High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Roof pitch Relates to the slope and inclination angle of a roof in building construction. A roof is considered pitched with a gradient greater than 15 degrees or a slope greater than 3.215 in 12. The primary purpose of a pitched roof is to redirect rainwater. In general, the pitch of the roof is proportional to the amount of precipitation. Houses in areas of low rainfall frequently have roofs of low pitch while those in areas of high rainfall and snow, have steep roofs. The longhouses of Papua New Guinea, for example, being roof-dominated architecture, the high roofs sweeping almost to the ground. The high steeply-pitched roofs of Germany and Holland are typical in regions of snowfall. In parts of North America; including the cities of Buffalo, New York and Montreal, Quebec, Canada; building codes require a minimum slope of 6 inches in 12 inches, a pitch of approximately 26.5 degrees.