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Permitting Authorities / Birch Run Township - Building Department

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

Adopted code

Birch Run Township - Building Department

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Birch Run, MI, issued by Birch Run Township - Building Department. Birch Run Township has published nothing that names roof work, so the general permit rule supplies the requirement and the township's office is the referral. The Building / Zoning page lists the building inspector, assistant building inspector, electrical inspector, mechanical and plumbing inspector and an office manager by title, a building department email box, and the Building Permit Application packet and trade applications; the township office line printed on the application is 989-624-9773, and no separate building department line is given. The packet's fee table starts at "$1.00 to $500.00.....................................$100.00", adds "CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION FEE: $15.00", and sets surety deposits: "Four Hundred ($400.00) Dollar surety shall be deposited prior to a building permit being issued for a proposed residential structure, alteration, or addition thereto." The township's 2004 Building Permit Fee and Surety Deposit Ordinance (Ordinance #2004-01) prints a different Table 1-A, which starts at "$1.00 to $500.00 $23.50", so ask the office for the current fee. Fees are calculated from "the latest version of the ICC's Building Valuation Data Table" and "the applicant may be required to provide a copy of a signed contract to verify the cost of the project". Office: 8425 Main Street, Birch Run, MI 48415.

Roof code checklist: Township of Birch Run, MI

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofYesbirchruntwp.com2026-10-12
Repair permit thresholdPublishedbirchruntwp.com2026-10-12
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 Birch Run, Michigan
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
8425 Main Street, Birch Run, MI 48415
Contact
  • url: https://www.birchruntwp.com/building-zoneing
  • phone: 989-624-9773
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: Birch Run Township posts a Contractor Registration Form with "Fee: $15.00" that asks for a trade (building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical or other), an occupational license number and expiration date, a workers compensation carrier or a reason for exemption, an employer identification number or reason for exemption and a Michigan employment security number or reason for exemption, and says "TO BE PROVIDED: 1.) COPY OF STATE LICENSE 2.) PICTURE ID" and a workers compensation certificate or exemption form. The Building Permit Application packet lists the same "CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION FEE: $15.00". This record does not decide whether a given roofer falls inside a state exemption.
Permit process note
Birch Run Township has published nothing that names roof work, so the general permit rule supplies the requirement and the township's office is the referral. The Building / Zoning page lists the building inspector, assistant building inspector, electrical inspector, mechanical and plumbing inspector and an office manager by title, a building department email box, and the Building Permit Application packet and trade applications; the township office line printed on the application is 989-624-9773, and no separate building department line is given. The packet's fee table starts at "$1.00 to $500.00.....................................$100.00", adds "CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION FEE: $15.00", and sets surety deposits: "Four Hundred ($400.00) Dollar surety shall be deposited prior to a building permit being issued for a proposed residential structure, alteration, or addition thereto." The township's 2004 Building Permit Fee and Surety Deposit Ordinance (Ordinance #2004-01) prints a different Table 1-A, which starts at "$1.00 to $500.00 $23.50", so ask the office for the current fee. Fees are calculated from "the latest version of the ICC's Building Valuation Data Table" and "the applicant may be required to provide a copy of a signed contract to verify the cost of the project". Office: 8425 Main Street, Birch Run, MI 48415.
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 Birch Run as its own building code enforcer. The township's General Ordinances page lists Ordinance #1994-02 (Building Code), whose posted copy, adopted June 14, 1994, says the township "elects that it shall be exempt from the State Construction Codes" and "elects to adopt the Uniform Building Code, 1994 Edition, published by the International Conference of Building Officials"; this directory has not read that edition, the page's Ordinance #1995-05 amending it returned a page-not-found response, and whether the 1994 ordinance has any effect today is not decided here. The township's Ordinance #2006-03 (State Construction Code), effective July 25, 2006, says "Pursuant to the provisions of the Michigan Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing and Residential Code, in accordance with Section 8b (6) of 1972 PA230, as amended" the township's building official is "hereby designated as the enforcing agency" and names no edition, and the Building Permit Application packet refers to the "MI Building Code (Current Edition)". This record states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code for the reasons above.
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 township's Building Permit Application packet, its Building / Zoning page, its Ordinances #2004-01, #2006-03, #2008-01 and #1991-06 and its Zoning Ordinance were read for a local rule and 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 township's Building Permit Application packet, its Building / Zoning page, its Ordinances #2004-01, #2006-03, #2008-01 and #1991-06 and its Zoning Ordinance were read for a local rule and 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 township's Building Permit Application packet, its Building / Zoning page, its Ordinances #2004-01, #2006-03, #2008-01 and #1991-06 and its Zoning Ordinance were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
No size or cost threshold is published for roof work. Birch Run Township's Building Permit Application packet asks for the "PURPOSE OF PROJECT" with "Alterations" and "Repair" among the choices and says "The below listed fee schedule can be used for remodels/alterations, based on the cost of construction, subject to approval by the building official."; the packet, the township's Building / Zoning page and the township's building ordinances read name no roofing or reroofing permit rule. The packet's attestation says "this application complies with the requirements of MCL 125.1510". Under state law, "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure." (MCL 125.1510), without a definition of ordinary repairs. Call the township office (989-624-9773) before starting a roof job.
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." The township's General Ordinances page lists its building instruments as Ordinances #1994-02, #1995-05, #2004-01, #2006-03, #2008-01 and #1991-06; Ordinances #2004-01, #2006-03 and #2008-01 were read in full and contain no roofing provision, #1991-06 adopts the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, 1991 Edition, and #1994-02 adopts the Uniform Building Code, 1994 Edition, neither of whose text was read, and the posted copy of #1995-05 could not be opened, so this record states the state rule and does not classify the township's own text. The Building Permit Application 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 township's Building Permit Application packet, its Building / Zoning page, its Ordinances #2004-01, #2006-03, #2008-01 and #1991-06 and its Zoning Ordinance were read for a local rule and state nothing further on roof 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." Nothing on the Birch Run Township Building / Zoning page or in its Building Permit Application packet changes this.

