Allegan County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Allegan County does not issue building permits. The Bureau of Construction Codes’ jurisdiction list marks the county “NO COUNTY PROGRAM” and shows every city, village and township running its own building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing program, with one exception: in Casco Township the state issues plumbing permits. Several townships hand the work to a private firm, Professional Code Inspections (PCI) in Dorr, or to Michigan Township Services in Allegan. A new residential driveway onto a county road needs a $150 Allegan County Road Commission permit.

What requires a building permit in Allegan County?

Because every unit enforces the code itself, “what needs a permit” is answered by the office for your city, village or township, using the state construction code and its own zoning ordinance. The forms posted by the larger units show the usual scope: new buildings, additions, alterations, decks and garages need a building permit, and electrical, mechanical and plumbing work each needs its own trade permit.

Allegan Township, for example, posts an agricultural (AG) building form next to its building application, and Valley Township reminds owners to call MISS DIG 811 before any digging. Ask your local office about exemptions before you start.

What the local units decide and what the state holds

The construction code is the state’s and no city or township can amend it. What each unit controls is who enforces it (its own staff or a contracted firm), its fee schedule, its forms and its zoning. The state only steps in where a unit does not enforce a trade: in Allegan County that is plumbing in Casco Township, where the Bureau of Construction Codes issues the permit and inspects.

Allegan County building department: who handles permitting

The state list (rev. Nov. 6, 2026) names these units, all LOCAL for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing unless shown otherwise:

Douglas became a city on December 13, 2004, according to the list. About 8,000 residents of the City of Holland live on the Allegan side (Census 2025 estimate); the state list shows the city as its own enforcing agency under both Allegan and Ottawa counties. Five residents of South Haven live in Allegan County; that city is listed under Van Buren County, where it issues building and electrical permits and the state handles mechanical and plumbing.

Offices of the largest units

For any other unit, start with its own hall: the state list confirms it runs a program, but the office may be a staff building official or another contracted firm.

Allegan County permit types

Each enforcing office uses its own set of forms. Allegan Township’s building form is PCI’s combined building permit and plan examination application, with separate electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications, and the City of Holland sorts its applications into residential and non-residential lists.

Residential permits

• New homes and additions. Leighton’s notice asks for a complete application with a plot plan showing front, side and back setbacks, two copies of the building plans and, if needed, copies of the septic or sewer and well permits.
• Trade permits. In Leighton the electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are ordered from the PCI office; in Allegan Township all four permits are available at the township hall and can be returned and paid for there.
• Holland homes. The city’s residential list covers its permit types; construction applications go to permits@cityofholland.com or to City Hall.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work goes to the same local office as residential work. Holland keeps a separate non-residential application list, Allegan Township’s PCI form is a combined building permit and plan examination application, and Leighton posts its own application for site plan review.

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

• Local zoning. In Leighton the PCI zoning administrator checks the plans against the zoning ordinance before the permit is priced; Valley Township’s building and zoning both run through Michigan Township Services.
• County road access. The Allegan County Road Commission maintains the public roads in Dorr Township and the rest of the county road system; driveway permits are applied for by phone and need a site visit.
• Well and septic. Dorr’s adopted master plan ties lot sizes to the county health department’s requirements for private wells and septic systems, and Leighton wants copies of those permits with the plans.
• County drains. The Allegan County Drain Commission maintains the formal drains, according to Dorr’s master plan; ask before building over or connecting to one.
• Earth changes. Ask the local building office which agency issues soil erosion permits before clearing or grading near water or on a large site.

Allegan County permit costs and fees

There is no county building permit fee. Each city, village and township adopts its own fee schedule, and in Leighton PCI calculates the fee and asks for checks payable to “Leighton Township”. Ask the office for your unit’s current schedule before you budget.

One local example: Laketown Township. Its fee schedule, approved December 11, 2024 and effective January 1, 2025, charges a $50 base fee plus $4.50 per $1,000 of value for a building permit, and $90 per inspection for plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits. A house valued at $300,000 would pay $50 + (300 × $4.50) = $1,400 for the building permit, with the trade permits charged by the number of inspections. The same schedule lists $250 for a variance hearing, $100 for site plan review and $50 for a pond permit, and separate sewer and water connection charges depending on whether the lot is in the Holland or the Kalamazoo Lake Sewer & Water Authority service area.

