Permitting Authorities / Township of Vergennes (Kent County) - Building Permits (Cascade Charter Township Building Inspection Department)
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Vergennes, MI?
Adopted code
Township of Vergennes (Kent County) - Building Permits (Cascade Charter Township Building Inspection Department)
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Township of Vergennes, MI, issued by Township of Vergennes (Kent County) - Building Permits (Cascade Charter Township Building Inspection Department). For a reroof in Vergennes Township, plan on a building permit from Cascade Charter Township's Building Inspection Department: its FAQ says "Yes. You will need to fill out a roofing/siding worksheet and a Building Permit application." The Residential Roofing / Siding Worksheet asks for the type of covering, the number of squares, the roof pitch, the underlayment, the ice barrier, the number of layers now on the roof and whether you will tear off, and the ventilation type, and it notes "Please call for inspection when the job is complete" and that "Any structural changes or replacing sheathing will require additional drawings detailing location and specifications." Vergennes Township's Building Department page says that applicants "Fill out a zoning permit application" and pay "the $50.00 fee", then send the building permit application to the township's zoning email, and that the Zoning Administrator does the zoning review and forwards the file to Cascade; it adds "Cascade will handle all building permit fees" and "All building questions and inspections will be handled and scheduled by Cascade Township." That page describes the process as it stands "Beginning December 1, 2021". The building permit application is headed Vergennes Township with Cascade's address, 5920 Tahoe Dr SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-7123, and phone (616)949-3765. Cascade says all of its permit applications "must receive zoning approval from the city or township where the work is located", lists Vergennes Twp among the communities it serves, and keeps office hours of Monday to Thursday 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Friday 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM, with inspector hours by appointment. Vergennes Township Hall is at 69 Lincoln Lake Ave NE, Lowell, MI 49331, 616-897-5671, open Monday and Wednesday 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and Thursday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Confirm the current fees with Cascade, which sets them.
Roof code checklist: Township of Vergennes, 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 Vergennes, Kent County, Michigan
Address
5920 Tahoe Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Contact
- url: https://vergennestwpmi.gov/building/
- phone: 616-949-3765
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- city_level: Vergennes Township's permits are issued by Cascade Charter Township, whose contractor registration form says "This form must be completed by all contractors before applying for a permit" and that the registration "is valid for the term of your license and covers all jurisdictions that are serviced through Cascade Inspection Services including" Vergennes Township. A copy of the contractor's license must accompany it, and the form shows an "Included $15.00 FEE".
Permit process note
For a reroof in Vergennes Township, plan on a building permit from Cascade Charter Township's Building Inspection Department: its FAQ says "Yes. You will need to fill out a roofing/siding worksheet and a Building Permit application." The Residential Roofing / Siding Worksheet asks for the type of covering, the number of squares, the roof pitch, the underlayment, the ice barrier, the number of layers now on the roof and whether you will tear off, and the ventilation type, and it notes "Please call for inspection when the job is complete" and that "Any structural changes or replacing sheathing will require additional drawings detailing location and specifications." Vergennes Township's Building Department page says that applicants "Fill out a zoning permit application" and pay "the $50.00 fee", then send the building permit application to the township's zoning email, and that the Zoning Administrator does the zoning review and forwards the file to Cascade; it adds "Cascade will handle all building permit fees" and "All building questions and inspections will be handled and scheduled by Cascade Township." That page describes the process as it stands "Beginning December 1, 2021". The building permit application is headed Vergennes Township with Cascade's address, 5920 Tahoe Dr SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-7123, and phone (616)949-3765. Cascade says all of its permit applications "must receive zoning approval from the city or township where the work is located", lists Vergennes Twp among the communities it serves, and keeps office hours of Monday to Thursday 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Friday 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM, with inspector hours by appointment. Vergennes Township Hall is at 69 Lincoln Lake Ave NE, Lowell, MI 49331, 616-897-5671, open Monday and Wednesday 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and Thursday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Confirm the current fees with Cascade, which sets them.
