Central Roof Repair · Kentucky Law & Your Roof
Kentucky’s residential code is specific about what a crew may put back on a reroof and what has to be new. Section R908.5 permits existing slate, clay or cement tile to be reinstalled, bars damaged, cracked or broken pieces, requires rusted or deteriorated flashings and edgings to be replaced, and flatly states that aggregate surfacing materials shall not be reinstalled. R908.6 then adds a priming requirement for metal flashing. Kentucky reaches those sections through 815 KAR 7:125, Section 2, which makes the 2015 International Residential Code the mandatory state residential building code for single-family dwellings, two-family dwellings and townhouses, with the Kentucky amendments superseding any conflicting provision.
Can existing slate or tile be reinstalled on a Kentucky reroof?
Yes, with one carve-out. R908.5 permits existing slate, clay or cement tile to be reinstalled, “except that damaged, cracked or broken slate or tile shall not be reinstalled.”
That is a sorting requirement, not a salvage ban. On an older Richmond or Winchester house with a clay tile field, the economics of a reroof often depend on reusing most of the tile, and the code allows exactly that — provided the broken pieces are culled rather than nailed back into the middle of the slope where nobody sees them from the ground. A reroof on a tile or slate field should therefore produce two piles, and a homeowner is entitled to ask what happened to the second one.
What has to be replaced instead of reused?
Metal parts in the assembly. R908.5 requires that any existing flashings, edgings, outlets, vents or similar devices that are part of the assembly “shall be replaced where rusted, damaged or deteriorated.”
Read that list against a typical estimate. Flashings covers valley, step and apron metal. Edgings covers drip edge. Outlets and vents covers pipe boots, box vents and the drain outlets on a low-slope section. “Similar devices” is deliberately open. The trigger is condition, not age, which means the judgement is made on the roof with the old covering off — and that is the moment a homeowner wants to be told, in writing, which pieces are being reused. The underlying re-cover question of whether a new layer may go over an old one at all is handled separately in when a roof re-cover is not allowed under R908.
“Reuse existing flashings” is the cheapest line on any reroof estimate and the one worth a question, because the code makes condition the test and nobody can judge condition from the driveway.
Can gravel or aggregate surfacing be reinstalled?
No. R908.5 ends with a flat prohibition: “Aggregate surfacing materials shall not be reinstalled.” There is no condition attached and no exception written into the sentence.
This is the sentence that matters on the low-slope and flat sections common on additions, porches and small commercial-style roofs. Gravel lifted off an old built-up roof does not go back down. It is worth knowing before the work starts, because removing and disposing of aggregate is labour that belongs in the scope from the beginning rather than appearing as a surprise mid-job. Whether a section even qualifies as low-slope is a separate code question covered in flat vs. low-slope roofs under Kentucky code.
What does R908.6 require of flashings on a reroof?
Two things. Flashings must be reconstructed in accordance with approved manufacturer’s installation instructions, and metal flashing to which bituminous materials are to be adhered must be primed before installation.
The priming clause is the one that gets skipped. Where modified bitumen or a bituminous membrane is adhered to metal — a low-slope-to-wall transition, a drain flange, a parapet detail — the metal is primed first so the adhesion has something to key into. Skip it and the failure shows up as a clean separation at the metal months later, which reads like a membrane defect and is not one. The companion requirement for metal over an old wood shake field, which is a fire condition rather than an adhesion one, is covered in metal roof over wood shake under R908.4.
How this reads on a real Central Kentucky estimate
Three lines tell you whether an estimate was written with R908.5 and R908.6 in view: what happens to the existing flashings, what happens to the existing drip edge, and who hauls the aggregate if there is a gravel section. None of those lines is about brand or warranty, and all three are about code. My own preference on a reroof is to price new flashings and new drip edge as the default and treat reuse as the exception that has to be justified on the roof — not because the code demands replacement in every case, but because condition is the test and new metal is the only answer that never needs defending later. Permits and inspections are a separate matter: 815 KAR 7:125 Section 2(2)(a) provides that permits, inspections and certificates of occupancy are not required for a single-family dwelling unless required by local ordinance, so the local code official for your jurisdiction is the authority on what gets inspected.
Does the code require new drip edge on every reroof?
Not automatically. R908.5 requires replacement of edgings and flashings that are rusted, damaged or deteriorated, so the test is the condition of the existing metal once the old covering is off.
Can broken tiles be reused in a hidden area of the roof?
No. The exception in R908.5 is written to the material, not the location: damaged, cracked or broken slate or tile shall not be reinstalled anywhere in the assembly.
Which code edition applies to my Kentucky house?
815 KAR 7:125, Section 2(1) makes the 2015 IRC the mandatory state residential code for single-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses, except that the Kentucky amendments in the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code supersede any conflicting provision. Your local code official applies the edition in force for your permit.
Sources: Sections R908.5 and R908.6, reroofing provisions of the 2015 International Residential Code as adopted for Kentucky; adoption and exceptions per 815 KAR 7:125, Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, read October 21, 2026. The adopted code document with Kentucky amendments is published by the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. A code explainer, not a code ruling — your local code official decides.
Last updated October 21, 2026.
By Central Roof Repair · Call or text (859) 310-1209.
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