Permitting Authorities / Western Washtenaw Construction Authority - Building Permits for Manchester Township
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Manchester, MI?
Adopted code
Western Washtenaw Construction Authority - Building Permits for Manchester Township
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Manchester, MI, issued by Western Washtenaw Construction Authority - Building Permits for Manchester Township. In Manchester Township a reroof takes a permit from the Western Washtenaw Construction Authority, which the Authority's own page says "acts as the permitting and enforcing agency for building activities" for Freedom, Bridgewater and Manchester Townships and the City of Manchester. Its Policies and Procedures say "All new roofs either tear off or shingle over will require a permit." and, separately, "Normal maintenance and or repairs do not require a permit. If in doubt please call our office and confirm that a permit is not needed." The Authority's page describes its roofing, siding and windows application as one that "must be completed for minor construction projects involving roofing, siding, windows, or temporary pools", its fee schedule (effective 02/02/2024) lists "Roofing, windows, & siding $130.00", and the application carries "PERMIT FEE $130.00" and the choices "Reroofing over existing shingles" and "Tear off roofing and replace". The Authority says contractors must register: "Licensed State of Michigan Contractors must be registered with our department." Policies and Procedures add "State Law allows for 7 to 10 working days for a response to an application" and "Inspections must be scheduled 1 business day prior to the requested inspection." Applications may be mailed, dropped off or emailed to the Authority, and the application says payments can be made online with a "3% service fee". The office, at 912 City Road, Manchester, MI 48158, is open 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and closed Tuesday and Thursday; the phone number is 734-428-7001. Manchester Township's own offices are at 275 S. Macomb St., Manchester, MI 48158, 734-428-7090, where its zoning official handles zoning compliance. The City of Manchester is a separate unit on the state's list that the same Authority also serves.
Roof code checklist: Township of Manchester, 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 Manchester, Michigan
Address
912 City Road, Manchester, MI 48158
Contact
- url: https://freedomtownshipmi.org/wwca/index.php
- phone: 734-428-7001
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- city_level: The Western Washtenaw Construction Authority requires registration on top of the state licence for contractors who pull permits in Manchester Township: its Policies and Procedures say "Licensed State of Michigan Contractors must be registered with our department." and that registrations include "your insurance and workman's compensation information" along with "a copy of your licenses including driver's license". Its Contractor Registration form states "All contractors acquiring permits must register", asks for the state license number, a workers compensation carrier and a liability insurance company, and lists a "Registration Fee $15.00 per license cycle".
Permit process note
In Manchester Township a reroof takes a permit from the Western Washtenaw Construction Authority, which the Authority's own page says "acts as the permitting and enforcing agency for building activities" for Freedom, Bridgewater and Manchester Townships and the City of Manchester. Its Policies and Procedures say "All new roofs either tear off or shingle over will require a permit." and, separately, "Normal maintenance and or repairs do not require a permit. If in doubt please call our office and confirm that a permit is not needed." The Authority's page describes its roofing, siding and windows application as one that "must be completed for minor construction projects involving roofing, siding, windows, or temporary pools", its fee schedule (effective 02/02/2024) lists "Roofing, windows, & siding $130.00", and the application carries "PERMIT FEE $130.00" and the choices "Reroofing over existing shingles" and "Tear off roofing and replace". The Authority says contractors must register: "Licensed State of Michigan Contractors must be registered with our department." Policies and Procedures add "State Law allows for 7 to 10 working days for a response to an application" and "Inspections must be scheduled 1 business day prior to the requested inspection." Applications may be mailed, dropped off or emailed to the Authority, and the application says payments can be made online with a "3% service fee". The office, at 912 City Road, Manchester, MI 48158, is open 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and closed Tuesday and Thursday; the phone number is 734-428-7001. Manchester Township's own offices are at 275 S. Macomb St., Manchester, MI 48158, 734-428-7090, where its zoning official handles zoning compliance. The City of Manchester is a separate unit on the state's list that the same Authority also serves.
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 Manchester as its own building code enforcer, separately from the City of Manchester. The Western Washtenaw Construction Authority's page, which says it acts as the permitting and enforcing agency for Manchester Township, states "The 2015 Michigan Residential Code" among the codes "now in effect", and its Residential Code Information sheet is written for "the 2015 Michigan Residential code". The township's Ordinance No. 10, made and passed August 21, 1974, designates "the Building Inspector of the Township of Manchester" as the enforcing agency under the state construction code act; Ordinance No. 17 (1977) adds the electrical and plumbing inspectors and Ordinance No. 21 (1980) the mechanical code, and both apply "all construction codes as amended adopted by the State Construction Code Commission" without naming an edition. The township's zoning ordinance refers to "the Manchester Township building code", whose text is not among the documents posted on the township's website, and, in its definition of Hazardous Uses, to "the Basic Building Code 1965 amended edition prepared by the Building Officials Conference of America, Inc.", a list of hazardous uses rather than a residential code; this directory has not read that text, and whether that reference has any effect today is not decided here. This record states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, which the Authority's own documents name.
