Permitting Authorities / City of Fremont - Building Permits (North Country Inspection Services)
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Fremont, MI?
Adopted code
City of Fremont - Building Permits (North Country Inspection Services)
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Fremont, MI, issued by City of Fremont - Building Permits (North Country Inspection Services). In the City of Fremont, building permits are applied for through North Country Inspection Services, LLC, which the city's Forms & Permits page lists and whose own page names the City of Fremont among the cities and townships it provides code inspection services for. Neither the city nor the firm has published anything that names a reroof or says shingle replacement is exempt. What they do post are items for roof structures: the residential fee schedule's "Roof System/Carport/Lean-to" line, the application's "Roof System" use box and a Roof System Questionnaire whose questions cover poles, truss carriers, stub walls and trusses. With nothing saying whether those reach an existing roof, the state's general permit rule applies: "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." The same section says "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure," without defining ordinary repairs, and the city has published nothing applying that relief to roof work. The application is titled "APPLICATION FOR PLAN REVIEW, BUILDING OR MOBILE HOME PERMIT" and says "Make Checks Payable to Township or City not North Country!!"; it also asks for a "TOWNSHIP/CITY ZONING OFFICIAL - Zoning Permit/Clearance (must return a copy with this application)", and the city posts a Zoning Permit Application on its Forms & Permits page. The fee schedule says "Permit fee is calculated by multiplying the square footage of each Type of Improvement by the Permit Cost per SF" and carries a "Remodeling Construction Cost / $50 per sq ft x" line at 0.17, without saying whether remodeling reaches a reroof; the schedule is dated 5/2/2018, so confirm the current fee before applying. Applications go to North Country Inspection Services, PO Box 333, White Cloud, MI 49349, phone 231-224-3960; the firm's page gives its office as the Newaygo County Building Dept, 306 S North St, White Cloud, open M - F 8am-Noon and 1pm-4pm.
Roof code checklist: Fremont, 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 Fremont, Michigan
Address
306 South North Street, White Cloud, MI 49349
Contact
- url: https://www.fremontmi.gov/375/Permits-Forms
- phone: 231-224-3960
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- city_level: North Country Inspection Services, which handles building permits for the City of Fremont, posts a Contractor Registration Form that asks for the contractor's business information, state licence numbers and insurance information, and says "Copies of all licenses must be either sent or faxed with the registration form." Its building permit application asks for the licensed contractor's "Bldg Dept ID No." The pages read do not say whether the registration is required before a permit is issued, and no registration fee is posted.
Permit process note
In the City of Fremont, building permits are applied for through North Country Inspection Services, LLC, which the city's Forms & Permits page lists and whose own page names the City of Fremont among the cities and townships it provides code inspection services for. Neither the city nor the firm has published anything that names a reroof or says shingle replacement is exempt. What they do post are items for roof structures: the residential fee schedule's "Roof System/Carport/Lean-to" line, the application's "Roof System" use box and a Roof System Questionnaire whose questions cover poles, truss carriers, stub walls and trusses. With nothing saying whether those reach an existing roof, the state's general permit rule applies: "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." The same section says "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure," without defining ordinary repairs, and the city has published nothing applying that relief to roof work. The application is titled "APPLICATION FOR PLAN REVIEW, BUILDING OR MOBILE HOME PERMIT" and says "Make Checks Payable to Township or City not North Country!!"; it also asks for a "TOWNSHIP/CITY ZONING OFFICIAL - Zoning Permit/Clearance (must return a copy with this application)", and the city posts a Zoning Permit Application on its Forms & Permits page. The fee schedule says "Permit fee is calculated by multiplying the square footage of each Type of Improvement by the Permit Cost per SF" and carries a "Remodeling Construction Cost / $50 per sq ft x" line at 0.17, without saying whether remodeling reaches a reroof; the schedule is dated 5/2/2018, so confirm the current fee before applying. Applications go to North Country Inspection Services, PO Box 333, White Cloud, MI 49349, phone 231-224-3960; the firm's page gives its office as the Newaygo County Building Dept, 306 S North St, White Cloud, open M - F 8am-Noon and 1pm-4pm.
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 Fremont as its own building code enforcer, separately from the Newaygo County Building Department. The city's Forms & Permits page, the permit application and questionnaires of North Country Inspection Services and the city's fee schedules name no residential code edition. The City's Code of Ordinances is published through American Legal; it was not read for this record, so no codified building reference is stated 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. The city has published no statement naming the edition it enforces.
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 City of Fremont's Forms & Permits page, the permit application and Roof System Questionnaire of North Country Inspection Services, and the city's fee schedules 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 City of Fremont's Forms & Permits page, the permit application and Roof System Questionnaire of North Country Inspection Services, and the city's fee schedules 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 City of Fremont's Forms & Permits page, the permit application and Roof System Questionnaire, the fee schedules and the Fremont Community Joint Zoning Ordinance state no impact rule.
Repair permit threshold
The City of Fremont and North Country Inspection Services have published no size, cost or area point below which roof work needs no permit, and nothing they post says whether replacing the covering on an existing roof is permit work. The city's Residential Permit Fee Schedule (5/2/2018) prices a "Roof System/Carport/Lean-to" at 0.05 per square foot, and it says "These figures are added to the base fee of $70.00." The firm's building permit application lists "Roof System" among its proposed uses and offers "Repair, replacement" among its types of improvement, without defining either, and its Roof System Questionnaire asks about the structure's supports, "Roof Deck" and "Roofing Material". 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. For any roof work, large or small, call North Country Inspection Services at 231-224-3960 before starting.
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." Locally, the city's building ordinance, if it has one, is published in its Code of Ordinances through American Legal and was not read for this record, so no classification is declared here; the Fremont Community Joint Zoning Ordinance was searched in full and has no reroofing provision, and the permit application, Roof System Questionnaire and fee schedules state no layer rule.
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 City of Fremont's Forms & Permits page, the permit application and Roof System Questionnaire of North Country Inspection Services, and the city's fee schedules 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 City of Fremont's Forms & Permits page or in its fee schedules changes this.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
The City of Fremont in Newaygo County takes its building permits through North Country Inspection Services, LLC: the city's Forms & Permits page lists the firm and posts the city's residential and commercial building permit fee schedules, and the firm's own page lists the City of Fremont among the cities and townships it inspects for. The firm's office is at 306 South North Street in White Cloud, and the City Hall is at 101 East Main Street in Fremont. The State of Michigan's jurisdiction list names the City as its own building code enforcer, so the Newaygo County Building Department does not cover it. Michigan applies one residential code statewide, and for houses that is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.
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