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Birch Run Township's Building Department, at the township offices at 8425 Main Street in Birch Run, issues the township's building permits and has its own building inspector and trade inspectors. The Village of Birch Run has its own listing on the State of Michigan's Statewide Jurisdiction List and is not covered here. The state list names the Township of Birch Run as its own building code enforcer. Michigan's single state construction code applies, and for houses that is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.

Working an insurance claim in Township of Birch Run, 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 Birch Run, MI

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

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Birch Run, MI. No size or cost threshold is published for roof work. Birch Run Township's Building Permit Application packet asks for the "PURPOSE OF PROJECT" with "Alterations" and "Repair" among the choices and says "The below listed fee schedule can be used for remodels/alterations, based on the cost of construction, subject to approval by the building official."; the packet, the township's Building / Zoning page and the township's building ordinances read name no roofing or reroofing permit rule. The packet's attestation says "this application complies with the requirements of MCL 125.1510". Under state law, "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure." (MCL 125.1510), without a definition of ordinary repairs. Call the township office (989-624-9773) before starting a roof job.

Is ice & water shield required in Township of Birch Run, 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 township's Building Permit Application packet, its Building / Zoning page, its Ordinances #2004-01, #2006-03, #2008-01 and #1991-06 and its Zoning Ordinance were read for a local rule and state nothing further on ice barrier.

Is drip edge required in Township of Birch Run, 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 township's Building Permit Application packet, its Building / Zoning page, its Ordinances #2004-01, #2006-03, #2008-01 and #1991-06 and its Zoning Ordinance were read for a local rule and state nothing further on drip edge.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Township of Birch Run, 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." The township's General Ordinances page lists its building instruments as Ordinances #1994-02, #1995-05, #2004-01, #2006-03, #2008-01 and #1991-06; Ordinances #2004-01, #2006-03 and #2008-01 were read in full and contain no roofing provision, #1991-06 adopts the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, 1991 Edition, and #1994-02 adopts the Uniform Building Code, 1994 Edition, neither of whose text was read, and the posted copy of #1995-05 could not be opened, so this record states the state rule and does not classify the township's own text. The Building Permit Application packet states no layer rule.

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

Yes.

What building code does Township of Birch Run, 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 Birch Run as its own building code enforcer. The township's General Ordinances page lists Ordinance #1994-02 (Building Code), whose posted copy, adopted June 14, 1994, says the township "elects that it shall be exempt from the State Construction Codes" and "elects to adopt the Uniform Building Code, 1994 Edition, published by the International Conference of Building Officials"; this directory has not read that edition, the page's Ordinance #1995-05 amending it returned a page-not-found response, and whether the 1994 ordinance has any effect today is not decided here. The township's Ordinance #2006-03 (State Construction Code), effective July 25, 2006, says "Pursuant to the provisions of the Michigan Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing and Residential Code, in accordance with Section 8b (6) of 1972 PA230, as amended" the township's building official is "hereby designated as the enforcing agency" and names no edition, and the Building Permit Application packet refers to the "MI Building Code (Current Edition)". This record states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code for the reasons above.