A leak beneath overhanging branches, damaged shingles and a full replacement each need their own scope. Roofers Royal Oak publishes roofing information for Huntington Woods homeowners in ZIP 48070. Tell us where the problem is, whether trees restrict access and whether the house is in the Hill historic district.
Historic district review can affect exterior roof work, while the city also limits working hours and gas-powered equipment. Check the relevant requirements below before setting a start date.
Huntington Woods housing and roof age
The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 survey puts the median Huntington Woods home's build year at 1952. A roof on a house from that era is likely to have been redone before, so ask about existing layers and decking condition rather than judging it by the top shingles alone.
Shade keeps shingles damp for longer, and leaves pack into valleys and gutters, holding water against the roof edge. Ask the roofer to check the gutters and valleys under the heaviest branches, and any limbs close to the shingles.
The Hill historic district and roof work
Chapter 6 of the city code creates two local historic districts. The Hill Historic District, set up by Ordinance 490 on October 19, 2004, covers lots 104–139, 226–265, 487–499 and 648–675 of the Huntington Woods Subdivision, along with "the city park bounded by York, Borgman and Huntington" and "the city park bounded by Nadine, Pembroke and Salem". By our arithmetic from those ranges, that's 36 + 40 + 13 + 28 = 117 lots. The Rackham Historic District, set up in 2006, is a single parcel of "120.7092 acres" between Scotia Road and I-696. Because the code defines the Hill district by lot number, the lot number in your property records is the thing to check.
Sec. 6-282 is the rule that matters for a roof: "A permit shall be obtained before any work affecting the exterior appearance of a resource is performed within a historic district". It goes on: "A permit shall not be issued and proposed work shall not proceed until the historic district commission has acted on the application by issuing a certificate of appropriateness or a notice to proceed". In practice, the Historic District Commission (HDC) comes first, and the building permit follows.
The form is titled "APPLICATION FOR PERMIT TO PERFORM WORK ON A RESOURCE WITHIN THE HILL AND/OR RACKHAM HISTORIC DISTRICTS". What it asks for:
- Roof work on the form: its tick-boxes include "roofs", "chimneys", "gutters & downspouts" and "skylights, solar systems & roof accessories".
- The fee: "The Application Fee for Historic District Permit is $300".
- Copies and lead time: "ten (10) copies of the proposed plan", filed "at least 15 days prior to the date of the Historic District commission meeting". Count back from the meeting date, not from the day you'd like the roof to start.
Is a matching re-roof "ordinary maintenance"?
Sec. 6-286 carves out an exception: "Nothing in this division shall be construed to prevent ordinary maintenance or repair of a resource within a historic district". The code doesn't define ordinary maintenance, and it doesn't say whether replacing a worn roof with matching shingles counts. That leaves the answer with the city, not the roofer or the homeowner.
If the house is in the Hill district, ask the city before the job is booked whether your roof needs an HDC application, and keep the answer in writing.
Building permits, bonds and materials
For every house, historic district or not, Sec. 6-21(a) says: "Permits shall be required and issued in accordance with the state construction code." Sec. 6-22 requires a cash "building bond" with each permit application, in an amount "specified by resolution of the city commission". Check the fee and the bond with the building department before the job is priced. The code quoted on this page is the online version, current through its February 2022 supplement.
Timing deliveries matters too. The city's blight rules in Sec. 14-88(2) ban "The storage upon any property of building materials unless there is in force a valid building permit", and the list of materials names shingles. Bundles stacked in the driveway ahead of the permit would fall foul of that rule, so set delivery for after the permit is issued. To see whether a roofer holds a state license, use the State of Michigan license lookup.
No Sunday work, and two machines at a time
Sec. 14-59(5) bars building, alteration and repair work "at any time on Sundays, and on other days, except between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.", unless the city manager issues a permit.
Sec. 14-62(7) exempts construction noise within those hours "subject to the limitation that no more than two gas-powered machines shall be operated or in use at one time on any single residential property." A gas generator and a gas compressor running together already reach that limit, so ask the roofer what equipment they plan to run on site.
Working around Huntington Woods trees
Article VII of the code, which covers trees on public streets, parkways and parks, has three rules a roofing job runs into. Sec. 14-171: "no material shall be fastened to or hung on any tree". Sec. 14-174: "all building material or other debris shall be kept at least four feet from any tree". And Sec. 14-176 requires owners of private trees that overhang a street to keep "a clear space of eight feet above the surface of the street", which is worth checking before a delivery truck or roll-off arrives.
Big limbs come down in storms around the city. On June 5, 2024, a trained spotter reported an "Estimated 10 inch tree limb snapped." to the National Weather Service's Detroit office, at a point the service logged as "1 N Huntington Woods". After a storm, look from the ground for branches lodged on the roof, bent gutters and torn shingles.
Roof repair and roof replacement in Huntington Woods
- Roof replacement: tear-off to the decking, new underlayment, ice and water shield, flashing, ventilation and shingles.
- Roof repair: missing or storm-damaged shingles, flashing at chimneys and walls, and cracked pipe boots.
- Roof leak repair: tracing where the water gets in, which is rarely right above the stain.
- Garage roofs: detached garage roofs, and what a garage re-roof involves.
- Ice dams: why they form at the eaves and what fixes them for good.
What a roof costs in Huntington Woods
Every roof is priced after a roofer has looked at it, because size, pitch, layers to remove and decking repairs make the difference. We publish sourced Royal Oak price ranges, with what makes one roof cost more than another, in the roof replacement cost guide and the roof repair cost guide. They're published guides, not quotes for a Huntington Woods roof.
Nearby cities
This page covers roofing in Huntington Woods, ZIP code 48070. The nearby city guides explain their own permit rules and roofing considerations:
Common questions
Do Hill historic district homes need Historic District Commission approval for a new roof?
It may. The city code requires a permit before any work affecting a house's exterior appearance in a historic district, and no permit can be issued until the Historic District Commission has acted. Roofs are listed on the application form. The code exempts "ordinary maintenance or repair" but doesn't define it, so ask the city whether your re-roof qualifies.
How much is the historic district application, and when is it due?
The city's form puts the application fee at $300. It asks for ten copies of the proposed plan, filed at least 15 days before the Historic District Commission meeting.
Can roofers work on Sundays in Huntington Woods?
No. The city code bars building work at any time on Sundays and limits other days to 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., unless the city manager issues a permit.
Is there a limit on equipment during a Huntington Woods roof job?
Yes. Construction noise within the allowed hours is exempt only if no more than two gas-powered machines are running at one time on a single residential property.
Can the shingles be delivered before the permit is issued?
No. The city's blight rules bar storing building materials, shingles included, on a property unless a valid building permit is in force. Schedule the delivery for after the permit is issued.
Where this information comes from
The local rules and figures on this page come from these published pages, checked on September 28, 2026.
- City of Huntington Woods: Code of Ordinances · City code, Chapters 6 and 14 (Supplement 12)
- City of Huntington Woods: Historic District permit application · City form for work in the Hill and Rackham districts
- City of Berkley: Master Plan · Neighboring city's plan naming the Eleven Mile border
- US Census Bureau: ACS 2020–2024, Huntington Woods · Year built, housing units, tenure and type
- National Weather Service: June 5, 2024 storms · NWS Detroit/Pontiac storm reports
