Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Keego Harbor, MI?

Roofing questions: Keego Harbor, MI

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Keego Harbor, MI?

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Keego Harbor, MI. The City of Keego Harbor says on its Building Services page "Most construction projects require one or more permits before work begins" and "If you are unsure which permits are required, please contact City Hall before starting your project." Its building permit application prices roof work in its fee table: under "For Garages, Small Additions, Porches" the line reads "Cost of Construction ($13.00 for $1000.00) (Combined siding, roof and windows)". The page and the application state no exemption for roof work and no area or dollar limit that would exclude a reroof. Section 8-21(c) of the city's Code of Ordinances says "It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to install, alter, maintain, service or repair building materials in or on any building, structure or part thereof, or on premises or cause to permit therein or thereon the installation, altering, maintaining, servicing or repairing of any building materials without a permit having been obtained therefor as provided herein." 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; the city has published nothing applying that relief to roof work.

Is ice & water shield required in Keego Harbor, MI?

Yes. 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 Keego Harbor's Building Services page, its Building Permits and Applications page, its building permit application and Chapter 8 of its Code of Ordinances (Buildings and Building Regulations) were read for a local rule and state nothing further on ice barrier.

Is drip edge required in Keego Harbor, MI?

Yes. 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 Keego Harbor's Building Services page, its Building Permits and Applications page, its building permit application and Chapter 8 of its Code of Ordinances (Buildings and Building Regulations) were read for a local rule and state nothing further on drip edge.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Keego Harbor, MI?

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's own building ordinance, Chapter 8 of the Keego Harbor Code of Ordinances (Buildings and Building Regulations), was read for a local roofing rule: its building code article (Sections 8-19 to 8-21), read in full, designates the enforcing agency, refers to "the State Code" and sets permits, and its other articles (plumbing, mechanical, electrical, property maintenance, dangerous buildings, minimum housing standards, rental, swimming pools and vacant property) were searched in full for roof terms and reach roofs only as maintenance standards, such as "Every foundation, floor, wall, ceiling and roof shall be reasonably weathertight, watertight and rodent proof". The chapter has no reroofing or layer provision and amends nothing in Section R908. The Building Services page and the building permit application state no layer rule.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Keego Harbor, MI?

Yes.

What building code does Keego Harbor, MI use?

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 Keego Harbor as its own building code enforcer. Section 8-19 of the city's Code of Ordinances designates "the Building Official" as the enforcing agency under Public Act 230 of 1972, and Section 8-20 says building materials "shall be designated, constructed, installed, altered and maintained in accordance with the provisions of the State Code", naming no residential code edition. The city's Building Services page and building permit application name no edition either, and Chapter 8 adopts only the International Property Maintenance Code, 2021 edition, which is a property maintenance code. This record states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, which the state construction code act applies throughout the state ("This act and the code apply throughout the state," MCL 125.1508a) and which LARA says remains in effect while the Court of Claims order of July 7, 2025 stands.