Permitting Authorities / Kawkawlin Township - Building Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Kawkawlin, MI?
Adopted code
Kawkawlin Township - Building Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Kawkawlin, MI, issued by Kawkawlin Township - Building Department. The township's published permit material says nothing specific about roof work: the Building Department page, the Permits page, the building permit application and requirements sheet and the fee table name no roofing line and no reroof exemption. With the township 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 township has published nothing applying that relief to roof work. The township's requirements sheet says "Building permit fees are calculated by the Building Inspector and are based on the estimated cost of construction." and "The building permit will not be issued until the permit fee is paid in full." Its fee table, headed "KAWKAWLIN BUILDING PERMIT FEES" and dated March 2012, prices by valuation only, for example $111.25 at a valuation of $5,000 and $181.25 at $10,000, so confirm the current fee with the Building Inspector. The application notes "SEPARATE APPLICATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED FOR PLUMBING, MECHANICAL, AND ELECTRICAL WORK PERMITS" and asks the applicant to "Please call the Building Inspector directly at (989)798-6737 at least one 2 days prior to the time you need an inspection." The Building Department page lists a Building Inspector, an Electrical Inspector and a Mechanical/Plumbing Inspector, each with a phone number. The township hall is at 1836 E Parish Rd, Kawkawlin, MI 48631, phone 989-686-8710.
Roof code checklist: Township of Kawkawlin, 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
Township of Kawkawlin, Michigan
Address
1836 East Parish Road, Kawkawlin, MI 48631
Contact
- url: https://www.kawkawlintwp.org/building-department/
- phone: 989-798-6737
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
The township's published permit material says nothing specific about roof work: the Building Department page, the Permits page, the building permit application and requirements sheet and the fee table name no roofing line and no reroof exemption. With the township 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 township has published nothing applying that relief to roof work. The township's requirements sheet says "Building permit fees are calculated by the Building Inspector and are based on the estimated cost of construction." and "The building permit will not be issued until the permit fee is paid in full." Its fee table, headed "KAWKAWLIN BUILDING PERMIT FEES" and dated March 2012, prices by valuation only, for example $111.25 at a valuation of $5,000 and $181.25 at $10,000, so confirm the current fee with the Building Inspector. The application notes "SEPARATE APPLICATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED FOR PLUMBING, MECHANICAL, AND ELECTRICAL WORK PERMITS" and asks the applicant to "Please call the Building Inspector directly at (989)798-6737 at least one 2 days prior to the time you need an inspection." The Building Department page lists a Building Inspector, an Electrical Inspector and a Mechanical/Plumbing Inspector, each with a phone number. The township hall is at 1836 E Parish Rd, Kawkawlin, MI 48631, phone 989-686-8710.
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 Township of Kawkawlin as its own building code enforcer. The township's building permit application gives its authority as "P.A. 230 OF 1972, AS AMENDED" and names no code edition. The township's ordinance list has no building code ordinance; its Fire Prevention Ordinance adopts the 2018 International Fire Code, which is a fire code, not a residential code, and its zoning ordinance (effective July 24, 2010) refers once to "the Bay County Building Code" for swimming pool barriers, with no edition. The township has published no statement of which residential code edition it enforces.
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 township's Building Department page, its Permits page, its building permit application and requirements sheet, its fee table and its zoning 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 township's Building Department page, its Permits page, its building permit application and requirements sheet, its fee table and its zoning 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 township's Building Department page, its Permits page, its building permit application and requirements sheet, its fee table and its zoning ordinance state no impact rule.
Repair permit threshold
Kawkawlin Township has published nothing that applies a permit or an exemption to roof work: its Building Department page, its Permits page, its building permit application and requirements sheet and its fee table name no roofing line, no reroof exemption and no size or dollar point below which a repair needs no permit, and the application offers "REPAIR" and "ALTERATION" among its types of improvement without defining 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, and the township has published nothing applying that relief to roof work. For any roof work, large or small, call the Building Inspector at 989-798-6737 before starting.
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 township's Ordinances page lists anti-blight, blight control, banquet facilities, emergency services cost recovery, municipal civil infractions, fire prevention, noxious weeds, off-road vehicle, marijuana, solar and wind ordinances and no building code ordinance, so no township building ordinance was read and no classification is declared here; the zoning ordinance was searched in full and has no reroofing provision, and the permit application and requirements sheet 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 township's Building Department page, its Permits page, its building permit application and requirements sheet, its fee table and its zoning 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 Kawkawlin Township Building Department page or in its permit application changes this.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
Kawkawlin Township's Building Department, with its building, electrical and mechanical/plumbing inspectors listed on the township's Building Department page, issues building permits through an application and requirements sheet posted on the township's Permits page; the township hall is at 1836 East Parish Road in Kawkawlin, in Bay County. LARA's Statewide Jurisdiction List names the Township of Kawkawlin as its own building code enforcer. Michigan applies one residential code statewide, and for houses that is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.
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