Alpena County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Alpena County does not issue building permits. The state’s jurisdiction list marks the county “NO COUNTY PROGRAM” and shows the City of Alpena and seven of the eight townships enforcing building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes themselves; in Maple Ridge Township the township handles building and electrical while the state issues mechanical and plumbing permits. What the county does issue is the Part 91 soil erosion permit, $180 for a house site up to one acre, and septic and well permits come from District Health Department No. 4.

What requires a building permit in Alpena County?

The building office for your city or township decides what needs a permit under the state construction code and its own zoning ordinance. The City of Alpena, for example, requires a permit for all construction activity except cosmetic work such as painting, flooring and cabinets, and requires fence, shed and pool permits even for replacements. Ask your township office for its list before starting.

The county’s soil erosion fee schedule has separate categories for single-family homes, additions, barns and garages, septic systems installed on their own, ponds, seawalls and riprap, and utility and road corridors.

What the local units decide and what the state holds

The construction code itself is state law. Each local unit chooses whether to enforce it with its own staff, sets its own building fees and zoning rules, and may hand a trade back to the state, as Maple Ridge has for mechanical and plumbing. The county’s own lever is its soil erosion ordinance (No. 2023-01). Planning is partly shared: the city says the 2025 Alpena County Master Plan Survey has shaped joint master plan goals for all municipalities in the county.

Alpena County building department: who handles permitting

The Bureau of Construction Codes’ Statewide Jurisdiction List (rev. Nov. 6, 2026) gives this picture:

The county has 28,853 residents by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, and about two-thirds of them live in the city and Alpena Township. Two residents live in the Alpena County part of the Village of Hillman, which the state list places under Montmorency County’s program.

The two largest building offices

• City of Alpena: Planning, Development, Zoning & Building Safety Department, City Hall basement, 208 N. First Avenue (989-354-1760); see the City of Alpena building permit guide.
• Charter Township of Alpena: Building Department, (989) 356-0297 ext. 4, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Kevin Pauly is the Building Official. The township’s page sends owners to Alpena County for soil erosion permits and to the district health department for septic and well permits.

For the other six townships, contact the township hall; the state list confirms each runs its own program.

Alpena County permit types

Building, trade and zoning permits are local and use each office’s own forms. The county and the health district add the permits below, which are often needed before the local building permit is issued.

Residential permits

• Soil erosion, residential. New homes, additions, barns, garages and other residential earth changes: $180 for up to one acre with three inspections included, plus $85 for each further acre. Apply on the county’s online fillable form or a printed application; an agent applying for the owner needs written authorization.
• Septic systems on their own. Installing, replacing or repairing a septic system without other earth change is its own $180 soil erosion category, in addition to the health department permit.
• Septic and well. District Health Department No. 4 issues a construction permit before any septic system is installed or repaired. After the application and fee, staff visit for a site review and soil evaluation, sizing the system by soil layers, seasonal high water, slope, distance to water, wells and lot lines, and the number of bedrooms; the permit is valid for 2 years, and staff inspect the finished system before it is covered. The 2026 schedule lists $400 for a new, repair or replacement conventional septic permit and $270 for a private well permit (permit $210 plus $60 for water sample bottles).
• Shoreline work. Ponds, seawalls and riprap fall under the county’s waterway impoundment category: $180 up to one acre.

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

Commercial permits

Industrial and commercial earth changes cost $280 up to one acre and $110 for each additional acre, with plan review and three inspections included. Commercial sites over one acre need sealed, engineered site plans with runoff calculations and a letter of acknowledgment or letter of credit, and any project of five acres or more needs a certified storm water operator for its duration. If the county’s inspector wants an outside engineer to review the plans, the developer pays for that review.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. City or township zoning approval, under that unit’s ordinance.
• Soil erosion. The county enforces Part 91 throughout the county except in a unit designated by the state as its own municipal enforcing agency.
• Health department. On lots without public sewer or water, the septic and well permits; a vacant land evaluation costs $350 per proposed building site.
• County drains. Ask the Drain Commissioner (603 S. 11th Avenue, 989-354-9888) before work near a county drain.

Alpena County permit costs and fees

Building and trade permit fees are set by each local unit; the City of Alpena, for example, adopted a new schedule effective July 1, 2026. The county-level fees come from the soil erosion fee schedule approved by the Board of Commissioners on January 2, 2025:

Example. A new house with three acres of earth change pays $180 for the first acre plus $85 for each of the two further acres, or $350, with three inspections included. Checks are payable to the Alpena County Treasurer.

