Ada Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Ada Township contracts with Cascade Charter Township for building permit issuance and inspections. You take the application and three sets of plans to Ada’s Planning & Zoning Department at 7330 Thornapple River Drive (616-676-9191); once the Zoning Administrator signs off and any water and sewer connection fees are paid, the package goes to Cascade, whose Building Official is Brian Wilson. Cascade calls when the permit is ready and you pay its fee at pickup: $140 plus $3.50 per $1,000 of value from the ICC valuation table.

What requires a building permit in Ada Township?

Cascade’s permit page restates the code rule: an owner or authorized agent needs a permit to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building, with the exemptions listed in section 105.2 of the code. Ada adds its own zoning, stormwater, floodplain and private road permits on top.

Outdoor wood-burning furnaces need zoning approval from Ada before Cascade will issue the mechanical permit.

What Ada decides and what the state holds

The construction code is a state code that Ada cannot amend. The state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026) shows Ada as running its own program for all four codes, and Ada meets that duty through its contract with Cascade. Ada itself controls zoning, including riparian protection standards for natural vegetation and transition zones, private road standards, floodplain permits, stormwater rules and its water and sewer system.

Ada Township building department: who handles permitting

Two offices share the work. Ada’s Planning & Zoning Department takes the application, checks zoning and utility requirements and collects connection fees; Cascade Charter Township’s Building Inspections department, which also serves Grand Rapids, Lowell, Vergennes and Plainfield townships and East Grand Rapids by contract, reviews the plans, issues the permit and inspects. Cascade says it has a full-time staff of nine inspectors, all registered with the state in one or more trades and in plan review. Kent County runs no building program.

Ada Township permit types

Ada’s document center holds the building permit application and checklist, the electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications, and the township’s zoning, stormwater, floodplain, private road, sign, site plan, special use and ZBA forms. Cascade posts the same Ada trade forms plus its handouts on decks, pole barns, pools, roofing and energy compliance.

Residential permits

• Plans. Three complete sets with all elevations, floor plans including attic or bonus space, foundation plans and a cross section, sealed by a Michigan design professional when habitable space exceeds 3,500 square feet.
• Site plan. Three copies of a scaled site plan or survey, preferably at an engineering scale; interior remodels are excused.
• Health department. On lots without public water and sewer, Kent County Environmental Health well and septic permits for a new home, and a health department sign-off for additions, accessory buildings, pools, decks or remodels that add bedrooms.
• Vacant lots. An address from the Kent County Road Commission and a parcel number from Kent County Property Mapping and Description.
• Minor remodels. Cascade offers remote video inspections for minor interior remodels of occupied homes with little structural change.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit filing, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Commercial and industrial permits also need the Fire Chief’s review. Cascade bills commercial plan review at a $70 base plus 0.15% of the calculated value up to $1.25 million, with lower rates above that, and commercial roofing uses Cascade’s commercial roofing worksheet. Site plans, special uses and planned unit developments go to the Planning Commission first, and many require an escrow starting at $1,000 to cover the township’s review costs.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit expediting through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning compliance review. Ada checks use and dimensional standards, the riparian natural vegetation and transition zones, private road standards, floodplain status and any Planning Commission, Township Board or ZBA conditions.
• Planning Commission and ZBA. The Planning Commission usually meets on the third Thursday at 5:30 p.m., and the Zoning Board of Appeals on the first Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.; complete applications are due at least five weeks before either meeting. A residential variance is $300.
• Soil erosion. Within 500 feet of a river, lake or stream, or when more than an acre is disturbed, a soil erosion permit from the Kent County Road Commission is required.
• Driveways. A new or improved driveway onto a county road needs a Road Commission permit.
• Stormwater. Ada’s stormwater application asks for a drainage plan under Chapter 30 of the township code, temporary retention to keep construction runoff on site, and a permanent system that either holds the runoff of a 25-year storm on site with a direct connection for 100-year flows, or releases water through a restricted outlet with no net increase in runoff to neighbors in a 100-year storm. The drainage plan shows receiving waters, one-foot contours over the Kent County soil map and peak discharge calculations, and any drainage easements are recorded with the Kent County Register of Deeds.
• Floodplain. A floodplain development permit costs $150 and needs a scaled site plan with two-foot contours, the lowest floor elevation of every structure, any floodproofing elevation (certified by an engineer or architect for non-residential buildings) and any change to a watercourse, with a PDF emailed to the township.
• Utilities. In the water and sewer district, water and sewer permits, fees and any special assessments are settled before the application goes to Cascade.

Ada Township permit costs and fees

Building permit fees are Cascade’s, under the schedule Cascade adopted on October 13, 2021 and in effect since January 1, 2022, and are paid to Cascade when the permit is picked up. Plan review for buildings under the residential code is included. Ada’s own zoning and stormwater fees come from Township Board Resolution R-032425-6, adopted March 24, 2025.

