Permitting Authorities / Watervliet Charter Township - Building Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Charter Township of Watervliet, MI?
Adopted code
Watervliet Charter Township - Building Department
Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Charter Township of Watervliet, MI, issued by Watervliet Charter Township - Building Department. Watervliet Charter Township's Building Dept page says "The Building Department grants permits and conducts inspections for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work." and "Application forms for permits may be accessed online through the FORMS tab on this web site. Fee schedules are listed on the applications and are available at the Township office." The township publishes nothing specific to roof work: its Building Permit Application, its Schedule of Fees and the page name no roofing line, no reroof exemption and no size or cost point. With the department silent on reroofs, the state's general permit rule 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. The application's instructions say "A building permit application should be filled out for anything needing building permits per ordinance requirements.", "NO WORK IS TO TAKE PLACE UNTIL ALLOWED BY BUILDING INSPECTOR" and "Please ask whether any of the following are required in addition to this permit: (this will be based on the scope of work)". The application asks for the "Estimated Value of Construction", the contractor's "MI Residential license #" and, for contractors, "copies of license and insurance certificates at time of application"; a homeowner who signs the homeowner affidavit certifies the work "shall be installed by myself in my home in which I am living or about to occupy". Its Schedule of Fees (Revised March 28, 2018) says "BUILDING PERMIT FEES" are "Based on Table 1A 1997 Edition of Uniform Building Code Fees", and the application says "Permit Fee (may call for fee amount)", so ask the Building Department for the current fee. The application says "Plan Review Fee: required for most residential over $50,000; all commercial excluding signs and repairs: 65% of permit". The township hall is at 4959 M-140, Watervliet, MI 49098, and its home page gives "OFFICE HOURS - Monday - Friday 9-12 and 1-4"; the township hall line is 269-463-5113, and the Building Dept page lists a building official, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspectors and a zoning administrator.
Roof code checklist: Charter Township of Watervliet, 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
Charter Township of Watervliet, Berrien County, Michigan
Address
4959 M-140, Watervliet, MI 49098
Contact
- url: https://www.watervliettownship.org/departments/building_dept.php
- phone: 269-930-2453
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: The Watervliet Charter Township Building Permit Application asks the contractor for a "MI Residential license #" and says "Please provide copies of license and insurance certificates at time of application", and its instructions say "Provide a copy of your residential builder's license when working on residential projects if you are not the homeowner signing homeowner affidavit." The township pages read publish no separate registration form, fee or rule.
Permit process note
Watervliet Charter Township's Building Dept page says "The Building Department grants permits and conducts inspections for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work." and "Application forms for permits may be accessed online through the FORMS tab on this web site. Fee schedules are listed on the applications and are available at the Township office." The township publishes nothing specific to roof work: its Building Permit Application, its Schedule of Fees and the page name no roofing line, no reroof exemption and no size or cost point. With the department silent on reroofs, the state's general permit rule 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. The application's instructions say "A building permit application should be filled out for anything needing building permits per ordinance requirements.", "NO WORK IS TO TAKE PLACE UNTIL ALLOWED BY BUILDING INSPECTOR" and "Please ask whether any of the following are required in addition to this permit: (this will be based on the scope of work)". The application asks for the "Estimated Value of Construction", the contractor's "MI Residential license #" and, for contractors, "copies of license and insurance certificates at time of application"; a homeowner who signs the homeowner affidavit certifies the work "shall be installed by myself in my home in which I am living or about to occupy". Its Schedule of Fees (Revised March 28, 2018) says "BUILDING PERMIT FEES" are "Based on Table 1A 1997 Edition of Uniform Building Code Fees", and the application says "Permit Fee (may call for fee amount)", so ask the Building Department for the current fee. The application says "Plan Review Fee: required for most residential over $50,000; all commercial excluding signs and repairs: 65% of permit". The township hall is at 4959 M-140, Watervliet, MI 49098, and its home page gives "OFFICE HOURS - Monday - Friday 9-12 and 1-4"; the township hall line is 269-463-5113, and the Building Dept page lists a building official, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspectors and a zoning administrator.
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 Watervliet in Berrien County as its own building code enforcer. Locally, the township's Ordinances page lists "Building Code Adoption" and "Building Code Amendment" under Construction and links its complete code book on eCode360, a code host that could not be opened for this record; the text of the building code adoption was not read, and whether it names an edition is not decided here. The township's Schedule of Fees (Revised March 28, 2018) says its building permit fees are "Based on Table 1A 1997 Edition of Uniform Building Code Fees", a fee reference whose text was not read, and its Building Permit Application refers to "the current Building Code" and to the "Michigan Residential Code" without an edition. 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 Watervliet Charter Township Building Dept page, Building Permit Application and Schedule of Fees 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 Watervliet Charter Township Building Dept page, Building Permit Application and Schedule of Fees 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 Watervliet Charter Township Building Dept page, Building Permit Application and Schedule of Fees were read for a local rule and state nothing further on impact resistance.
Repair permit threshold
Watervliet Charter Township's Building Department publishes nothing specific to roof work: its Building Dept page, its Building Permit Application and its Schedule of Fees name no roofing line, no reroof exemption and no size, square or dollar point below which roof work needs no permit. Its Building Permit Application says "A building permit application should be filled out for anything needing building permits per ordinance requirements." and "NO WORK IS TO TAKE PLACE UNTIL ALLOWED BY BUILDING INSPECTOR", and gives its permit fee as "may call for fee amount". 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 reroof or a small roof repair, call the Building Department at 269-930-2453 or the township hall at 269-463-5113 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, no building ordinance was read: the township's code book is hosted on eCode360 and could not be opened, so no classification is declared. The Building Dept page, the Building Permit Application and the Schedule of Fees 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 Watervliet Charter Township Building Dept page, Building Permit Application and Schedule of Fees 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 Watervliet Charter Township Building Dept page or Schedule of Fees changes this.
Local roofing hub
Roof permits nearby: Berrien County
More roof permit pages in Michigan
Related guides
Watervliet Charter Township's Building Department, at the township hall at 4959 M-140 in Watervliet, grants permits and conducts inspections for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, and posts a Building Permit Application and a Schedule of Fees on its website. Michigan's single state construction code applies, and for houses that is the 2015 Michigan Residential Code.
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