Ann Arbor issues building permits through its Planning and Development Services unit (the city’s Building, Rental and Inspection Services) at City Hall, 301 East Huron Street, with construction inspections, trade permits and rental inspection all handled by the same unit. The two features that shape most projects here are the online-only filing rule and the historic district review.
The city moved permitting to an online system, and paper applications and emailed PDFs are no longer accepted for zoning compliance permits. A separate category of work needs a zoning compliance permit without needing a building permit, which is a distinction worth getting right before you prepare anything.
This guide covers work inside the Ann Arbor city limits. Washtenaw County operates its own building inspection service for parts of the county outside the city.
In a historic district, design approval comes first. Exterior work on property in an Ann Arbor historic district requires a certificate of appropriateness, granted by staff or by the Historic District Commission, and the city’s guidance is that the certificate application should be submitted at the same time as or before the zoning compliance permit. Failing to comply can bring a fine or an order to restore the property to its prior condition.
What requires a building permit in Ann Arbor?
Permit required
- New commercial, multi-family and residential construction, additions and change of occupancy
- Structural alterations, load-bearing changes, foundations, decks and retaining walls
- Electrical work — services, panels, circuits, solar and EV charging — under the electrical part of the state code and the referenced National Electrical Code
- Plumbing work under the plumbing part of the state code, pulled by a state-licensed plumbing contractor; gas piping under the mechanical code
- Mechanical and HVAC change-outs, and work affecting the energy code envelope
- Re-roofing (ordinary repairs excepted), pools, signs, and demolition
Often exempt
- Minor repairs and maintenance replacing materials in kind
- Small accessory structures below the code threshold, where zoning allows
- Painting, flooring, cabinetry and other finish work
- Like-for-like fixture or appliance swaps with no alteration to wiring or piping
The code is the same statewide, but fee schedules, procedures and the choice of third-party agency differ from one municipality to the next, so an exempt list from a neighbouring township is not reliable. An exemption from a building permit is never an exemption from zoning, the energy code, or an electrical or plumbing permit. Confirm scope with Ann Arbor Planning and Development Services before work starts.
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Ann Arbor’s historic district rules were unified in 2007: individual districts no longer carry separate rules for exterior changes, and a single chapter of the city code now applies across all districts, with the city’s design guidelines as the primary reference for what work will be considered appropriate.
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
Who handles permitting in Ann Arbor?
Planning and Development Services handles construction plan review, building and trade permits, inspections and code enforcement, rental housing inspection, zoning and site plan review, and staffs the planning and historic district commissions.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | City of Ann Arbor Planning and Development Services (Building, Rental and Inspection Services) |
| Address | 301 East Huron Street, Larcom City Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 |
| Building phone | (734) 794-6263, ext. 0 · building@a2gov.org |
| Planning phone | (734) 794-6265 · planning@a2gov.org |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Permit applications | Online permitting system only |
| Historic district review | Certificate of appropriateness from staff or the Historic District Commission |
| Older records | Applications before March 2022 sit in the city archive system |
Zoning review of building permit applications is handled by planning staff as part of the building permit application, so the two are not separate queues for most projects. A distinct set of projects, however, requires a zoning compliance permit and no building permit at all — identifying which category your work falls into is the first decision, not a later one.
Records are split by date. Applications from about 2008 to March 2022 sit in the retired eTRAKiT system, searchable through the city’s A2Trak archive; applications from 2022 on are in STREAM, the current permitting system. Permits that expired in eTRAKiT need a new application in STREAM, which matters when clearing an open permit before a sale.
Permit types
Residential permits
Residential permits cover demolition, renovation, installation, construction and change of use. A change of use can require a permit even where no significant construction is proposed, which catches conversions from residential to commercial use. Where the property sits in a historic district, the certificate of appropriateness has to be resolved before the permit can issue.
How Michigan contractor credentials work
The licence number goes on the permit application. Michigan requires the application to set out the licence number and expiry date of the residential builder, maintenance and alteration contractor, architect or engineer acting for the owner, together with a written instrument — a contract, power of attorney or letter of authorisation — showing that person is authorised to act. Doing residential work that requires a licence without one is a civil violation, which the county prosecuting attorney or the Attorney General may pursue. Confirm what Ann Arbor Planning and Development Services requires for the parcel, along with insurance coverage.
