Permitting Authorities / Township of Somerset - Building Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Somerset, MI?
Adopted code
Township of Somerset - Building Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Somerset, MI, issued by Township of Somerset - Building Department. In Somerset Township the Building Department's page lists "Permit Issuance" among its duties, and the township publishes no page, form or fee line that addresses a reroof, so ask the Building Inspector what a roof job needs. The department posts a Building Application (an Application for Plan Examination and Building Permit with a type-of-improvement list that includes "Repair, Replacement") and a Building Packet, a guide for new construction and mobile home sites that covers plans, inspections and the final inspection before occupancy; neither names roofing. The page says "Inspections by Appointment Only" with 24 hours' notice, and that "Building clerical services are available Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and on Friday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm." The township hall is at 12715 East Chicago Road, PO Box 69, Somerset Center, MI 49282, and the Building Inspector can be reached at 517-688-9223, extension 7. The township posts no building fee schedule and no online permit portal, so ask the department for the current fee. The application asks the contractor for a license number, its expiration date, a federal employer number or the reason for exemption, and workers compensation insurance information.
Roof code checklist: Township of Somerset, 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 Somerset, Michigan
Address
12715 East Chicago Road, Somerset Center, MI 49282
Contact
- url: https://somersettownship.org/building-department/
- phone: 517-688-9223
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
In Somerset Township the Building Department's page lists "Permit Issuance" among its duties, and the township publishes no page, form or fee line that addresses a reroof, so ask the Building Inspector what a roof job needs. The department posts a Building Application (an Application for Plan Examination and Building Permit with a type-of-improvement list that includes "Repair, Replacement") and a Building Packet, a guide for new construction and mobile home sites that covers plans, inspections and the final inspection before occupancy; neither names roofing. The page says "Inspections by Appointment Only" with 24 hours' notice, and that "Building clerical services are available Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and on Friday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm." The township hall is at 12715 East Chicago Road, PO Box 69, Somerset Center, MI 49282, and the Building Inspector can be reached at 517-688-9223, extension 7. The township posts no building fee schedule and no online permit portal, so ask the department for the current fee. The application asks the contractor for a license number, its expiration date, a federal employer number or the reason for exemption, and workers compensation insurance information.
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 Somerset as its own building code enforcer. The Building Department's page, read October 12, 2026, says the department "enforces local and state building codes" and names no code edition, and the township's Building Application and Building Packet name no residential code edition; the Packet requires insulation values to conform to the current Michigan Uniform Energy Code, an energy code and not a dwelling code. Somerset Township has published no building code ordinance.
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 Building Department page, the Building Application and the Building Packet 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 Building Department page, the Building Application and the Building Packet 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 Building Department page, the Building Application and the Building Packet were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
Somerset Township has published nothing on reroofs. Its Building Department page says the department "Reviews applications for construction, renovation, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing projects." and "Answers questions, offers guidance on permit processes, and provides resources to residents and contractors.", and closes with "If you have questions or concerns about a project, contact the Building Department directly." Its Building Application and Building Packet name no roof work and set no size or dollar point below which a permit is not needed. 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, and the township has published nothing applying that relief to roof work. For any roof job, call the Building Department at 517-688-9223, extension 7, 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 Resources page lists no township ordinance (its Township Ordinances heading has no entries) and links only a Zoning Ordinance, a scanned 79-page document that has no text layer and was not read; the Building Department page, the Building Application and the Building Packet state no layer rule. This record does not classify the local 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). The Building Department page, the Building Application and the Building Packet 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 Somerset Township Building Department page changes this.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
Somerset Township's Building Department, at the township hall at 12715 East Chicago Road in Somerset Center, Hillsdale County, reviews permit applications, conducts inspections and enforces local and state building codes through a Building Inspector. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are issued by the Hillsdale County Inspection Office, 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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