Who Regulates Flat Roofs?

Here’s what you need to know about the different groups that have input into the quality of flat roof materials and practices.

ASTM International

For purchased roof membranes and accessories, there is an organization called the American Society for Testing and Materials or ASTM International.

ASTM is a scientific and technical organization comprised of subject-matter experts who voluntarily come together to devise consensus-driven standards, testing methods, and quality benchmarks for, among other things, flat roofing industry products and services. The organization specifies, for example, that a roof membrane must have a certain thickness, breaking strength, tear strength, and dimensional stability to meet ASTM standards.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is an international, voluntary, non-profit organization that sets standards, procedures, and codes to protect the public through its expertise in designing, constructing, and operating flat roof manufacturing environments. It has a consensus standard that ensures roofs withstand wind, snow, rain, ice, and earthquakes. The standard includes formulas to calculate uplift pressures and fastening requirements for different roof zones.

ISO 9000

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a non-governmental organization that creates universal guidelines for how organizations can meet recognized standards. ISO 9000 is a set of international standards for quality management and quality assurance. It helps organizations meet customer needs, comply with regulations, and continuously improve.

ANSI / SPRI

The American National Standards Institute and Single-Ply Roofing Industry or ANSI / SPRI is focused on installation specifications for roof membranes and edge metal.

Flat roofs experience a great deal of wind uplift, mostly at the edges of the building and roof perimeter. ANSI/SPRI does testing to determine things like the appropriate gauge metal for edges and the best fastening patterns to use on roof membranes in specific geographies. This is critically important to prevent premature failure. You can see an excellent example of how this happened to a Gloucester City, NJ commercial warehouse owner on our Flat Roof Replacement Gallery page.

FM Global and Underwriters Laboratories

Local Administrative Agencies

Enforcement and Quality Control

Again, a mix of public, private, and not-for-profit organizations are involved.

FM Global and UL certify roofing projects but are primarily concerned with mitigating insurance risk. Property managers and building owners do, however, benefit from their involvement by gaining the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have a quality roof installation.

Local administrative agencies usually enforce their own rules. In my experience, code enforcement officers don’t want to inspect low-slope roofs. You should not rely on them to control the quality of your project.

Self-Protection

Are there any proactive steps property managers and building owners can take to safeguard themselves if any or all of the above protective measures fail?

Yes. I’ll explain below.

A flat roof is both a product and a service. You need good materials, and you need them installed properly.

Ideally, the above agencies, material manufacturers, and installation contractors will work together to ensure top-quality results. A few ways you can help achieve this include the following:

• Choose a well-known and industry-respected roofing materials manufacturer.
• Hire a reputable flat roofing contractor certified to install your chosen materials.
• Ensure your project comes with a manufacturer’s warranty.

To receive a manufacturer’s warranty, a roof must be installed according to the manufacturer’s design specifications. Specifications originate with the same regulatory and standards agencies described above. 

Recap

To recap:

• Voluntary associations develop standards and design specifications for flat roofing material suppliers and contractors to abide by.
• Roofing material manufacturers use those standards to create design specs and detailed drawings – “installation instructions”.
• The same manufacturers certify roofing contractors to install their products.
• A representative of the manufacturer inspects the roof after installation.
• If the inspection satisfies quality and design specifications, a warranty is issued.
• The roof warranty protects building owners in case of a product failure or installation defect.

So, while all this seems complicated, the system does work. Success hinges on choosing a high-quality materials manufacturer and reputable flat roofing contractor.