Permitting Authorities / City of Rockwood - Building and Safety Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Rockwood, MI?
Adopted code
City of Rockwood - Building and Safety Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Rockwood, MI, issued by City of Rockwood - Building and Safety Department. The City of Rockwood publishes nothing specific to roof work: its Building and Safety page, Building Permit Application and fee schedule name no roofing line and no reroof exemption. With the department silent on reroofs, the state's general permit rule applies: "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 city has not applied that relief to roof work. The Building and Safety page says the "BUILDING DEPARTMENT WILL STOP ISSUING PERMITS DAILY AT 3:30PM" and that the administration hours are Monday and Wednesday, in person, 8 AM - 4 PM, with City Hall closed Friday. It says "Building, Zoning, Plumbing, and Mechanical Inspections are performed Monday and Wednesday between 4:30PM-7:00PM" and "Please contact the building department to schedule any inspections." The Building Permit Application (state form BCC-324, Rev. 1/09) says "Note: Separate Applications Must be Completed for Plumbing, Mechanical and Electrical Work Permits" and carries "$200 FIND FOR WORK STARTED WITHOUT A PERMIT!" The Building Permit Fee Schedule on it, effective 3-15-24, adds a non-refundable admin fee of $50.00 to every permit, plus $11.00 for each $1000.00 of cost of improvement or fraction thereof, and lists a rough inspection and a final inspection at $75.00 each. Contractors who work in the city also register with it: its Contractor's Registration Form says "All Contractors doing work in the City of Rockwood are required to file a registration form with the City of Rockwood on a yearly basis.".
Roof code checklist: Rockwood, 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 Rockwood, Michigan
Address
32409 Fort Road, Rockwood, MI 48173
Contact
- url: https://rockwoodmi.org/Index-Page.asp?Page_ID=5
- phone: 734-379-9496
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 Rockwood's Contractor's Registration Form says "All Contractors doing work in the City of Rockwood are required to file a registration form with the City of Rockwood on a yearly basis." It lists registration types of Building at $50.00, Electrical at $40.00, Plumbing at $1.00 and Mechanical at $15.00 (Mechanical valid for the duration of the license), and says to "INCLUDE FEE WITH COPY OF LICENSE AND PROOF OF LIABILITY INSURANCE WITH FORM!! CITY OF ROCKWOOD MUST BE NAME CERTIFICATE HOLDER" and asks for the state license number, Federal Employer I.D. number and Workers' Compensation carrier. Ordinance No. 504, adopted March 6, 2024, lists a "Maintenance and alterations contractor" registration fee of $50 per year.
Permit process note
The City of Rockwood publishes nothing specific to roof work: its Building and Safety page, Building Permit Application and fee schedule name no roofing line and no reroof exemption. With the department silent on reroofs, the state's general permit rule applies: "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 city has not applied that relief to roof work. The Building and Safety page says the "BUILDING DEPARTMENT WILL STOP ISSUING PERMITS DAILY AT 3:30PM" and that the administration hours are Monday and Wednesday, in person, 8 AM - 4 PM, with City Hall closed Friday. It says "Building, Zoning, Plumbing, and Mechanical Inspections are performed Monday and Wednesday between 4:30PM-7:00PM" and "Please contact the building department to schedule any inspections." The Building Permit Application (state form BCC-324, Rev. 1/09) says "Note: Separate Applications Must be Completed for Plumbing, Mechanical and Electrical Work Permits" and carries "$200 FIND FOR WORK STARTED WITHOUT A PERMIT!" The Building Permit Fee Schedule on it, effective 3-15-24, adds a non-refundable admin fee of $50.00 to every permit, plus $11.00 for each $1000.00 of cost of improvement or fraction thereof, and lists a rough inspection and a final inspection at $75.00 each. Contractors who work in the city also register with it: its Contractor's Registration Form says "All Contractors doing work in the City of Rockwood are required to file a registration form with the City of Rockwood on a yearly basis."
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 City of Rockwood as its own building code enforcer. The Building and Safety page says the department "enforces the State of Michigan Building Codes", and its Building Permit Application has the applicant "AGREE TO CONFORM TO ALL APPLICABLE LAWS OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN"; neither names a code edition. The city's Code of Ordinances is hosted on a code site that refused a plain request, so its chapters were not read for this record, and this record states the 2015 Michigan Residential Code for the reasons above.
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 Rockwood's Building and Safety page, Building Permit Application and fee schedule 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 City of Rockwood's Building and Safety page, Building Permit Application and fee schedule 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 City of Rockwood's Building and Safety page, Building Permit Application and fee schedule were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
The City of Rockwood has published nothing on reroofs: its Building and Safety page, Building Permit Application and Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective 3-15-24) name no roofing line, no size or cost point and no reroof exemption. The page says the department "issues permits for new construction, repairs and alterations to existing structures, additions, swimming pools and electrical, plumbing, heating/air conditioning, sewer work, and zoning permits for sheds, fences, and concrete." The application lists Alteration and Repair among its types of improvement and says "Plans are not required for alterations and repair work determined by the building official to be of a minor nature." 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; the city has published nothing applying that relief to roof work. For a small repair, ask the Building Department at 734-379-9496 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 of Rockwood's Building and Safety page, Building Permit Application and fee schedule state no layer rule. The city's Code of Ordinances could not be opened for this record, so no city building ordinance was read for a roofing 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 of Rockwood's Building and Safety page, Building Permit Application and fee schedule 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 City of Rockwood's Building and Safety page, permit application or fee schedule changes this.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
The City of Rockwood's Building and Safety Department, at City Hall, 32409 Fort Road in Rockwood, issues building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, performs the inspections, and registers the contractors who work in the city. LARA's Statewide Jurisdiction List names the City of Rockwood 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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