Permitting Authorities / Charter Township of Royal Oak - Building Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Charter Township of Royal Oak, MI?
Adopted code
Charter Township of Royal Oak - Building Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Charter Township of Royal Oak, MI, issued by Charter Township of Royal Oak - Building Department. In Royal Oak Township a reroof falls to the Building Department, whose Planning & Building page says "The Royal Oak Township Building Department is responsible for building permits, inspections and sign permits for both residential and commercial properties." The department posts no statement on reroofs, so the state rule decides: building permits are the general rule and "ordinary repairs" are undefined. Applications are fillable forms that "must be submitted to Township Hall 21131 Gardenlane - 2nd Floor, Grant School - Ferndale, MI 48220." The Building Clerk takes calls at 248-965-3582, Room 211, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Each application needs a copy of the applicant's State license or contractor's license, a copy of the applicant's driver's license and, if insured, liability insurance; a residential building permit adds "Residential Project: 3 sets of plans". The application says "Separate permits are required for electrical, mechanical, and plumbing" and "No work may be started before the approval of this permit." Payment is by check or cash: "Unfortunately, we do not accept credit card payments at this time." The department says "Permit fees for Building Department applications are listed on the application forms and are up-to-date", and Section 6-20 of the Code of Ordinances sets permit fees by township board resolution; the building permit application itself prints no fee amounts.
Roof code checklist: Charter Township of Royal Oak, 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
Charter Township of Royal Oak, Oakland County, Michigan
Address
21131 Garden Lane, Ferndale, MI 48220
Contact
- url: https://royaloaktwp.com/index.php/services/planning-building
- phone: 248-965-3582
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
In Royal Oak Township a reroof falls to the Building Department, whose Planning & Building page says "The Royal Oak Township Building Department is responsible for building permits, inspections and sign permits for both residential and commercial properties." The department posts no statement on reroofs, so the state rule decides: building permits are the general rule and "ordinary repairs" are undefined. Applications are fillable forms that "must be submitted to Township Hall 21131 Gardenlane - 2nd Floor, Grant School - Ferndale, MI 48220." The Building Clerk takes calls at 248-965-3582, Room 211, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Each application needs a copy of the applicant's State license or contractor's license, a copy of the applicant's driver's license and, if insured, liability insurance; a residential building permit adds "Residential Project: 3 sets of plans". The application says "Separate permits are required for electrical, mechanical, and plumbing" and "No work may be started before the approval of this permit." Payment is by check or cash: "Unfortunately, we do not accept credit card payments at this time." The department says "Permit fees for Building Department applications are listed on the application forms and are up-to-date", and Section 6-20 of the Code of Ordinances sets permit fees by township board resolution; the building permit application itself prints no fee amounts.
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." Section 6-19 of the township's Code of Ordinances designates the township's building official as the enforcing agency and names no edition. The Building Department's page says it enforces "the most current building, electrical, plumbing and other codes" and names no edition, and its building permit application names none; no document read names an edition older than 2015.
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). Chapter 6 of the Charter Township of Royal Oak Code of Ordinances, the Building Department's page and its 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). Chapter 6 of the Charter Township of Royal Oak Code of Ordinances, the Building Department's page and its 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." Chapter 6 of the Charter Township of Royal Oak Code of Ordinances, the Building Department's page and its building permit application were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
The Royal Oak Township Building Department has published nothing that applies the state's ordinary-repairs relief to roof work. Its Planning & Building page says "The Royal Oak Township Building Department is responsible for building permits, inspections and sign permits for both residential and commercial properties.", and its building permit application has a "Repairs or Alterations" line with a blank to "Describe work" and no roofing entry or size limit. The department does not say whether a reroof needs a permit, so ask it before starting. 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. The same 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".
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, Chapter 6 of the Charter Township of Royal Oak Code of Ordinances (Buildings and Building Regulations), as published on Municode, was read in full: it designates the enforcing agency, sets permit fees by board resolution, and covers dangerous buildings and rental dwellings; it has no reroofing provision and amends nothing in Section R908. The township's Residential Building Design Standards set a minimum roof pitch and finish material and say nothing about layers. The Building Department's page states 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). Chapter 6 of the Charter Township of Royal Oak Code of Ordinances, the Building Department's page and its 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 Royal Oak Township Building Department page changes this.
Local roofing hub
Roof permits nearby: Oakland County
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
The Charter Township of Royal Oak's Building Department, in Room 211 of the Grant School at 21131 Garden Lane in Ferndale, issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and does inspections for residential and commercial property in the township, which is separate from the City of Royal Oak. Section 6-19 of the township's Code of Ordinances designates the township's building official as the enforcing agency under the state construction code act, 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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