The county-level fee most projects meet is the Road Commission’s. Its fee schedule (file dated November 26, 2025) includes:

Example. A new house on a county road in a PCI-served township pays the local building and trade permit fees under that township’s schedule, plus $150 to the Road Commission for the residential driveway. Utility work in the road for the same lot, such as an open cut for a service line, is a separate road permit.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits come from the same local unit as the building permit everywhere in the county except plumbing in Casco Township, which the state issues. In practice that means:

• PCI-served townships (Dorr, Leighton and Allegan Township): order trade permits from PCI or the township hall, as each township’s page explains. PCI has also done Allegan Township’s electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspections for years.
• City of Holland: contractors can apply online through the city’s BS&A portal; others send applications by email or drop them at City Hall.
• Valley Township: Michigan Township Services handles building permits and zoning.
• Laketown Township: its own plumbing, mechanical and electrical inspectors; trade permits cost $90 per inspection, and the township posts a homeowner’s affidavit with its permit forms.
• Casco Township plumbing: apply to the state Bureau of Construction Codes, which also inspects.

Contractors hold state licenses and list them on the application. Whether and how a homeowner may take out a trade permit for their own house is set out on each enforcing agency’s forms, so read the form your township or city uses before you sign as the owner.

How to get a building permit in Allegan County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Leighton’s notice puts it bluntly: the application must be completed in its entirety, and the plot plan must show setbacks to the front, side and back lot lines. Missing copies of well, septic or sewer permits hold a file up, and a new driveway cannot be permitted until the Road Commission’s site visit is done. PCI’s office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Inspections in Allegan County

Inspections are booked with whoever issued the permit. In the PCI-served townships call PCI at 616-877-2000; in Holland call Community and Neighborhood Services at 616-355-1330; in Valley Township call Michigan Township Services at 269-673-3239; Laketown lists its building and trade inspectors beside its permit forms and takes permit questions at (616) 335-3050. Casco Township plumbing inspections are done by the state.

The Road Commission’s superintendent inspects each new driveway site before the permit is issued, so the driveway visit is a separate appointment from the building inspections.

Michigan building code in Allegan County

Every unit in Allegan County enforces the same state code; only the office, the fees and the zoning rules change from one township line to the next.

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

Allegan County permit search and official resources

Permit records are kept by the office that issued the permit, not by the county. Ask that city, village or township, or PCI or Michigan Township Services where they act for it, about a permit’s status, and use the unit’s own Freedom of Information Act form for copies; Allegan Township, for example, posts FOIA fee-waiver forms with its permit forms. The City of Holland takes building questions at 616-355-1330.

Flood insurance: Michigan counties are not NFIP communities, so each local unit joins on its own. FEMA lists the City of Holland (Allegan and Ottawa counties) with maps dated June 21, 2023, and Dorr Township’s 2022 master plan says the township does not take part in the program.

• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)
• City of Holland: how to apply for a permit
• Dorr Township documents and building contact
• Dorr Township Master Plan 2022
• Leighton Township permits and forms
• Leighton Township building permit application (PCI)
• Allegan Township Building Department
• Allegan Township forms and permits
• Valley Township building permits and zoning
• Laketown Township building permits and forms
• Laketown Township fee schedule (effective January 1, 2025)
• Allegan County Road Commission permits
• Allegan County Road Commission fee schedule

Allegan County building permit FAQs

Does Allegan County issue building permits?

No. The state lists Allegan as having no county program; every city, village and township issues its own permits.

Who issues building permits in Dorr and Leighton townships?

Professional Code Inspections (PCI) in Dorr handles building permits for both townships; its office is at 1575 142nd Ave, Dorr (616-877-2000).

Who issues plumbing permits in Casco Township?

The state Bureau of Construction Codes; Casco issues its own building, electrical and mechanical permits.

How much is a driveway permit in Allegan County?

$150 for a residential or field driveway onto a county road, $250 for a commercial drive. Call the Road Commission at (269) 673-2184; a superintendent inspects the site first.

How much does a building permit cost in Allegan County?

It depends on the unit, because each adopts its own fee schedule. Laketown Township, for example, charges $50 plus $4.50 per $1,000 of value; elsewhere ask the township, city or village office, or PCI where it acts for the township.

Where do I apply in the City of Holland?

Community and Neighborhood Services at City Hall, 270 S River Ave; contractors can apply online, and construction applications can be emailed to permits@cityofholland.com.

Who handles building and zoning in Valley Township?

Michigan Township Services, 111 Grand St., Allegan (269-673-3239).

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