A reroof in Moscow, Idaho and a reroof in Pullman, Washington go through two building departments under two different state systems. Moscow lists a reroof as its own permit category. Pullman lists reroofing as a permit type and requires the general contractor's current state registration number on the application. An Idaho registration does not authorize work in Washington, and a Washington registration does not authorize work in Idaho.
Key takeaways
- Moscow, Idaho and Pullman, Washington are separate cities in separate states, so a permit comes from the department for the side of the line where the house stands.
- Moscow's building safety materials treat a reroof as its own permit category, and the site plan that larger jobs need is not required for a simple reroof.
- Pullman's permit application must name the general contractor and that contractor's current state registration number, unless an owner doing the work signs a waiver.
- Idaho contractor registration is a registration rather than a license, and roofing is not a separate Idaho trade license.
- Washington lists roofing among the specialties that require contractor registration with the Department of Labor & Industries.
- An Idaho registration does not authorize work in Washington, and a Washington registration does not authorize work in Idaho.
Why do two cities about 14 km apart need two different permit processes?
Moscow is in Idaho and Pullman is in Washington, so each city answers to its own state and its own building department. The two towns share a regional airport in Washington, but they do not share a permit portal, a set of design criteria or a contractor registration system.
Moscow and Pullman sit about 14 km apart by straight-line distance. That closeness is the reason the rules get mixed up. A contractor may work in both towns, and a homeowner on one side of the line may hire a company based on the other. The distance is short, but the rules change at the state border, and the permit rules change with them.
Pullman is also the larger of the two. It had 32,901 residents in the 2020 census, against Moscow's 25,435, so the size of a town says nothing about which code or registration applies to a roof in it. Each city publishes its own permit information. Moscow's building safety work sits inside Community Development. Pullman runs its permits through its Civic Access Portal and publishes its own design criteria. A reader who finds the right page on one side of the line should not assume it describes the other side.
Does a reroof in Moscow need a permit?
Moscow's building materials treat a reroof as a small permit category of its own. A simple reroof is excepted from the site plan that a larger building application needs. Confirm the category for your address with the Building Safety Division before any work is scheduled.
The city's homeowner guide to construction permits says simple reroof permits are an exception to the requirement that a site plan accompany a building application. The exception concerns the paperwork. It does not make a reroof a permit-free job, so a reroof is a permitted category in Moscow and the question is which form to file.
Applications go through the city's Online Permit Portal. The Building Safety Division, inside Community Development, handles plan review, inspections and building code administration, and it can be reached at (208) 883-7022. The city's Forms and Applications page carries a Building Permit Application for full permits and a Residential Dwelling, Addition and Remodel checklist. If the reroof is part of a larger remodel, ask the division which form applies before filing.
What does Moscow's building department need to see on a reroof?
Moscow publishes its forms and portal openly. The fee and the inspection steps are set by the building division for each address, so ask for them directly instead of relying on a number from a web page.
Start with the portal and the form that matches the job. A reroof application is short compared with a new building, so most of the paperwork describes the existing roof and the covering you plan to install. Note the roof's pitch and the material going on. Say whether any decking or framing will be replaced. The division will tell you whether it needs a sketch or a fuller set of drawings for your address.
Before work is scheduled, ask the division two things: the fee for your address and the inspections it requires. The city's published materials name the forms and the contact, but they do not give a reroof fee or an inspection sequence. Any number quoted to you should be checked with the city. Ask which adopted code edition governs your address, and which snow and ice requirements apply, because the answer sets how the new roof is detailed.
How does a reroof permit work in Pullman?
Pullman lists reroofing as its own permit category, both for residential work and for building permits at Washington State University in Pullman. Its protective inspections page says many projects, reroofing among them, do not involve issues that require plans or plan review.
The city's permits page lists reroofing among its residential permit categories, and the same category appears for building permits at Washington State University. A reroof on a house and a reroof on a campus building both have a defined path through the city. The protective inspections page goes further and says that many projects, reroofing included, do not involve issues that require plans or plan review. For a homeowner that is the difference between a short form and a drawing package.
A Pullman permit can be issued online, over the counter or next-day, and permitting runs through the city's Civic Access Portal. Pullman publishes its own design criteria, effective 15 March 2024, which set the building code as the 2021 International Building Code and International Residential Code with Washington amendments. Those criteria are the city's own, and a Pullman reroof is checked against them rather than against Idaho's rules.
Why does Pullman ask for the contractor's state registration number?
Pullman's permit application must list the general contractor and that contractor's current state registration number. The only exception is a property owner doing the work personally, who signs a waiver. A blank or mismatched number is the clearest reason to stop and check before hiring.
