Permitting Authorities / Lawrence Township - Building Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Lawrence, MI?
Adopted code
Lawrence Township - Building Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Lawrence, MI, issued by Lawrence Township - Building Department. In Lawrence Township a reroof needs a building permit from the township's contract inspection firm: the Building Information sheet says "Roofing replacement and repairs do require a building permit. The cost of the permit is dependent on the nature of the project." and "Please describe the project in detail on the building permit. Examples can include “removal of shingles and complete re-roof”, “replacement or repair of decking”, “replacement or repair of trusses”, etc. No site plan is required for these permits." The Building Department page says "Lawrence Township contracts with Michigan Code Inspections, LLC (MCI) to provide building and trade permit services, inspections, and code compliance administration for properties within the Township" and "MCI is responsible for issuing permits, conducting inspections, and responding to building-related permit and inspection questions." Applications are available online at www.mcillc.us, by email to the address on the page, or on paper at the Lawrence Township Hall during regular business hours, and the sheet says to "Contact Michigan Code Inspections, LLC to begin the process to obtain a building permit and describe intent of project." The page says "Michigan Code Inspections, LLC (MCI) does not maintain a full-time, regularly scheduled on-site representative at the Lawrence Township Hall", so call MCI at (269) 539-8747 for permit questions and to schedule inspections. The township posts no building permit fee schedule on these pages, and the sheet says only that the cost of a roofing permit is "dependent on the nature of the project", so ask MCI for the current fee. The township hall is at 411 N Paw Paw St, Lawrence, MI 49064, 269-674-4255. This is the Township of Lawrence; the Village of Lawrence is a separate municipality.
Roof code checklist: Township of Lawrence, 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 Lawrence, Van Buren County, Michigan
Address
411 N Paw Paw St, Lawrence, MI 49064
Contact
- url: https://www.lawrence-township.org/dept-committees/building-department/
- phone: 269-539-8747
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- state_level: Michigan licenses residential maintenance and alteration contractors under the Occupational Code, and that licence "includes the following crafts and trades" among which it names roofing (MCL 339.2404(3)); "A person shall not engage in or attempt to engage in the practice of an occupation regulated under this act" without the licence (MCL 339.601(1)). MCL 339.2403 lists who may work without one, including a project whose "aggregate contract price for the labor, material, and any other items for the undertaking or project is less than $600.00". This record does not decide whether a given roofer falls inside an exemption.
- city_level: The township's Building Department page and Building Information sheet publish no contractor registration or licence of their own, and the Code of the Township of Lawrence on eCode360 was not opened. This record does not decide whether a given roofer falls inside a state exemption.
Permit process note
In Lawrence Township a reroof needs a building permit from the township's contract inspection firm: the Building Information sheet says "Roofing replacement and repairs do require a building permit. The cost of the permit is dependent on the nature of the project." and "Please describe the project in detail on the building permit. Examples can include “removal of shingles and complete re-roof”, “replacement or repair of decking”, “replacement or repair of trusses”, etc. No site plan is required for these permits." The Building Department page says "Lawrence Township contracts with Michigan Code Inspections, LLC (MCI) to provide building and trade permit services, inspections, and code compliance administration for properties within the Township" and "MCI is responsible for issuing permits, conducting inspections, and responding to building-related permit and inspection questions." Applications are available online at www.mcillc.us, by email to the address on the page, or on paper at the Lawrence Township Hall during regular business hours, and the sheet says to "Contact Michigan Code Inspections, LLC to begin the process to obtain a building permit and describe intent of project." The page says "Michigan Code Inspections, LLC (MCI) does not maintain a full-time, regularly scheduled on-site representative at the Lawrence Township Hall", so call MCI at (269) 539-8747 for permit questions and to schedule inspections. The township posts no building permit fee schedule on these pages, and the sheet says only that the cost of a roofing permit is "dependent on the nature of the project", so ask MCI for the current fee. The township hall is at 411 N Paw Paw St, Lawrence, MI 49064, 269-674-4255. This is the Township of Lawrence; the Village of Lawrence is a separate municipality.
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 Lawrence as its own building code enforcer. Locally, the township's Zoning Ordinance refers to "the Lawrence Township Building Code" and to Chapter 15, State Construction Code, of the Code of the Township of Lawrence, and names no edition. The township's Ordinances/Code page links its Code on eCode360, which could not be opened for this record, so the Code's building chapter was not read. The Building Department page and Building Information sheet name no code edition. No document read for this record names an older residential code edition, so this record states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code for the reasons above.
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 Lawrence Township Building Department page, Building Information sheet and 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 Lawrence Township Building Department page, Building Information sheet and 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 Lawrence Township Building Department page, Building Information sheet and Zoning Ordinance were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
Lawrence Township's Building Information sheet, linked from its Building Department page and read October 13, 2026, says under Roofing: "Roofing replacement and repairs do require a building permit. The cost of the permit is dependent on the nature of the project." It asks the applicant to "describe the project in detail on the building permit" and publishes no size, square or dollar point below which roof work needs no permit. The same sheet says of remodeling that "Basic repairs or updates do not require a permit" and gives interior flooring and trim as examples, which it does not apply to roofs. 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. For a small roof repair, call Michigan Code Inspections, LLC at (269) 539-8747 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 Code of the Township of Lawrence is on eCode360, which could not be opened, so no township building ordinance was read; the Zoning Ordinance was searched for roofing text and has no reroofing provision. The Building Department page and Building Information sheet state no layer rule, so this record declares no layer classification.
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 Lawrence Township Building Department page, Building Information sheet and 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 Lawrence Township Building Department page or Building Information sheet changes this.
Local roofing hub
Roof permits nearby: Van Buren County
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
Lawrence Township, in Van Buren County, issues building permits through its Building Department, which contracts with Michigan Code Inspections, LLC for permits, inspections and code compliance, with the township hall at 411 N Paw Paw St in Lawrence. The State of Michigan's jurisdiction list names the Township of Lawrence as its own building code enforcer. Michigan's single state construction code applies, and for houses that is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.
Working an insurance claim in Township of Lawrence, MI? Everything on this page (drip edge, ice & water shield, inspections, Class 4 rules) formatted as a claim-ready evidence pack: verbatim ordinance quotes, code section cites, verification dates, and official source links, ready to attach to a supplement. See a real sample pack (PDF, 4 pages, free).
Code items like drip edge and ice & water shield are what adjusters ask you to document.
Buy this jurisdiction's pack: $12 Delivered by email within minutes. Digital download: all sales are final once delivered, except for a failed delivery, a defective file, a duplicate purchase, or a pack materially different from its description. See Section 6 of our Terms of Use.
Questions about the Township of Lawrence, MI pack?
Not ready to buy, or need a different jurisdiction? Tell us and we’ll reply directly.