Alpine Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In Alpine Township, a Kent County township with a 2025 Census estimate of 14,034 people, permits come from the township’s Building and Property Maintenance Department at 5255 Alpine Ave. NW, Comstock Park (616-784-9090, option 2), where Gary Campbell is the Building Official. The department reviews plans and inspects building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, and zoning sign-off comes from the Planning Director. Under Resolution 24-22, adopted September 16, 2024, a building permit costs $20 plus $3 for each $1,000 of value above the first $1,000.

What requires a building permit in Alpine Township?

The Building Department’s code page gives a side-by-side list of everyday projects, sorted into work that needs a state-mandated permit and work that does not. It is a list of examples, not the full code text, and the department asks owners to call when a contractor cannot show the yellow permit card for a job that seems to need one.

Inside mobile home parks the department inspects new home installations and rental units; decks, sunrooms and storage additions attached to a mobile home need building permits, and yard storage buildings over 200 square feet need one too, while smaller storage units need a zoning permit. A separate zoning permit ($25) also covers commercial agricultural buildings and other buildings that need no building permit.

What Alpine Township decides and what the state holds

The state writes the construction code; Alpine chooses to enforce it. The Bureau of Construction Codes’ Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026) marks Alpine as enforcing all four codes itself, so no Kent County or state inspector is involved for building, electrical, mechanical or plumbing work. The township sets its own permit fees, runs zoning through its Planning Director, Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals, and keeps local storm water and fill ordinances. It also enforces the Property Maintenance Code through the same department.

Alpine Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department handles plan review, permits and inspections for every trade, and its staff are state-licensed inspectors who renew their credentials every three years. Zoning questions go to the Planning Director, who is also the Zoning Administrator and reviews each building permit application for zoning compliance. The department takes permit applications and inspection requests by email to the building clerk (address on the department page) or by phone.

Alpine Township permit types

Each trade has its own township application: building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing forms were reissued in 2025 and are posted on the department’s documents page with a construction code variance application, an agricultural exemption form, an inspection list and guides for decks, fences and accessory buildings.

Residential permits

• New houses and additions need two complete sets of construction documents covering foundations, sections, floor plans, framing, energy code compliance and exterior elevations, plus a scaled site plan with setbacks, easements, finish grades and any water within 500 feet.
• Sealed drawings from a Michigan architect or engineer are required once a home exceeds 3,500 square feet of habitable area.
• Decks, accessory buildings and fences have township guides; side and rear yard fences may be up to 6 feet tall, front yard solid fences 3 feet and open fences 4 feet, and no fence may sit in a road right-of-way.
• Re-roofing on a house is a flat $80 permit.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial jobs need three complete sets of construction documents sealed by a Michigan architect or engineer whatever their size, and plan review is charged on top of the permit fee for commercial, industrial and multi-family work. The Planning Commission, or one of its sub-committees, reviews site plans for every new commercial or industrial building or addition and makes the final call on special land uses. Signs need a $75 permit plus $75 plan review, and an electronic reader board sign also needs the township’s affidavit on MDOT regulations.

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 approval. The Planning Director checks use, size and location against the zoning ordinance. Variances go to the Zoning Board of Appeals, which meets on the fourth Monday of the month once appeals are filed on time and neighbors within 300 feet are notified.
• Kent County Road Commission. Every new building needs a KCRC driveway or address verification permit, and any work in a county road right-of-way needs a KCRC permit (Permit Department, 1900 4 Mile Road, Walker, 616-242-6920).
• Soil erosion. KCRC enforces Part 91 here: a permit is needed for earth disturbance within 500 feet of a lake or stream or over one acre.
• Well, septic and sewer. Private wells and septic systems are permitted by the Kent County Health Department; for public sewer, report the proposed use to the township to set connection fees.
• Storm water and wetlands. Development and commercial construction file a township storm water application, and building in a designated wetland or flood-prone area needs a state wetlands permit.

Alpine Township permit costs and fees

Building and trade permit fees come from Resolution 24-22, adopted by the Alpine Township Board on September 16, 2024 and in effect immediately; it replaced Resolution 08-01. The project value is the higher of the contract price and the cost from the code fee tables. Utility and sign charges sit in the 2026 Annual Fee Schedule, approved December 15, 2025.