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 Manchester Township ordinances, the Western Washtenaw Construction Authority's page and its Policies and Procedures, Residential Code Information and permit forms were checked 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 Manchester Township ordinances, the Western Washtenaw Construction Authority's page and its Policies and Procedures, Residential Code Information and permit forms were checked 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 Manchester Township ordinances, the Western Washtenaw Construction Authority's page and its Policies and Procedures, Residential Code Information and permit forms were checked for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
The Western Washtenaw Construction Authority, which handles building permits and inspections for Manchester Township, treats a reroof as permit work and states no size or dollar point below which it needs none: its Policies and Procedures say "All new roofs either tear off or shingle over will require a permit.", its fee schedule (effective 02/02/2024) lists "Roofing, windows, & siding $130.00", and it publishes a separate "PERMIT APPLICATION FOR ROOFING, SIDING, WINDOWS," whose type of project lines are "Reroofing over existing shingles" and "Tear off roofing and replace". The same Policies and Procedures also say "Normal maintenance and or repairs do not require a permit. If in doubt please call our office and confirm that a permit is not needed." 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 repair, call the Authority at 734-428-7001 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 its ordinances, and those that touch buildings were read: Ordinances No. 10, 17 and 21 designate the enforcing agency and apply the state construction codes as adopted by the State Construction Code Commission, No. 88 deals with dangerous buildings, No. 3 is an electrical ordinance, No. 101 is an anti-blight ordinance and No. 55 and No. 56 cover soil erosion and sedimentation control (the scanned ordinances were read from OCR text), and the zoning ordinance was searched for roofing text and uses "roof" only in definitions, dimensional standards, a mobile home standard and its solar provisions. None has a reroofing provision or amends anything in Section R908. The Western Washtenaw Construction Authority's documents state no layer rule; its roofing application offers "Reroofing over existing shingles" and "Tear off roofing and replace" as project types and gives no layer count.
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 Manchester Township ordinances, the Western Washtenaw Construction Authority's page and its Policies and Procedures, Residential Code Information and permit forms were checked 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 Western Washtenaw Construction Authority's page or in the Manchester Township ordinances changes this.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
Building permits and inspections for Manchester Township are handled by the Western Washtenaw Construction Authority, a regional body at 912 City Road in Manchester whose members include Freedom, Bridgewater and Manchester Townships and the City of Manchester, and which publishes a roofing, siding and windows permit application of its own. The township's ordinances designate its building inspector as the enforcing agency under the state construction code act, and the State of Michigan's jurisdiction list names the Township as its own building code enforcer. The City of Manchester is a separate unit on that list. Michigan applies one residential code statewide, and for houses that is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.
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Roofing questions: Township of Manchester, MI
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Manchester, MI?
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Manchester, MI. The Western Washtenaw Construction Authority, which handles building permits and inspections for Manchester Township, treats a reroof as permit work and states no size or dollar point below which it needs none: its Policies and Procedures say "All new roofs either tear off or shingle over will require a permit.", its fee schedule (effective 02/02/2024) lists "Roofing, windows, & siding $130.00", and it publishes a separate "PERMIT APPLICATION FOR ROOFING, SIDING, WINDOWS," whose type of project lines are "Reroofing over existing shingles" and "Tear off roofing and replace". The same Policies and Procedures also say "Normal maintenance and or repairs do not require a permit. If in doubt please call our office and confirm that a permit is not needed." 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 repair, call the Authority at 734-428-7001 before starting.
Is ice & water shield required in Township of Manchester, 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 Manchester Township ordinances, the Western Washtenaw Construction Authority's page and its Policies and Procedures, Residential Code Information and permit forms were checked for a local rule and state nothing further on ice barrier.
Is drip edge required in Township of Manchester, 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 Manchester Township ordinances, the Western Washtenaw Construction Authority's page and its Policies and Procedures, Residential Code Information and permit forms were checked for a local rule and state nothing further on drip edge.
Can you roof over an existing roof in Township of Manchester, 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 township's ordinances page lists its ordinances, and those that touch buildings were read: Ordinances No. 10, 17 and 21 designate the enforcing agency and apply the state construction codes as adopted by the State Construction Code Commission, No. 88 deals with dangerous buildings, No. 3 is an electrical ordinance, No. 101 is an anti-blight ordinance and No. 55 and No. 56 cover soil erosion and sedimentation control (the scanned ordinances were read from OCR text), and the zoning ordinance was searched for roofing text and uses "roof" only in definitions, dimensional standards, a mobile home standard and its solar provisions. None has a reroofing provision or amends anything in Section R908. The Western Washtenaw Construction Authority's documents state no layer rule; its roofing application offers "Reroofing over existing shingles" and "Tear off roofing and replace" as project types and gives no layer count.
Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Township of Manchester, MI?
Yes.
What building code does Township of Manchester, 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 Township of Manchester as its own building code enforcer, separately from the City of Manchester. The Western Washtenaw Construction Authority's page, which says it acts as the permitting and enforcing agency for Manchester Township, states "The 2015 Michigan Residential Code" among the codes "now in effect", and its Residential Code Information sheet is written for "the 2015 Michigan Residential code". The township's Ordinance No. 10, made and passed August 21, 1974, designates "the Building Inspector of the Township of Manchester" as the enforcing agency under the state construction code act; Ordinance No. 17 (1977) adds the electrical and plumbing inspectors and Ordinance No. 21 (1980) the mechanical code, and both apply "all construction codes as amended adopted by the State Construction Code Commission" without naming an edition. The township's zoning ordinance refers to "the Manchester Township building code", whose text is not among the documents posted on the township's website, and, in its definition of Hazardous Uses, to "the Basic Building Code 1965 amended edition prepared by the Building Officials Conference of America, Inc.", a list of hazardous uses rather than a residential code; this directory has not read that text, and whether that reference has any effect today is not decided here. This record states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, which the Authority's own documents name.