These charges go missing when pitch is judged from the ground and height from the street. This guide covers what each charge represents, how to document it, and the gaps reviewers find. It's about the scope of the work you perform; what gets approved is the carrier's decision.
What steep and high-roof charges are, unit: SQ
Steep and high-roof charges are price-list labor adjustments, added per square for the extra time and setup that slope and height bring to roof work. They aren't code items. No building code section requires them, so don't cite one.
- Steep
- About slope. A steeper facet is slower to work: footing, staging and every trip up and down take longer.
- High
- About working height. A two-story eave means taller ladders or a lift, and longer carries for material and debris.
- Both or neither
- A facet can qualify for one, both or neither, so document slope and height separately.
The pitch bands, height thresholds and item descriptions come from your platform's current price list. Check them in the price list loaded on the estimate, not from memory.
How pitch is written, and how to establish it on each facet
Pitch is written as rise in 12: the inches a roof rises for every 12 inches of horizontal run. An 8/12 facet rises 8 inches per foot. Code uses the same notation: 2021 IRC R905.2.2, where adopted, allows asphalt shingles only on slopes of 2 units vertical in 12 units horizontal (2:12) or greater. Check the edition and amendments adopted where the house is.
Many houses have more than one pitch: a steep main roof, a lower porch, a shallow dormer. Establish pitch facet by facet, from two sources that should agree.
- Measurement report
- The pitch for each facet, from the report's facet diagram or table. Don't rely on a single headline pitch from the summary page. More on reading reports in what estimate reviewers check in a measurement report.
- Pitch gauge photo
- One on each slope you're treating as steep, with the gauge or level readable and the slope labelled ("rear slope, 10/12"). Take it on the roof surface, away from vents, the ridge and any lumps.
- Too steep to walk
- Don't climb to get the photo. Take the reading from a ladder at the rake edge, or on a rafter in the attic, and note where it was taken.
- Gauge reads in degrees
- Convert to rise in 12 (table below) and say in your notes that you converted.
If the report and the gauge disagree, put both numbers in your notes and say which one you used and why. A stated discrepancy can be resolved. A hidden one undermines the file.
| Rise in 12 | Angle (rounded) |
|---|---|
| 4/12 | 18.4° |
| 6/12 | 26.6° |
| 8/12 | 33.7° |
| 10/12 | 39.8° |
| 12/12 | 45.0° |
Why the charge goes on the steep facets only, unit: SQ
The steep adjustment belongs on the squares of the facets that fall in a steep band, not on the whole roof. A reviewer checks it by adding up those facets in the measurement report, so the number on your estimate should match that sum.
Example: a hypothetical 30-square roof has two rear facets at 10/12 totalling 10 squares, and the rest is 6/12. If your price list treats 10/12 as steep and 6/12 as standard, the steep adjustment goes on 10 squares, and your notes name the two facets.
If facets fall in different steep bands, list the squares for each band. Applying the charge roof-wide when only some facets qualify costs the whole file credibility.
Confirm whether your platform applies the adjustment to measured area or to area with waste, and keep it consistent across the estimate. The roof waste factor guide covers how waste is figured.
Height: stories, eave height and access
The high-roof adjustment is about how far above the ground the crew works, so the file has to show the height of every elevation, not just the front. The height threshold and how it's described (stories, eave height or both) come from your platform's current price list.
- Story count
- A ground photo of each elevation that shows the full wall from grade to eave.
- Eave height
- A tape or laser measurement from grade to eave with the reading in the photo, or the ladder set at the eave with its length noted.
- Ground slope
- A lot that falls away, such as a walkout basement, can put the rear eave a story higher than the front. Photograph the rear; don't judge it from the street.
- Mixed heights
- Porches, garages and additions often sit lower than the main roof. Note which facets are at which height, with the squares for each.
- Access
- Landscaping, fences, pools, decks, power lines, no room for a dumpster or lift, or a long carry to the truck. Photograph each one and note it.
Whether an access condition maps to a line item depends on your price list. Note it anyway: it explains the setup before a reviewer asks.
Tear-off and installation: two phases on the same facets
Slope and height affect removal as much as installation, because the crew strips and lowers the old roof from the same steep, high facets it later shingles. A common gap is an adjustment on one phase and not the other.
Check how your platform's current price list splits them. If it has separate removal and installation adjustments, show both on each qualifying facet, with matching squares. If the quantities differ between phases, say why in your notes.
Extra layers add removal work on those same facets. Document the layer count with a photo at an edge where the layers are visible (see the photo checklist).
