Handyman vs Roofer for a Roof Repair in Michigan

MCL 339.2403 lists who can do this work without a license. One exemption covers a single undertaking where the aggregate contract price for labor, material and other items is less than $600. That means a handyman can legally do some small roof repairs without a builder or maintenance and alteration license.

The exemption has two limits written into it. It does not apply when the work is only part of a larger operation, and it does not apply when a job is divided into contracts under $600 to evade the law. A series of small invoices for one roof problem is a warning sign, not a loophole.

Other exemptions cover owners: you may work on a structure on your own property for your own use, and a rental owner may maintain and alter their own rental property. Those exemptions belong to the owner, not to someone the owner hires.

Michigan runs its own federally approved workplace safety program. MIOSHA covers private-sector workplaces in the state, and its Construction Safety and Health Division inspects construction sites. The federal fall protection rules mentioned above reach Michigan job sites through MIOSHA's Construction Safety Standard Part 45, Fall Protection, which adopts 29 CFR 1926.500 to 1926.503 by reference: the scope and definitions, the duty to have fall protection, the criteria for guardrails, nets and personal fall arrest systems, and the training requirement. Under that last section, an employer must provide a training program for each employee who might be exposed to fall hazards.

Part 45 has a narrow exception worth knowing. Rule 408.44501(2) says the fall protection rules do not apply to an employee making an inspection, investigation or assessment of workplace conditions before construction work actually starts or after it is complete. The person who walks your roof to write an estimate is in that category. The crew that comes back to tear off shingles and replace flashing is not.

Michigan licensing ties into the same rules. MCL 339.2404b requires an applicant for a residential builder or maintenance and alteration license to complete 60 hours of prelicensure courses, and construction safety standards under the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Act are one of the required subjects. Licensees then owe continuing competency hours each license cycle that include safety. Someone working only under the $600 exemption has no such requirement. A license is no guarantee of safe practice, and Part 45 is written as an employer's duty to its employees, so ask anyone who will be on your roof, employee or owner, how they will be protected.

The handyman's price is often lower on the first visit. The useful comparison is the cost per year the repair stays dry, plus the risk of interior damage if it does not. A repair that fails after one winter and is done again by a roofer costs more than going to the roofer first.

At Stellar, every repair starts at $500. That minimum covers the trip, the tools and the company behind the technician. Minor repairs such as a pipe boot, a few shingles or a small flashing fix run $500 to about $1,500, and most Stellar repairs carry a 10 to 15 year craftsmanship warranty. Owner Paul Aikens holds Michigan Residential Builder license #262000779, and we carry workers' compensation and general liability insurance. If you have several small problems, one visit for all of them costs less than separate trips.