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Plano's re-roof handout lists five roof coverings that have to be removed before a new roof goes on: wood shake, slate, clay tile, cement tile and asbestos-cement tile. For a house that has shake on top, or shake buried under a later layer of shingles, that single line changes the size of the job.
Existing wood shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile must be removed.
Solid wood decking is required under wood shingle and shake roofs.
Metal and tile roof systems need a non-combustible underlayment, and get a partial final inspection of that underlayment before they are covered.
Source: City of Plano Building Inspections, “Re-Roof Residential Permit Requirements,” form revised September 16, 2016. Confirm current requirements with the city before work starts.
Wood shakes were traditionally nailed to spaced boards with gaps between them, so the roof could dry from below. Asphalt shingles need a continuous surface. Taking shake off therefore usually means adding solid decking across the whole roof before anything new goes on, which is material and labor an ordinary shingle-for-shingle replacement does not have.
How many Plano houses have shake, on top or underneath, is not something this site has a count for, and it will not guess. What can be said is that the city thought it common enough to write a rule about, and that the only way to know what is on a particular house is to look at the edge of the roof or from inside the attic.
A contractor will check these on the first visit. You can check two of them yourself.
Not under the city's handout, which says existing wood shake must be removed. It is also poor practice: shake is an uneven, combustible base.
It depends on the roof's area and what is found. Ask for the decking to be priced per sheet in the quote, with an estimate of the total, so the number is known before the tear-off.
A full tear-off exceeds 25% of the roof area, so yes, under the handout it needs a permit. Details are on the re-roof permit page.
Say what you can see from the attic. A contractor can confirm the rest on site.
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