Does Michigan require a wind-rated garage door? What we found

The answer we can support

A page on this question can say that Michigan requires wind-rated garage doors, or that it does not. No source we can cite backs either claim. We can cite no Michigan garage door wind mandate, and a negative is only as good as the sources behind it, so we say plainly that we found none and do not say none exists.

What we can support comes from DASMA, the Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association. Its technical data sheet 168 says the building department having authority in your area is the sole and final determiner of the wind load requirements for your garage door. Its index of technical data sheets lists a 155 series with versions for several editions of the International Residential Code, for editions of the ASCE 7 standard, and for Florida, North Carolina and Canada. That comes from the index and not from the sheets themselves. There is no Michigan-specific guide in the list.

Why the answer is local

DASMA says wind speed alone cannot set a door’s rating. Exposure, door size, roof height and the building code in force all matter. Two houses in the same city can differ on those.

For a homeowner it comes down to one question, which your city’s building department can answer: does a door at this opening, at this address, have to meet a wind load requirement, and if so what is it? We will not guess at what your city says.

Replacement doors and the wind question

DASMA’s TDS 168 addresses replacements: the authority having jurisdiction determines which wind-load provisions apply to garage doors, including retrofitted replacement doors. It adds that insurers may impose requirements of their own. So the person to ask is the building department, and if you have a policy, the insurer.

The permit question runs alongside it. State law says the construction or alteration of a building or structure may not start until a building permit has been issued, unless the act or the code provides otherwise (MCL 125.1511). Whether replacing a garage door needs one is left to your city. If the department says a permit is needed, ask whether the wind question is handled on the application. Our permit guide gives the wording we found for the cities that publish some.

The code edition in force

You may see wind figures in articles that quote a newer code. LARA lists the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, effective February 8, 2016, as the current residential code. LARA also says a July 7, 2025 Court of Claims order temporarily prevents it from implementing rule sets adopting parts of the 2021 International Residential Code, and that while the order stands the 2015 versions remain in effect. The pages describe the 2021-based rules, and we deliberately do not quote any wind speed or permit exemption from them, because those rules are not in effect. The order’s status could change, so check with LARA or your city before relying on a code citation, including ours.

What to ask the city

Put these to the building department, by phone or in writing, and keep the answer with the name of the person and the date. DASMA says the building department is the sole and final determiner, so that answer is the one to hand to the company, and to your insurer if you have a policy.

1. Does a replacement garage door at my address have to meet a wind load requirement?
2. If so, where is the requirement written, and what does the door need to show?
3. Does the replacement need a permit, and who applies for it?
4. Which code edition does the city enforce for this work?

If the answer comes by phone, ask for an email that confirms it, or write the reply down while you are still on the line. The second question matters because a rating is a claim about a tested product, and the person who needs to be satisfied is the building official, not the salesperson.

What to ask the company

Ask for the documents that say what a rating was tested to, in writing. Ask which opening size the rating applies to, whether the rating covers the door with the hardware and track being installed, and whether the company has confirmed the requirement with your city instead of assuming one. A company that says your city requires a rating should be able to say where it read that. When the door arrives, photograph its label and file the photo with the contract, so the rating on paper can be matched to the door in your garage.

Two more points follow from DASMA. Installing a garage door can be very dangerous and is not recommended for a novice, so the installation is a company’s job. And a new door on old track may not fit, since the track and sections work together as a system, so ask whether the track and hardware are new.

If you hear that Michigan is a wind-rating state

You may be told that Michigan requires a wind-rated door, in a showroom or on a website. Ask for the rule. If it is a city requirement, it will be in the city’s code or on its permit form. If it is a state requirement, it will be in the Michigan Residential Code or a LARA rule. If the person cannot name the document, the statement is a sales line. The reverse is also true: nobody can tell you your city has no requirement without checking. Both claims are unsupported unless someone points to a source, and you are entitled to ask for it. Save any brochure or web page that made the claim. Write down what you are told, who said it and when, and compare it with what the building department says.

Cost, briefly

We have no source on how a wind load requirement changes a price. See what a replacement costs in Michigan for our estimates and how to compare quotes.