Roof replacement cost in Denver, CO

Professional replacement for a typical home roof of about 1,300 to 1,800 sq ft of surface.

A typical roof replacement in Denver, CO is about $9,991, including a permit fee of $115.

What we assumed

For the permit line we assumed Denver CPD's Quick Permit / roof covering path on ADMIN 138: the building permit only, $83 at $8,000, $115 at $12,000, and $195 at $22,000. Plan review is left off the low, typical, and high listed bands even though Denver's notes on file say plan review is 50% of the permit fee for work over $2,000. The alternate non–Quick Permit path and the full band detail are in the calculation note on this page.

Questions about this estimate

How much does roof replacement cost in Denver, CO?

Typical all-in is about $9,991. The official CPD permit fee of $115 (Quick Permit; no plan review) is included in the all-in.

Is a permit required for Roof replacement in Denver, CO?

Yes. Community Planning and Development (CPD) requires a permit for a typical Roof replacement in Denver, CO. The typical listed fee is $115. The official typical is the Quick Permit building permit on ADMIN 138 ($115 at $12,000). Plan review is not in the low, typical, or high listed bands.

What is included in this Roof replacement estimate for Denver, CO?

The estimate is labor adjusted for local wages in Denver, CO, plus materials at the national figure, at the typical size in the table above. The official typical permit fee of $115 is included in the all-in typical. That $115 is the building permit only on the Quick Permit / roof covering path. Plan review is not included in the official low, typical, or high.

Why might the Denver permit fee differ from this typical figure?

The official Denver, CO fee comes from City and County of Denver Building and Land Development Fees (ADMIN 138 table) (valuation). The official typical permit fee for roof replacement in Denver, CO is $115, the building permit on the ADMIN 138 valuation table at the $12,000 typical valuation. CPD lists roofing as a Quick Permit type, so the typical total is the building permit only, with no plan review. On this roof row, plan review is left off the low, typical, and high listed bands even when the valuation exceeds $2,000. Listed low, typical, and high totals and the alternate non–Quick Permit path are in the calculation note on this page. Verify the Quick Permit / roof covering path with Community Planning and Development (CPD).

How is the typical permit fee calculated for Roof replacement in Denver, CO?

The official typical permit fee is $115. Full detail is in the calculation note on this page.

What project value is this Roof replacement permit fee based on in Denver, CO?

Project values used only for the permit formula (not your total cost): low $8,000, typical $12,000, high $22,000.

Does a typical Roof replacement in Denver, CO use a Quick Permit?

Assumes Quick Permit / roof covering path with no plan review (CPD lists roofing as a Quick Permit type).

What is a Class 4 impact-resistant roof, and how does hail figure in Denver?

Class 4 is the highest class IBHS lists for UL 2218, the steel-ball impact test from Underwriters Laboratories. IBHS says the test drops steel balls from a fixed height to replicate the kinetic energy of hailstones, and that a product passes a class when two impacts in the same spot leave no crack on the back of the shingle. IBHS lists Class 4 as the 2.00 inch classification. IBHS also says these labels cover new products and do not account for weathering, temperature, or aging, and that impact-resistant labeled shingles are expected to perform better in hailstorms. NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory says Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming usually have the most hailstorms. The laboratory calls the area where those three states meet hail alley, and says that area averages seven to nine hail days a year. The Colorado Division of Insurance calls hail a common threat in the warmer months. Its May 31, 2024 advisory followed a hailstorm that rolled across the Denver metro area. In that advisory, the Insurance Commissioner said to ask your insurance company or agent what premium discounts or future deductible savings may be available if you replace a roof with hail-resistant material. The advisory does not set a discount percentage, and this page does not either. Sources: IBHS Roof 101 (https://ibhs.org/roof-101/); NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, Severe Weather 101: Hail Basics (https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/hail/); Colorado Division of Insurance consumer advisory, May 31, 2024 (https://doi.colorado.gov/news-releases-consumer-advisories/consumer-advisory-division-of-insurance-shares-tips-after).

How much does roof replacement cost per square in Denver?

Cost per square on this page is the all-in typical divided by the roof squares on that row. One square is 100 sq ft of roof surface, not floor area. The cost-by-size rows are 10 squares (1,000 sq ft of roof surface), 16 squares (1,600 sq ft of roof surface, not floor area), and 18 squares (1,800 sq ft of roof surface). The official typical permit fee stays $115 on each of those rows, because this permit is based on project value and is not rescaled when the roof size changes. At 16 squares (1,600 sq ft of roof surface, not floor area) in Denver, CO the all-in typical is $9,991, which is $624.44 per square after rounding to the nearest dollar. At 10 squares the all-in typical is $6,287, or $628.70 per square. At 18 squares the all-in typical is $11,225, or $623.61 per square. Those per-square figures are that division of the row. They are not a separate published rate.

Is $30,000 too much for a roof replacement in Denver?

At the model's typical 16 squares (1,600 sq ft of roof surface, not floor area) in Denver, CO, the all-in is $6,150 low, $9,991 typical, and $47,483 high. $30,000 is above that typical of $9,991. Published asphalt-shingle installed prices run $5,800 to $20,000, so $30,000 is above that band. The national high of $46,000 is the published broad high for steep or premium materials. Wage-indexed for Denver, that high is $47,483 at 16 squares. $30,000 is below that adjusted for local wages high and above the typical. On the typical path the same scale first reaches $30,000 at 49 squares ($30,360 typical), which is outside the about 13 to 18 squares this page uses for a typical house. The official permit on this row is $115 at a $12,000 valuation, $83 at $8,000, and $195 at $22,000. $30,000 is above that listed high valuation, so this row does not list a permit fee for a $30,000 project value. The all-in figures add the official typical permit of $115. They do not look up a new ADMIN 138 fee at $30,000.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Denver?

Yes. Community Planning and Development (CPD) requires a permit for a typical roof replacement in Denver, CO, and the official typical fee is $115. The typical path is the Quick Permit / roof covering path: the ADMIN 138 building permit only, with no plan review. The official typical project value is $12,000, and the building fee at that valuation is $115. Low $8,000 is a building fee of $83. High $22,000 is a building fee of $195. Those three totals are the building permit only on the Quick Permit path. CPD lists roofing as a Quick Permit type, so plan review is left off even when the valuation is over $2,000. If plans are required, the alternate non–Quick Permit path adds 50% of the permit fee. At the typical valuation that is $115 + $57.50 = $172.50. Low would be $83 + $41.50 = $124.50, and high would be $195 + $97.50 = $292.50. Those alternate figures are not used in the official typical, low, or high. The official typical stays $115.

Does a roof replacement in Denver have to be torn off to the deck?

Where two or more layers are already on the roof, Denver's published roofing guide says yes. Denver Community Planning and Development's roofing guidelines and checklist says existing roofs must be removed to the deck and replaced where two or more layers of any roof covering exist. The same guide says a roof covering must be removed down to the deck unless the work is re-covering a single layer, and it cites IRC R908.1. A repair is a smaller scope than a full replacement. The guide says a repair needs a permit when it is more than 10% of the roof square footage or two roof squares (200 sq ft of roof surface), whichever is smaller, on a building under 25,000 square feet. On a building of 25,000 square feet or more, the guide's repair threshold is more than 5% of the roof square footage or two roof squares, whichever is smaller. The 25,000 square foot figure in that guide is the square footage of the entire building, not roof surface. Source: Denver CPD roofing guidelines and checklist (https://www.denvergov.org/files/assets/public/v/4/community-planning-and-development/documents/ds/inspections/roofing_guidelines_and_checklist.pdf).