Permitting Authorities / Village of Grass Lake - Building & Zoning Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Grass Lake, MI?
Adopted code
Village of Grass Lake - Building & Zoning Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Grass Lake, MI, issued by Village of Grass Lake - Building & Zoning Department. The Village of Grass Lake's Building & Zoning Department says "All building permits are required to have periodic inspections" and that "Permits will be issued by the Building Official within 72 hours." The department's fee schedule charges a "Base Permit Fee (for all permits)" of $60.00 and "Building Permit (per inspection)" at $75.00, and it prices no roofing permit separately; fees are paid at the Village Hall, and the schedule says assessed fees are doubled "if a permit was not obtained prior to commencement of work". Its booklet states "All contractors must be fully licensed, insured and registered with the Village of Grass Lake before a permit can be obtained", and "Applications for permits and zoning issues are available under the Forms tab" of the village website. The Building Department page says questions about permits for construction and remodeling go to the Village Clerk at (517) 522-4550. The department publishes nothing on whether a reroof needs a permit, so ask the Village Clerk before starting.
Roof code checklist: Grass Lake, 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
Village of Grass Lake, Jackson County, Michigan
Address
119 North Lake Street, Grass Lake, MI 49240
Contact
- url: https://villageofgrasslake.com/building-dept
- phone: 517-522-4550
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
The Village of Grass Lake's Building & Zoning Department says "All building permits are required to have periodic inspections" and that "Permits will be issued by the Building Official within 72 hours." The department's fee schedule charges a "Base Permit Fee (for all permits)" of $60.00 and "Building Permit (per inspection)" at $75.00, and it prices no roofing permit separately; fees are paid at the Village Hall, and the schedule says assessed fees are doubled "if a permit was not obtained prior to commencement of work". Its booklet states "All contractors must be fully licensed, insured and registered with the Village of Grass Lake before a permit can be obtained", and "Applications for permits and zoning issues are available under the Forms tab" of the village website. The Building Department page says questions about permits for construction and remodeling go to the Village Clerk at (517) 522-4550. The department publishes nothing on whether a reroof needs a permit, so ask the Village Clerk before starting.
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." The Village of Grass Lake's permit booklet says "The Village of Grass Lake follows the current Michigan Residential Code for homes and the current Michigan Building Code and National Electric Code for commercial/industrial, institutional and rental projects", and names no edition. The village's codified ordinances, which its Ordinances page links through an online code library, could not be opened for this record, so no codified adoption section was read; the village's building and zoning application cites "P.A. 230 of 1972/ as amended".
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 Village of Grass Lake Building & Zoning Department's permit booklet, application and fee schedule 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 Village of Grass Lake Building & Zoning Department's permit booklet, application and fee schedule 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 Village of Grass Lake Building & Zoning Department's permit booklet, application and fee schedule were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
The Village of Grass Lake's Building & Zoning Department has published nothing that applies to reroofing. Its permit booklet and its permit application name no roof work, and its fee schedule has no roofing line. The booklet says "Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing Permits are always applicable except in the case of some accessory buildings, decks or other minor alterations. Please check with the building department if you are unsure." 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.
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." The village's codified ordinances could not be opened for this record and were not read, so no local roofing rule was read; the Building & Zoning Department's booklet, application and fee schedule 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 Village of Grass Lake Building & Zoning Department's permit booklet, application and fee schedule 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 in the Village of Grass Lake's permit booklet or fee schedule changes this.
Local roofing hub
Roof permits nearby: Jackson County
Related guides
The Village of Grass Lake's Building & Zoning Department, at the Village Hall at 119 North Lake Street in Grass Lake, issues building permits for the village, and the village collects its permit fees at the Village Clerk's window. Its permit booklet says the village follows "the current Michigan Residential Code for homes", and the State of Michigan's jurisdiction list names the Village of Grass Lake as its own building code enforcer. Michigan's single state construction code applies, and for houses that is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.
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