The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / City of Dearborn Heights - Department of Building & Engineering

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Dearborn Heights, MI?

Adopted code

City of Dearborn Heights - Department of Building & Engineering

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Dearborn Heights, MI, issued by City of Dearborn Heights - Department of Building & Engineering. A reroof in Dearborn Heights is permit work. The city's building permit application, effective 01/01/14, lists "Roof - Tear off/ Add , House/Garage" among the types of work, asks for the "CONTRACT PRICE / PROJECT COST", and says "CONTRACTOR TO ATTACH SIGNED COPY OF CONTRACT". Fees follow the city's Building / Zoning Permit Fees schedule, "AS OF 6/1/11", priced by cost of construction with a plan review column; above $40,000 the schedule says to "ADD $30.00 FOR EACH ADDITIONAL $1,000 FOR BUILDING/ZONING PERMITS". Contractors register with the department before they pull permits, and the department says "Contractors must be Registered with the Building Department first before using the online portal." Permits mailed in by contractors must include "A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE". The Department of Building & Engineering is at City Hall, 6045 Fenton Avenue, Dearborn Heights, MI 48127, phone 313-791-3470; City Hall is open Monday to Thursday, 8 AM to 5 PM.

Roof code checklist: Dearborn Heights, MI

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofYesdearbornheightsmi.gov2026-10-03
Repair permit thresholdPublisheddearbornheightsmi.gov2026-10-03
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedR908.3.1.1codes.iccsafe.org2026-10-10
Deck & sheathingPublishedR905.2.1codes.iccsafe.org2026-10-03
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNot published
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNot published
Wind design criteriaNot published
Adopted codePublishedSec. 7-29ars.apps.lara.state.mi.us2026-10-10
Contractor license / registrationYeslegislature.mi.gov2026-10-03
Sales & use taxPublishedlegislature.mi.gov2026-10-03

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 Dearborn Heights, Michigan
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
6045 Fenton Avenue, Dearborn Heights, MI 48127
Contact
  • url: https://dearbornheightsmi.gov/303/Building-Department
  • phone: 313-791-3470
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: Dearborn Heights registers contractors. Its Contractor Registration Form names the persons "AUTHORIZED TO SECURE PERMITS", asks for a copy of the contractor's license and insurance, and lists a "BUILDING REG. FEE $35.00".
Permit process note
A reroof in Dearborn Heights is permit work. The city's building permit application, effective 01/01/14, lists "Roof - Tear off/ Add , House/Garage" among the types of work, asks for the "CONTRACT PRICE / PROJECT COST", and says "CONTRACTOR TO ATTACH SIGNED COPY OF CONTRACT". Fees follow the city's Building / Zoning Permit Fees schedule, "AS OF 6/1/11", priced by cost of construction with a plan review column; above $40,000 the schedule says to "ADD $30.00 FOR EACH ADDITIONAL $1,000 FOR BUILDING/ZONING PERMITS". Contractors register with the department before they pull permits, and the department says "Contractors must be Registered with the Building Department first before using the online portal." Permits mailed in by contractors must include "A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE". The Department of Building & Engineering is at City Hall, 6045 Fenton Avenue, Dearborn Heights, MI 48127, phone 313-791-3470; City Hall is open Monday to Thursday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
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." Locally, Section 7-29 of the Dearborn Heights Code of Ordinances designates "the director of the building and engineering department as the enforcing agency". Dearborn Heights's codified Code of Ordinances Sec. 7-29 (Ord. No. H-02-04, 3-12-02; Ord. No. H-08-12, 10-28-08; Ord. No. H-11-10, 10-25-11; Ord. No. H-11-14, 1-24-12; Ord. No. H-13-06, 1-14-14) adopts "Michigan Residential Code 2009"; this directory has not read that text, and whether the codified reference has any effect today is not decided here. This record states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, which the state construction code act applies throughout the state ("This act and the code apply throughout the state," MCL 125.1508a) and which LARA says remains in effect while the Court of Claims order of July 7, 2025 stands. Dearborn Heights has published no statement naming the edition it enforces. The section describes the adopted booklet as one "which incorporates the 2009 edition of the International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings", and the base 2009 and 2015 editions are known to differ on the layer limit, so this record leaves out the drip edge, ice barrier and impact answers and states both editions' text on the layer limit.
Repair permit threshold
Dearborn Heights publishes no size, square or dollar point below which roof work needs no permit. Its building permit application lists "Roof - Tear off/ Add , House/Garage" among the types of work and offers "Repair" as a permit request, and its fee schedule starts at "$1,000 OR LESS" of construction cost. The state construction code act 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" and also "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure," (MCL 125.1510) without defining ordinary repairs, and the city has published nothing applying that relief to roof work. For a small patch, ask the Department of Building & Engineering (313-791-3470) before starting.
Roof layer limit / recover
Not stated here as a single layer count, because the record does not settle which of two code editions answers the question in Dearborn Heights, and the two differ. 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. Under that code, Section R908.3.1.1 bars a new roof over an existing one in three cases, 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." Dearborn Heights's codified Sec. 7-29 adopts the Michigan Residential Code 2009, which incorporates the 2009 International Residential Code. The base 2009 text, Section R907.3 (Recovering versus replacement), carries the same three conditions, its second also naming wood shake, and a fourth: "For asphalt shingles, when the building is located in an area subject to moderate or severe hail exposure according to Figure R903.5." Under that text a single existing layer of asphalt shingles can call for a tear-off where the hail condition is met, so no layer count states the 2009 rule. The 2009 Michigan amendments to that code were not read, and whether the codified reference has any effect today is not decided here (see adopted_code). Chapter 7 of the Dearborn Heights Code of Ordinances, the city's building permit application and its fee schedule state no layer rule of their own. Ask the Department of Building & Engineering (313-791-3470) before planning an overlay.
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 Dearborn Heights Department of Building & Engineering page, its building permit application, its fee schedule and Chapter 7 of its Code of Ordinances were read for a local rule and state nothing further on roof sheathing. Dearborn Heights's codified Sec. 7-29 adopts the Michigan Residential Code 2009; this field states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, which the state act applies throughout the state; Dearborn Heights has published no statement naming the edition it enforces; the Michigan Residential Code 2009 text was not read (see adopted_code).
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 City of Dearborn Heights's permit pages changes this.

