Kickout Flashing Code in Georgia

IRC R903.2.1: Kickout Flashing at Roof-to-Wall Transitions

IRC Section R903.2.1 requires flashing "at wall and roof intersections." Georgia adopts this section through the Department of Community Affairs. The 2018 IRC expanded the language to address the specific condition where a sloped roof terminates at a vertical wall and the bottom of that intersection sits above a gutter, window, door, or open eave. At this termination point, a diverter (commonly called a kickout) must redirect water away from the wall surface and into the gutter.

The physics behind the requirement are straightforward. Water flows down the roof slope and follows the step flashing along the wall. At the bottom of the step flashing run, the water must go somewhere. With a kickout diverter, the water arcs outward into the gutter. Without one, the water follows the path of least resistance: behind the siding, down the wall sheathing, and into the framing.

This is not a hypothetical failure mode. It is the single most common source of hidden wall water damage on residential homes in metro Atlanta. Our team at 1 Source Roofing encounters it on inspection calls across Buckhead, Alpharetta, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Johns Creek, and Marietta. The damage is invisible from the outside for years. By the time staining appears on the interior wall, the sheathing and framing behind the siding have absorbed moisture through hundreds of rain events.

Building inspectors in Fulton County, Cobb County, Gwinnett County, and DeKalb County check for kickout flashing during final roof inspections. The inspection is quick: the inspector walks the eave line and verifies that every roof-to-wall termination has a diverter that directs water into the gutter rather than behind the wall. A missing kickout fails the inspection.

For the full framework of Georgia's residential roofing code and how local enforcement works, see our Georgia residential roofing code guide.

Where Kickout Flashing Is Required on Your Roof

Kickout flashing is required at every location where a sloped roof meets a vertical wall and the bottom of that intersection terminates at a gutter, open eave, or any condition where water could run behind the wall cladding. On a typical metro Atlanta home, this creates multiple kickout locations.

Common Locations on Atlanta Homes

• Dormer sidewalls: Where the lower roof meets the dormer's side wall. Each dormer has two roof-to-wall transitions, and each one needs a kickout at the bottom.
• Second-story wall-to-lower-roof junctions: Where the main roof slope meets a second-story wall that extends above the roofline. The step flashing runs from the upper portion of the junction down to the eave, and the kickout sits at the eave termination.
• Garage roof-to-house wall: Where a garage roof abuts the house wall. This is one of the most frequent locations for missing kickout flashing because the garage roof is often lower priority during installation.
• Porch roof-to-wall connections: Where a covered porch roof meets the main house wall. The porch roof collects water and channels it along the step flashing to the eave. Without a kickout, that water enters the wall behind the porch.
• Addition roof-to-original wall: Where a room addition's roof meets the original house wall. This junction is a frequent problem because the addition contractor may not coordinate flashing with the existing roofing system.

A home with three dormers, a covered porch, and a garage attachment can have 8 to 12 kickout flashing locations. Our team identifies every one during the initial roof inspection and marks them on the project scope. Missing even one creates a future leak path.

How Kickout Flashing Works: The Water Path

Understanding the water path explains why kickout flashing matters more than any other single piece of flashing on the roof. Follow the water from the ridge to the eave at a roof-to-wall intersection.

Rain hits the roof surface and flows downslope. At the wall intersection, step flashing channels the water along the wall, keeping it on the roof side of the flashing. Each piece of step flashing overlaps the piece below it, creating a shingled channel that moves water downward. At the bottom of the step flashing run, the water reaches the eave.

With kickout flashing: the last piece of step flashing transitions into a kickout diverter that curves outward, away from the wall. The diverter extends past the edge of the wall and over the gutter. Water follows the metal curve, launches off the kickout lip, and drops into the gutter. The wall surface stays dry.

Without kickout flashing: the last piece of step flashing terminates flat against the wall at the eave line. Water reaches this dead end and has two options: overflow the step flashing onto the roof surface (minor), or follow gravity behind the siding (major). Georgia's 50 inches of annual rainfall means this happens hundreds of times per year. Each event delivers more water behind the siding.