Local building fees: the City of Alpena as an example

The city’s schedule, effective July 1, 2026, charges $100 for jobs up to $1,900 and, for construction costs from $50,001 to $1,000,000, a $100 base plus $7 for each $1,000. A $250,000 house inside the city therefore pays $1,850 for the building permit, with no plan review fee for a one- or two-family home. The townships adopt their own schedules, so a township house of the same value will not necessarily pay the same.

Health department fees for 2026 were approved on February 17, 2026: $400 for a conventional septic permit, $270 for a private well permit, $350 for a vacant land evaluation and $375 for an existing well and septic evaluation.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits come from the same city or township office that issues the building permit, with one exception: in Maple Ridge Township the state Bureau of Construction Codes issues mechanical and plumbing permits and does those inspections, while the township keeps building and electrical work. The state list directs questions about state-issued permits to the matching division of the Bureau of Construction Codes.

The City of Alpena and Alpena Charter Township list their electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspectors on their department pages, and the city charges a $70 application fee on each trade permit under its July 2026 schedule. Contractors hold state licenses and give the license number and expiry date on applications. Homeowner permits follow each office’s own form; the city’s electrical form, for instance, has an affidavit for owners wiring the home they live in or are about to occupy.

Septic installers and well drillers deal with District Health Department No. 4, which publishes lists of registered septic installers and well drillers and a contractor registration form.

How to get a building permit in Alpena County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The soil erosion application asks for a complete set of plans; commercial projects over an acre without sealed engineered plans and runoff calculations will not move forward. Starting work before the permit doubles the county fee. An agent filing without the landowner’s signed authorization will also be held up.

Inspections in Alpena County

Building and trade inspections are booked with the local office that issued the permit; in Maple Ridge, mechanical and plumbing inspections are done by state inspectors. The City of Alpena wants 24 to 48 hours’ notice for most inspections.

The county soil erosion permit includes three site inspections; further visits cost $70 each and are billed when the permit expires.

Michigan building code in Alpena County

Every local unit in the county enforces the same state construction code; Alpena Charter Township posts a notice of the code changes that took effect on March 12, 2024.

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

Alpena County permit search and official resources

Building permit records are kept by the city or township office that issued them. County records, including soil erosion permits, can be requested through the county’s Freedom of Information Act request page; the county offices are at 720 W. Chisholm Street (989-354-9500). Property and tax details are on the county’s BS&A property tax search.

Flood insurance. Michigan counties are not NFIP communities; each local unit joins on its own. FEMA lists the City of Alpena and Alpena Township as participating, both with maps dated June 1, 2022.

• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)
• Alpena County soil erosion permits
• Alpena County soil erosion application and 2025 fee schedule
• Alpena County Soil Erosion Ordinance No. 2023-01
• Alpena County Drain Commissioner
• Alpena County FOIA request
• Charter Township of Alpena Building Department
• City of Alpena building safety department
• District Health Department No. 4 permits and forms
• District Health Department No. 4 fee schedule 2026
• District Health Department No. 4 residential septic permits
• City of Alpena fee schedule effective July 1, 2026

Alpena County building permit FAQs

Does Alpena County issue building permits?

No. The state lists Alpena as having no county program; the City of Alpena and each township issue their own permits.

Who issues mechanical and plumbing permits in Maple Ridge Township?

The state Bureau of Construction Codes. The township issues its own building and electrical permits.

When do I need an Alpena County soil erosion permit?

When the earth change falls under Part 91, typically one acre or more or work within 500 feet of a lake or stream; the county’s fee schedule has categories for houses, septic systems, ponds and seawalls. The county permit does not apply inside a unit that is its own designated enforcing agency.

How much is a soil erosion permit for a new house?

$180 for up to one acre, with three inspections, plus $85 for each additional acre. Fees double if work starts first.

Who issues septic and well permits in Alpena County?

District Health Department No. 4, 100 Woods Circle, Suite 200, Alpena ((989) 356-4507), open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed for lunch from noon to 1. A conventional septic permit is $400 in 2026 and is valid for 2 years.

Where is the building department for Alpena Township?

The Charter Township of Alpena runs its own; call (989) 356-0297, ext. 4.

Does replacing a septic system need a county soil erosion permit?

The county’s 2025 fee schedule has a $180 category for septic installation, replacement or repair that is not part of other earth changes, on top of the health department’s septic permit.

Is the City of Alpena the same office as Alpena County?

No. The city’s building safety department at City Hall permits only inside city limits.

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