Permitting Authorities / Richfield Township (Roscommon County) - Building & Zoning Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Richfield, MI?
Adopted code
Richfield Township (Roscommon County) - Building & Zoning Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Richfield, MI, issued by Richfield Township (Roscommon County) - Building & Zoning Department. A reroof in Richfield Township starts with the township's Building Permit Application (Rev. 12-17-25), which has a "Roofing" box under "Type of Improvement". The Building Department's page says "Download the application from the link below, fill it out completely with signature", to be returned by email, regular mail or drop-off at the Richfield Township Offices, and "Allow a minimum of 5 to 7 business days for the permit to be reviewed and approved." The state's general permit rule is the base: "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." The same section says "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure," without defining ordinary repairs, and the department has published no statement applying that relief to roof work. The application asks for a contractor's name, license number and expiration date "(If Applicable)" and carries the state notice that Section 23a of the State Construction Code Act "prohibits a person from conspiring to circumvent the licensing requirements of this state relating to persons who are to perform work on a residential building or a residential structure". The page says "For Building Permits, the fee is based on the project details; you will be contacted with the amount", and no fee schedule or roofing fee is posted, so ask the department for the current fee. The permit instructions say "Your permit is valid for one year. Work must be started within 180 days or the permit will expire." The page says "It is the permit holder's responsibility to schedule the required inspections", and the department's inspection sheet lists footings or foundations, rough framing and a final inspection "unless modified by the Building Inspector", with 24 hour notice. The Building Department's phone is (989) 389-7931; Township Hall is at 1410 N St. Helen Rd, St. Helen, and its hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Roof code checklist: Township of Richfield, 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 Richfield, Roscommon County, Michigan
Address
1410 N. St. Helen Road, St. Helen, MI 48656
Contact
- url: https://richfieldtownship.org/building-zoning/
- phone: 989-389-7931
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
A reroof in Richfield Township starts with the township's Building Permit Application (Rev. 12-17-25), which has a "Roofing" box under "Type of Improvement". The Building Department's page says "Download the application from the link below, fill it out completely with signature", to be returned by email, regular mail or drop-off at the Richfield Township Offices, and "Allow a minimum of 5 to 7 business days for the permit to be reviewed and approved." The state's general permit rule is the base: "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." The same section says "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure," without defining ordinary repairs, and the department has published no statement applying that relief to roof work. The application asks for a contractor's name, license number and expiration date "(If Applicable)" and carries the state notice that Section 23a of the State Construction Code Act "prohibits a person from conspiring to circumvent the licensing requirements of this state relating to persons who are to perform work on a residential building or a residential structure". The page says "For Building Permits, the fee is based on the project details; you will be contacted with the amount", and no fee schedule or roofing fee is posted, so ask the department for the current fee. The permit instructions say "Your permit is valid for one year. Work must be started within 180 days or the permit will expire." The page says "It is the permit holder's responsibility to schedule the required inspections", and the department's inspection sheet lists footings or foundations, rough framing and a final inspection "unless modified by the Building Inspector", with 24 hour notice. The Building Department's phone is (989) 389-7931; Township Hall is at 1410 N St. Helen Rd, St. Helen, and its hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
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 Richfield in Roscommon County as its own building code enforcer. The Building Department's page says it "administrates and enforces the current Michigan codes (with amendments): the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, 2015 Michigan Building Code, 2015 Michigan Rehabilitation code, 2015 Michigan Energy Code, National Electric Code 2017 of Michigan, 2015 Michigan Mechanical Code, and the 2018 Michigan Plumbing Code." The township's Ordinances page lists no building code ordinance, and its zoning ordinance refers to foundations built to the "Roscommon County Building Code" without naming an edition.
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 Richfield Township Building & Zoning page, building permit instructions and building permit application 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 Richfield Township Building & Zoning page, building permit instructions and building permit application 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 Richfield Township Building & Zoning page, building permit instructions and building permit application were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
Richfield Township's Building Department puts roofing on its permit application: the Building Permit Application (Rev. 12-17-25) lists "Roofing" as its own box under "Type of Improvement", beside New Building, Addition, Remodel/Alter and Demolition, and asks for a "Roofing" square footage. The department publishes no size, square or dollar point below which roof work needs no permit, and no exemption for reroofing; its Building page says "All Construction- related permits (Building, Electrical, Mechanical & Plumbing) are issued by the Township Building official" and "For Building Permits, the fee is based on the project details; you will be contacted with the amount." Its permit instructions say a Land Use Permit is not required if "your project is entirely interior remodeling", which says nothing about roof work. The state part: Michigan's construction code act says "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure" and does not define ordinary repairs. A full reroof has a permit box of its own on the township form, so plan on a building permit and call the Building Department at (989) 389-7931 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 no building ordinance (its listed ordinances cover blight, zoning, signs and towers, parks, cemetery, short-term rentals, energy systems and similar subjects) and the Building page, permit instructions and application state no layer rule; no codified building chapter was found, so no local building ordinance was read for Section R908.
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 Richfield Township Building & Zoning page, building permit instructions and building permit application 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." Nothing on the Richfield Township Building & Zoning page changes this.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
Richfield Township's Building & Zoning Department, at Township Hall, 1410 N. St. Helen Road in St. Helen, issues the township's building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits through its Building official, and the State of Michigan's jurisdiction list names the Township as its own building code enforcer. Michigan's single state construction code applies, and for houses that is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.
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