Permitting Authorities / City of Grosse Pointe Farms - Building Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI?
Adopted code
City of Grosse Pointe Farms - Building Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, issued by City of Grosse Pointe Farms - Building Department. The City of Grosse Pointe Farms has published nothing that names roof work either way: its building permit application, its permit fee schedule, its Building Department pages and its Building Code ordinance (Code No. 11-01) have no roofing line. With the department silent on reroofs, 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 department has published nothing applying that relief to roof work. The department says "For permitting questions please call the Building Department at (313) 885-4285." Permits can be applied for in person or through the BS&A online portal, and inspections are scheduled through BS&A online or by phone. The fee schedule the city posts is marked "Effective: 7/9/15", so confirm the current fee with the department; it charges "Permit fee - $51.00 for the first $1,000" and $10 for each additional $1,000, a plan review fee, and a refundable deposit of $250.00 for "All Remodeling, Alterations, Additions & Garages", and it warns "WORK DONE WITHOUT A PERMIT = DOUBLE PERMIT FEE". The application asks for the contractor's license number and expiration, and the schedule notes "BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS MAY TAKE UP TO 5 DAYS FOR REVIEW".
Roof code checklist: Grosse Pointe Farms, 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 Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan
Address
90 Kerby Road, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236
Contact
- url: https://www.grossepointefarms.org/departments/building/index.php
- phone: 313-885-4285
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
The City of Grosse Pointe Farms has published nothing that names roof work either way: its building permit application, its permit fee schedule, its Building Department pages and its Building Code ordinance (Code No. 11-01) have no roofing line. With the department silent on reroofs, 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 department has published nothing applying that relief to roof work. The department says "For permitting questions please call the Building Department at (313) 885-4285." Permits can be applied for in person or through the BS&A online portal, and inspections are scheduled through BS&A online or by phone. The fee schedule the city posts is marked "Effective: 7/9/15", so confirm the current fee with the department; it charges "Permit fee - $51.00 for the first $1,000" and $10 for each additional $1,000, a plan review fee, and a refundable deposit of $250.00 for "All Remodeling, Alterations, Additions & Garages", and it warns "WORK DONE WITHOUT A PERMIT = DOUBLE PERMIT FEE". The application asks for the contractor's license number and expiration, and the schedule notes "BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS MAY TAKE UP TO 5 DAYS FOR REVIEW".
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 Grosse Pointe Farms as its own building code enforcer. The Building Department's list of codes in effect names the "2015 Michigan Residential Code" for houses and adds "The Residential Code is under review." The city's Building Code ordinance (Code No. 11-01) adopts "The building code of the State of Michigan" as amended from time to time and names no edition.
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 Grosse Pointe Farms' permit application, fee schedule, code list and Building Code ordinance 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 Grosse Pointe Farms' permit application, fee schedule, code list and Building Code ordinance 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 Grosse Pointe Farms' permit application, fee schedule, code list and Building Code ordinance were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
Grosse Pointe Farms publishes no size or dollar line below which roof work needs no permit. State law requires that "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 says "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure." (MCL 125.1510) without defining ordinary repairs. The city's Building Code ordinance (Code No. 11-01), its fee schedule and the Building Department's permit pages and application were read and do not apply that relief to roof work or name roof work either way.
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 of Grosse Pointe Farms' own building ordinance, Code No. 11-01 (Building Code Ordinance, as amended July 9, 2018), was read in full: its local changes cover cost recovery, fees and deposits, penalties and demolition notices, it has no roofing provision and it amends nothing in Section R908. The city's permit 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 City of Grosse Pointe Farms' permit application, fee schedule, code list and Building Code ordinance 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 Grosse Pointe Farms Building Department pages changes this.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
The City of Grosse Pointe Farms Building Department, part of the Public Service Department at 90 Kerby Road, issues building permits, reviews plans and inspects construction in the city. Code No. 11-01 of the city's Code of Ordinances adopts the state building code and says the City assumes its administration and enforcement, and the State of Michigan's jurisdiction list names the City 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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