Permitting Authorities / Township of Markey - Building Permits (Houghton Lake Building Agency)
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Markey, MI?
Adopted code
Township of Markey - Building Permits (Houghton Lake Building Agency)
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Markey, MI, issued by Township of Markey - Building Permits (Houghton Lake Building Agency). In Markey Township a reroof is permitted by the Houghton Lake Building Agency, not by the township. The Agency's home page says "The Houghton Lake Building Agency services Backus, Denton, Lake, Markey and Roscommon Townships in the Houghton Lake area." and its About page says "Building permits provided for in the State Construction Code Act shall be issued pursuant to applications filed with the Houghton Lake Building Agency, and fees shall be collected from the applicant, according to the building permit fee schedule, based on total construction cost and adopted by the Houghton Lake Building Agency by resolution in conformity with the State Construction Code Rules." The Agency posts a form headed "ROOFING APPLICATION" (listed on its Forms page as "ROOF PERMIT.pdf"), which shows no fee, and it posts no fee schedule on the pages read, so ask the Agency for the current fee. The Agency's General Questions page says "Inspections are done on Monday's and Wednesday's.", "Please give at least 24 hours' notice prior to the date of inspection. Call 989-422-3687 to schedule." and "Each township has a Land Use Permit.", and lists the township's land use officer for Markey. Markey Township's own pages cover land use (zoning) permits only: its Zoning and Land Use Certificate carries a $25.00 fee and says "Building permits must be obtained from the Houghton Lake Building Agency, prior to any construction activity.", and its Land Use/Zoning page offers online applications through Cloudpermit. The township's pages do not say whether a reroof needs a land use permit. The Agency is at 1250 S Harrison Rd, PO Box 8, Houghton Lake, MI 48629, phone 989-422-3687, open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8a-4p and Tuesday and Thursday 8a-12p. Markey Township hall is at 7400 E. Houghton Lake Dr., Houghton Lake, MI 48629, phone (989) 366-9614, and the land use administrator can be reached at (989) 529-2733. The Agency also issues permits for Backus, Denton, Lake and Roscommon Townships, which are separate units on the state's list and are not covered by this record.
Roof code checklist: Township of Markey, 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 Markey, Michigan
Address
1250 South Harrison Road, Houghton Lake, MI 48629
Contact
- url: https://www.houghtonlakebuildingagency.com/
- phone: 989-422-3687
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: Neither Markey Township nor the Houghton Lake Building Agency publishes a contractor registration of its own. The Agency's roofing application asks for the contractor's builder's license number and expiration date and repeats Section 23A of the State Construction Code Act: a person who is required to be licensed as a residential builder or residential maintenance and alteration contractor "shall not perform work on a residential building or a residential structure without first obtaining a license."
Permit process note
In Markey Township a reroof is permitted by the Houghton Lake Building Agency, not by the township. The Agency's home page says "The Houghton Lake Building Agency services Backus, Denton, Lake, Markey and Roscommon Townships in the Houghton Lake area." and its About page says "Building permits provided for in the State Construction Code Act shall be issued pursuant to applications filed with the Houghton Lake Building Agency, and fees shall be collected from the applicant, according to the building permit fee schedule, based on total construction cost and adopted by the Houghton Lake Building Agency by resolution in conformity with the State Construction Code Rules." The Agency posts a form headed "ROOFING APPLICATION" (listed on its Forms page as "ROOF PERMIT.pdf"), which shows no fee, and it posts no fee schedule on the pages read, so ask the Agency for the current fee. The Agency's General Questions page says "Inspections are done on Monday's and Wednesday's.", "Please give at least 24 hours' notice prior to the date of inspection. Call 989-422-3687 to schedule." and "Each township has a Land Use Permit.", and lists the township's land use officer for Markey. Markey Township's own pages cover land use (zoning) permits only: its Zoning and Land Use Certificate carries a $25.00 fee and says "Building permits must be obtained from the Houghton Lake Building Agency, prior to any construction activity.", and its Land Use/Zoning page offers online applications through Cloudpermit. The township's pages do not say whether a reroof needs a land use permit. The Agency is at 1250 S Harrison Rd, PO Box 8, Houghton Lake, MI 48629, phone 989-422-3687, open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8a-4p and Tuesday and Thursday 8a-12p. Markey Township hall is at 7400 E. Houghton Lake Dr., Houghton Lake, MI 48629, phone (989) 366-9614, and the land use administrator can be reached at (989) 529-2733. The Agency also issues permits for Backus, Denton, Lake and Roscommon Townships, which are separate units on the state's list and are not covered by this record.
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 Markey as its own building code enforcer. The Houghton Lake Building Agency's pages say building permits are issued under the State Construction Code Act and name no code edition, and Markey Township's pages and ordinance list name none.
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 Houghton Lake Building Agency's pages, Forms page, roofing application, building permit application and notice, and Markey Township's land use page and ordinance list 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 Houghton Lake Building Agency's pages, Forms page, roofing application, building permit application and notice, and Markey Township's land use page and ordinance list 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 Houghton Lake Building Agency's pages, Forms page, roofing application, building permit application and notice, and Markey Township's land use page and ordinance list were read for a local rule and state no impact rule.
Repair permit threshold
The Houghton Lake Building Agency, which issues Markey Township's building permits, posts a dedicated roofing permit form: its Forms page lists "ROOF PERMIT.pdf", and the form is headed "ROOFING APPLICATION" and "HOUGHTON LAKE BUILDING AGENCY" and asks for the project location, the township, the homeowner, the contractor's builder's license number and expiration date and a signed applicant section. The Agency's notice on requirements before obtaining a building permit (dated May 7, 2018) says "For smaller projects such as sheds, decks or roof overs, a basic sketch indicating the construction method of the deck or roof is required." No size, area or cost point below which a reroof needs no permit appears on the roofing application, the notice, the Agency's Building Permit Application (which offers "Repair/Alteration" among its types of improvement) or its General Questions page, and the township's pages publish none. 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. Call the Agency at 989-422-3687 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 Houghton Lake Building Agency's pages and forms state no layer rule, and the township's posted ordinance list (house number display, violations bureau, anti-blight, emergency services, tall grass and weeds, solid waste, noise, short term rental and zoning) lists no building or reroofing ordinance, so no local amendment to Section R908 could be read.
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 Houghton Lake Building Agency's pages, Forms page, roofing application, building permit application and notice, and Markey Township's land use page and ordinance list 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." The same 6% applies throughout Roscommon County.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
Markey Township, in Roscommon County, takes land use permit applications at its township hall at 7400 E. Houghton Lake Drive, and its building permits, including a dedicated roofing application, are issued by the Houghton Lake Building Agency, a joint enforcement agency of Backus, Denton, Lake, Markey and Roscommon Townships at 1250 South Harrison Road in Houghton Lake. The State of Michigan's jurisdiction list names the Township of Markey 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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