Permitting Authorities / Chester Township - Building Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Chester, MI?
Adopted code
Chester Township - Building Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Chester, MI, issued by Chester Township - Building Department. Chester Township publishes no roofing statement, so the state's general permit rule, quoted at the end of this note, supplies the requirement for a reroof; Section 1802(A) of its Zoning Ordinance also requires a building permit to "alter or move any existing building or structure at a cost of one hundred (100) dollars or more" and names no roof work. The township's Building page says "Applications for all building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are processed through the Township Office" and tells applicants to print the form, complete it and mail it to Chester Township, PO Box 115, Conklin, MI 49403, and says "The fee for the Building Permit Application is based on the project value and is determined by the Building Permit Reviewer." The page also says "All new construction and building alterations or additions first need to be approved by the Chester Township Zoning Administrator" with a Zoning Permit Application and site plan, and the township's Zoning Permit form says "Zoning Permits are required for all structures, even if a building permit is not required". The Building Permit Application itself was not on the township's Documents page when read on October 15, 2026, which lists a garage spec sheet, pole barn spec sheet, deck and ramp spec sheet, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing permit forms. The Building page lists a Building Inspector at 616-952-1062, an Electrical Inspector at 616-255-6502 and a Mechanical and Plumbing Inspector at 616-340-1058, and the township office is at 3509 Sehler Street, Conklin, MI 49403, 616-899-5544, open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The state's general permit rule says "before construction of a building or structure, the owner, or the owner's builder, architect, engineer, or agent, shall submit an application in writing to the appropriate enforcing agency for a building permit.".
Roof code checklist: Township of Chester, MI
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 Chester, Ottawa County, Michigan
Address
3509 Sehler Street, Conklin, MI 49403
Contact
- url: https://chesterottawami.gov/building/
- phone: 616-899-5544
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.
Permit process note
Chester Township publishes no roofing statement, so the state's general permit rule, quoted at the end of this note, supplies the requirement for a reroof; Section 1802(A) of its Zoning Ordinance also requires a building permit to "alter or move any existing building or structure at a cost of one hundred (100) dollars or more" and names no roof work. The township's Building page says "Applications for all building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are processed through the Township Office" and tells applicants to print the form, complete it and mail it to Chester Township, PO Box 115, Conklin, MI 49403, and says "The fee for the Building Permit Application is based on the project value and is determined by the Building Permit Reviewer." The page also says "All new construction and building alterations or additions first need to be approved by the Chester Township Zoning Administrator" with a Zoning Permit Application and site plan, and the township's Zoning Permit form says "Zoning Permits are required for all structures, even if a building permit is not required". The Building Permit Application itself was not on the township's Documents page when read on October 15, 2026, which lists a garage spec sheet, pole barn spec sheet, deck and ramp spec sheet, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing permit forms. The Building page lists a Building Inspector at 616-952-1062, an Electrical Inspector at 616-255-6502 and a Mechanical and Plumbing Inspector at 616-340-1058, and the township office is at 3509 Sehler Street, Conklin, MI 49403, 616-899-5544, open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The state's general permit rule says "before construction of a building or structure, the owner, or the owner's builder, architect, engineer, or agent, shall submit an application in writing to the appropriate enforcing agency for a building permit."
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 Chester as its own building code enforcer. The township's Building page says its building department administers and enforces "local, state, and applicable federal construction and safety codes"; its Ordinance Number 2002-09-01 says "The Township currently administers and enforces the Michigan Building, Electrical, Plumbing and Mechanical Codes within the Township"; and its Zoning Ordinance refers to "The requirements of the State Construction Code as adopted and enforced by the Township". None of them names an edition, and the township has published no statement naming the edition it enforces. 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 Chester Township Building page, Documents page, ordinance list and Zoning Ordinance were read for a local rule and state nothing further on drip edge.
About drip edgeIce & 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 Chester Township Building page, Documents page, ordinance list and Zoning Ordinance were read for a local rule and state nothing further on ice barrier.
About ice & water barrierImpact-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 Chester Township Building page, Documents page, ordinance list and Zoning Ordinance were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
No size or square-foot threshold is published, and the township names no roof work. Its Zoning Ordinance, Section 1802(A), Building Permit for Erection or Alteration of Buildings and Structures, says "Except as otherwise provided, it shall be unlawful to erect any new building or structure or to alter or move any existing building or structure at a cost of one hundred (100) dollars or more" until a permit has been obtained from the Building Inspector. The ordinance includes amendments through November 2024. Michigan's construction code act says "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure" without defining ordinary repairs; the township has published no statement applying that relief to roof work, so the state's general permit rule supplies the requirement: "before construction of a building or structure, the owner, or the owner's builder, architect, engineer, or agent, shall submit an application in writing to the appropriate enforcing agency for a building permit". This record does not decide whether a reroof is an alteration under Section 1802(A). Call the Building Inspector at 616-952-1062 before any roof work.
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 Building page and Zoning Ordinance state no cap on roof layers. Its ordinance list was read for a local building code: the Civil Infraction Construction Code ordinance and the Zoning Ordinance were read and amend nothing in Section R908, but its Dangerous Buildings and Abandoned Buildings ordinances are scanned images with no text layer and were not read, so this record does not classify the layer limit.
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 Chester Township Building page, Documents page, ordinance list and 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 Chester Township Building page, Documents page, ordinance list and Zoning Ordinance changes this.
Local roofing hub
Roof permits nearby: Ottawa County
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
Chester Township's building department, at the township hall, 3509 Sehler Street in Conklin, Ottawa County, lists a Building Inspector and separate electrical and mechanical and plumbing inspectors on the township website and takes building permit applications by mail through the township office. LARA's Statewide Jurisdiction List names the Township as its own building code enforcer. Michigan's single state construction code applies, and for houses that is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.
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