Short answer: Exchange lists 18 roofing contractors in Michigan. Residential roofing requires a Maintenance and Alteration Contractor licence with the roofing classification, or a Residential Builder licence, issued by LARA under Article 24 of the Occupational Code. Michigan's Construction Lien Act runs on a strict 90-day clock, and lake-effect snow plus a long freeze-thaw season make eave detailing and ventilation the difference between a 25-year roof and a 12-year one.
Roofing contractors in Michigan
Michigan is a cold-climate roofing market with a twist most northern states do not have: the lake effect. Bands off Lake Michigan bury the western counties — Muskegon, Grand Traverse and the Keweenaw see snowfall totals several times those of Detroit on the same latitude — while the southeast gets a wetter, more freeze-thaw-cycling winter that is harder on flashings than on structure. Add a mature housing stock, a great deal of it built before the current ventilation and ice barrier requirements, and the recurring problems are damming, deck rot and flashing failure rather than sudden storm loss.
This directory lists roofing contractors across Michigan: residential re-roofers and storm repair firms across metro Detroit, Grand Rapids and the lakeshore; commercial low-slope contractors on the automotive, supplier and distribution building stock; metal roofing and snow-country specialists in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula; and sheet metal and building envelope firms handling the flashing, coping and masonry-interface details on older brick buildings.
Licensing under the Occupational Code
Michigan licenses residential construction through the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs under Article 24 of the Occupational Code. Two licences matter for roofing. A Residential Builder licence permits general construction of residential structures. A Maintenance and Alteration Contractor licence permits work in specified classifications, of which roofing is one — a roofer who only roofs takes the M&A licence with the roofing classification rather than the full builder licence. Both require prelicensure education, an examination and continuing competency, and both must be held by a qualifying officer in a company.
Michigan also operates a Homeowner Construction Lien Recovery Fund history and a residential builders' disciplinary process through LARA, and unlicensed residential contracting carries a specific and serious consequence: an unlicensed contractor cannot bring a court action to collect payment for residential work. That single rule is a far stronger enforcement mechanism than a fine. Commercial roofing does not require the residential licence, but local registration, permits and prevailing-wage obligations on public work still apply.
Lake effect, snow load and drift
Ground snow loads in Michigan vary enormously by county — roughly 25 to 30 pounds per square foot in the southeast, well above 60 in parts of the western Upper Peninsula. Structural failures almost never occur in open roof field; they occur at drifts. The recurring locations are the low roof adjacent to a taller wall, the valley where two slopes converge, the leeward side of a ridge, and the area behind a rooftop mechanical curb. On additions and porch roofs tied into a two-storey wall, the drift surcharge can exceed the balanced load several times over, which is why so many Michigan collapse claims are on a room addition rather than on the main house.
Freeze-thaw, ice barrier and ventilation
Southeast Michigan cycles through freezing repeatedly rather than staying cold, and that cycling is what drives water into flashing laps, masonry joints and mortar, then expands it. The result is that in Detroit and Ann Arbor the failure is usually at a penetration, a chimney, a step flashing or a parapet rather than in the field of the roof. Self-adhered ice barrier membrane is required at the eaves under the Michigan Residential Code, extending a defined distance inside the exterior wall line, and it is the last defence when a dam forms.
The prevention is the same as in any cold climate and is worth repeating because it is so often skipped: seal the air leaks between the house and the attic, then insulate to depth, then provide balanced intake at the soffit and exhaust at the ridge. A common Michigan defect is a ridge vent installed over blocked or painted-shut soffits, which converts the attic into a negative-pressure zone that pulls conditioned air out of the house and makes damming worse rather than better.
Insurance, hail and the older housing stock
Michigan's hail exposure is real but smaller than the plains states, and a larger share of roofing work here is age-driven replacement on housing built between 1950 and 1990. That has two implications. Deck condition is frequently an unknown until tear-off, so a contract that does not state a unit price for deck replacement is an argument waiting to happen. And older roofs commonly carry two or three layers of shingles; Michigan code limits the number of roof coverings, so many jobs that a homeowner budgeted as an overlay are legally tear-offs.