The application has to name the general contractor and the registration number that the contractor currently holds. Washington's contractor registration is administered by the Department of Labor & Industries, and the number on the application should be the one that agency issued. A homeowner who is handed a blank field, or a number that does not match the business name, should ask why before signing anything.
Washington requires contractor registration for roofing, which is one of the specialties the state lists. Registration comes with a bond and liability insurance, and the business name must match across the registration, the bond and the insurance certificate. A specialty registrant may work only in the specialty it is registered for and cannot hire subcontractors, so a roofer registered as a roofing specialist cannot subcontract carpentry on the same job.
Which state's registration covers a job on my side of the line?
The state where the house stands sets the registration that counts. An Idaho registration does not authorize work in Washington, and a Washington registration does not authorize work in Idaho. A contractor working on both sides of the Palouse holds both.
Idaho contractor registration comes from the Idaho Contractor Registration Act, Title 54, Chapter 52, and the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses administers it. The state says the Act requires registration, not licensure. Washington's contractor registration comes from chapter 18.27 of the Revised Code of Washington and is run by the Department of Labor & Industries. These are two separate systems with two sets of rules, and one does not stand in for the other.
The practical question is which side of the line a property is on. Moscow is in Latah County, Idaho, and Pullman is in Whitman County, Washington. If the location of a property is unclear, settle it before signing anything, because the answer decides which registration applies and which permit office handles the job.
What about Lapwai, the counties and the other towns on the map?
Outside Moscow and Pullman, the building department that applies is the city or county where the house stands. In Lapwai and on the Nez Perce Reservation, ask both Nez Perce County and the Nez Perce Tribe which permit applies to your property.
The service area includes many towns that have no permit office of their own, and for those the answer is the county building department for the address. Nez Perce County's planning and building office issues county building permits and administers county land use ordinances, and its forms are available at the courthouse in Lewiston. Latah County, Whitman County and Asotin County each have a county office that confirms what applies outside city limits, and that office is the place to ask.
Lapwai and the Nez Perce Reservation need the most care. The Nez Perce Tribe runs its own programs within the exterior boundaries of the 1863 reservation, and it commissions construction in Lapwai. Whether a reservation roof needs a county permit, a tribal permit or both is a question for those two offices, and this guide does not answer it. Ask both before work starts.
What should a homeowner check before the first shingle comes off?
Confirm which city or county the house is in, ask the building department which permit and form apply, and check the contractor's registration number with the state. Those three checks settle most permit questions before the work is scheduled.
Start with the address, because the address decides the state, the county and the building department. Then call that building department and ask which permit covers a reroof at the address, which form to file, and what inspections it expects. Moscow applications go through the city's Online Permit Portal, and Pullman applications go through the Civic Access Portal. Both departments will answer questions about their own process, and the answers are worth writing down.
Next, check the contractor. An Idaho contractor should show a current DOPL registration, and a Washington contractor should show a current L&I registration number that matches the bond and insurance paperwork. Ask for the registration number in writing. An owner doing work on their own land is treated differently under Idaho's rules, and that exemption does not cover owners who plan to sell within 12 months. Read the cross-border registration guide before choosing a contractor, and see roof replacement in Moscow for what the work involves. Moscow Roofing answers calls around the clock, so call (833) 751-2102 if a permit question is still open after the building department has answered.
Frequently asked questions
Does a reroof in Moscow always need a permit?
Moscow treats a reroof as its own permit category, and the city's materials say a simple reroof is exempt from the site plan that larger jobs need. That exemption concerns paperwork, not whether a permit is required at all. Ask the Building Safety Division at (208) 883-7022 which form applies to your address before work starts. Get the answer in writing if the division gives it by phone.
Can I pull the permit myself in Pullman?
Pullman's application must name the general contractor and that contractor's current state registration number. The exception is a property owner doing the work personally, who signs a waiver instead. An owner who does the roof alone should read the waiver before signing it. A contractor's registration number is not something to guess at, so check it with the state.
Is an Idaho contractor registration good in Washington?
No. An Idaho registration does not authorize work in Washington, and a Washington registration does not authorize work in Idaho. A contractor who works on both sides of the Palouse needs both. Ask any contractor which registration they hold for the job, and confirm it with the state that governs the property.
Why does the exact permit fee not appear here?
The city and state publish their forms and portals, but the reroof fee for each address is set by the building department and is not printed in the materials this guide relies on. Printing a fee from another source would risk being wrong for your address. Ask the building department for the current fee and the inspection steps before scheduling the work.
What if my house is outside city limits?
The county building department for the address is the office to ask, because Moscow's and Pullman's rules do not cover land outside their limits. Nez Perce, Latah, Whitman and Asotin counties each have their own office. If the house is on the Nez Perce Reservation, ask both the county and the Nez Perce Tribe which permit applies.
Sources
This guide is general information for Latah County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.