DeKalb County, GA Hurricane Preparedness: Roof Standards (2026)

Section 7-52(b)(2)(L) is a local amendment layered onto the state-adopted International Residential Code, and it bundles structural requirements into one paragraph. The headline rule is the tie-down: roof framing shall be tied securely to wall framing using hurricane-type connections, so the roof structure is mechanically fastened to the walls rather than simply resting on them. The same paragraph requires all exterior wall sheathing to be seven-sixteenth-inch plywood or oriented strand board, while leaving room for other approved materials, which puts the approval call with the county rather than the builder.

Roof valleys must carry metal or self-sealing flashing installed at least 12 inches on either side of the valley, and drip edges are required at every roofing edge. These amendments govern residential construction in unincorporated DeKalb County only; the incorporated cities inside the county adopt their own residential code amendments, so a builder working across city lines cannot assume the same package applies. Compliance is checked in the field rather than on paper: roof framing installed without the hurricane-type connections fails the frame inspection required under § 7-34(c) and must be corrected before work continues.