nd-highest pre-1940 share of the 48 places on this site — and 838 (18%) in 2000 or later. More of today's homes date from before 1940 than from any decade since. (St. Louis County as a whole: 10% before 1940.)
Missouri's Department of Commerce and Insurance puts the useful life of a roof at usually about 25 years. That puts 3,761 homes in Richmond Heights, the 82% built before 2000, past at least one full roof life; 3,335 of them (73%) predate 1970, old enough for two replacements already. The 187 homes from the 2000s are where first replacements come up now, while the 651 built since 2010 are mostly still on the roof they were built with. Older houses are where a second layer laid over the first turns up, and that layer is what hides soft decking.
By building type: 2,614 detached houses (57%), 80 attached (2%). 1,147 homes (25%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings and 758 (16%) in buildings of ten units or more, where a resident rarely gets to choose the roofer. 2,373 of 4,371 occupied homes (54%) are lived in by their owners. Read together, those figures point toward full tear-offs on houses past two roof lives, deck and flashing checks on pre-war board sheathing and flat and low-slope sections, which turn up more on attached and multi-unit buildings.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 1,957 | 43% | |
| 1940s | 470 | 10% | |
| 1950s | 605 | 13% | |
| 1960s | 303 | 7% | |
| 1970s | 172 | 4% | |
| 1980s | 170 | 4% | |
| 1990s | 84 | 2% | |
| 2000s | 187 | 4% | |
| 2010s | 605 | 13% | |
| 2020 or later | 46 | 1% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 4,599 homes, 4,371 occupied. Survey estimates.
From 2016 through 2025, NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center recorded 32 reports of hail of 1 inch or more within 5 miles of Richmond Heights’ center, spread over 13 storm days. 4 of them were 1.75 inches or larger. The largest, 2 inches, came on May 19, 2025, about 2 miles southwest of the center. A report needs someone to see the hail and send it in, so the count is a floor, not a full tally.
| Latest reports | Size | From center |
|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2025 | 1.25 inches | 2.6 mi SW |
| May 19, 2025 | 2 inches | 2 mi SW |
| May 16, 2025 | 1.5 inches | 1.3 mi N |
| May 16, 2025 | 1 inch | 3.4 mi N |
| May 16, 2025 | 2 inches | 2.7 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.
Richmond Heights has not published an answer on re-roof permits. The building department (314-646-7658) gets the question from us before work starts, and any permit it wants is part of our job.
Richmond Heights 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 314-646-7658. The building official on record is James Benedick, Building/Zoning Administrator (jbenedick@richmondheights.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.
Richmond Heights borders St. Louis City. Our pages for them:
Also in St. Louis County:
| City | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond Heights | Not published | Not published | 1947 |
| St. Louis City | Conditional | 2018 IRC | 1939 or earlier |
| Affton | Conditional | 2015 IRC | 1958 |
| Ballwin | Yes | 2015 I-Codes (2024 I-Codes proposed for 2026) | 1976 |
| Brentwood | Not published | 2024 IRC | 1956 |
| Chesterfield | Not published | 2015 IBC / 2015 IRC | 1982 |
| Clayton | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1954 |
All 21 St. Louis County cities side by side →
Richmond Heights publishes no rule on it. We ask the building department first and pull whatever it requires.
Older than most people guess: the Census puts 82% of Richmond Heights' homes before 2000 and 73% before 1970, with a median year built of 1947 (2020–2024 estimates). A roof usually lasts about 25 years, so the deck and the layers get checked before any quote.
32 reports of 1-inch-plus hail fell within 5 miles of Richmond Heights between 2016 and 2025, the biggest 2 inches on May 19, 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center).
The building official on record is James Benedick, Building/Zoning Administrator. The department's own number is on this page, beside its name.
Not yet: no completed roof in Richmond Heights 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.richmondheights.org · www.richmondheights.org · ecode360.com · ecode360.com · en.wikipedia.org · censusreporter.org · www.richmondheights.org · en.wikipedia.org · www.city-data.com · data.census.gov · www.spc.noaa.gov. Rules and staff change; check with the jurisdiction.
