Permitting Authorities / Township of Southfield - Building Official
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Southfield, MI?
Adopted code
Township of Southfield - Building Official
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Southfield, MI, issued by Township of Southfield - Building Official. In Southfield Township the Building Official issues building permits. Section 151.171 says fees "for inspection and the issuance of permits" "shall be collected by the Building Official in advance of issuance" and "established by resolution of the Township Board"; no fee table is posted on the township's website. The section says "Unless construction is started within six months after the date of issuance of a building permit, the building permit shall automatically become void and fees forfeited." Applications must come with plans and a plot plan, though the Building Official "may waive the requirements herein of the furnishing of a plot plan" for "an addition or alteration to an existing building or structure" when "the public health, safety and welfare will not be adversely affected"; the Building Official is to issue a permit "within seven working days after the receipt of the application" when the application conforms, and "the holder thereof shall seek final inspection thereof by notifying the Building Official". Section 150.01 designates the Township Building Official as the enforcing agency and says the Township Board "shall contract for, appoint or otherwise secure the services of necessary" inspectors and plan reviewers. The township's website lists only Township Hall, 18550 W. 13 Mile Rd., Beverly Hills, MI 48025, open Monday through Friday, 8:30-5:00, at (248) 540-3420, which is the township's general line; it lists no separate building office line. LARA's list shows the Villages of Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms and Franklin as separate enforcing agencies, and this record covers the township.
Roof code checklist: Township of Southfield, 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 Southfield, Michigan
Address
18550 W. 13 Mile Road, Beverly Hills, MI 48025
Contact
- url: https://southfieldtownshipmi.gov/contact-ud/
- phone: 248-540-3420
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: Chapter 150 of the Southfield Township Code of Ordinances, read in full, requires licensing and registration only as the state's own acts provide (Section 150.02 repeats the state Electrical Administrative Act for electrical trades). The township's website and Chapter 150 name no separate township contractor licence, registration or bond for roofers.
Permit process note
In Southfield Township the Building Official issues building permits. Section 151.171 says fees "for inspection and the issuance of permits" "shall be collected by the Building Official in advance of issuance" and "established by resolution of the Township Board"; no fee table is posted on the township's website. The section says "Unless construction is started within six months after the date of issuance of a building permit, the building permit shall automatically become void and fees forfeited." Applications must come with plans and a plot plan, though the Building Official "may waive the requirements herein of the furnishing of a plot plan" for "an addition or alteration to an existing building or structure" when "the public health, safety and welfare will not be adversely affected"; the Building Official is to issue a permit "within seven working days after the receipt of the application" when the application conforms, and "the holder thereof shall seek final inspection thereof by notifying the Building Official". Section 150.01 designates the Township Building Official as the enforcing agency and says the Township Board "shall contract for, appoint or otherwise secure the services of necessary" inspectors and plan reviewers. The township's website lists only Township Hall, 18550 W. 13 Mile Rd., Beverly Hills, MI 48025, open Monday through Friday, 8:30-5:00, at (248) 540-3420, which is the township's general line; it lists no separate building office line. LARA's list shows the Villages of Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms and Franklin as separate enforcing agencies, and this record covers the township.
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 Southfield as its own building code enforcer. Section 150.01 of the Code of Ordinances (Chapter 150, Building Regulations, read in full as posted on the township's Ordinances page) assumes responsibility for enforcing the state construction code and designates the Township Building Official as the enforcing agency; Section 150.07 says "The Building Code is part of the State Construction Code being administered and enforced by the township" and Section 150.08 says "The Residential Code is part of the State Construction Code being administered and enforced by the township"; neither names an edition. Section 150.03 adopts the "National Fire Prevention Code, 1996 Edition" and Section 150.06 the "National Property Maintenance Code, 1996 Edition", both published by BOCA, a fire code and a property maintenance code. The text of those two codes was not read for this record.
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 150 (Building Regulations) of the Southfield Township Code of Ordinances, read in full, and the township's website 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 150 (Building Regulations) of the Southfield Township Code of Ordinances, read in full, and the township's website 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 150 of the Southfield Township Code of Ordinances, read in full, and the township's website state no impact rule.
Repair permit threshold
Section 151.171(A) of the Southfield Township Code of Ordinances provides that "No building or structure within the unincorporated portions of the township shall hereafter be erected, moved, repaired, altered or razed" until "a building permit shall have been obtained from the Building Official", "except that no building permit shall be required for non-structural alterations costing less than $500". The section names no roof work, and the township's website posts no building permit page, application or fee schedule that mentions a reroof. 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. Call Township Hall at 248-540-3420 before a reroof to confirm how the Building Official applies the $500 exception to your job.
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 150 of the Southfield Township Code of Ordinances (Building Regulations, Sections 150.01 through 150.08, read in full) assumes enforcement of the state construction code, creates the Construction Board of Appeals, adopts the BOCA fire prevention and property maintenance codes and flood maps, and sets violations and fees; it has no reroofing provision and amends nothing in Section R908. The township's website 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 150 (Building Regulations) of the Southfield Township Code of Ordinances, read in full, and the township's website were read for a local rule and state nothing further on roof decks or 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." The same 6% applies in Southfield Township.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
Southfield Township, in Oakland County, enforces the state construction code through a Township Building Official designated by Section 150.01 of its Code of Ordinances, for the unincorporated parts of the township outside the Villages of Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms and Franklin. Its Township Hall is at 18550 W. 13 Mile Road in Beverly Hills, and the township's website posts no building permit page, form or fee schedule. Section 151.171 of its Code of Ordinances requires a building permit for work that repairs or alters a building, with an exception for non-structural alterations costing less than $500. Michigan applies one residential code statewide, so the code rules below are state law.
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