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Commercial work runs through plan review with sealed drawings, alongside zoning and, where applicable, historic review. New accessory structures in a historic district are treated as major work and require approval from the Commission rather than staff-level sign-off, which puts the Commission’s meeting calendar on the critical path.
Licenses, trade classifications and design professionals
Practically, three credential layers appear on Michigan projects: the state residential builder or maintenance and alteration licence on residential work; separately licensed electrical, plumbing and mechanical trades, also licensed by the state; and, on commercial and larger residential work, drawings sealed by a Michigan-licensed architect or professional engineer, with plans reviewed by a state-registered plan reviewer; detached one- and two-family houses of 3,500 square feet or less need no architect or engineer seal. Confirm what Ann Arbor Planning and Development Services requires for the specific building before filing.
Michigan licenses residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors at state level, and the permit application must carry the licence number. Michigan rules
Ann Arbor permit costs and fees
Ann Arbor fees combine a base application fee with a valuation-based permit fee, with plan check charged as a proportion of the permit fee and separate charges for trade plan examination. Confirm the current schedule at filing rather than working from a prior project.
Michigan fees are set by whoever holds enforcement for the parcel — the local unit, the county, or the state where neither has taken it on — so the schedule follows the authority rather than the state. A figure from a neighbouring municipality is not reliable, and a figure from a neighbouring township can be wrong even where the county enforces both. Ask Ann Arbor Planning and Development Services for the schedule in force on your filing date.
Need a real number for a specific Ann Arbor project? Send us the scope, address and valuation and we will identify the authority having jurisdiction, the code edition in force and the fee categories that will apply.
Fees are set by the enforcing agency — the local unit, a county program or the state — and may only fund that agency's work. Michigan rules
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Service installations, panel upgrades, new circuits, solar PV and EV chargers
- New plumbing, repipes, water heater change-outs, fixtures, backflow and gas piping
- HVAC installation and change-out, ductwork, venting and commercial kitchen exhaust
- Sprinkler, standpipe and fire alarm work on commercial and multi-family structures
Typically exempt
- Replacing a fixture, switch, receptacle or light with no alteration to wiring or piping
- Clearing a stoppage without replacing or rearranging concealed piping
- Filter, thermostat and routine component service
- Like-for-like appliance repair that does not alter the connection
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors hold state licences valid anywhere in Michigan, and each trade follows its part of the state construction code. Michigan rules
How to apply for an Ann Arbor building permit
Check the parcel against the city historic district mapping before anything else, because it changes both the sequence and the calendar.
Some projects need a zoning compliance permit and no building permit. Getting this wrong means preparing the wrong submission.
The city guidance is to submit the certificate application at the same time as or before the zoning compliance permit.
All applications go through the online system. Paper applications and emailed PDFs are not accepted for zoning compliance permits.
Staff completes building plan review together with any zoning, historic or trade reviews. Respond to comments promptly to avoid a full cycle.
Pay the assessed fees, receive the issued permit, post it, and schedule inspections through the same system.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
In Michigan, the first cause of delay is uncertainty over who enforces the code — filing with the local unit when the county holds enforcement for it, or with the county when the state does. After that comes the edition question, because the trade parts and the building parts moved on different dates, and houses still follow the 2015 residential code, so a submission drawn to the wrong one is a correction cycle. Then a missing or expired state licence number on the application, energy-code and plan documentation, and floodplain requirements along the shorelines and rivers. Build the plan-review time into the schedule and confirm the checklist with Ann Arbor Planning and Development Services before filing.
A Michigan permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days; confirm the expiry with Ann Arbor on phased or delayed work. Michigan rules
Inspections in Ann Arbor
Where a permit is required, standard checkpoints include footing and foundation, framing, rough-in electrical, plumbing and mechanical, insulation and energy-code compliance, fire systems on commercial work, and final, with a use-and-occupancy certificate before the building is used. Where historic approval attaches, changes from the approved plans must be reported to Commission staff immediately rather than resolved at inspection.
