Adrian, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Inside the City of Adrian, building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits come from the Inspection Division of the Community Development Department, third floor of City Hall, 135 E. Maumee Street (517-264-4814, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). Adrian adopted the state Bureau of Construction Codes fee schedule in 2010: a new house is priced from a square-foot valuation, and the city’s own example of a $200,214 house works out to $685.43 including the certificate of occupancy. Homeowners apply on paper; contractors can apply online.

What requires a building permit in Adrian?

Adrian’s building application and handouts list the work the division permits, and its zoning fee schedule lists the smaller jobs that need only a zoning compliance permit. Most projects need both.

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing work each need a separate permit, and signs need a sign permit priced by size. Work started without a permit carries a minimum $100 fee, and every fee must be paid before a certificate of occupancy is issued.

Landlords have one more layer. Every non-owner-occupied home must be registered and inspected under Ordinance 00-19: registration is $100 for the first unit and $10 for each added unit, and the inspection fee is $100 plus $10 per added unit, covering the first inspection and one re-inspection. A passed inspection earns a three-year certificate of compliance, and a buyer must register within 30 days of closing.

What Adrian decides and what the state holds

The state writes the construction code and the city cannot change it. The state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List shows Adrian enforcing all four parts itself, and Lenawee County runs no building program. By Ordinance No. 10-012 of November 15, 2010 (city code Sec. 10-33), Adrian follows the state’s permit and inspection fee schedule, while fees for appeals and other services are set by city resolution. The city writes its own zoning ordinance (an August 2026 update is posted), runs a historic district commission and a rental housing inspection program, and repealed its point-of-sale inspection program.

Adrian building department: who handles permitting

The building code division of Community Development issues building permits, reviews site plans, makes occupancy inspections and enforces zoning; it also issues the electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits. The application warns that the city may send plan reviews to an outside firm and bill the applicant for that firm’s fees. Adrian Charter Township is a separate government; the state list shows it running its own program.

Adrian permit types

The general building application asks for the owner, the contractor’s builder license and expiry date, employer and workers’ compensation details, any architect or engineer, the type of improvement, floor areas, use group and construction type, and whether the property is in a historic district. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits use their own forms.

Residential permits

• Houses under 3,500 square feet: the building application, a zoning compliance application showing lot coverage, setbacks and height under the zoning ordinance’s schedule of regulations, and three sets of plans with foundation and floor plans, roof and wall sections, elevations, REScheck documents and a site plan or survey.
• Mobile and premanufactured homes: a zoning compliance application with the location on the lot or in the park and two sets of plans showing pier spacing, anchoring and roof pitch.
• Historic district: attach a Certificate of Appropriateness application. The Historic District Commission reviews all plans for exterior renovations in the district, meets as needed, and uses the Ann Arbor Historic District Design Guidelines and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation as references; questions go to Community Development at 517-264-4814.
• Handouts: the city publishes guides for sheds, garages, accessory buildings, decks and stairs, fences, roofing, pools and spas, and wheelchair ramps.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and industrial buildings, and houses over 3,500 square feet, need approved plan review before a permit is issued. Submit four full sets sealed by a licensed architect or engineer, with use group, construction type, occupant load, the codes in effect, structural, electrical and mechanical sheets and a site plan. Seals are not required for one- and two-family homes under 3,500 square feet or public work under $15,000. The Adrian Fire Department reviews every proposed construction site plan except single-family homes, working with the other city departments during planning; the city has a fire inspector (hired in October 2022) for annual and twice-yearly fire and life safety inspections of businesses, reachable at 517-264-4852.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning and site plans: minor site plans are free, administrative site plans $500 and Planning Commission site plans $600; the Planning Commission meets on the first Tuesday at 7 p.m.
• Variances: the Zoning Board of Appeals meets on the first Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.; appeals and variances are $150 each, and a variance lapses unless construction starts within six months.
• Soil erosion: earth changes of an acre or more, or within 500 feet of a lake or stream, need a permit from the Lenawee County Drain Commissioner, 320 Springbrook Avenue, Suite 102 (517-264-4696).
• Right-of-way: digging in a city street, sidewalks, new driveway approaches, culverts and storm sewer taps need an Engineering permit (call 517-264-4894 for costs). The state’s roads inside the city, M-52 along Main, Front, Broad and Church streets, M-34 on W. Beecher Street and the US-223 business route on W. Maumee and W. Church streets, need an MDOT permit through the Jackson Transportation Service Center.

Adrian permit costs and fees

Building fees follow the state Bureau of Construction Codes schedule the city adopted in November 2010. For new construction, the square footage is multiplied by the state’s construction cost per square foot for the use group and type of construction to get a valuation, and the valuation is run through the permit fee table. Jobs that are not priced by square footage are charged per inspection.

