Charter Township of Clinton - Building Department

Charter Township of Clinton, Michigan (Macomb County)

city

40700 Romeo Plank Road, Clinton Township, MI 48038

Required

Required

A reroof in the Charter Township of Clinton is permitted on the township's own Reroof Permit Application, filed with payment and "A copy of the applicant's driver's license and builder's license": the residential permit fee is $110 plus a $75 bond (commercial $175 plus the bond), and the FAQ says "Sidewalk/ Approach and Reroof permits may be issued over the counter." A contractor not registered with the township, or whose licence has expired with it, also submits licence documents; the fee schedule lists building contractor registration at $15. The application asks for the area, the estimated cost, the underlayment (ice and water width of 3, 4.5 or 6 feet; 15 or 30 pound felt or synthetic), and the exhaust and intake ventilation types. The guidelines also require a saddle where a roof meets a wall or chimney section more than 30 inches wide, say "Net free venting shall be at 1/150 minimum of the space ventilated," and require products to be installed to the manufacturer's instructions. For a commercial flat roof the applicant gives the manufacturer's specifications and the R-value of the new covering, and "If recovering an existing roof, you MUST provide a signed/sealed load calculation showing the structure can handle the extra load." A second shingle layer over one existing layer needs no permit, by the same guidelines. Building Department: 586-286-9323, [email protected].

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." The Charter Township of Clinton enforces this code itself (LARA's Statewide Jurisdiction List names the township as its own building enforcer), and the Building Department's Current Codes page lists the 2015 Michigan Residential Code as in effect since February 8, 2016, with commercial work under the 2021 Michigan Building Code since April 9, 2025.

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 reroof permit application and guidelines (revised 08/01/2024) state nothing further on drip edge. About drip edge

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 reroof permit guidelines (revised 08/01/2024) say the same: ice and water "must be installed to start at the lowest edge of the roof" and run to a point at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, measured horizontally, and the application asks whether it runs 3, 4.5 or 6 feet. About ice & water barrier

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 reroof permit application and guidelines (revised 08/01/2024) set underlayment, ice barrier and ventilation rules and add no impact-rating requirement for the roof covering.

Replacing a roof needs a permit; laying a second layer over one existing layer does not, in the township's own words. The Building Department's reroof permit guidelines (revised 08/01/2024) say "No permit is required for a 2nd layer applied over an existing roof but shall be installed per manufacturer's specifications," and "Installation of more than 2 layers of shingles is prohibited." Its building permit information page lists "Re-roofing" among the work that is "considered minor residential projects and require a building permit," and its FAQ asks "Do I need a building permit to replace my roof?" and answers "Yes." There is no size or cost threshold. State law relieves "ordinary repairs" from the permit without defining them; the overlay line is the department's stated practice.

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 Department says the same in its reroof permit guidelines (revised 08/01/2024), which agree with the state rule: "Installation of more than 2 layers of shingles is prohibited." It adds that "installation of a 2nd layer is allowed by code, but may void your warranty" and that no permit is needed for that second layer.

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 reroof permit guidelines (revised 08/01/2024) state nothing further on sheathing for shingle roofs; for a commercial flat roof re-cover they require a signed and sealed load calculation, and the application asks the applicant to certify that the installation does not exceed the current roof load.

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 Charter Township of Clinton adds no sales tax of its own, so 6% is the whole rate on a job there.