Pre-Manufactured vs. Site-Built Kickouts

Pre-manufactured kickout diverters come in standard sizes and angles. DryFlekt and Flashco produce the most widely used products. The manufactured units provide a tested geometry that matches standard roof pitches (4:12 through 12:12) and creates a consistent water diversion curve. Installation takes minutes per unit.

Site-built kickouts use sheet metal (galvanized steel, aluminum, or copper) bent to fit the specific roof pitch and wall intersection. An experienced sheet metal worker custom-fits each piece. Site-built kickouts match the exact conditions of the intersection, which matters on non-standard pitches or complex wall geometries. Our crew uses both methods depending on the project. Standard intersections get manufactured units. Complex intersections get custom-fabricated pieces.

Feature	Pre-Manufactured	Site-Built
Fit	Standard pitches (4:12 to 12:12)	Custom to any pitch/geometry
Material	Aluminum or galvanized (color-matched)	Galvanized, aluminum, or copper
Installation time	5-10 minutes per unit	15-30 minutes per unit
Cost	$8-15 per unit (material)	$20-40 per unit (material + labor)
Code compliance	Yes	Yes
Best for	Standard residential, production roofing	Custom homes, complex transitions, copper systems

The Hidden Destruction: What Missing Kickout Flashing Does to Your Walls

Missing kickout flashing causes the most expensive hidden damage of any single roofing deficiency. The damage is invisible because it occurs inside the wall cavity, behind the siding. By the time exterior or interior signs appear, the damage has spread far beyond the original entry point.

Stage 1: Water Entry (Months 1-6)

Water running behind the siding at the roof-to-wall termination contacts the wall sheathing (plywood or OSB). The sheathing absorbs moisture from each rain event and dries between storms. At this stage, no visible damage exists on either the interior or exterior surfaces. The moisture content of the sheathing cycles between wet and dry. Georgia's summer humidity slows the drying cycle, keeping the sheathing damp longer than it would in a drier climate.

Stage 2: Sheathing Degradation (Months 6-18)

The repeated wet-dry cycles break down the adhesive bond in plywood or the resin matrix in OSB. The sheathing softens and begins to delaminate. Mold colonies establish on the damp wood surface. In Georgia's warm, humid climate, mold grows at rates that accelerate structural damage. The R-value of the wall insulation drops as it absorbs moisture from the wet sheathing.

Stage 3: Framing Damage (Months 18-36)

Water migrating down the wet sheathing reaches the wall framing (studs, plates, and headers). Wood-destroying fungi colonize the framing members. The framing loses structural capacity. At this stage, the exterior siding may show staining, bubbling paint, or warping. Interior drywall shows water stains or soft spots. The smell of mold may be detectable inside the home.

Stage 4: Structural Compromise (36+ Months)

Framing members rot through. The wall section loses the ability to carry loads. Siding panels detach. Interior finishes fail. The repair now requires opening the wall, removing and replacing framing, sheathing, insulation, siding, and interior drywall. On luxury homes in Buckhead and Sandy Springs, where custom stone or brick veneer covers the wall, the repair costs escalate into the $15,000 to $25,000 range for a single wall section.

"A manufactured kickout diverter costs $8 to $15 and installs in under 10 minutes. Wall damage from a missing one runs $5,000 to $25,000 and takes 18 to 36 months of rain events to develop."

Why Many Older Metro Atlanta Homes Lack Kickout Diverters

Walk through any neighborhood in Roswell, Alpharetta, or Marietta built before 2010, and most homes will lack kickout flashing at their roof-to-wall transitions. The reason is simple: the building code did not require it.

Kickout flashing entered the IRC in the 2009 edition as a clarification of the general flashing requirements in R903.2.1. Before that, the code required "flashing at wall and roof intersections" without specifying the diverter at the bottom termination. Contractors installed step flashing along the wall but stopped at the eave without adding the kickout piece. This installation passed inspection under the codes in effect at the time.

Georgia adopted the 2012 IRC through the Department of Community Affairs, which brought the expanded flashing language into state enforcement. Homes built after 2012 under compliant inspection should have kickout flashing. Homes built before 2012 almost certainly do not.