Worked example from the city’s own fee sheet: a house with 1,000 square feet on the first floor, 500 on the second and a 400-square-foot garage, plus 20% of a 1,000-square-foot unfinished basement, counts as 2,100 square feet. At the sheet’s $95.34 per square foot for a wood-frame one- and two-family home, the valuation is $200,214; the fee is $435 plus $200.43, and the $50 certificate of occupancy brings the building permit to $685.43 (the sheet itself prints $685.42, one cent under the sum of its own three lines). The per-square-foot figure comes from the state cost table, so ask the division which table it uses on your filing date. Card payments add $1.50 for every $50 or part of $50.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Adrian issues its own electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, and each trade form has a box for a contractor or a homeowner, the state license number and expiry, and a homeowner signature line. Contractors pay a $20 registration fee with the city, and the city may charge $50 an hour for inspection services in some cases.

• Electrical: services through 200 amps are $10 and circuits $5 each. Plans are needed unless the service is 400 amps or less and the building 3,500 square feet or less.
• Mechanical: a new residential heating system is $50, gas-burning equipment or air conditioning $30 and a water heater $5. Plans are needed for homes whose heating and cooling input exceeds 375,000 Btu.
• Plumbing: fixtures, floor drains and water-connected appliances are $5 each. Plans are needed except for one- and two-family homes of 3,500 square feet or less, minor work, and assembly, business, mercantile and storage buildings that need fewer than 12 fixtures.
• Inspection days: electrical on Tuesday and Thursday mornings; mechanical and plumbing on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

How to apply for an Adrian building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The residential handout says incomplete submittals will not be considered and may be rejected, and the city does not issue commercial permits until plan review is approved. Outside plan review, when the city uses it, adds that firm’s fees. A permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days, and the city closes a permit when no inspection is requested within 180 days of issue or of the last inspection. After six months without an inspection the inspector may make a status inspection and either extend the permit on written request or close it.

Inspections and certificates in Adrian

Call the Inspection Department at 517-264-4814 with 24 hours’ notice, or email inspections@adrianmi.gov with the job address and permit number; contractors can also book in BS&A Online. Building inspectors work Monday to Thursday, mornings and afternoons. A typical new house has these building inspections:

• Footing before concrete goes into piers or trenches, and backfill after walls, waterproofing and drain tile are in.
• Sub-floor and radon before the floor slab is poured.
• Rough framing after the trade rough-ins pass, and insulation under the energy code.
• Drywall screw count before taping, and the final once the trades have signed off.

Before the certificate of occupancy, file the city’s certificate of occupancy application and the blower door test results.

Michigan building code in Adrian

Adrian enforces the state code for all four trades and charges the state fee schedule it adopted by ordinance. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City of Adrian (community 260115A) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community with flood maps effective August 15, 2019, and the approval block on the building application includes a flood zone check.

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

Adrian permit search and official resources

Property and payment records are in BS&A Online. For permit files and plans, send the city’s FOIA request form by mail to 135 East Maumee Street or by email through the link on the FOIA page (questions: 517-264-4815); the city answers within five business days and may take 10 more, asks for a deposit of half the estimate when a request will cost more than $50, and waives the first $20 for indigent requesters.

• Adrian Construction Inspection page
• Online permitting and inspections (contractors)
• Forms, permits and fees
• Building and inspection fee schedule
• Planning and zoning fee schedule
• Building permit application
• Mechanical permit application
• Plumbing permit application
• Residential permit requirements
• Commercial and industrial permit requirements
• Planning Commission
• Historic District Commission
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Engineering right-of-way and soil erosion permits
• Rental housing inspection program
• Fire Department site plan review
• Freedom of Information Act requests
• Lenawee County soil erosion permits
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List

Adrian building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit for a new house in Adrian?

The city’s own example, a 2,100-square-foot house valued at $200,214, comes to $685.43 including the $50 certificate of occupancy (the sheet prints $685.42). The building application form also shows a $100 non-refundable application fee, and trade permits are separate.

Can a homeowner pull permits in Adrian?

Yes; homeowners use the paper applications, which have a homeowner box, while online filing is for contractors.

How much is a re-roof or deck permit?

$100 per inspection; with the usual two inspections, $200.

Which days are inspections?

Building Monday to Thursday; electrical Tuesday and Thursday mornings; mechanical and plumbing Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons, all with 24 hours’ notice.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed?

Both need a $50 zoning compliance permit; sheds also appear on the building application.

Who handles soil erosion permits?

The Lenawee County Drain Commissioner, for earth changes of an acre or more or within 500 feet of a lake or stream.

Do rental homes in Adrian need an inspection?

Yes. Every non-owner-occupied home must be registered ($100 for the first unit) and inspected ($100 for the first unit), and a passing inspection brings a certificate of compliance good for three years.

Is Adrian the same as Adrian Charter Township?

No. The township is a separate government with its own permit program; check which one your parcel is in before you file.

Simplify Adrian 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 Adrian permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.