Allendale Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In Allendale Charter Township, building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits all come from Professional Code Inspections (PCI), 1913 Baldwin Street, Jenison ((616) 667-8803), which also performs every inspection. The township itself handles zoning: fences, sheds under 200 square feet, agricultural buildings and home businesses need a township zoning compliance permit, and fence and small-shed permits cost $30. Building permit fees are set with PCI rather than printed in the township’s 2026 fee schedule.

What requires a building permit in Allendale Charter Township?

PCI’s building application, which the township posts, lists the work it covers: new buildings, additions, alterations, demolition, relocation of a building and signs, along with detached garages, swimming pools, pole barns, modular and mobile homes, attached garages and carports and other accessory structures, for single-family, two-family and multi-family housing and for commercial projects. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing work each needs its own PCI permit.

Fences follow Section 3.05 C of the zoning ordinance: at least 10 feet back from the edge of a public or private road right of way, no more than 30 inches high within 15 feet of that edge in residential zones or inside a corner lot’s 30-foot sight triangle, and never more than 6 feet high anywhere.

What the township decides and what the state holds

Michigan writes one construction code for the whole state, and townships cannot change it; builders and trades are licensed by the state. What Allendale decides is how the code is enforced locally. Ottawa County runs no building program, and the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List marks Allendale Township “Local” for all four codes; the township carries out that role through PCI. The township runs its own zoning, site plan review and land divisions, with a Planning Commission, a Zoning Board of Appeals and a Construction Board of Appeals, and it adopts its own fee schedule.

Allendale Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

The township’s planning and zoning page says PCI issues all permits and does all inspections for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, and that PCI answers questions and connects callers to an inspector at (616) 667-8803. Zoning questions go to the township office, where the zoning administrator keeps office hours on Monday afternoons and Wednesday mornings.

PCI also serves other Ottawa County townships, and its forms carry a jurisdiction box: enter Allendale Charter Township so the permit is filed under the right community.

Allendale Charter Township permit types

The township’s forms page carries PCI’s building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit applications, a Construction Board of Appeals application, the zoning compliance forms (fence, shed, agricultural building and home occupation), an address application and the rental registration forms. The PCI building application asks for the project valuation including labor but not the lot, the building’s width, length, height, square footage by floor and number of stories, and the electrical, heating and plumbing subcontractors.

Residential permits

• Site plan: lot dimensions, every existing and proposed building with distances to lot lines and between buildings, bordering roads, power and gas lines, any lake, river, stream, floodplain or wetland, and easements, with north marked.
• Setbacks: front, side and rear setbacks in feet, the front measured from the road right of way.
• Existing homes: whether a house or mobile home already stands on the parcel, and the plans for it.
• Sheds under 200 square feet: a township zoning permit only; they must sit at least 10 feet from other structures and may not be placed in any recorded easement.
• Farm buildings: PCI’s agricultural zoning compliance permit, with a site plan showing the adjoining roads, the property’s size, existing buildings and their use, and the distances from the new building to the front, side and rear lot lines and the closest building. The form warns that the building must be entirely in agricultural use or it will need a building permit, and it asks whether the site is within 500 feet of a lake or stream.
• Detached accessory buildings: each residential lot may have two, and on lots of an acre or less in the R-1 to R-4 zones their combined floor area may not exceed 2.3% of the lot area.
• New addresses: the township assigns a house number only after receiving a current legal survey of the property, approved by its Chief Building and Zoning Administrator.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects use the same PCI application with the commercial box ticked and the architect or engineer listed. Before that, most commercial development goes through the township’s site plan review under Article 24 of the zoning ordinance, with a $3,000 escrow deposit for the township’s review costs; the township’s Developer Welcome Packet explains the Planning Commission process.

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 approval from the township, recorded on the PCI application.
• Soil erosion permit from the Ottawa County Water Resources Commissioner for earth changes within 500 feet of a lake, stream or drain or covering an acre or more.
• Well and septic permits from the Ottawa County Department of Public Health where the site is not on public water and sewer. The department evaluates the site under the county Environmental Health Code before it issues either permit, takes applications and payment online, and offers a vacant land evaluation to show whether an empty lot can support a well and septic system before you commit to a house plan; its Environmental Health Division is at (616) 393-5645.
• Driveway permit from the Ottawa County Road Commission for any work in a county road right of way.
• Floodplain review under the township’s Article 19 floodplain rules where the parcel is in a mapped floodplain.

Allendale Charter Township permit costs and fees

Building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit fees are not printed in the township’s 2026 fee schedule; the schedule’s building permit line says to contact PCI at (616) 667-8803 for rates. The PCI application bases the building permit on the project valuation, labor included and lot value excluded, so have that figure ready when you ask. For electrical work, PCI’s own website posts an Allendale electrical application (an undated scan) whose chart starts with a $38 administrative fee that includes no inspections, then $40 for a service up to 200 amps, $5 per circuit and $40 for each final or re-inspection, with checks made payable to Allendale Charter Township; a service replacement with four new circuits would come to $38 + $40 + 4 × $5 + $40 = $138. Confirm the current figures with PCI. The township’s own zoning and planning fees are below.