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The City of Dearborn Heights's Department of Building & Engineering, at City Hall, 6045 Fenton Avenue, issues building permits and registers the contractors who pull them. Section 7-29 of the city's Code of Ordinances designates the director of the building and engineering department as the enforcing agency under the state construction code act, and the city's building permit application lists roof tear-offs as permit work. Michigan's single state construction code applies, and for houses that is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.

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Sources

Roofing questions: Dearborn Heights, MI

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Dearborn Heights, MI?

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Dearborn Heights, MI. Dearborn Heights publishes no size, square or dollar point below which roof work needs no permit. Its building permit application lists "Roof - Tear off/ Add , House/Garage" among the types of work and offers "Repair" as a permit request, and its fee schedule starts at "$1,000 OR LESS" of construction cost. The state construction code act 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" and also "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure," (MCL 125.1510) without defining ordinary repairs, and the city has published nothing applying that relief to roof work. For a small patch, ask the Department of Building & Engineering (313-791-3470) before starting.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Dearborn Heights, MI?

Not stated here as a single layer count, because the record does not settle which of two code editions answers the question in Dearborn Heights, and the two differ. 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. Under that code, Section R908.3.1.1 bars a new roof over an existing one in three cases, 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." Dearborn Heights's codified Sec. 7-29 adopts the Michigan Residential Code 2009, which incorporates the 2009 International Residential Code. The base 2009 text, Section R907.3 (Recovering versus replacement), carries the same three conditions, its second also naming wood shake, and a fourth: "For asphalt shingles, when the building is located in an area subject to moderate or severe hail exposure according to Figure R903.5." Under that text a single existing layer of asphalt shingles can call for a tear-off where the hail condition is met, so no layer count states the 2009 rule. The 2009 Michigan amendments to that code were not read, and whether the codified reference has any effect today is not decided here (see adopted_code). Chapter 7 of the Dearborn Heights Code of Ordinances, the city's building permit application and its fee schedule state no layer rule of their own. Ask the Department of Building & Engineering (313-791-3470) before planning an overlay.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Dearborn Heights, MI?

Yes.

What building code does Dearborn Heights, 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." Locally, Section 7-29 of the Dearborn Heights Code of Ordinances designates "the director of the building and engineering department as the enforcing agency". Dearborn Heights's codified Code of Ordinances Sec. 7-29 (Ord. No. H-02-04, 3-12-02; Ord. No. H-08-12, 10-28-08; Ord. No. H-11-10, 10-25-11; Ord. No. H-11-14, 1-24-12; Ord. No. H-13-06, 1-14-14) adopts "Michigan Residential Code 2009"; this directory has not read that text, and whether the codified reference has any effect today is not decided here. This record states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, which the state construction code act applies throughout the state ("This act and the code apply throughout the state," MCL 125.1508a) and which LARA says remains in effect while the Court of Claims order of July 7, 2025 stands. Dearborn Heights has published no statement naming the edition it enforces. The section describes the adopted booklet as one "which incorporates the 2009 edition of the International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings", and the base 2009 and 2015 editions are known to differ on the layer limit, so this record leaves out the drip edge, ice barrier and impact answers and states both editions' text on the layer limit.