Township of Gaines - Building and Zoning

Township of Gaines, Michigan (Genesee County)

city

9255 Grand Blanc Road, Gaines, MI 48436

Required

Required

The Township of Gaines's Building and Zoning page, read October 11, 2026, offers a Building Permit application, a Residential Soil Erosion Permit, a Zoning Application, separate Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing permit applications and construction detail sheets for decks, pole buildings, garages and heated space, and says "Please Include Additional Pages with your Building Permit as Needed". It says nothing about roofing or reroofing. The township's Application for Building Permit and Plan Examination says "INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE PROCESSED", says electrical, mechanical and plumbing work is permitted separately, asks for a site plan, and says "Submit application, supporting documents and fees to 9255 Grand Blanc Road, Gaines, MI 48436". The page links an online payment page for building permit charges and posts no fee schedule, so ask the department for the current fee. The township office is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch, and closed on Fridays and holidays.

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 Gaines in Genesee County as its own building code enforcer. The township's Building and Zoning page and its Application for Building Permit and Plan Examination name no code edition, and the ordinances the page lists carry police, nuisance, zoning, road and animal-control titles with no building or construction code ordinance among them; those scanned ordinance PDFs were not text-read for this record.

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 Gaines Township Building and Zoning page and its Application for Building Permit and Plan Examination were read for a local rule and 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 Gaines Township Building and Zoning page and its Application for Building Permit and Plan Examination were read for a local rule and state nothing further on ice barrier. 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 Gaines Township Building and Zoning page and its Application for Building Permit and Plan Examination were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.

No size or cost threshold is published. The Township of Gaines has published nothing on reroofs: its Building and Zoning page lists a Building Permit application among its applications, and the Application for Building Permit and Plan Examination lists REPAIR and ALTERATION among its types of improvement, says "MANDATORY TO OBTAIN PERMIT" and tells applicants "Contact the Gaines Township Building Department with questions or to schedule an appointment" at 989-271-6300 or 810-635-3200. No roofing item, fee line or permit type appears on either. 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.

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 Gaines Township Building and Zoning page and its Application for Building Permit and Plan Examination state no layer rule. The page's ordinance list names no building or construction code ordinance and the scanned ordinance PDFs were not text-read, so this record states the state rule and does not classify the township's own text.

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 Gaines Township Building and Zoning page and its Application for Building Permit and Plan Examination were read for a local rule and state nothing further on roof sheathing.

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 Gaines Township Building and Zoning page changes this.