TL;DR
A collar tie is a horizontal framing member connecting opposing rafters in the upper third of the roof, installed to resist wind uplift forces that try to pull the ridge apart. The IRC calls for them at least 1x4 in size, spaced no more than four feet apart, unless a continuous ridge strap does the same job.
What it means
A collar tie is a horizontal framing member connecting opposing rafters in the upper third of the roof, installed to resist wind uplift forces that try to pull the ridge apart. The IRC calls for them at least 1x4 in size, spaced no more than four feet apart, unless a continuous ridge strap does the same job. They are often confused with rafter ties, which sit in the lower third and resist wall spread; cutting either during an attic remodel can compromise the roof and fail an inspection.
Where it sits in the glossary
Collar tie is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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