Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Walker, MI?

Roofing questions: Walker, MI

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Walker, MI?

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Walker, MI. State law says "A building permit is not required for ordinary repairs of a building or structure" and does not define ordinary repairs. The City of Walker publishes no roofing threshold of its own: its Building Department page and permit guides say nothing on reroofs, and its fee schedule (Resolution 24-731) prices residential permits by project value with no roofing line. Whether a small roof patch is an ordinary repair is a question for Community Development (616-791-6858) before work starts.

Is ice & water shield required in Walker, MI?

Yes. 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). Walker's own building ordinance, Chapter 18 of the City Code (Buildings and Building Regulations), was read in full (dangerous structures, adoption of the state construction code, the board of appeals, building officials, permit fees, contractor licence filing, grading, the property maintenance code and its local standards, and address numbers) and adds no ice barrier rule of its own.

Is drip edge required in Walker, MI?

Yes. 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). Walker's own building ordinance, Chapter 18 of the City Code (Buildings and Building Regulations), was read in full (dangerous structures, adoption of the state construction code, the board of appeals, building officials, permit fees, contractor licence filing, grading, the property maintenance code and its local standards, and address numbers) and states nothing further on drip edge.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Walker, MI?

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." Walker's own building ordinance, Chapter 18 of the City Code (Buildings and Building Regulations), was read in full (dangerous structures, adoption of the state construction code, the board of appeals, building officials, permit fees, contractor licence filing, grading, the property maintenance code and its local standards, and address numbers); it adopts the state construction code and touches nothing in the reroofing section, so the state limit applies unchanged.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Walker, MI?

Yes.

What building code does Walker, MI use?

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 City of Walker as its own building code enforcer. Section 18-26 of the City Code says "the city hereby adopts by reference the Construction Code" and "assumes responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the Construction Code and the Act within the city," defining the Construction Code as the State Construction Code promulgated from time to time, without naming an edition.