Permitting Authorities / City of Mason - Community Development (Building Permits)
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Mason, MI?
Adopted code
City of Mason - Community Development (Building Permits)
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Mason, MI, issued by City of Mason - Community Development (Building Permits). In the City of Mason a reroof needs a building permit before work starts: the Permit FAQ says "A complete building permit application must be submitted and the permit approved before any work begins on a project." and the city has a dedicated Roof and Siding permit packet, whose checklist says "SAME DAY ROOF & SIDING PERMITS AVAILABLE ONLINE ANYTIME!" and "PLEASE NOTE: PERMIT FEES ARE DUE AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION." The packet asks for a completed building permit application, an owner authorization (or the contract signed by the property owner) and, if the property owner will do the work, a DIY property owner's affidavit. Its checklist adds "For roof projects, if you are doing more than replacing the deck and roof covering such as structural repair involving trusses, you will need to submit a regular Building Permit application with the necessary drawings/documents for the alteration of a structure." The city's Directory of Charges, amended July 1, 2026, lists "Roofing of buildings (roof over, tear-off or new roof)" at $100.00 "For single family homes and garages" and $150.00 "For all other structures - per structure", and charges "1.5 times permit charge" for "Construction without a permit". The Permit FAQ says "If the necessary permits are not obtained, the property owner, not the contractor, will be cited for the violation." Roof and siding applications can go in online at bsaonline.com, and any application can be mailed to 201 W. Ash Street or left in the drop box at City Hall; for questions call the Customer Service Desk at 517-676-9155, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Roof code checklist: Mason, 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
City of Mason, Michigan
Address
201 W. Ash Street, Mason, MI 48854
Contact
- url: https://www.mason.mi.us/city_departments/community_development_/building_permit_information.php
- phone: 517-676-9155
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 City of Mason's Roof and Siding application asks for the contractor's licence number, and the Permit FAQ, Building Permit Information page and permit packet were read and describe no city contractor registration.
Permit process note
In the City of Mason a reroof needs a building permit before work starts: the Permit FAQ says "A complete building permit application must be submitted and the permit approved before any work begins on a project." and the city has a dedicated Roof and Siding permit packet, whose checklist says "SAME DAY ROOF & SIDING PERMITS AVAILABLE ONLINE ANYTIME!" and "PLEASE NOTE: PERMIT FEES ARE DUE AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION." The packet asks for a completed building permit application, an owner authorization (or the contract signed by the property owner) and, if the property owner will do the work, a DIY property owner's affidavit. Its checklist adds "For roof projects, if you are doing more than replacing the deck and roof covering such as structural repair involving trusses, you will need to submit a regular Building Permit application with the necessary drawings/documents for the alteration of a structure." The city's Directory of Charges, amended July 1, 2026, lists "Roofing of buildings (roof over, tear-off or new roof)" at $100.00 "For single family homes and garages" and $150.00 "For all other structures - per structure", and charges "1.5 times permit charge" for "Construction without a permit". The Permit FAQ says "If the necessary permits are not obtained, the property owner, not the contractor, will be cited for the violation." Roof and siding applications can go in online at bsaonline.com, and any application can be mailed to 201 W. Ash Street or left in the drop box at City Hall; for questions call the Customer Service Desk at 517-676-9155, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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 shows the City of Mason as a local building code enforcer. The city's Building Permit Information page, read October 11, 2026, lists under "CONSTRUCTION CODES IN EFFECT" the "2015 Michigan Residential Code", and its July 2022 permit brochure lists "2015 Michigan Residential Code" as well. The City Code's building chapter, Chapter 6, is published on American Legal and could not be opened for this record, so its adoption text was not read.
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 City of Mason Permit FAQ and Building Permit Information pages, its Roof and Siding permit packet, its permit brochure and its Directory of Charges were read for a local rule and state nothing further on drip edge; the City Code's building chapter was not opened for this record.
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 City of Mason Permit FAQ and Building Permit Information pages, its Roof and Siding permit packet, its permit brochure and its Directory of Charges were read for a local rule and state nothing further on ice barrier; the City Code's building chapter was not opened for this record.
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 City of Mason Permit FAQ and Building Permit Information pages, its Roof and Siding permit packet, its permit brochure and its Directory of Charges were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance; the City Code's building chapter was not opened for this record.
Repair permit threshold
The City of Mason's Permit FAQ says "The City of Mason requires a Building Permit Application prior to starting any of the following types of work" and lists "New construction, additions, remodeling, siding, roofing, fencing" among them. Its exception for repairs reads "Minor repairs - call for clarification. Example - Your roof is leaking and you hire a contractor to seal around a vent stack. No permit is required. If the repair involves removing the entire side of a roof and/or roofing over the existing shingles equivalent to more than 20% of the total roof area, a permit is required." A reroof of the whole roof is above that line. Its Directory of Charges prices "Roofing of buildings (roof over, tear-off or new roof)" at $100.00 for single family homes and garages. 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 the city (517-676-9155) 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." The City Code's building chapter, Chapter 6, is published on American Legal and could not be opened for this record, so no local layer rule is stated or ruled out here. The city's Permit FAQ, Roof and Siding permit packet and permit brochure state no layer rule.
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 city's Roof and Siding checklist says "For roof projects, if you are doing more than replacing the deck and roof covering such as structural repair involving trusses, you will need to submit a regular Building Permit application with the necessary drawings/documents for the alteration of a structure." The City of Mason Permit FAQ and Building Permit Information pages, its Roof and Siding permit packet, its permit brochure and its Directory of Charges were read for a local rule and state nothing further on roof decks or sheathing; the City Code's building chapter was not opened for this record.
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 City of Mason's permit pages or Directory of Charges changes this.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
The City of Mason's Community Development department takes building permit applications at City Hall, 201 W. Ash Street, including a Roof and Siding application with same-day permits available online. The city's Directory of Charges cites Chapter 6 of its Code of Ordinances for building permits, and the State of Michigan's jurisdiction list shows the City as a local building code enforcer. The city's Building Permit Information page lists the 2015 Michigan Residential Code among the construction codes in effect, and Michigan applies one residential code statewide, so the roofing rules below are state law.
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