Roof replacement, repair and storm damage in all 21 jurisdictions we cover in St. Louis 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 446,192 homes, 89% were built before 2000 — past the usual 25-year life of a roof — and the median year built is 1969.
We list a building official's name only where the jurisdiction publishes one — 8 of 21 here do. We list a permit answer only where the jurisdiction states one — 7 of 21 here do, and 3 of those clearly require a permit. Everything else is left blank on purpose.
St. Louis County, town by town
Each line is a summary of that town's own page.
Affton — 9,092 homes, median built 1958, 9% before 1940; code: 2015 IRC; re-roof permit: conditional; no official named.
Ballwin — 12,563 homes, median built 1976, 0% before 1940; code: 2015 I-Codes (2024 I-Codes proposed for 2026); re-roof permit: yes; no official named.
Brentwood — 4,442 homes, median built 1956, 14% before 1940; code: 2024 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; building official named (John Benisch).
Chesterfield — 21,603 homes, median built 1982, 1% before 1940; code: 2015 IBC / 2015 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Clayton — 6,934 homes, median built 1954, 35% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Creve Coeur — 8,821 homes, median built 1980, 1% before 1940; code: 2009 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; building official named (Gregory B. Tate).
Des Peres — 3,331 homes, median built 1976, 0% before 1940; code: 2018 I-Codes; re-roof permit: not published; building official named (Will Penney).
Ellisville — 4,349 homes, median built 1983, 0% before 1940; code: 2015 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; building official named (Jeff Center).
Eureka — 4,805 homes, median built 1999, 3% before 1940; code: 2018 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Florissant — 23,064 homes, median built 1963, 2% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; building official named (Debra Irvin).
Kirkwood — 12,978 homes, median built 1962, 17% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; building official named (Randy Noland).
Manchester — 7,423 homes, median built 1977, 1% before 1940; code edition not published; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Maryland Heights — 13,108 homes, median built 1975, 1% before 1940; code: 2021 IRC; re-roof permit: yes; building official named (Jason Boren).
Mehlville — 13,994 homes, median built 1969, 1% before 1940; code: 2015 IRC; re-roof permit: conditional; no official named.
Oakville — 14,242 homes, median built 1982, 2% before 1940; code: 2015 IRC; re-roof permit: conditional; no official named.
Richmond Heights — 4,599 homes, median built 1947, 43% before 1940; code edition not published; re-roof permit: not published; building official named (James Benedick).
Town and Country — 4,163 homes, median built 1983, 3% before 1940; code: 2018 I-Codes (2024 I-Codes pending); re-roof permit: yes; no official named.
University City — 17,841 homes, median built 1949, 38% before 1940; code: 2018 IRC; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Webster Groves — 9,921 homes, median built 1952, 35% before 1940; code: 2015 IBC family; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Wildwood — 13,391 homes, median built 1992, 2% before 1940; code edition not published; re-roof permit: not published; no official named.
Homes across St. Louis County: the Census numbers
Built before 2000
89%
399,338 homes
Median year built
1969
10% built before 1940
Built 2000 or later
11%
46,854 homes
Owner-occupied
69%
72% detached houses
St. Louis County has 446,192 homes in the Census count, with a median year built of 1969. 10% were built before 1940, 69% before 1980 and 11% in 2000 or later; the single biggest decade was the 1960s, with 82,127 homes (18%). 72% of homes are single-family detached houses and 69% of occupied homes are owner-occupied; the count includes 1,546 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, 399,338 homes across St. Louis County (89%) were built before 2000 and have outlived at least one roof, and 234,740 (53%) predate 1970. The 27,989 homes from the 2000s are where first replacements are coming up now.
Across the 20 places we cover here with their own Census figures, Richmond Heights has the oldest housing (43% before 1940) and Eureka the newest (47% built in 2000 or later). Florissant is the largest, at 23,064 homes, and Richmond Heights has the highest share of renters (46%), 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 St. Louis County, 2016–2025
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged 150 reports of hail 1 inch or larger in St. Louis County from 2016 through 2025, on 34 days. 42 were 1.75 inches or larger, and 15 of those reached 2 inches; the largest, 2.5 inches, fell on May 16, 2025. The busiest single day was March 14, 2025, with 43 reports.
Year
Reports
2016
11
2017
4
2018
3
2019
7
2020
2
2021
4
2022
1
2023
14
2024
11
2025
93
Counted within 5 miles of each town’s center, Affton has the most reports (43) and Ellisville the fewest (10). 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
Missouri has no statewide residential building code: each city adopts an edition by ordinance, and in unincorporated areas the county's code applies. Across the 21 jurisdictions we cover in St. Louis County, that adds up to 10 different editions in force:
2015 IRC: Affton, Ellisville, Mehlville, Oakville, Unincorporated St. Louis County
2015 I-Codes (2024 I-Codes proposed for 2026): Ballwin
2024 IRC: Brentwood
2015 IBC / 2015 IRC: Chesterfield
2009 IRC: Creve Coeur
2018 I-Codes: Des Peres
2018 I-Codes (2024 I-Codes pending): Town and Country
2015 IBC family: Webster Groves
Manchester, Richmond Heights, Wildwood publish 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 St. Louis County
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in St. Louis County?
It depends on the city, not the county. Of the 21 jurisdictions we cover across St. Louis County, 3 require one (Ballwin, Maryland Heights, Town and Country); 4 exempt it only under conditions (Affton, Mehlville, Oakville, Unincorporated St. Louis County); the other 14 publish no answer either way. Each city page says which applies and links the building department.
Which building codes are in force across St. Louis County?
Across St. Louis County the jurisdictions we cover enforce 10 different editions: the 2015 IRC in Affton, Ellisville, Mehlville, Oakville, Unincorporated St. Louis County; the 2021 IRC in Clayton, Florissant, Kirkwood, Maryland Heights; the 2018 IRC in Eureka, University City; the 2015 I-Codes (2024 I-Codes proposed for 2026) in Ballwin; the 2024 IRC in Brentwood; the 2015 IBC / 2015 IRC in Chesterfield; the 2009 IRC in Creve Coeur; the 2018 I-Codes in Des Peres; the 2018 I-Codes (2024 I-Codes pending) in Town and Country; the 2015 IBC family in Webster Groves. 3 publish no edition we could read. The edition in force is the one your roof is inspected against.
How old are the houses across St. Louis County?
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put the median year built across St. Louis County at 1969, with 10% of its 446,192 homes built before 1940 and 11% in 2000 or later. 89% were built before 2000, so most have had at least one new roof already.
Does a roofer need a license in St. Louis County?
Missouri has no state roofing license; licensing and registration are set city by city. Among the cities we cover in St. Louis County, Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Ballwin, Brentwood require a contractor to be licensed or registered with the city before a permit is issued.
Which St. Louis County jurisdictions name their building official?
8 of the 21 we cover publish a name: Brentwood, Creve Coeur, Des Peres, Ellisville, Florissant, Kirkwood, Maryland Heights, Richmond Heights. 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 · www.stlpr.org. Rules and staff change; check with the jurisdiction.
Free roof inspection
Roofing anywhere in St. Louis County
Free inspection, a written scope, and photos you keep either way.