The problem compounds with reroofing. When a homeowner replaces the roof on a 1990s-era home, the current code applies to the new installation. The reroofing contractor must install kickout flashing at every roof-to-wall transition, even if the original roof never had it. Contractors who skip this step save minutes of work per location and create thousands of dollars in future wall damage.

Our team encounters missing kickout flashing on nearly every pre-2012 home we inspect. The inspection checklist includes a specific line item for kickout diverters at every roof-to-wall termination. When we find them missing, they go on the scope of work as a code-required addition to the roof replacement project. For the full list of items building departments check during roof inspections, see our roofing inspection checklist.

Kickout Flashing, Insurance Claims, and Siding Damage

Wall water damage from missing kickout flashing creates a dispute point in insurance claims. Homeowners file claims expecting coverage for the wall damage they discover. Insurance adjusters evaluate the damage and trace it back to the missing flashing. The adjuster's conclusion determines whether the claim pays or gets denied.

The Adjuster's Analysis

When an adjuster finds wall damage at a roof-to-wall transition and no kickout flashing, the claim evaluation follows a standard pattern. The adjuster photographs the missing flashing, documents the water entry path, and categorizes the damage as "long-term water infiltration due to improper flashing." This classification places the damage outside the covered peril (storm damage) and into the excluded category (maintenance and construction deficiency). The claim gets denied or reduced.

Our insurance claims team helps homeowners navigate this situation. The key is separating the storm damage component (if any) from the pre-existing condition. A storm can drive water behind siding with enough force to bypass even proper flashing. Hail can damage the siding itself, creating new entry points. These are covered perils. The documentation must show what the storm caused versus what the missing flashing caused.

The Prevention Strategy

Install kickout flashing at every roof-to-wall transition before the next storm event. This removes the "missing flashing" argument from any future adjuster evaluation. When storm damage occurs, the adjuster evaluates the damage against a code-compliant installation, and the claim covers the full storm impact. The cost of adding kickout flashing during a roof repair or replacement is negligible compared to the claim denial it prevents.

For more on preparing for adjuster meetings and documenting storm damage, see our insurance adjuster meeting guide and denied claims guide.

How 1 Source Installs Kickout Flashing on Every Project

Kickout flashing appears on every 1 Source Roofing project that involves a roof-to-wall transition. This is not an optional line item. The code requires it, the manufacturers require it for warranty coverage, and the wall damage it prevents far exceeds the cost of the flashing itself.

Our installation process for kickout flashing follows five steps:

1. Identification: During the initial inspection, mark every roof-to-wall termination that requires a kickout diverter. Count each location and note the roof pitch and wall cladding material at each one.
2. Material selection: Choose pre-manufactured or site-built kickouts based on the intersection geometry. Standard pitches on vinyl or fiber cement siding get manufactured units. Complex pitches or stone/brick veneer get custom-fabricated copper or galvanized pieces.
3. Step flashing integration: Install the step flashing run along the wall from top to bottom, with each piece overlapping the one below by at least 2 inches. The bottom piece of step flashing connects to the kickout diverter.
4. Kickout placement: Position the kickout diverter so the lip extends past the wall surface and over the gutter opening. The diverter must clear the gutter's inside edge to deposit water into the trough, not onto the fascia.
5. Sealant and fastening: Fasten the kickout to the roof deck and wall with roofing nails. Apply compatible sealant at the kickout-to-step-flashing joint and at the kickout-to-wall interface. The sealant prevents wind-driven rain from entering the seam under pressure.

We photograph each installed kickout and include the images in the homeowner's project documentation. This creates a permanent record of code compliance for future insurance claims, home inspections, and resale documentation.

For the broader flashing system that kickout flashing connects to, see our roof flashing code guide and flashing installation page. The kickout is one component of the complete flashing assembly that seals every roof penetration and intersection on your home.

Explore More Georgia Roofing Code Guides

• Georgia Residential Roofing Code Guide
• Roof Flashing Code in Georgia
• Roof Cricket and Saddle Code
• Drip Edge Code Requirements
• Roofing Inspection Checklist
• Gutter Code Requirements
• Chimney Flashing Installation Guide
• Roof Flashing Installation in Atlanta
• Roof Replacement Services
• Insurance Claims Assistance