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Permitting Authorities / Township of Almena - Building & Zoning

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Almena, MI?

Adopted code

Township of Almena - Building & Zoning

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Almena, MI, issued by Township of Almena - Building & Zoning. In Almena Township the Building & Zoning page says "Building, Electric, and Mechanical permits can be obtained on this website or at the Almena Township Hall M-W-Th between 9am and 4 pm" and "Applications and payment are received at the Antwerp Township Hall." It adds "Checks must be made out to Antwerp Township" and "Antwerp Township will mail your permits to you." Inspections are scheduled by calling Antwerp Township ("Building Inspections: 269-668-2615 ext. 210"), and the page says "Plumbing Permits are completed through the State of Michigan." The township's building inspector keeps office hours on Wednesdays from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Almena Township Hall. The building permit packet (revision 9.22) is headed "Antwerp Township / Almena Township Building Department", gives the Antwerp Township office at 24821 Front Avenue in Mattawan, and says "PERMIT PROCESSING TIME IS NO LESS THAN 5 TO 7 BUSINESS DAYS FOR RESIDENTIAL WORK". Antwerp Township's permits page says "Effective September 1, 2022 Antwerp Township will provide full service to Almena Township for Building, Electrical and Mechanical permits." Almena's page lists building permit fees as "Variable", so ask the building department for the current fee.

Roof code checklist: Township of Almena, MI

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofYesalmenatownship.gov2026-10-12
Repair permit thresholdPublishedalmenatownship.gov2026-10-12
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedR908.3.1.1codes.iccsafe.org2026-10-12
Deck & sheathingPublishedR905.2.1codes.iccsafe.org2026-10-12
Drip edgeYesR905.2.8.5codes.iccsafe.org2026-10-12
Ice & water shieldYesR905.1.2ars.apps.lara.state.mi.us2026-10-12
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNoars.apps.lara.state.mi.us2026-10-12
Wind design criteriaNot published
Adopted codePublishedars.apps.lara.state.mi.us2026-10-12
Contractor license / registrationYeslegislature.mi.gov2026-10-12
Sales & use taxPublishedlegislature.mi.gov2026-10-12

Each row comes from the sourced record on this page; full wording is in the table below. "Not published" means no official source for that item was found when the record was last verified.

