Permitting Authorities / Village of Homer - Zoning and Building Permits
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Homer, MI?
Adopted code
Village of Homer - Zoning and Building Permits
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Homer, MI, issued by Village of Homer - Zoning and Building Permits. In the Village of Homer a reroof needs a zoning approval letter from the village and then a building permit from SAFEbuilt, which the village's guide says "handles Homer Village contracted building inspections" and issues the permits. The guide says: "A Zoning Permit is NOT a Building Permit." and "There is a $15.00 fee due upon approval from the Zoning Administrator." Building permit fees are set on SAFEbuilt's valuation-based application, and no fee table for Homer was found. SAFEbuilt's Residential Re-Roof guide, published in November 2020 for the communities it serves, says "Yes, the permit holder must call for a Final Roof inspection." and "No more than two (2) layers are allowed", which agrees with the state rule. SAFEbuilt's Athens office takes inspection requests at (877) 721-9266 and its application states "ISSUED PERMITS EXPIRE 180 DAYS FROM THE ISSUED DATE." The village's zoning guide and documents page were read from Internet Archive copies of homermichigan.org dated July 2024 and November 2024, because the village's site returned a bot-check page to a scripted request. An Internet Archive copy of the village's home page dated October 12, 2026 still lists SAFEbuilt among its Quick Links, linked to SAFEbuilt's Athens office page, and that page links the Residential Re-Roof guide and the building permit application quoted here.
Roof code checklist: Homer, 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 Homer, Michigan
Address
130 E Main Street, Homer, MI 49245
Contact
- url: https://homermichigan.org/
- phone: 517-568-4321
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
In the Village of Homer a reroof needs a zoning approval letter from the village and then a building permit from SAFEbuilt, which the village's guide says "handles Homer Village contracted building inspections" and issues the permits. The guide says: "A Zoning Permit is NOT a Building Permit." and "There is a $15.00 fee due upon approval from the Zoning Administrator." Building permit fees are set on SAFEbuilt's valuation-based application, and no fee table for Homer was found. SAFEbuilt's Residential Re-Roof guide, published in November 2020 for the communities it serves, says "Yes, the permit holder must call for a Final Roof inspection." and "No more than two (2) layers are allowed", which agrees with the state rule. SAFEbuilt's Athens office takes inspection requests at (877) 721-9266 and its application states "ISSUED PERMITS EXPIRE 180 DAYS FROM THE ISSUED DATE." The village's zoning guide and documents page were read from Internet Archive copies of homermichigan.org dated July 2024 and November 2024, because the village's site returned a bot-check page to a scripted request. An Internet Archive copy of the village's home page dated October 12, 2026 still lists SAFEbuilt among its Quick Links, linked to SAFEbuilt's Athens office page, and that page links the Residential Re-Roof guide and the building permit application quoted here.
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 Homer's Code of Ordinances, Chapter 150 (Building Codes), as listed by American Legal Publishing, includes a section titled "Michigan Building and Residential codes adopted" and another titled "Additions and changes"; the text of those sections could not be read for this record. SAFEbuilt's Residential Re-Roof guide for the village's permits is headed "2015 MRC Residential Re-Roofing".
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 Homer's zoning permit guide states nothing on drip edge. The SAFEbuilt Residential Re-Roof guide also lists a drip edge around the entire perimeter of the roof among its shingle requirements, which agrees with the state rule above.
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 Homer's zoning permit guide and the SAFEbuilt Residential Re-Roof guide 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 Homer's zoning permit guide and the SAFEbuilt Residential Re-Roof guide were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
SAFEbuilt, which the Village of Homer's zoning permit guide names as the firm that issues the village's building permits, publishes a Residential Re-Roof building guide that begins its questions with "1. Why do I need a permit to re-roof my house?", and its building permit application offers "Roofing Re-Deck & Shingles", "Roofing Shingles Only" and "Metal Roofing Only" as types of improvement. The village's guide adds: "A Zoning Permit is NOT a Building Permit." 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." Locally, the village's Code of Ordinances lists Chapter 150 (Building Codes) with eight sections, but the text of those sections could not be read, so this record does not classify the layer limit. The SAFEbuilt Residential Re-Roof guide that serves the village's permits says "No more than two (2) layers are allowed", which agrees with the base rule above.
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 Homer's zoning permit guide and the SAFEbuilt Residential Re-Roof guide 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 Homer's zoning permit guide changes this.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
The Village of Homer takes zoning applications at its village offices at 130 E Main Street and, according to the village's own zoning permit guide, contracts with SAFEbuilt, which handles the village's building inspections and issues its building permits. SAFEbuilt serves Homer through its Athens, Michigan office, and its building permit application has separate roofing boxes. Michigan's single state construction code applies, and for houses that is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.
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