How building permits work in Michigan
These rules apply across Michigan. Each local guide above covers what is specific to that city, town, township or county: its building department and contacts, local rules, fees and inspections.
The state construction code and who enforces it
Michigan builds on a single statewide construction code adopted under the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act (1972 PA 230) and administered by the Bureau of Construction Codes within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). The code is made of International Code Council model codes and the National Electrical Code, with Michigan changes, adopted as separate parts: the plumbing (2021), mechanical (2021) and electrical (2023 NEC) parts took effect on 12 March 2024, the building and rehabilitation parts (2021) on 9 April 2025 and the commercial energy code on 22 April 2025. Houses and townhouses still follow the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, including its trade chapters, because the 2021 residential rules are on hold under a court order. The state code applies everywhere: cities, townships and counties cannot amend it. What differs locally is who enforces it, the fee schedule and the procedures. So the first question on any Michigan project is which authority enforces the code for the parcel, trade by trade.
The statewide layers that apply everywhere
Two Michigan features catch projects owners assume are simple. First, who enforces the code: a city, village or township may take on enforcement itself; where it does not, the county may do so if it runs a program; and otherwise the state Bureau of Construction Codes enforces. The answer can differ by trade — a unit may enforce building itself while the state handles electrical, mechanical and plumbing — and the bureau publishes a Statewide Jurisdiction List showing every unit. Only a few counties run a program at all. Second, licensing is mainly statewide: residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors are licensed by the state, as are the plumbing, electrical and mechanical trades, and the permit application must carry the licence number and its expiry date. A city may run its own electrical licensing, and a local unit may ask plumbing and mechanical contractors to register their state licence for a small fee. Great Lakes and inland floodplain administration applies along the state’s shorelines and rivers, and snow loading is a live structural constraint.
Confirm the authority having jurisdiction first, then confirm the edition. Michigan enforces one statewide construction code, but enforcement may sit with the local unit, the county or the state, the code is adopted part by part, and houses still follow the 2015 residential code. Both questions have to be answered for the parcel and the filing date before the requirements are knowable.
Plans are reviewed by plan reviewers registered with the state, and an application must be granted or refused within 10 business days (15 for complex buildings) of a complete filing. Drawings must be sealed by a Michigan architect or engineer, except for detached one- and two-family houses of 3,500 square feet or less.
State contractor and trade licences
Michigan does license at state level, and the licence is the substantive credential rather than a registration. Residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors are licensed under Article 24 of Public Act 299 of 1980, administered by the Bureau of Construction Codes, and the plumbing, electrical and mechanical trades are licensed by the state as well. A state licence is valid across the whole of Michigan, though a city may run its own electrical licensing and a local unit may ask contractors to register their state licence; what does not travel is the local permit, fee schedule and inspection route. Licensed residential work starts at jobs of $600 or more.
Trade permits are separate from the building permit; the code allows a permit for one system to be issued before the others are approved, so ask the enforcing agency how it sequences them. Each trade follows its own part of the state construction code, and is tied to a contractor holding the relevant state licence. Plumbing permits go only to a licensed plumbing contractor with a master plumber in charge, and gas piping falls under the mechanical code and needs a mechanical permit.
Michigan licenses the trades at state level. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors hold licences issued by the state, valid anywhere in Michigan, and residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors are licensed the same way. What varies by parcel is not the licence but the permit, the fee and the inspection route. Performing residential work that requires a licence without holding one is a civil violation the county prosecutor or the Attorney General may act on.
- Electrical work follows the electrical part of the state code and the referenced National Electrical Code, under a state-licensed electrical contractor.
- Plumbing work follows the plumbing part of the state code, under a state-licensed plumbing contractor with a licensed master plumber in charge.
- Mechanical work follows the mechanical and energy parts of the state code, under a state-licensed mechanical contractor.
How permit fees are structured
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Based on project valuation or square footage; set by the local unit, the county, or the state where it is the authority |
| Plan review | A percentage of the permit fee or a flat charge; commercial work above defined thresholds needs a licensed plan reviewer |
| Trade permits | Separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical fees under the local schedule |
| Zoning and use | Zoning, use-and-occupancy and, in some places, contractor-licence fees |
| Re-inspections and revisions | Additional fees for failed inspections, revisions and expired permits |
Permit validity
Approvals do not stay live indefinitely. A Michigan building permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days. On phased or financed work, keep the permit active with periodic progress inspections and confirm the expiry window before it passes.