Jurisdiction
Township of Almena, Michigan
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
27625 County Road 375, Paw Paw, MI 49079
Contact
  • url: https://almenatownship.gov/building.php
  • phone: 269-668-2615
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
  • state_level: Michigan licenses residential maintenance and alteration contractors under the Occupational Code, and that licence "includes the following crafts and trades" among which it names roofing (MCL 339.2404(3)); "A person shall not engage in or attempt to engage in the practice of an occupation regulated under this act" without the licence (MCL 339.601(1)). MCL 339.2403 lists who may work without one, including a project whose "aggregate contract price for the labor, material, and any other items for the undertaking or project is less than $600.00". This record does not decide whether a given roofer falls inside an exemption.
  • city_level: The township's pages and ordinances read show no separate contractor registration. The joint Antwerp Township and Almena Township building permit application asks the contractor for a builders license number and expiration date, a federal employee ID number or "Reason for Exemption", workers compensation insurance or "Reason for Exemption", and an MESC employer number or "Reason for Exemption".
Permit process note
In Almena Township the Building & Zoning page says "Building, Electric, and Mechanical permits can be obtained on this website or at the Almena Township Hall M-W-Th between 9am and 4 pm" and "Applications and payment are received at the Antwerp Township Hall." It adds "Checks must be made out to Antwerp Township" and "Antwerp Township will mail your permits to you." Inspections are scheduled by calling Antwerp Township ("Building Inspections: 269-668-2615 ext. 210"), and the page says "Plumbing Permits are completed through the State of Michigan." The township's building inspector keeps office hours on Wednesdays from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Almena Township Hall. The building permit packet (revision 9.22) is headed "Antwerp Township / Almena Township Building Department", gives the Antwerp Township office at 24821 Front Avenue in Mattawan, and says "PERMIT PROCESSING TIME IS NO LESS THAN 5 TO 7 BUSINESS DAYS FOR RESIDENTIAL WORK". Antwerp Township's permits page says "Effective September 1, 2022 Antwerp Township will provide full service to Almena Township for Building, Electrical and Mechanical permits." Almena's page lists building permit fees as "Variable", so ask the building department for the current fee.
Adopted code
2015 Michigan Residential Code. This is state law and it is the same in every Michigan city, village, township and county: the state construction code act says "This act and the code apply throughout the state," and the Michigan Residential Code rule adopts "the international residential code, 2015 edition" with the state amendments in R 408.30500 to R 408.30547g. A 2021 edition was filed with the secretary of state in 2025 but has not taken effect. On July 7, 2025 the Michigan Court of Claims entered a stipulated order in Home Builders Assoc et al. v LARA et al., and the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) says that while that order remains in place "the 2015 versions of the IRC and residential provisions of the IECC standards currently adopted, in part, by each rule set will remain valid and in effect." LARA's Statewide Jurisdiction List names the Township of Almena as its own building code enforcer. Almena Township Ordinance No. 2024-06, adopted October 16, 2024, says "the Township of Almena has assumed responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the State Construction Code" and names no edition. Ordinance No. 2024-08 adopts the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code, which is a property maintenance code. The building permit packet and the Building & Zoning page name no residential code edition.
Drip edge
Required — Required on asphalt shingle roofs by state law. Michigan makes no amendment to the drip edge rule of the 2015 International Residential Code, Section R905.2.8.5, which applies as published: "A drip edge shall be provided at eaves and rake edges of shingle roofs." Segments overlap by at least 2 inches, the drip edge extends at least 1/4 inch below the roof sheathing and at least 2 inches back onto the deck, it is fastened at no more than 12 inches on center, and underlayment goes over it at the eaves and under it at the rakes. A reroof is held to the same rule, because "Materials and methods of application used for re-covering or replacing an existing roof covering shall comply with the requirements of Chapter 9" (R908.1). The Almena Township Building & Zoning page, the building permit packet and the township's Ordinances 2024-05, 2024-06, 2024-07 and 2024-08 state nothing further on drip edge. About drip edge
Ice & water shield
Required — Required everywhere in Michigan by state law. Michigan fills in the climatic design table of the 2015 code once for the whole state (Rule 516, Table R301.2(1)), and its ice barrier underlayment column reads Yes. The state footnote calls for Yes "for areas where the average daily temperature in January is 25 degrees Fahrenheit" or less, or where ice damming has caused damage. The base code then requires an ice barrier "for asphalt shingles, metal roof shingles, mineral-surfaced roll roofing, slate and slate-type shingles, wood shingles and wood shakes," running "from the lowest edges of all roof surfaces to a point not less than 24 inches (610 mm) inside the exterior wall line of the building" (R905.1.2). Detached accessory structures without conditioned floor area are exempt. On a tear-off, an existing ice barrier that is adhered to the deck may stay and be covered with an additional layer (R908.3, Exception). The Almena Township Building & Zoning page, the building permit packet and the township's Ordinances 2024-05, 2024-06, 2024-07 and 2024-08 state nothing further on ice barrier. About ice & water barrier
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — No impact-resistance requirement under state law. The 2015 Michigan Residential Code was searched in full and has no hail or impact rating rule for roof coverings: the words hail, impact and UL 2218 do not appear in it, and none of them appears in the roof assemblies chapter of the base 2015 International Residential Code either. Michigan applies one code statewide ("This act and the code apply throughout the state."), and the act gives the power to amend it to the state director, who adopts the model codes "with amendments, additions, or deletions as the director determines appropriate." The Almena Township Building & Zoning page, the building permit packet and the township's Ordinances 2024-05 to 2024-08 state no impact rule.
Repair permit threshold
The Almena Township Building & Zoning page lists, under "Building Permits:" in its Requirements, "Re-roofing of any structure", beside new construction, additions, "Replacement windows", "Siding" and "Fences". The list sets no size, dollar or material point below which a reroof needs no permit, and the page lists the building permit fee as "Variable". The state part: Michigan's construction code act says "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure" and does not define ordinary repairs. Almena Township's own list names re-roofing as permit work, so for a reroof ask the Antwerp Township building department, which takes Almena's applications, at 269-668-2615 ext. 210.
Roof layer limit / recover
Two layers at most, under state law. Michigan builds one- and two-family homes to the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, which adopts the 2015 International Residential Code and makes no amendment to its reroofing section, Section R908; the Michigan rule set was searched in full and R908 does not appear in it. The base section therefore applies as the International Code Council publishes it. Section R908.3.1.1 lists the conditions under which a new roof may not be laid over an existing one, and the third is "Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." One existing layer may be covered once; a roof that already carries two layers is torn off to the deck. The same section also bars covering a roof that is water soaked or too deteriorated to serve as a base, and covering "slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile." Locally, the township's building ordinances were read in full: Ordinance No. 2024-06 (State Construction Code Violation as Municipal Civil Infraction) and Ordinance No. 2024-08 (the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code, with its revisions). Neither contains a reroofing provision, and neither amends anything in Section R908. The township's Civil Infraction Ordinance (2024-05) and Litter and Blight Ordinance (2024-07) were read for roof terms and name roofing only as "shingles" in a list of building materials. The township's ordinance page lists no other building ordinance, and the building permit packet states no layer rule.
Deck & sheathing requirements
State law, from the base code. Michigan makes no amendment to the roof sheathing section of the 2015 International Residential Code, Section R803, which does not appear in the Michigan rule set, so it applies as published. Lumber roof sheathing follows Table R803.1: over rafters or beams 24 inches apart it must be at least 5/8 inch net thick. Wood structural panels must be identified "for grade, bond classification and performance category by a grade mark or certificate of inspection issued by an approved agency," and their spans may not exceed "the values set forth in Table R503.2.1.1(1), or APA E30." For a shingle roof the base code adds that "Asphalt shingles shall be fastened to solidly sheathed decks" (R905.2.1), and on any reroof "The structural roof components shall be capable of supporting the roof covering system" (R908.2). The Almena Township Building & Zoning page, the building permit packet and the township's Ordinances 2024-05, 2024-06, 2024-07 and 2024-08 state nothing further on roof decks or sheathing.
Sales & use tax
6%, statewide, with no local add-on. This is state law: the General Sales Tax Act sets the tax "equal to 6% of the gross proceeds of the business," the Use Tax Act sets "a total combined rate equal to 6%," and the Michigan Department of Treasury says "Michigan does not allow city or local units to impose sales tax." On a roofing job the roofer is the taxpayer on materials, because the Use Tax Act counts as a consumer "A person acquiring tangible personal property if engaged in the business of constructing, altering, repairing, or improving the real estate of others." The same 6% applies throughout Almena Township.

