Shiawassee County - Building & Trades (Community Development)

Shiawassee County, Michigan (13 townships and 1 village on the county building program)

county

201 North Shiawassee Street, 3rd Floor, Corunna, MI 48817

Required

Required

Shiawassee County's Building & Trades office has published nothing specific to roof work. Its permit application says "Building work shall not be started until the permit has been issued by the Shiawassee County Building & Trades Dept" and carries the applicant's attestation that it "complies with the requirements of MCL 125.1510"; the state's general rule is that before construction of a building or structure an application is submitted to the enforcing agency for a building permit, and "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure," without a definition of ordinary repairs (MCL 125.1510). The office has published no statement applying either clause to roof work, and its page asks applicants to "contact our office prior to submitting any permit application to ensure proper paperwork is filed", so a roofer should ask it. The fee resolution the page lists as the "2026 New Fee Schedule (Effective July 13th, 2026)" (Resolution No. 26-06-12) says fees for "the remodeling, restoration, repair of such residential structures" are "$65.00 for first $1,000 of valuation up to and including $1,000; and $4.50 per additional $1,000 of valuation or fraction thereof", that "A fee of $70.00 shall be applied per required inspection and reinspection", and has no separate roofing line; the page notes "For an executed copy, please visit the County Clerk's Office." The application says "Administration Fee: $65.00" and "THE CHARGE TO RE-OPEN A CLOSED PERMIT IS $75.00." Permits are filed in person or by mail at the Building & Trades Department, 201 N Shiawassee St, Corunna, MI 48817; the inspection line and department phone is 989-743-2396, and Community Development's hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The county serves the units its own Jurisdiction List and LARA's list assign to it; the cities of Corunna, Durand, Laingsburg, Owosso and Perry, and several villages and townships, 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 13 townships and 1 village of Shiawassee County to the county. The county's own Jurisdiction List (updated 1/29/26) shows the county as building enforcer in the same 13 townships and the Village of Bancroft and also in the Village of Byron, which LARA's list shows as enforcing building code for itself. The Building & Trades page says the office enforces "the provisions of the State Construction Code Act", and the building permit application, read October 11, 2026, says "All installations shall be in compliance with the Michigan Building Codes" and has a section headed "Buildings Regulated by the Michigan Residential Code"; neither names an 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 Shiawassee County Building & Trades pages, building permit application, fee schedule and contractor registration form 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 Shiawassee County Building & Trades pages, building permit application, fee schedule and contractor registration form 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 Shiawassee County Building & Trades pages, building permit application, fee schedule and contractor registration form were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.

No size or cost threshold is published. Shiawassee County's Building & Trades page describes its work as "the review and issuance of permits for new construction" and the enforcement of the State Construction Code Act, and its building permit application says "Building work shall not be started until the permit has been issued by the Shiawassee County Building & Trades Dept" and lists alteration and repair among the purposes of a project; the page, application and fee schedule name no roofing work. 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. For a small roof repair, ask the department (989-743-2396) before starting.

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 Shiawassee County Building & Trades pages, building permit application, fee schedule and contractor registration form were read and state no layer rule. The department publishes no building ordinance; the only county ordinance on its Planning & Zoning page that regulates land use is the Shiawassee County Zoning Ordinance (last updated 2006), and its full text was searched for roof, re-roof, re-cover, shingle, layer and R908, and every hit was read: they concern roofed livestock areas, wind and telecommunication equipment, a dwelling roof snow load and strength standard, signs and definitions, and none concerns re-covering a roof or the number of roof layers.

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 Shiawassee County Building & Trades pages, building permit application, fee schedule and contractor registration form 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." Nothing on the Shiawassee County Building & Trades pages changes this; the same 6% applies throughout Shiawassee County.