County permits are separate. The Ottawa County Water Resources Commissioner charges $100 for a soil erosion permit for a new single-family home or duplex on up to an acre, plus $10 for each added acre, and $50 for minor projects such as a septic system. Well, septic and driveway permits are priced by the health department and road commission.

Trade permits and who may pull them

PCI issues and inspects electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits in Allendale on its own forms, which the township posts beside the building application. Residential builders, maintenance and alteration contractors and the electrical, mechanical and plumbing trades all hold state licenses, and the PCI application asks for the builder’s license number and expiry date, federal employer number, workers’ compensation carrier and unemployment number, or the reason for an exemption.

Owners can take out their own building permit. The homeowner’s affidavit on PCI’s building application has the owner certify that the work will be installed personally in the owner’s own single-family home, lived in or about to be occupied; that it will not be enclosed, covered or used until the building inspector has approved it; and that the owner will arrange the inspections. For a trade permit as a homeowner, call PCI before applying.

How to apply for an Allendale Charter Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The PCI application asks whether any part of the project lies in the 100-year floodplain or a regulated wetland, and whether more than an acre is excavated within 500 feet of a lake, river, stream or county drain. Those answers sit beside the application’s local approval box, which records whether zoning, soil erosion, flood zone, water supply and sewer or septic approvals are required and when each was given. Zoning compliance forms go to the township in person or by mail with the fee attached. Projects that need a variance wait for the Zoning Board of Appeals, which meets as needed at 7:00 p.m. at the Township Hall; the Planning Commission meets on the first and third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m.

Inspections and certificates in Allendale Charter Township

PCI performs every building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspection in the township; call (616) 667-8803 to schedule one or to speak with an inspector. Covered work cannot be used until the inspector has approved it, and PCI’s application states that a certificate of occupancy must be obtained before a building is put into use.

• Trades: each electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit gets its own PCI inspections, and none of that work may be covered before approval.
• Zoning: signing a township zoning form gives the building and zoning officials permission to inspect the site for final approval.

Rental homes have a separate township inspection program under the rental housing ordinance: units are registered every year by March 31, and an initial inspection of a single-family rental costs $125, with the first re-inspection free and later ones $50. Disputes over a PCI code decision go to the township’s Construction Board of Appeals, which meets as needed at 7:00 p.m. at the Township Hall.

Michigan building code in Allendale Charter Township

Allendale Charter Township takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program in its own name; FEMA lists it in the regular program since July 5, 1982, with a current flood map date of May 16, 2013. The township’s zoning ordinance carries floodplain regulations in Article 19.

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

Allendale Charter Township permit search and official resources

For a permit or inspection issued through PCI, call PCI at (616) 667-8803 with the address and permit number. Township records, including zoning permits and site plans, can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act: send a written request titled “FOIA” by email, by mail, by hand or through the drop box at 6676 Lake Michigan Drive, and the township responds within five business days.

• Allendale Township Planning & Zoning
• Forms and documents, including PCI applications
• PCI building permit application
• PCI electrical permit application
• PCI mechanical permit application
• PCI plumbing permit application
• Allendale Township fee schedule 2026
• Fence zoning permit application
• Accessory structure under 200 sq ft zoning permit
• Agricultural zoning compliance permit (PCI form)
• Address application
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Construction Board of Appeals
• Planning Commission
• FOIA requests
• Ottawa County soil erosion permits
• Ottawa County well and septic permits
• Ottawa County Road Commission driveway permits
• BCC Statewide Jurisdiction List

Allendale Charter Township building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Allendale Township?

Professional Code Inspections, 1913 Baldwin Street, Jenison, (616) 667-8803, issues all building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and does all inspections for the township.

How much is a building permit?

The township’s fee schedule refers building permit rates to PCI. Ask PCI with your project valuation, including labor but not the lot.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Yes, a $30 township zoning permit. Fences sit at least 10 feet from the road right of way and are never more than 6 feet high.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

A shed under 200 square feet needs a $30 township zoning permit; for anything larger, ask PCI about a building permit.

Can I pull my own permit as a homeowner?

Yes, for work you do yourself on the single-family home you live in or are about to occupy, by signing the homeowner’s affidavit on PCI’s application.

Does Ottawa County issue building permits here?

No. Ottawa County runs no building program; the township enforces the code through PCI.

Who issues soil erosion and septic permits?

The Ottawa County Water Resources Commissioner for soil erosion, and the Ottawa County Department of Public Health for wells and septic systems.

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