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Almena Township, at the township hall at 27625 County Road 375 in Paw Paw, lists building, electrical and mechanical permits on its Building & Zoning page under "Shared Services with Antwerp Township". The building permit application is a joint Antwerp Township and Almena Township form, and Antwerp Township takes the applications and fees and schedules the inspections. The State of Michigan's jurisdiction list names the Township of Almena as its own building code enforcer. Michigan applies one residential code statewide, so for houses the rules below are state law.

Working an insurance claim in Township of Almena, MI? Everything on this page (drip edge, ice & water shield, inspections, Class 4 rules) formatted as a claim-ready evidence pack: verbatim ordinance quotes, code section cites, verification dates, and official source links, ready to attach to a supplement. See a real sample pack (PDF, 4 pages, free).

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Sources

Roofing questions: Township of Almena, MI

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Almena, MI?

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Almena, MI. The Almena Township Building & Zoning page lists, under "Building Permits:" in its Requirements, "Re-roofing of any structure", beside new construction, additions, "Replacement windows", "Siding" and "Fences". The list sets no size, dollar or material point below which a reroof needs no permit, and the page lists the building permit fee as "Variable". The state part: Michigan's construction code act says "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure" and does not define ordinary repairs. Almena Township's own list names re-roofing as permit work, so for a reroof ask the Antwerp Township building department, which takes Almena's applications, at 269-668-2615 ext. 210.