The Construction Lien Act
Michigan's Construction Lien Act is procedural and unforgiving. A subcontractor or supplier must serve a Notice of Furnishing on the designee named in the Notice of Commencement within 20 days of first furnishing. A Claim of Lien must be recorded within 90 days of the last furnishing and served on the owner within 15 days of recording. Foreclosure must be commenced within one year of recording. On residential work, the Homeowner Construction Lien Recovery Fund historically protected homeowners who had paid in full; contractors should assume the owner has counsel who knows the notice sequence, because failing the 20-day Notice of Furnishing is fatal to the lien no matter how good the underlying claim is.
Commercial and industrial roofs
Michigan's automotive and supplier building stock gives the state an unusually large inventory of very large low-slope roofs, many of them ballasted EPDM installed in the 1980s and 1990s and now well past their design life. Replacement on an operating plant is a phased, occupied-building problem where the constraints are interior operations, roof-mounted mechanical and process equipment, and the fact that a leak lands on production rather than on carpet. Recover systems over existing insulation are common where the deck and existing assembly test dry, and an infrared or nuclear moisture survey before specification is what determines whether recover is legitimate or is burying wet insulation for the next owner to find.
Michigan's energy code and roof insulation
The Michigan Energy Code sets minimum R-values for roof assemblies that most pre-2000 commercial roofs do not meet, and a full replacement generally triggers the current requirement rather than allowing a like-for-like swap. That is a real cost item on a large industrial roof and it needs to be in the budget conversation early, along with the parapet height, edge metal and rooftop equipment curb heights that adding several inches of insulation will change.
Nearby regions and related trades
Roofing & Waterproofing contractors in other regions: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington.
Other trades in Michigan: General Contracting.
Jump to licence verification sources for Roofing & Waterproofing in Michigan, or back to all roofing & waterproofing contractors on Exchange.
Frequently asked questions
What licence do I need to roof houses in Michigan?
Either a Residential Builder licence or a Maintenance and Alteration Contractor licence carrying the roofing classification, issued by LARA under Article 24 of the Occupational Code. A firm that only roofs normally takes the M&A licence with the roofing classification. Both require prelicensure education, an examination, continuing competency and a qualifying officer.
What happens if a Michigan residential contractor is unlicensed?
It cannot bring a court action to collect payment for residential work. That bar on suing for the contract price is a much stronger deterrent than a fine, and it means an unlicensed roofer who is not paid has no legal remedy. Homeowners can verify a licence number directly with LARA before signing.
Where do Michigan roofs actually fail under snow?
At drifts, not in the open roof field. The recurring locations are a low roof against a taller wall, valleys, the leeward side of a ridge, and behind rooftop mechanical curbs. Drift surcharge on a porch or room addition tied into a two-storey wall can be several times the balanced load, which is why so many collapse claims involve additions rather than the main house.
Is ice and water barrier required in Michigan?
Yes. The Michigan Residential Code requires a self-adhered ice barrier membrane at the eaves, extending a defined distance inside the exterior wall line. It is the last line of defence once an ice dam has formed - it does not prevent damming, which is a heat-loss problem in the attic below.
Why does a ridge vent sometimes make ice dams worse?
Because exhaust without intake is not ventilation. A ridge vent installed over blocked, insulated-over or painted-shut soffits pulls its make-up air from inside the house instead of from outside, which increases warm air flow into the attic and drives more melting. Balanced intake at the soffit is what makes ridge exhaust work.
Can I install a new roof over the old one in Michigan?
Only within the code limit on the number of roof coverings, and only where the existing deck and shingles are in suitable condition. Much of Michigan's mid-century housing stock already carries two or three layers, so jobs a homeowner budgeted as an overlay are frequently tear-offs by law. The contract should also carry a stated unit price for deck replacement, since deck condition is unknown until tear-off.
What are the deadlines under Michigan's Construction Lien Act?
A Notice of Furnishing must be served on the designee in the Notice of Commencement within 20 days of first furnishing. A Claim of Lien must be recorded within 90 days of last furnishing and served on the owner within 15 days of recording. Foreclosure must begin within one year of recording. Missing the 20-day notice is fatal to the lien regardless of the merits.
