Permitting Authorities / Township of Surrey - Building Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Surrey, MI?
Adopted code
Township of Surrey - Building Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Surrey, MI, issued by Township of Surrey - Building Department. The Surrey Township Building Department lists reroofing among its inspected building work and states no exemption for it. Its Building Inspection List has a heading "Roofs:" with "Underlayment / Weather Shield" and "Final" under it, and says "Any work requiring inspection must be visible at the time of inspection. Covering up work prior to inspection may result in removal of any and all obstructions to allow inspection completion." The department states no size, square or dollar point below which roof work needs no permit, and its building permit application and Building page name no roofing line. The state's general permit rule also 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 department has published nothing applying that relief to roof work. Its fee schedule, last revised April 9, 2024, charges by construction cost: "Up to $1000" is "$75", "$1001 to $10,000" is "$75 plus $10 per $1000", and every inspection is "$75"; "Building and Demo permit costs above do not include the $50 application fee." For "Work without a Permit (all permit types)" the fee is "$500*", and "For each incident of working without a permit, the fine increases by $500, with no limit."; the application adds "If work is started without a valid permit, the responsible party may be subject to additional fees, including double permit fees, and a minimum $500 fine for working without a permit." The Building page says "Applying for a permit does not equal issuance - work may not begin until the permit is issued." and "ALL INSPECTION REQUESTS MUST GO THROUGH THE OFFICE." Contractors can apply and request inspections online through the township's BS&A portal, while "homeowners still need to either come in to the office, or email" the department their permit applications. Permits expire when 180 days pass without an inspection and can be reinstated within 30 days for $75. If the property is in the Village of Farwell, the Building page says "zoning permits are handled by the Village, and all other permits must go through Clare County." The office, at 186 N. Superior St., Farwell, MI 48622, is open "Monday through Thursday 9am-12pm and 1pm-5pm EST, but are subject to change"; call (989) 588-6914 ext. 230.
Roof code checklist: Township of Surrey, 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 Surrey, Clare County, Michigan
Address
186 N. Superior St., Farwell, MI 48622
Contact
- url: https://surreytownship.com/departments/building_department.php
- phone: 989-588-6914
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
The Surrey Township Building Department lists reroofing among its inspected building work and states no exemption for it. Its Building Inspection List has a heading "Roofs:" with "Underlayment / Weather Shield" and "Final" under it, and says "Any work requiring inspection must be visible at the time of inspection. Covering up work prior to inspection may result in removal of any and all obstructions to allow inspection completion." The department states no size, square or dollar point below which roof work needs no permit, and its building permit application and Building page name no roofing line. The state's general permit rule also 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 department has published nothing applying that relief to roof work. Its fee schedule, last revised April 9, 2024, charges by construction cost: "Up to $1000" is "$75", "$1001 to $10,000" is "$75 plus $10 per $1000", and every inspection is "$75"; "Building and Demo permit costs above do not include the $50 application fee." For "Work without a Permit (all permit types)" the fee is "$500*", and "For each incident of working without a permit, the fine increases by $500, with no limit."; the application adds "If work is started without a valid permit, the responsible party may be subject to additional fees, including double permit fees, and a minimum $500 fine for working without a permit." The Building page says "Applying for a permit does not equal issuance - work may not begin until the permit is issued." and "ALL INSPECTION REQUESTS MUST GO THROUGH THE OFFICE." Contractors can apply and request inspections online through the township's BS&A portal, while "homeowners still need to either come in to the office, or email" the department their permit applications. Permits expire when 180 days pass without an inspection and can be reinstated within 30 days for $75. If the property is in the Village of Farwell, the Building page says "zoning permits are handled by the Village, and all other permits must go through Clare County." The office, at 186 N. Superior St., Farwell, MI 48622, is open "Monday through Thursday 9am-12pm and 1pm-5pm EST, but are subject to change"; call (989) 588-6914 ext. 230.
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 Surrey in Clare County as its own building code enforcer. Locally, the township's building permit application says "All installations must be in compliance with the current Michigan Residential or Building Codes." and regulates one- and two-family houses as "Buildings Regulated by the Michigan Residential Code"; its Ordinance 2010-03, adopted November 9, 2010, designates the Zoning Administrator as the enforcing agency under the State Construction Code Act and enforces "Appendix G of the Michigan Building Code", and its floodplain resolution of the same date refers to "the current Michigan Residential Code". None of these names an edition year or an older residential code edition, so 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 Surrey Township Building page, building permit application, fee schedule and inspection lists 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 Surrey Township Building page, building permit application, fee schedule and inspection lists 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 Surrey Township Building page, building permit application, fee schedule and inspection lists were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
Surrey Township's Building Department publishes no sentence saying whether a reroof needs a permit and no size, square or dollar point below which roof work needs none. Its Building Inspection List, a department information sheet, has a heading "Roofs:" with two inspections under it, "Underlayment / Weather Shield" and "Final", beside its headings for siding, windows and new construction; its building permit application says "Work may not be started until the relevant permit has been issued by Surrey Township."; and its fee schedule (last revised April 9, 2024) charges "$75" for "Up to $1000" of construction cost and "$500*" for "Work without a Permit (all permit types)". 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. For a small roof repair, call the office at (989) 588-6914 ext. 230 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 Ordinances page lists a Blight Ordinance, a Burn Ordinance, a Noise Ordinance, a Sign Ordinance, a Floodplain Ordinance and resolution, a Liquor Control Ordinance, a Parental Responsibility ordinance, a Zoning Ordinance, a Rental Registration Ordinance and a Fireworks Ordinance. The Floodplain Ordinance (2010-03, which amends an earlier Ordinance 2009-04 that the township does not post), the floodplain resolution, the Blight Ordinance and the Rental Registration Ordinance were read in full, and none has a reroofing provision or amends Section R908; the Building page, permit application, fee schedule and inspection lists state 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). The Surrey Township Building page, building permit application, fee schedule and inspection lists 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 Surrey Township Building page or in its fee schedule changes this.
Local roofing hub
Roof permits nearby: Clare County
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
Surrey Township's Building Department, at 186 N. Superior St. in Farwell, issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and makes the inspections for the township, and contractors can apply and request inspections online. 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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