The short answer
Not while you own the home, as long as it's a replacement and not part of an addition. Michigan's General Property Tax Act tells the assessor not to count the increase in value from normal repairs, replacement and maintenance "until the property is sold", and its list of normal maintenance includes "Repairing or replacing siding, roof, porches, steps, sidewalks, or drives" (MCL 211.27(2)(b)). It applies only to residential property, and not to work that's part of a structural addition or completion, such as a dormer that adds living space. Your taxable value still rises each year by the inflation multiplier, 1.027 for 2026, and when the home is sold the buyer's taxable value resets to half its market value the following year.
What Michigan law says about a new roof
Section 27(2) of the General Property Tax Act opens: "The assessor shall not consider the increase in true cash value that is a result of expenditures for normal repairs, replacement, and maintenance in determining the true cash value of property for assessment purposes until the property is sold." It then lists what counts as normal maintenance "if they are not part of a structural addition or completion". Several items on the list are part of a typical re-roof:
Roof-related work Michigan treats as normal maintenance
| Work | MCL 211.27(2) |
|---|---|
| Repairing or replacing the roof (and siding, porches, steps, sidewalks or drives) | (b) |
| Adding or replacing gutters and downspouts | (e) |
| Insulating or weatherstripping | (g) |
| Outside painting | (a) |
| Installing, replacing or repairing an alternative energy system, such as rooftop solar, of up to 150 kilowatts sized to the home's own use | (p) |
The statute also stops the assessor from working around it: they "shall not increase the construction quality classification or reduce the effective age for depreciation purposes" because of the repair. The value the work adds that the assessor knows about is noted on the assessment roll, ready for when the home sells.
Need this done?
Budgeting for a re-roof? The cost guide has published Royal Oak prices, what adds to an estimate and the city's permit fee.
Roof replacement cost in Royal OakTaxable value, the cap and the 2026 multiplier
Michigan taxes homes on taxable value, not market value. Under MCL 211.27a, each year's taxable value is the lesser of last year's taxable value (minus any losses) times the lesser of 1.05 or the inflation rate, plus any additions, or the current state equalized value, which is half of market value. The State Tax Commission set the 2026 inflation rate multiplier at 1.027.
"Additions" are what can push taxable value past the cap, and new construction is one of them. The law defines new construction as "subject to the provisions set forth in section 27(2)(a) to (q)", so a roof replacement on the normal-maintenance list isn't an addition.
Say a home's 2025 taxable value was $150,000, with no losses and no additions. By our arithmetic, its 2026 capped value is $150,000 × 1.027 = $154,050, and a new roof that year doesn't change that figure. Taxable value is the lower of the capped value and the 2026 state equalized value.
When roof work can raise your taxes
Dormers, second stories and additions
The normal-maintenance rule doesn't cover work that's "part of a structural addition or completion". The State Tax Commission's form names structural additions such as "a garage, breezeway, family room, basement, bathroom, or completing the initial construction as opposed to replacing elements of an existing structure." New living space that didn't exist on the last tax day is new construction, which is an addition that can raise taxable value above the cap.
Changing the roof's shape
We found no state or Royal Oak guidance on converting a flat roof to a pitched one, or a dormer that adds headroom but no floor area. The assessor decides, so ask before the work if the roof is changing shape.
Rebuilding after a storm or fire
Most roof-only storm repairs fall under the normal-maintenance list. Bigger rebuilds after damage "by accident or act of God" have their own "replacement construction" rules in MCL 211.34d, which limit the value that can be added. Ask the assessor how they apply to your job.
What happens when you sell
The protection lasts "until the property is sold". Separately, when a home changes hands, its taxable value "uncaps": for the year after a transfer of ownership, taxable value becomes the state equalized value (MCL 211.27a(3)). So the buyer's taxes reflect the home's market value, new roof included. Some transfers, such as certain ones to a spouse, a trust or close relatives, don't count as a transfer of ownership; ask the assessor about yours.
Royal Oak's Assessing Division says it "analyzes deeds and affidavits on every transferred property" to find the ones that uncap. A new owner must file a property transfer affidavit within 45 days, or pay a penalty of $5 a day, up to $200.
Telling Royal Oak's assessor about a new roof
- The State Tax Commission's Form 865 asks the assessor not to count normal repairs (the copy we found is a 2001 revision). It lists the roof, and the form itself says "Filing is voluntary". Ask the Assessing Division whether it wants the form or just your receipts
- Keep the roofer's invoice, permit and warranty papers with your house records. They show the work was a replacement
- Assessment change notices are mailed in February. You can appeal to the March Board of Review, or ask for an informal meeting first by calling the Assessing Division
- City of Royal Oak Assessing: 248-246-3110, assessing@romi.gov, 203 S Troy Street
Questions about a new roof and property taxes
Does a new roof increase property taxes in Michigan?
Not while you own the home, for a replacement on residential property. MCL 211.27(2)(b) lists repairing or replacing a roof as normal maintenance, and the assessor must not count the value it adds until the property is sold. Work that's part of a structural addition, such as a dormer adding living space, is different.
How much can my property taxes go up each year in Michigan?
Your taxable value can rise by the inflation rate or 5%, whichever is less, plus any additions such as new construction. The State Tax Commission set the 2026 inflation rate multiplier at 1.027. Your bill can also change when millage rates change.
Do I have to tell the assessor about a new roof?
The State Tax Commission's Form 865 (the copy we found is a 2001 revision) lets you ask the assessor not to count normal repairs such as a roof, and the form says filing is voluntary. Ask Royal Oak's Assessing Division (248-246-3110) whether it wants the form or your receipts.
Will my taxes go up when I sell the house?
The buyer's will, usually. When a home is sold, its taxable value uncaps to the state equalized value, half of market value, for the following year. That value includes the new roof.
Does adding a dormer or raising the roof increase property taxes?
It can. Michigan's normal-maintenance rule doesn't cover work that's part of a structural addition or completion, and new living space counts as new construction, which can raise taxable value above the cap. Ask the assessor before you start.
Do solar panels on a new roof raise property taxes in Michigan?
Not until the home is sold, for a residential system of up to 150 kilowatts whose yearly output doesn't exceed the home's metered use. MCL 211.27(2)(p) lists installing, replacing or repairing such an alternative energy system as normal maintenance.
Where this information comes from
The facts and figures on this page come from these published pages, checked on October 23, 2026.
- MCL 211.27: true cash value, including normal repairs not counted until sale · Michigan General Property Tax Act (read from a December 2025 archived copy of the Legislature's page)
- MCL 211.27a: taxable value cap and uncapping on transfer · Michigan General Property Tax Act (read from an archived copy of the Legislature's page)
- MCL 211.34d: additions, new construction and replacement construction · Michigan General Property Tax Act (read from an archived copy of the Legislature's page)
- MCL 207.822: alternative energy system definition · Michigan Next Energy Authority Act: includes photovoltaic systems (read from an archived copy of the Legislature's page)
- State Tax Commission Bulletin 15 of 2025: procedural changes for 2026 · Michigan Department of Treasury, November 18, 2025: the 2026 inflation rate multiplier
- State Tax Commission Form 865: request for nonconsideration of normal repairs · State form (2001 revision, copy hosted by Norvell Township)
- City of Royal Oak: Assessing · City assessing division: Proposal A, uncapping, Board of Review and contacts
- City of Royal Oak: homeowner affidavits · City assessing page: property transfer affidavit deadline
