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

Roofing questions: Township of Clay, MI

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

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Clay, MI. No size or cost threshold is published. The Clay Township Building Department's page lists "Tear Off, Re-Roof" among the examples of work for which a permit is required, and states no point below which a reroof needs no permit. 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.

Is ice & water shield required in Township of Clay, 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 Building Department page, the building permit application and the township's posted ordinances were read for a local rule and state nothing further on ice barrier.

Is drip edge required in Township of Clay, 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 Building Department page, the building permit application and the township's posted ordinances were read for a local rule and state nothing further on drip edge.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Township of Clay, 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 Clay Township Building Department's page and building permit application state no layer rule. The township posts no building code ordinance; its Dangerous Buildings Ordinance was read in full and its zoning ordinance was searched for roof covering provisions, and neither has a reroofing provision or amends Section R908.

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

Yes.

What building code does Township of Clay, 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 Clay as its own building code enforcer. The Building Department's page says "The provisions of the code require any owner or authorized agent intending to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure" to apply for a permit, and the township's building permit application says "All installations shall be in conformance with the Michigan Building Code." The township's Dangerous Buildings Ordinance defines "Township Building Code" as "the building code administered and enforced in the township pursuant to the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act". None of these names a residential code edition, and the township posts no building code ordinance.