Saginaw particulars
Saginaw's permit sheet has a Roofing Permits section: before any new covering goes on, the contractor e-mails pictures of the roof deck after tear-off, then pictures of the prepared surface once underlayment is on, and a final inspection happens on site. The application asks you to enter the amount of roofing material and whether the old material is being removed. The fee table starts at $75 for $1 to $1,000, plus $13 per additional $1,000, but it may be out of date, so confirm with Inspections at 1315 S.
Washington Ave., 989-759-1540. A homeowner can enter 'Homeowner' in the contractor field. In Saginaw, 92.8 percent of homes were built before 1980, and the median home value is $54,000. Roofs on houses that old are worth inspecting whole. Saginaw County's ground snow load is 35 psf on the ground, not on a roof. NOAA's Storm Events database (Jul 2024 to Jun 2026) lists 3 hail reports of 1 inch or larger, 12 wind reports of 50 knots or more and 5 tornado reports for the county.
Roofers in the Saginaw metro have a median pay of $27.55 an hour (medium confidence; BLS through O*NET; pay, not price). Nearby: Bay City and Midland; see roof inspection.
Storm damage in Saginaw: what to know
The same county list has 3 hail reports of 1 inch or larger on 2 days (largest 1.25 in) and 12 wind reports of 50 knots or more on 6 days (largest 59 kt). One storm can produce several reports, so a moderate count does not clear any particular roof; the newest months are preliminary.
After wind or hail, OSHA's tarping fact sheet says not to work on a damaged roof until its structural integrity has been determined, which is a reason to stay on the ground and call. Michigan's statute lets you sue an insurer within 1 year of the loss or within your policy's period if longer, and the clock stops from notice to formal denial. DIFS adds that you should make only temporary repairs until the insurer has inspected.
Permits for storm damage in Saginaw
Roofing and roof repair are not on the building-permit exemption list in Michigan's R105.2, and enforcement is local.
Many cities run their own building department, so start by asking the City of Saginaw building department who issues roofing permits.
When storm damage to a roof is an emergency
- Water is coming through a ceiling or light fixture.
- Decking is gone and the attic is open to weather.
- A tree is on the roof or the ceiling is sagging; keep out of the room.
- Power lines are down near the house; stay away and call your utility.
- A few lifted shingles with no stain inside, once photographed and reported to your insurer.
- Dented vents or gutters that still drain.
What to do from the ground and from inside after a storm
Try this first: stay off the roof, cover only what you can reach from the ground, and keep every receipt.
- Photograph each slope and any shingle pieces from the ground, and keep the pieces.
- Check top-floor ceilings and, through the attic hatch, the underside of the roof boards for damp.
- Note when the storm hit, call your insurer and record the claim number.
- Ask any roofing company for its license number.
What storm damage costs
The estimate below is the Michigan-wide one, adjusted for Michigan wages and not for Saginaw in particular. The same table is on the storm damage page. How we estimate costs. Prices as of Oct 19, 2026.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $915 to $7,400 per repair with water damage | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Michigan roofer median wage ratio (1.07). No Michigan roofing company price is shown, because none of the companies we looked at published a price we could count. |
| Roofer wage, Michigan median | $28.62 an hour (middle half of roofers: $23.02 to $37.56) | What Michigan roofers are paid (BLS May 2025, read through O*NET OnLine), not what you are charged. |
| Residential re-roofing permit, Grand Rapids | $66 | FY2027 fee schedule. Whether a repair needs it is the city's call. |
| Roof or re-roof permit, Sterling Heights | $78, plus a $56 application fee | 2026-27 application; the sum is ours. |
| Roof permit, East Lansing | $60 application, plus $140 | Residential, with rough and final inspections. |
How we estimate costs: the Estimated range row is a model, not a quote. It takes one published national range for this job (a cost guide from a third-party site that we have not verified and do not cite) and multiplies it by Michigan's roofer median wage ratio to the US (1.07, BLS May 2025 data read through O*NET OnLine). The wage and permit rows in the table are what roofing workers are paid and what a city's own schedule charges, and neither is a price. We have not collected quotes, and we found no Michigan roofing company that publishes a price we could count. Full method.
Questions about storm damage
How long do I have to file a roof storm damage claim in Michigan?
Tell your insurer as soon as possible; the suit deadline is 1 year after the loss or the policy period if longer, tolled from your notice until a formal denial.
Will my insurance replace the whole roof after hail or wind damage in Michigan?
Not necessarily: DIFS says a policy covers only the damaged portion and the insurer need not replace the entire roof, and your policy wording sets the scope.
Should I sign my insurance check over to a roofing company?
No: DIFS lists requests to sign insurance checks over to a contractor among its warning signs, so keep the check.