Menominee County - Building Code Department

Menominee County, Michigan (3 villages and 14 townships on the county building program)

county

S904 US Highway 41, Stephenson, MI 49887

Required

Required

Menominee County Building Code Department has published nothing that names roof work. Its Building Permits page says "Building Permits are required for the following:" and lists construction other than a small detached accessory structure, demolition, moved structures, new dwellings, additions, decks, porches, foundations, garages and additional floors, and says "Building Permits are not required for siding, maintenance, minor repairs or finish work." Its fee schedule has no roofing line: it charges a non-refundable $75.00 application fee plus per-square-foot rates for new work, a $125.00 flat fee for "MINOR REMODEL" and $50.00 for each additional inspection, payable to the Menominee County Treasurer. The permit application lists "REPAIR/REMODEL" among its types of improvement and says "ALL WORK MUST BE INSPECTED BEFORE BEING COVERED" and "FOR TIMELY INSPECTIONS PROVIDE TWO WORKING DAYS NOTICE". The department's requirements page asks for a completed application and fee, a site plan and drawings for additions or alterations, and its FAQ says "Building Permits expire after 180 days if work has not started or no inspections are called for" and an extension can be requested at no cost. In a township with a zoning ordinance, approved zoning from the township is required before applying; the county lists seven units with zoning ordinances. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits "are only issued by the State of Michigan". The department's inspector is reached at 906-290-2021 and the page says office hours may vary. The department serves the units the state's jurisdiction list assigns to the county for building; the Cities of Menominee and Stephenson enforce for themselves.

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 assigns building code enforcement in 3 villages and 14 townships of Menominee County to the county; the Cities of Menominee and Stephenson are listed as enforcing for themselves. The Menominee County Building Code Department's page, read October 11, 2026, says the department "assures compliance with all current State Construction laws, Rules and Codes" and names no code 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 Menominee County Building Code Department's pages (general information, how to apply, requirements, building permits, zoning, forms, costs and fees and FAQ), fee schedule and permit application were read for a local rule and state nothing further on drip edge. 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 Menominee County Building Code Department's pages (general information, how to apply, requirements, building permits, zoning, forms, costs and fees and FAQ), fee schedule and permit application were read for a local rule and state nothing further on ice barrier. 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 Menominee County Building Code Department's pages (general information, how to apply, requirements, building permits, zoning, forms, costs and fees and FAQ), fee schedule and permit application were read for a local rule and state no impact rule.

No size or cost threshold is published for roof work. The Menominee County Building Code Department's Building Permits page says "Building Permits are required for the following:" and its list begins with construction other than a detached accessory structure under 200 sqft (residential) or 120 sqft (non-residential), and the same page says "Building Permits are not required for siding, maintenance, minor repairs or finish work." Its FAQ repeats "Siding, maintenance, minor repairs or finish work do not need a Building Permit." Neither page names roofing or reroofing, and neither defines "maintenance" or "minor repairs", and the department has published nothing applying either to roof work, so the general permit rule governs a reroof. 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. Ask the department (906-290-2021) before starting a roof job.

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 Menominee County Building Code Department's pages (general information, how to apply, requirements, building permits, zoning, forms, costs and fees and FAQ), fee schedule and permit application were read for a local rule and state no layer rule. No county building ordinance is published on the department's pages or the county's forms and documents page, so no local amendment to Section R908 could be read.

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 Menominee County Building Code Department's pages (general information, how to apply, requirements, building permits, zoning, forms, costs and fees and FAQ), fee schedule and permit application were read for a local rule and state nothing further on roof sheathing.

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 Menominee County.