Huron County - Planning, Building & Zoning

Huron County, Michigan (2 cities, 8 villages and 26 townships on the county building program)

county

250 East Huron Avenue, Room 102, Bad Axe, MI 48413

Required

Required

A reroof in Huron County goes on the county's building permit application, which lists "Re-roof" as a type of improvement, and the application's Homeowner Permit Policy treats "remodeling/re-roofing" as work for which "a homeowner may obtain a building permit". The county's Permit Requirements sheet says its Planning, Building & Zoning Department "administers construction-related codes throughout Huron County" and that "Permits are also required for alterations & remodeling of existing buildings"; its Required Permits & Inspections page (Rev 12-31-2025) prints the residential code rule that anyone who intends to "construct, enlarge, alter, repair" a building "shall first make application to the building official and to obtain the required permit." The application says "Permit cannot be issued without site visit and required signatures", and the sheet says "Permits are generally good for one (1) year". Contractors "where said work exceeds $600.00 in material/labor value, are required to be licensed in their trade by the State of Michigan," and the application asks for the contractor's state license number, expiration date, federal ID and MESC number. The permit sheet and application publish no fee schedule for building permits, so ask the department for the current fee. The office is Room 102, 250 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe, MI 48413 (989-269-9269), open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The county serves the units LARA's jurisdiction list assigns to it, and the sheet notes that in Lake Township "building permits are issued by Township Officials", in Caseville Township building permits are issued by township officials, and in Caseville City building permits are issued by city officials.

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 assigns building code enforcement in 2 cities, 8 villages and 26 townships of Huron County to the county; the City of Caseville and the townships of Caseville and Lake are listed as enforcing building code for themselves. The county's Required Permits & Inspections page (Rev 12-31-2025) is headed "Per 2015 Michigan Residential Code", and its Permit Requirements sheet, read October 11, 2026, lists "the 2015 Michigan Residential Building Code" among the codes "enforced throughout Huron County".

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 Huron County Planning, Building & Zoning pages, Permit Requirements sheet, building permit application and license registration form 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 Huron County Planning, Building & Zoning pages, Permit Requirements sheet, building permit application and license registration form 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 Huron County Planning, Building & Zoning pages, Permit Requirements sheet, building permit application and license registration form were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.

Huron County's building permit application lists "Re-roof" as a type of improvement (item 6, beside New Windows and New Siding), and its Homeowner Permit Policy says "in the case of construction a new home, addition, garage, remodeling/re-roofing, etc., a homeowner may obtain a building permit for the work". The county's Permit Requirements sheet adds that "Permits are also required for alterations & remodeling of existing buildings", and the county publishes no size, cost or area threshold for roof work. 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." Locally, the Huron County Planning, Building & Zoning pages, Permit Requirements sheet, building permit application and license registration form were read and state no layer rule. The department publishes no building ordinance; the county ordinances on its page are the Huron County Zoning Ordinance (with amendments through November 27, 2015) and its airport zoning, wind energy, solar and battery storage ordinances, whose full text was searched for roof, layer, tear-off, re-cover, shingle and R908, and every hit was read: they concern building height, wind energy equipment, a dwelling roof snow load and strength standard and definitions, and none concerns re-covering a roof or the number of roof layers.

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 Huron County Planning, Building & Zoning pages, Permit Requirements sheet, building permit application and license registration form 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 Huron County Planning, Building & Zoning pages changes this; the same 6% applies throughout Huron County.