Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Palmyra, MI?

Roofing questions: Township of Palmyra, MI

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Palmyra, MI?

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Palmyra, MI. Palmyra Township's building permit fee sheet (adopted September 12, 2019) lists roof work as permit types of their own, "Roof Over" and "Tearoff/Reroof", and its building permit application, revised 07-28-2023, offers "Tearoff/Reroof" as a type of work. The township's documents state no size or dollar point below which roof work needs no permit. Under state law: The state construction code act says "before construction of a building or structure, the owner, or the owner's builder, architect, engineer, or agent, shall submit an application in writing to the appropriate enforcing agency for a building permit" and also "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure," (MCL 125.1510) without defining ordinary repairs.

Is ice & water shield required in Township of Palmyra, 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). Palmyra Township's building permit fee sheet shows "Ice Barrier, Final" as the inspections for a "Tearoff/Reroof" permit, so an ice barrier is inspected on a tear-off. Palmyra Township's Building Permit Requirements sheet, building permit fee sheet and building permit application, its ordinances page and its zoning ordinance were read for a local rule and state nothing further on ice barrier beyond that. Palmyra Township's Zoning Ordinance Sec. 2.19.2(B) adopts B.O.C.A. Building Code standards; this field states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, which the state act applies throughout the state; Palmyra Township has published no statement naming the edition it enforces; the B.O.C.A. Building Code standards text was not read (see adopted_code).

Is drip edge required in Township of Palmyra, 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). Palmyra Township's Building Permit Requirements sheet, building permit fee sheet and building permit application, its ordinances page and its zoning ordinance were read for a local rule and state nothing further on drip edge. Palmyra Township's Zoning Ordinance Sec. 2.19.2(B) adopts B.O.C.A. Building Code standards; this field states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, which the state act applies throughout the state; Palmyra Township has published no statement naming the edition it enforces; the B.O.C.A. Building Code standards text was not read (see adopted_code).

Can you roof over an existing roof in Township of Palmyra, 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 building permit fee sheet shows its "Roof Over" permit with the inspection "Final (maximum 2 layers)", which states the same two-layer ceiling. The township's ordinances page lists a zoning ordinance, a Public Health, Safety and Welfare Ordinance, a cemetery ordinance, a sewer use and rate ordinance, a marihuana establishments ordinance and a weed control ordinance, and no building ordinance; the zoning ordinance was searched for roofing text and uses "roof" only in definitions and solar energy provisions, and the Public Health, Safety and Welfare Ordinance mentions shingles only among stored building materials. None amends anything in Section R908, and no classification is set because the B.O.C.A. Building Code standards text was not read. Palmyra Township's Zoning Ordinance Sec. 2.19.2(B) adopts B.O.C.A. Building Code standards; this field states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, which the state act applies throughout the state; Palmyra Township has published no statement naming the edition it enforces; the B.O.C.A. Building Code standards text was not read (see adopted_code).

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Township of Palmyra, MI?

Yes.

What building code does Township of Palmyra, 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." The State of Michigan's jurisdiction list names the Township of Palmyra as its own building code enforcer. Palmyra Township's Zoning Ordinance (11-2020, amended 02-10-2026) Sec. 2.19.2(B) provides that conventional site-built dwellings "shall comply with the B.O.C.A. Building Code standards"; this directory has not read that text, and whether the reference has any effect today is not decided here. This record states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, which the state construction code act applies throughout the state ("This act and the code apply throughout the state," MCL 125.1508a) and which LARA says remains in effect while the Court of Claims order of July 7, 2025 stands. Palmyra Township has published no statement naming the edition it enforces; its Building Permit Requirements sheet refers only to the energy code ("download the 2009 IECC energy code").