In St. Charles, the 2021 IRC is in force and 7% of the 32,305 homes went up before 1940. We replace and repair roofs here and inspect after hail, starting with a free, photographed inspection.
St. Charles runs to about 25.67 square miles and roughly 72,458 people. It sits about 20 miles northwest of downtown St. Louis. The community dates back to 1809. We cover ZIP codes 63301, 63302, 63303 and 63304.
No completed roof in St. Charles is logged in our job records yet.
The historic riverfront and Main Street core (the St. Charles Historic District and Frenchtown Historic District) has buildings mostly from the 1830s-1940s in Greek Revival, Italianate and Late Victorian styles. The city has seen a wave of rapid new-home and commercial construction since the late 1970s.
That includes Frenchtown and New Town. Housing age and construction shift across St. Charles, sometimes by decades within a few streets, which is why we look at the roof before we quote rather than after.
St. Charles was Missouri's first state capital (1821-1826). Its historic districts hold over a hundred structures spanning the state's early statehood period, while New Town is a modern New Urbanist-style planned development.
Housing from this stretch in St. Charles 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 32,305 homes in St. Charles, with a median year built of 1986. 2,192 of them (7%) went up before 1940 — 22nd of 48 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 8,963 (28%) in 2000 or later. The 1980s were the busiest decade, adding 5,831 of today's homes (18%). (St. Charles County as a whole: 2% before 1940.)
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 23,342 homes in St. Charles built before 2000 (72%) have outlived at least one roof, and 27% (8,611 homes) go back before 1970, two roof lives and more. The 4,051 homes from the 2000s are where first replacements come up now, while the 4,912 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.
By building type: 18,991 detached houses (59%), 2,580 attached (8%). 4,509 homes (14%) sit in two- to nine-unit buildings and 4,532 (14%) in buildings of ten units or more, whose roofs are normally an owner's or a board's call rather than a resident's. The count also takes in 1,674 mobile homes, which are a different kind of roof job. 68% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 32% rented. On a housing mix like this, the likely work is first replacements on 2000s builder-grade shingles and flat and low-slope sections, which turn up more on attached and multi-unit buildings.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 2,192 | 7% | |
| 1940s | 628 | 2% | |
| 1950s | 2,575 | 8% | |
| 1960s | 3,216 | 10% | |
| 1970s | 3,788 | 12% | |
| 1980s | 5,831 | 18% | |
| 1990s | 5,112 | 16% | |
| 2000s | 4,051 | 13% | |
| 2010s | 3,896 | 12% | |
| 2020 or later | 1,016 | 3% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 32,305 homes, 30,362 occupied. Survey estimates.
From 2016 through 2025, NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center recorded 29 reports of hail of 1 inch or more within 5 miles of St. Charles’ center, spread over 9 storm days. 10 of them were 1.75 inches or larger. The largest, 4 inches, came on May 11, 2016, about 1.6 miles southeast of the center. The most recent was 1.5 inches on May 16, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | 1.5 inches | 4.7 mi W |
| May 16, 2025 | 2 inches | 4.7 mi SW |
| May 16, 2025 | 2 inches | 4.7 mi SW |
| May 16, 2025 | 1.25 inches | 3 mi W |
| May 16, 2025 | 1 inch | 4.7 mi W |
If one of those storms crossed your street and nobody has been on the roof since, a storm inspection photographs what it did.
The city's Building Division page lists 'Replacing roof shingles' among projects that generally do not require a permit. That page does not cover structural roof repairs or full sheathing replacement, so if your job goes beyond shingles, we confirm the permit requirement with the city before work starts.
St. Charles enforces the 2021 IRC. The city's adopted-codes page lists the 2021 IBC, 2021 IRC, 2021 IEBC, 2021 IPC, 2021 IMC, 2021 IFGC, 2021 ISPSC, 2015 IECC and 2020 NEC.
The published number is 636-949-3222. The city refers to a City Building Commissioner but does not publish the commissioner's name. The department page is here.
St. Charles shares the metro's figures: 115 mph design wind, 20 psf ground snow. The code guide explains both.
Also in St. Charles County:
| City | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Charles | No | 2021 IRC | 1986 |
| Cottleville | Not published | 2021 IRC | 2012 |
| Lake St. Louis | Not published | 2021 Construction Codes | 2000 |
| O'Fallon | Yes | Not published | 2000 |
| St. Peters | Not published | 2021 IRC | 1988 |
| Wentzville | Not published | 2015 I-Codes | 2008 |
All 6 St. Charles County cities side by side →
The city's Building Division page lists 'Replacing roof shingles' among projects that generally do not require a permit. That page does not cover structural roof repairs or full sheathing replacement, so if your job goes beyond shingles, we confirm the permit requirement with the city before work starts.
St. Charles enforces the 2021 IRC. The city's adopted-codes page lists the 2021 IBC, 2021 IRC, 2021 IEBC, 2021 IPC, 2021 IMC, 2021 IFGC, 2021 ISPSC, 2015 IECC and 2020 NEC.
Median year built 1986, by the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates. Of 32,305 homes, 23,342 were built before 2000 and 2,192 before 1940, so most roofs in St. Charles are not the first one the house has had.
Yes. The most recent report of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of St. Charles' center was 1.5 inches on May 16, 2025, one of 29 such reports from 2016 through 2025.
It can. St. Charles has St. Charles Historic District and Frenchtown Historic District. Inside a designated district, changing a visible roof material or color can need preservation review before the permit is issued. Like-for-like replacement usually raises fewer questions, but we check before quoting.
Not yet: no completed roof in St. Charles 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.stcharlescitymo.gov · www.stcharlescitymo.gov · ecode360.com · en.wikipedia.org · censusreporter.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · www.city-data.com · data.census.gov · www.spc.noaa.gov. Rules and staff change; check with the jurisdiction.