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 Vergennes as its own building code enforcer. The township's Building Department page says it contracts with Cascade Charter Township's Building Department for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, and Cascade's Currently Adopted Codes sheet (file dated 03/12/24) lists the "2015 Michigan Residential Code" with an effective date of 2/8/16. The township's Zoning Ordinance (Supplement 25, updated December 31, 2020) refers to "the Michigan Building Code" and the "Township Building Code" and, for signs, to "the current BOCA Building Code", and for wind turbine engineering to the "Uniform Building Code", in each case without an edition year and none as a residential code; the texts of those codes were not read.
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). Vergennes Township's Building Department page, its building permit checklist and application, and the Cascade Charter Township Building Inspection Department pages and forms that serve Vergennes Township 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). Cascade's Residential Roofing / Siding Worksheet, which serves Vergennes Township, has an "Ice barrier" line to be filled in with the application; the township's own pages state no separate local rule on it.
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." Vergennes Township's Building Department page, its building permit checklist and application, and the Cascade Charter Township Building Inspection Department pages and forms that serve Vergennes Township were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
Vergennes Township's building permits are handled by Cascade Charter Township's Building Inspection Department, and Cascade treats a reroof as permit work and states no size or dollar point below which it needs none. Its frequently asked questions answer "Is a building permit required for roofing or siding?" with "Yes. You will need to fill out a roofing/siding worksheet and a Building Permit application.", its forms page lists a "Roofing/Siding Worksheet" under "Vergennes Township Permits", and the building permit checklist posted on Vergennes Township's own Building Department page lists "Roofing / Siding Form (replacement only)". 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 neither the township nor Cascade has published anything applying that relief to roof work. For a small repair, call the Cascade Building Inspection Department at 616-949-3765 before starting. Cascade's own record in this directory gives the same answer for Cascade Township.
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, Cascade Charter Township's roofing and siding worksheet asks for the number of layers now on the roof and whether you will tear off, and states no layer limit. The township's Ordinances page lists no building code ordinance: its Building Numbering ordinance carries a cross reference to "Building and construction codes, Pt. 181", and that part is not among the ordinances posted, so no township building ordinance was read and no classification is declared here.
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). Vergennes Township's Building Department page, its building permit checklist and application, and the Cascade Charter Township Building Inspection Department pages and forms that serve Vergennes Township were read for a local rule and state nothing further on roof sheathing beyond the worksheet's note that "Any structural changes or replacing sheathing will require additional drawings detailing location and specifications."
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 Vergennes Township Building Department page or in Cascade's forms changes this.
Local roofing hub
Roof permits nearby: Kent County
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
Building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits for the Township of Vergennes in Kent County are issued and inspected by the Cascade Charter Township Building Inspection Department, at 5920 Tahoe Drive SE in Grand Rapids, under contract; Vergennes Township's own Building Department page says "All building questions and inspections will be handled and scheduled by Cascade Township", and applicants first get zoning approval from the township, whose hall is at 69 Lincoln Lake Ave NE in Lowell. Cascade's department lists a "Roofing/Siding Worksheet" among the forms for Vergennes Township. Michigan applies one residential code statewide, and for houses that is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.
Working an insurance claim in Township of Vergennes, MI? Everything on this page (drip edge, ice & water shield, inspections, Class 4 rules) formatted as a claim-ready evidence pack: verbatim ordinance quotes, code section cites, verification dates, and official source links, ready to attach to a supplement. See a real sample pack (PDF, 4 pages, free).
Code items like drip edge and ice & water shield are what adjusters ask you to document.
Buy this jurisdiction's pack: $12 Delivered by email within minutes. Digital download: all sales are final once delivered, except for a failed delivery, a defective file, a duplicate purchase, or a pack materially different from its description. See Section 6 of our Terms of Use.
Questions about the Township of Vergennes, MI pack?
Not ready to buy, or need a different jurisdiction? Tell us and we’ll reply directly.