Safety and access setup, in general terms
Steep and high work changes the setup: anchors and harnesses, roof jacks and planks, ladders or lifts. Whether that setup sits inside the adjustment or is a separate item depends on your price list. List only what your crew actually uses on that job.
For context, federal OSHA defines the term separately from any price list: "Steep roof means a roof having a slope greater than 4 in 12 (vertical to horizontal)." (29 CFR 1926.500(b)). That's a fall-protection definition. It doesn't set the steep bands in your price list, so don't mix the two in a file.
OSHA's residential construction rule reads: "Each employee engaged in residential construction activities 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above lower levels shall be protected by guardrail systems, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system unless another provision in paragraph (b) of this section provides for an alternative fall protection measure." (29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13), which also has an exception for a written fall protection plan). Some states run OSHA-approved State Plans, which OSHA says "must be at least as effective as OSHA". Your safety program decides how your crews comply. This guide isn't safety or legal advice.
Common gaps and the documentation that closes them
Steep and high gaps can come from judging the roof from one spot. Documentation that takes in every facet and every elevation closes them.
| Gap | What it looks like | Documentation that addresses it |
|---|---|---|
| Pitch judged from the ground | No steep adjustment, or the wrong band | Report pitch by facet, plus a gauge photo on each steep slope |
| Pitch from one facet | One pitch applied to a roof with several | Facet-by-facet pitch list, with gauge photos labelled by slope |
| Two-story eaves missed | Rear or side elevation higher than the front | Photos of every elevation, eave height measured, ground slope shown |
| One phase only | Adjustment on installation but not removal, or the reverse | Both phases on each qualifying facet, per your price list's split |
| Charged roof-wide | Steep squares equal the total roof squares | Squares on qualifying facets only, facets named in notes |
| Report and gauge disagree | Two pitches for the same facet in the file | Both numbers in the notes, which one you used, and why |
For how this item sits alongside drip edge, starter, flashing and waste, see roof scope line items to check on a first estimate.
Before steep and high charges go on the estimate
Checklist / Checklist10 items
Steep and high charges
- Pitch for every facet, from the full measurement report
- A labelled pitch gauge photo on each slope treated as steep
- Steep squares equal the sum of the qualifying facets, by band
- A photo of every elevation, grade to eave
- Eave height measured where a high adjustment is used, and ground slope noted
- Lower sections (porch, garage, addition) separated by height
- Access conditions photographed and noted
- Removal and installation handled per your price list's current split
- Bands and thresholds checked in the price list loaded on the estimate
- Any report and gauge discrepancy stated in the notes
If you'd rather hand the file to a team that works this way, request an intro call. Our Supplementers document only the trades you perform, from the photos and measurement report your team sends; see roofing supplements.
Common questions
What pitch counts as steep for a steep charge?
Your estimating platform's current price list sets the steep bands, not a building code. Check the bands in the price list loaded on the estimate. OSHA's "steep roof" definition (greater than 4 in 12) is for fall protection and doesn't set price-list bands.
Does the steep charge apply to the whole roof?
No. It goes on the squares of the facets that fall in a steep band. Name those facets in your notes so the reviewer can add them up from the measurement report.
Is a two-story roof charge the same as a steep charge?
No. The high-roof charge is about working height and the steep charge is about slope. A facet can qualify for one, both or neither, so document pitch and height separately.
Do steep and high charges apply to tear-off as well as installation?
Slope and height affect both phases, because the old roof comes off the same facets. How the adjustment is split between removal and installation depends on your platform's current price list, so check it and keep the squares consistent across both phases.
How do I document pitch on a roof that's too steep to walk?
Don't climb to get a photo. Use the pitch by facet from the measurement report, and take a gauge reading from a ladder at the rake edge or on a rafter in the attic. Note where the reading was taken.
Sources
- International Code Council, 2021 International Residential Code, Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies), Section R905.2.2 Slope. Check the edition and amendments adopted where the house is. codes
.iccsafe (opens in a new tab).org - U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, 29 CFR 1926.500, Scope, application and definitions (Subpart M) osha
.gov (opens in a new tab) - U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, 29 CFR 1926.501, Duty to have fall protection osha
.gov (opens in a new tab) - U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, State Plans osha
.gov (opens in a new tab) - Your estimating platform's current price list, for steep and high-roof charge definitions, pitch bands, height thresholds and how removal and installation are split.
These guides document the scope of work a contractor performs. They aren't coverage or legal advice.