Permitting Authorities / City of the Village of Clarkston - Building Department (administered by Independence Township)
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in the Village of Clarkston, MI?
Adopted code
City of the Village of Clarkston - Building Department (administered by Independence Township)
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in the Village of Clarkston, MI, issued by City of the Village of Clarkston - Building Department (administered by Independence Township). The Building Department page for the City of the Village of Clarkston says the department "is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of City and State codes relating to the construction, remodeling, alteration, repair, and demolition of buildings and structures" in the Village, and adds: "The Building Department for the City of the Village of Clarkston is now being administered through the Independence Township Building Department. Please contact their office directly at 248-625-8111 for all building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permitting, inspections, and questions." The township offices are on the 2nd floor at 6483 Waldon Center Drive, Monday through Thursday, 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, and the Village's own Building Department lists 375 Depot Rd, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Start A Project page says that "Before construction of a new building or structure, or renovating an existing one, an owner, or the owner's builder, architect, engineer, or agent, shall submit an application in writing to the City of Clarkston Building Department for a building permit." Permit applications are posted in the Village's Forms Center and Document Center. The Village's fee schedule, a file dated 2018, lists "RE-ROOF" at "$250.00", "STANDARD INSPECTION" at "$120.00" and "DECK PERMIT" at "$250.00"; confirm the current fee with the Independence Township Building Department before applying.
Roof code checklist: the Village of Clarkston, 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
City of the Village of Clarkston, Michigan
Address
375 Depot Road, Clarkston, MI 48346
Contact
- url: https://villageofclarkston.org/departments/building/index.php
- phone: 248-625-8111
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
The Building Department page for the City of the Village of Clarkston says the department "is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of City and State codes relating to the construction, remodeling, alteration, repair, and demolition of buildings and structures" in the Village, and adds: "The Building Department for the City of the Village of Clarkston is now being administered through the Independence Township Building Department. Please contact their office directly at 248-625-8111 for all building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permitting, inspections, and questions." The township offices are on the 2nd floor at 6483 Waldon Center Drive, Monday through Thursday, 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, and the Village's own Building Department lists 375 Depot Rd, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Start A Project page says that "Before construction of a new building or structure, or renovating an existing one, an owner, or the owner's builder, architect, engineer, or agent, shall submit an application in writing to the City of Clarkston Building Department for a building permit." Permit applications are posted in the Village's Forms Center and Document Center. The Village's fee schedule, a file dated 2018, lists "RE-ROOF" at "$250.00", "STANDARD INSPECTION" at "$120.00" and "DECK PERMIT" at "$250.00"; confirm the current fee with the Independence Township Building Department before applying.
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 City of the Village of Clarkston as its own building code enforcer, and the Village's Building Department page says the department is administered through the Independence Township Building Department. The Village's Building Department page, its Start A Project page, its FAQs page and its Fee Schedule name no residential code 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 Village's Building Department page, its Start A Project page, its FAQs page and its Fee Schedule 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 Village's Building Department page, its Start A Project page, its FAQs page and its Fee Schedule 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 Village's Building Department page, its Start A Project page, its FAQs page and its Fee Schedule were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
The Village publishes two statements about roofs that do not match, and neither is dated on its page. Its fee schedule, a file dated 2018, has a "RE-ROOF" line at "$250.00" under Building Department. Its FAQ page says a building permit is required for a "Roof (when removal of any boards or tresses need to be replaced)" and that "A permit is not required for the following:" including "Strip and re-shingle Roof". Read together, a full reroof is priced as permit work, and the FAQ says a strip and re-shingle with no board or truss replacement needs none. 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. Ask the Building Department (248-625-8111) before starting any 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 Village's Building Department, Start A Project and FAQs pages and its fee schedule state no layer rule. The Village's ordinances are posted in a document center whose list was not read in full, so no building ordinance was available to read and this record sets no layer classification.
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 Village's Building Department page, its Start A Project page, its FAQs page and its Fee Schedule 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 in the Village's Building Department page, its Start A Project page, its FAQs page and its Fee Schedule changes this.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
The City of the Village of Clarkston, in Oakland County, lists a Building Department at 375 Depot Road and says that department is now administered through the Independence Township Building Department. The Village's FAQ and fee schedule both speak to roofs, and they do not match. Michigan's single state construction code applies, and for houses that is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.
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