Houses
A leak trace starts at chimneys and valleys. Roof repair explains how, and roof replacement covers the point where patching stops making sense.
Roofing Company in Bethesda, MD
Bethesda is not a town, so Montgomery County is the only office for a Bethesda parcel. The towns around it are another story: the county's own list puts them in three different orders, with the town first in Kensington, the county first in Somerset, and the county alone in Friendship Heights and Oakmont. King's Roofing Company, based in Fairfax, Virginia, starts every Bethesda call by asking which of those a street belongs to.
5.0 rated on Google60 Google reviews as shown on the profile
(703) 712-1506Questions about a Bethesda roof
Free 15-minute phone consultationWhere every job begins
Fairfax, VirginiaServing Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland
Approval order
In what order do Kensington, Somerset and Oakmont roofs reach the county?
The Department of Permitting Services keeps a page that sorts municipalities by approval sequence. Kensington, Chevy Chase Village, the Village of Drummond and Takoma Park sit under "City Approval is Required Prior to County Application". The Town of Chevy Chase, Chevy Chase Sections 3 and 5, Glen Echo, Martin's Additions and Somerset sit under "County Permit Required Prior to City Approval". The Village of North Chevy Chase is listed under "Both County and City Approval is Required". Friendship Heights and Oakmont are listed as "County Permit Only".
Bethesda itself appears on none of those lists because it is an unincorporated community with no government of its own. The page also says the county's rules do not replace a town's, so the order matters before you book anyone.
What we do here
Which roof jobs fit a Battery Park bungalow and a Bethesda condo tower?
Townhouses and attached homes
Shared walls and association rules shape the scope. Read the covenants first, then compare coverings on materials.
Large and low-slope roofs
Apartment and condo buildings can have flat sections, covered on flat roof. The owner may be a board, so we talk with a manager or board member. For the county's roof-reflectance rule on apartment and commercial roofs, see EPDM roofs in Bethesda.
Permits
Which Wheaton or town desk answers a re-roof, a rafter repair or a Kensington job?
Ask the office for your address. This table is a map, not an answer.
| What you plan | Who to ask |
|---|---|
| New roof covering on a Bethesda house | Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, MC 311 at 240-777-0311. Its list says you "most likely will not need a permit" for "Roof (covering only)". Confirm with the office. |
| Framing, rafters or new roof openings | Same department, before the work is scoped. Structural changes are not on the no-permit list. |
| Roof on a Kensington street | Town of Kensington, 3710 Mitchell Street, 301-949-2424, before the county application. |
| Somerset or Town of Chevy Chase | The county permit comes first, then the town. Town of Chevy Chase office: 301-654-7144. |
| Marked historic property | Historic Preservation Office, 301-563-3400. |
The county's service counter is at 2425 Reedie Drive, 7th Floor, Wheaton, open weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the page says no appointment is necessary. It also warns that its list does not include municipality and homeowner association rules.
Mailing address
Is a Bethesda ZIP line a promise of county-only rules?
No. Cabin John Regional Park is at 7400 Tuckerman Lane with a Bethesda mailing line, and the Town of Oakmont uses a Bethesda 20817 box, yet Oakmont is a separate municipality on the county's list. Meanwhile, several towns people call "near Bethesda" use Chevy Chase 20815 addresses. The mailing city is a hint only. The parcel decides who reviews the roof.
Neighbors who want their own pages have them: Chevy Chase, Kensington and Potomac. Potomac is a separate community with no town government, so it follows the county alone.
Historic and design review
Does the Potomac Overlook district reach a Bethesda roof?
Potomac Overlook carries a Bethesda 20816 address, not a Potomac one. The County Council voted to approve its historic district designation on April 19, 2022. Montgomery Planning says local designation requires design review by the Historic Preservation Commission for any major exterior changes.
For designated properties, Montgomery Planning lists work that does not need the commission. It includes "roof repairs" with "materials and design matching what is already in place". The page does not say where a full re-roof falls, so on a designated house call 301-563-3400 before ordering shingles. A change of roofing material is the kind of exterior change that gets reviewed.
The same page reminds owners that some local governments review changes before a Historic Area Work Permit, naming Brookeville, Chevy Chase Village, Garrett Park, Kensington and Takoma Park. The historic list does not name every Bethesda lot, so use the county map tool with your address instead of assuming. Homeowners associations are separate again, and the county says it does not enforce covenants.
Housing
What do 30,095 Bethesda homes say about the roofs above them?