Is ice & water shield required in Township of Almena, MI?

Yes. Required everywhere in Michigan by state law. Michigan fills in the climatic design table of the 2015 code once for the whole state (Rule 516, Table R301.2(1)), and its ice barrier underlayment column reads Yes. The state footnote calls for Yes "for areas where the average daily temperature in January is 25 degrees Fahrenheit" or less, or where ice damming has caused damage. The base code then requires an ice barrier "for asphalt shingles, metal roof shingles, mineral-surfaced roll roofing, slate and slate-type shingles, wood shingles and wood shakes," running "from the lowest edges of all roof surfaces to a point not less than 24 inches (610 mm) inside the exterior wall line of the building" (R905.1.2). Detached accessory structures without conditioned floor area are exempt. On a tear-off, an existing ice barrier that is adhered to the deck may stay and be covered with an additional layer (R908.3, Exception). The Almena Township Building & Zoning page, the building permit packet and the township's Ordinances 2024-05, 2024-06, 2024-07 and 2024-08 state nothing further on ice barrier.

Is drip edge required in Township of Almena, MI?

Yes. Required on asphalt shingle roofs by state law. Michigan makes no amendment to the drip edge rule of the 2015 International Residential Code, Section R905.2.8.5, which applies as published: "A drip edge shall be provided at eaves and rake edges of shingle roofs." Segments overlap by at least 2 inches, the drip edge extends at least 1/4 inch below the roof sheathing and at least 2 inches back onto the deck, it is fastened at no more than 12 inches on center, and underlayment goes over it at the eaves and under it at the rakes. A reroof is held to the same rule, because "Materials and methods of application used for re-covering or replacing an existing roof covering shall comply with the requirements of Chapter 9" (R908.1). The Almena Township Building & Zoning page, the building permit packet and the township's Ordinances 2024-05, 2024-06, 2024-07 and 2024-08 state nothing further on drip edge.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Township of Almena, MI?

Two layers at most, under state law. Michigan builds one- and two-family homes to the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, which adopts the 2015 International Residential Code and makes no amendment to its reroofing section, Section R908; the Michigan rule set was searched in full and R908 does not appear in it. The base section therefore applies as the International Code Council publishes it. Section R908.3.1.1 lists the conditions under which a new roof may not be laid over an existing one, and the third is "Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." One existing layer may be covered once; a roof that already carries two layers is torn off to the deck. The same section also bars covering a roof that is water soaked or too deteriorated to serve as a base, and covering "slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile." Locally, the township's building ordinances were read in full: Ordinance No. 2024-06 (State Construction Code Violation as Municipal Civil Infraction) and Ordinance No. 2024-08 (the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code, with its revisions). Neither contains a reroofing provision, and neither amends anything in Section R908. The township's Civil Infraction Ordinance (2024-05) and Litter and Blight Ordinance (2024-07) were read for roof terms and name roofing only as "shingles" in a list of building materials. The township's ordinance page lists no other building ordinance, and the building permit packet states no layer rule.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Township of Almena, MI?

Yes.

What building code does Township of Almena, MI use?

2015 Michigan Residential Code. This is state law and it is the same in every Michigan city, village, township and county: the state construction code act says "This act and the code apply throughout the state," and the Michigan Residential Code rule adopts "the international residential code, 2015 edition" with the state amendments in R 408.30500 to R 408.30547g. A 2021 edition was filed with the secretary of state in 2025 but has not taken effect. On July 7, 2025 the Michigan Court of Claims entered a stipulated order in Home Builders Assoc et al. v LARA et al., and the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) says that while that order remains in place "the 2015 versions of the IRC and residential provisions of the IECC standards currently adopted, in part, by each rule set will remain valid and in effect." LARA's Statewide Jurisdiction List names the Township of Almena as its own building code enforcer. Almena Township Ordinance No. 2024-06, adopted October 16, 2024, says "the Township of Almena has assumed responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the State Construction Code" and names no edition. Ordinance No. 2024-08 adopts the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code, which is a property maintenance code. The building permit packet and the Building & Zoning page name no residential code edition.