Worked example from Cascade’s schedule: a house valued at $250,000 pays $140 plus 250 × $3.50, or $1,015, plus any Ada fees such as the $25 zoning compliance permit and water and sewer connection fees. Cascade has announced that from January 1, 2027 it will value projects with the August 2024 edition of the ICC table, keeping its standard fees and the $3.50 rate the same, so permits issued after that date may show higher values. Premanufactured homes pay half the normal on-site fee, a commercial sign is $85, and commercial demolition is $70 plus $0.02 per square foot. Under Ada’s resolution, no building permit is granted while out-of-pocket review costs on a zoning application remain unpaid.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits for Ada addresses are issued by Cascade on Ada-specific forms, made payable to Cascade Charter Township. The Ada electrical form charges a $70 non-refundable application fee that includes one inspection, $10 for a service up to 200 amps, $5 per circuit, $45 for a solar or generator installation, and $70 for each additional or final inspection.

• Licensed contractors enter their state license number and expiry; Cascade also keeps a contractor registration form.
• Homeowners may sign the form’s homeowner affidavit for electrical work they install themselves in the home they live in or are about to occupy, and Cascade’s online portal has separate homeowner links for applying and booking inspections.
• Plans sealed by a licensed architect or engineer are needed for electrical work unless the system is 400 amps or less and the building is no larger than 3,500 square feet.
• Validity. A trade permit lapses if work does not start within six months or stops for six months, and it is cancelled if no inspection is requested and done within six months.

How to apply for an Ada Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Two reviews run in sequence, so a zoning problem stops the file before Cascade sees it; missing health department sign-offs on unsewered lots and unpaid connection fees hold it at Ada as well. Applications needing the Planning Commission or ZBA must meet the five-week filing deadline. Cascade cancels permits with no inspection requested within six months, and cancelled permits cannot be refunded or reinstated.

Inspections and certificates in Ada Township

Once a permit is open, inspections are booked directly with Cascade: through its online portal, by calling 616-949-3765 and choosing option 1, or by text to 616-240-4693 with your name, contractor, phone number, the address, how the inspector gets in, the date wanted and the inspection type. Inspectors work by appointment.

• New homes get pre-pour footing, pre-pour wall, pre-backfill, rough, insulation and final inspections.
• Interior remodels and inground pools carry two inspections in their flat fee; extra visits are $70 each.
• Certificate of occupancy. Every trade and building permit must be finaled, energy code compliance documented, and health department approval of any well and septic on file.

Michigan building code in Ada Township

Ada enforces the state code through its contract with Cascade for every trade. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Ada Township (community 260248) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective February 23, 2023; Ada’s checklist calls for EGLE and township floodplain permits in the 100-year floodplain, and its forms include a FEMA elevation certificate.

Michigan enforces one statewide construction code under the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act (1972 PA 230); local units cannot amend it, and enforcement sits with the city, village or township, a county program or the state Bureau of Construction Codes, sometimes split by trade. Michigan rules

Ada Township permit search and official resources

Cascade’s online portal lets contractors and homeowners with a linked BS&A account see their own permit records, and Ada links a BS&A parcel lookup for property information. For other records, send a written Freedom of Information Act request to Ada’s FOIA Coordinator, the Township Manager, by mail to PO Box 370, Ada, MI 49301 or in person at 7330 Thornapple River Drive; a deposit of half the estimated cost may be required.

• Ada building permit process
• Ada forms, applications and permits
• Ada building permit checklist
• Ada fees, Resolution R-032425-6
• Ada stormwater permit application
• Ada floodplain development permit application
• Ada Planning Commission
• Ada Zoning Board of Appeals
• Ada FOIA requests
• Cascade Building Inspections
• Cascade online permits and inspection requests
• Cascade forms, including Ada trade forms
• Cascade building permit fee schedule
• Kent County Road Commission permits
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List
• Kent County permit guide

Ada Township building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Ada Township?

Cascade Charter Township, under contract with Ada, after Ada’s Planning & Zoning Department signs off on zoning.

Where do I submit my application?

At Ada Township offices, 7330 Thornapple River Drive, with three sets of plans; Ada forwards it to Cascade.

How much does a building permit cost?

Cascade charges $140 plus $3.50 per $1,000 of ICC value, so $1,015 for a $250,000 house, paid at pickup.

Does a re-roof need a permit?

Yes. Cascade requires a building permit and its roofing and siding worksheet; the fee is $85.

How do I book an inspection?

Online through Cascade’s portal, by phone at 616-949-3765 (option 1), or by text to 616-240-4693.

When do I need an Ada stormwater permit?

For new land development, and for a one- or two-family home whose footprint with attached garages is 3,000 square feet or more.

What does a floodplain permit cost in Ada?

$150, filed with a scaled site plan showing two-foot contours and floor elevations; work in the floodplain may also need an EGLE permit.

Who handles soil erosion permits in Ada?

The Kent County Road Commission, for work within 500 feet of a river, lake or stream or disturbing more than an acre.

Simplify Ada Township permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Michigan. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Ada Township permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.