Township of Macomb - Building Department

Township of Macomb, Michigan (Macomb County)

city

54111 Broughton Road, 1st Floor, Macomb, MI 48042

Required

Required

A roof replacement in Macomb Township needs a building permit: the Building Department's FAQ answers "Do I need a building permit to replace my roof? Yes". The township's fee schedule (7/1/2026) charges $100.00 for a residential roof permit ($200.00 commercial or industrial), and work started without a permit costs an extra $150.00. Contractors apply online through BS&A Online with an account and pin number, and homeowners have their own online application; the department says that where a contractor does any part of the work "we highly suggest having the contractor pull the permit." The department's Residential Re-Roof Permit Requirements (Rev 4/1/2026) list the code points it checks on a re-roof: the tear-off rule, ice barrier, a minimum 15 lb. underlayment under asphalt shingles, drip edge, step flashing at sidewalls, attic ventilation, and on townhouses no roof vents within 4 feet of a common wall. The Building Department is at 54111 Broughton Road, 1st Floor, Macomb, MI 48042, 586-992-0710 extension 1, open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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 Macomb as its own building code enforcer. The township's Codes Currently in Effect sheet lists, for residential work, "MRC 2015 (Michigan Residential Code 2015) with Administrative Rules Part 5", effective February 8, 2016. The township's Code of Ordinances, Section 5-1, still names the 2009 editions of the Michigan Residential Code and the other state codes as adopted by reference; that 2009 text was not read for this record, and the township's own current sheet names the 2015 edition.

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 ordinance, Code of Ordinances Chapter 5 (read in full), states nothing further on drip edge, and the Building Department's Residential Re-Roof Permit Requirements repeat the rule: "Drip edge shall be provided at eaves and rake edges of shingle roofs." Section 5-1 of that chapter still names the 2009 Michigan Residential Code, whose text was not read for this record; the township's current code sheet names the 2015 edition. 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 township's building ordinance, Code of Ordinances Chapter 5 (read in full), states nothing further on ice barrier, and the Building Department's Residential Re-Roof Permit Requirements say "Ice barrier shall be installed under asphalt shingles to prevent ice and water backup." Section 5-1 of that chapter still names the 2009 Michigan Residential Code, whose text was not read for this record; the township's current code sheet names the 2015 edition. 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 township's building ordinance, Code of Ordinances Chapter 5 (read in full), adopts the state codes and adds no roof-covering rule; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in it or in the Building Department's Residential Re-Roof Permit Requirements.

Macomb Township answers the question in its Building Department FAQ: "Do I need a building permit to replace my roof? Yes, the building permit application is available under the Building Forms section". Its fee schedule (7/1/2026) has a Roof Permits line, $100.00 residential and $200.00 commercial or industrial, and the department publishes Residential Re-Roof Permit Requirements (Rev 4/1/2026). Neither the FAQ answer, the fee schedule nor the re-roof requirements gives a size, square or dollar point below which roof repair needs no permit, and the township's Code of Ordinances Chapter 5 (Buildings and Building Regulations), read in full, sets no repair threshold of its own. The state part: Michigan's construction code act says "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure" and does not define ordinary repairs. For a small repair, ask the Building Department (586-992-0710) before starting.

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." The township's own building ordinance, Code of Ordinances Chapter 5 (Buildings and Building Regulations), was read in full: Section 5-1 adopts the state codes by reference and makes the building official the enforcing agency, and nothing in the chapter touches the reroofing section, so the state limit applies unchanged. Section 5-1 of that chapter still names the 2009 Michigan Residential Code, whose text was not read for this record; the township's current code sheet names the 2015 edition. The Building Department's Residential Re-Roof Permit Requirements state the same limit in their own words: "New roof coverings shall not be installed without first removing existing roof coverings where 1) there are 2 or more applications of any type of roof coverings".

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 ordinance, Code of Ordinances Chapter 5 (read in full), states nothing further on roof sheathing, and the Building Department's Residential Re-Roof Permit Requirements repeat that "The structural roof components shall be capable of supporting the roof covering system". Section 5-1 of that chapter still names the 2009 Michigan Residential Code, whose text was not read for this record; the township's current code sheet names the 2015 edition.

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." Macomb Township adds no sales tax of its own, so 6% is the whole rate on a job there.