Worked example from the resolution: a house addition valued at $150,000 is $20 plus 149 × $3, or $467, with no plan review charge because it is a one-family dwelling. Trade permits add their own items; a new residential heating system is $50, air conditioning $30 and each new gas piping opening $45 on top of the $40 mechanical application fee. Plan review for commercial, industrial and multi-family buildings follows the resolution’s reference to the code fee schedule rather than a printed figure, so get that amount from the department. The zoning permit form still prints $85 for a portable sign; the newer annual schedule sets $90.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Alpine enforces the electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes itself, so trade permits are township permits filed on the township’s own 2025 forms and inspected by township inspectors. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspections run on Tuesdays and Thursdays, usually late in the afternoon.

• Licensed contractors. Residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors hold LARA licenses, and trade contractors hold state trade licenses; the department’s page says any contractor doing work worth more than $600 needs a state license and that staff check licenses. A contractor must also register with the township ($10, with a copy of the license), because only registered contractors can obtain permits to work for others.
• Homeowners. The electrical application carries a homeowner affidavit for work the owner installs personally in the house they live in or are about to occupy, with inspections arranged by the owner.
• Electrical fees. Items are priced per unit: a service up to 200 amps is $10, each circuit $5 and light fixtures $6 per 25, plus the $40 base fee.
• Plumbing fees. Fixtures, floor drains and water-connected appliances are $5 each, and a reduced-pressure backflow preventer is $10.
• Sealed electrical plans are needed except for minor work, homes of not more than 3,500 square feet and small public jobs.

How to apply for an Alpine Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The checklist ties approval to outside documents, so a missing KCRC driveway permit, Health Department sign-off or parcel number holds up the file. Zoning approval is a separate review and can add a Zoning Board of Appeals hearing if a variance is needed. Commercial work also waits on Planning Commission site plan approval, which is on the third Thursday of the month. The township states no plan review time; Michigan’s construction code act sets the deadline for acting on a complete application.

Inspections and certificates in Alpine Township

Contractors must request inspections through the department, preferably before 9:30 a.m. so staff can fit the visit into the day; inspections can run until 6:00 p.m. Building inspections happen Monday to Thursday and trade inspections on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The township’s inspection list sets out each stage:

• Footing and forms after forms and reinforcement are set and before concrete or masonry; building storm sewers are checked at this stage.
• Backfill once foundation walls are damp-proofed and drains installed.
• Rough-in when framing is complete and the electrical, mechanical and plumbing roughs have passed, before insulation or drywall.
• Insulation before drywall, and a ceiling inspection in commercial buildings.
• Final after the trade finals and before anyone moves in or stores belongings.

Before any visit the permit must be posted and visible from the road, the site marked with a street number or name sign, and the driveway passable for inspectors and emergency vehicles. Work covered before inspection must be opened up again, and the contractor registration form makes the final inspection a condition of occupancy.

Michigan building code in Alpine Township

Alpine Township enforces the state construction code for every trade under the jurisdiction list. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Township of Alpine (community 260961) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective February 23, 2023, the same date it entered the regular program. The township’s checklist adds a state wetlands permit for building in a designated wetland or flood-prone area.

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

Alpine Township permit search and official resources

For copies of permits, plans or inspection records, file a Freedom of Information Act request with the Township Clerk, who is the FOIA Coordinator, using the online form or a written request by email, fax or mail; the township responds within five business days and charges for search time and copies under its FOIA policy. Parcel and tax records are on the township’s BS&A Online pages.

• Building & Property Maintenance Department
• Building codes and work that needs a permit
• Building forms and applications
• Resolution 24-22: building and trade permit fees
• 2026 Annual Fee Schedule
• Building permit checklist for applicants
• Inspection list
• Contractor registration form
• Zoning permit application
• Fence requirements
• Planning and Zoning Department
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• FOIA requests
• Kent County Road Commission permits
• KCRC soil erosion program
• Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)

Alpine Township building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Alpine Township?

$20 for work under $1,000, otherwise $20 plus $3 for each $1,000 of value above the first $1,000; a $150,000 addition is $467, with no plan review fee for a one- or two-family home.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

A shed over 200 square feet needs a building permit; the township lists sheds under 200 square feet as not needing one, though zoning setbacks still apply.

Does replacing a furnace or water heater need a permit?

Yes. Both are on the township’s list of work that needs a state-mandated permit, filed as a mechanical or plumbing permit.

Who inspects electrical and plumbing work?

Township inspectors, on Tuesdays and Thursdays; Alpine enforces all four trade codes itself.

How tall can a backyard fence be?

Up to 6 feet in side and rear yards of residential districts; in front yards solid fences are limited to 3 feet and open fences to 4 feet.

What does a re-roof cost?

A residential re-roofing permit is a flat $80 under Resolution 24-22.

How do I book an inspection?

Email the building clerk or call 616-784-9090, ideally before 9:30 a.m.; contractors must request inspections through the office.

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