Census Bureau estimates for the Bethesda place, 2020 to 2024.
Median year built: 1970
An estimated 15,242 units, 50.6 percent, date from before 1970. Another 4,782 were built in 2010 or later.
15,922 detached homes
That is 52.9 percent of units. Attached single homes are 1,173 (3.9 percent), so house and townhouse roofs are a little over half.
10,420 units in big buildings
Buildings of 50 or more units hold 34.6 percent of homes. Owner-occupied homes number 17,868 against 10,069 rented.
The Census counts homes, not roofs. Roof age and material are not in the data.
Weather and trees
What happened on Avalon Drive on August 2, 2026?
NBC Washington reported that a lightning-struck tree on Avalon Drive caught fire, brought down wires and blew a transformer during Sunday storms. Pepco confirmed 40 customers were affected and expected repairs by midnight. The story describes an outage, not roof damage. A resident quoted in it said above-ground wires and limbs cause outages there "all the time".
That is a reason to look at the trees over your own roof. After a storm, check from the ground for lifted shingles and limbs resting on slopes, and see our storm damage repair guide.
Roads
Why do Wisconsin Avenue and Old Georgetown Road matter for finding a Bethesda parcel?
Downtown Bethesda is centered where Wisconsin Avenue, Old Georgetown Road and East-West Highway meet. Edgemoor, laid out in 1912 on 183.5 acres, and Battery Park both lie close to that crossing. Giving us the nearest crossing and the street name is faster than a ZIP code when we place a parcel.
How a job starts
What happens between your first call about a Bethesda roof and a signed scope?
1. The call
You tell us what you see overhead and the cross streets nearby.
2. The parcel
We find which county desk, town or district reviews it.
3. The roof
You pick a time and we go over it together.
4. The scope
You get a written scope, including what happens if rotted decking turns up.
5. The finish
The crew follows that scope, and we walk you through the result.
Reviews
Where do Bethesda homeowners find our Google reviews?
5.0 on Google from 60 reviews.
FAQ
Questions Bethesda and nearby town owners ask before a re-roof
Who issues permits for a Bethesda address, if not a town?
No. It is unincorporated, so the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services in Wheaton is the office. Call MC 311 at 240-777-0311 for your address.
Does Kensington approve a roof before or after the county?
The county's municipality page lists Kensington under approvals required prior to the county application. Call the town at 301-949-2424 first.
What is different about Somerset and the Town of Chevy Chase?
The county lists them as county permit first, then city approval. Confirm the sequence with the town office before you order materials.
Are Oakmont and Friendship Heights county-only?
The county list marks both "County Permit Only". Oakmont has a Bethesda 20817 box, so a Bethesda mailing line does not mean a town has no say.
Is Potomac Overlook in Potomac?
Its listed address is Bethesda 20816. The County Council approved its historic district on April 19, 2022, so major exterior changes go through design review.
Does a matching-material roof repair need the Historic Preservation Commission?
Montgomery Planning lists roof repairs with matching materials and design as not needing commission involvement. A full re-roof is not addressed, so call 301-563-3400.
Did the August 2026 Avalon Drive storm damage roofs?
The NBC Washington report describes a tree fire, a blown transformer and 40 customers without power. It does not describe roof damage.
Is a median build year of 1970 a sign Bethesda roofs are worn?
The median home was built in 1970 and 50.6 percent date from before 1970, but 4,782 units are from 2010 on and the Census cannot say which roofs were replaced. Condition is the test.
Nearby
Which Maryland, DC and Virginia neighbors sit closest to Bethesda?
Places next door with their own pages: Silver Spring, Rockville, Washington, DC and McLean. See all service areas or read about King's Roofing Company.
Official pages used
Checked October 9, 2026: county home improvements list, county municipalities page, Historic Area Work Permits, Potomac Overlook, Census Reporter, Bethesda and NBC Washington storm report.
Roof material guides for Bethesda: EPDM roofs in Bethesda, TPO roofs in Bethesda, PVC roofs in Bethesda, metal roofs in Bethesda.
Talk through the next step
Start with the parcel, not the mailing line
Tell us the street and what you see on the roof. We will help you sort out which office to ask before any material is ordered.
Book a free 15-minute phone consultation
(703) 712-1506
9220 Topaz St, Fairfax, VA 22031
Mon to Fri 7 AM to 8:30 PM, Sat 7 AM to 8 PM, closed Sunday