Ask the enforcing agency which edition applies to your application, especially around a code change date — because editions are adopted part by part, the answer can differ between the building inspection and the trade inspections on the same job. They are carried out by an inspector registered with the state, employed or contracted by whichever authority holds enforcement for the parcel. Keep the approved plans and the energy-code documentation on site for the inspector to check against, and confirm the notice Ann Arbor Planning and Development Services needs and its inspection windows.
Do not cover work before the required inspection has been approved. Keep the issued permit, the approved plans, product listings, energy-code documentation and your correction responses available on site.
Ann Arbor permit search and official resources
Permit records in Michigan sit with the authority that issued them — the local unit, the county, or the state bureau where neither took enforcement on. In Ann Arbor the city’s Planning and Development Services unit holds the building permit, the inspection history and the certificate of occupancy. If you are buying, refinancing or renovating, confirm that past work was permitted rather than assuming it was — open permits and missing certificates are a common closing problem.
Confirm the authority having jurisdiction first, then confirm the edition. Michigan enforces one statewide construction code, but enforcement may sit with the local unit, the county or the state, and the code is adopted part by part on separate effective dates. Both questions have to be answered for the parcel and the filing date before the requirements are knowable.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- City of Ann Arbor construction and building permits
- Ann Arbor zoning compliance permits
- Ann Arbor historic preservation applications
- Ann Arbor historic district design guidelines and codes
- Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes - current code books and effective dates
Frequently asked questions
Do I need historic approval before my building permit?
In an Ann Arbor historic district, exterior work requires a certificate of appropriateness granted by staff or the Historic District Commission, and the city guidance is to submit that application at the same time as or before the zoning compliance permit. Failure to comply with the historic district regulations can result in a fine or an order to restore the property to its prior condition.
Can I still file on paper?
No. Zoning compliance permits must be submitted through the city online permitting system, and paper applications and emailed PDFs are no longer accepted.
Which code edition applies to my work?
It depends which part of the code the work falls under. One Michigan point catches almost everyone: the commercial and residential codes are not on the same edition. The bureau moved the plumbing, mechanical and electrical parts to new editions on the twelfth of March, 2024, and the building and rehabilitation parts to their 2021 editions on the ninth of April, 2025; houses still follow the 2015 Michigan Residential Code. The residential code did not move with them. Replacement residential rules were filed for an August 2025 effective date, but the Court of Claims entered a stipulated order stopping the department from implementing them while a builders’ association challenge is litigated, so the bureau still lists the 2015 Michigan Residential Code as the code in force. That case was still live when this guide was written. Confirm the edition governing each part of your work on your filing date rather than assuming the newest one applies.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →What is a zoning compliance permit and do I need one?
It is a separate permit for a defined set of projects that do not require a building permit but do require zoning review. For projects that do need a building permit, zoning review is handled by planning staff as part of the building permit application.
Why can I not find my old permit in the system?
Applications from 2022 on are in STREAM, the current system; older ones, from about 2008 to March 2022, are in the A2Trak archive of the retired eTRAKiT system. Permits that expired in eTRAKiT require a new application in STREAM.
Do I need a licensed contractor?
For most work, yes, and the credential is issued by the state rather than the city. Residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors are licensed by the state under Article 24 of Public Act 299 of 1980, administered by the Bureau of Construction Codes, and the plumbing, electrical and mechanical trades are state-licensed as well. The licence is valid statewide. The permit application must set out the licence number and its expiry date, and performing residential work that requires a licence without holding one is a civil violation the county prosecuting attorney or the Attorney General may pursue.
Simplify Ann Arbor permitting with Alliance Permitting
Ann Arbor’s historic calendar is the item that moves completion dates. We identify it at the start and sequence the design approval ahead of the permit filing.
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- We confirm the edition in force for each code part on your filing date, not the newest one published
- Licence numbers, expiry dates and the written authorisation instrument checked before submission
- Correction cycles handled directly with the reviewer so your crew is not waiting on a resubmission
- Inspection sequencing tracked through to the certificate, including trade sign-offs
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.
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More Michigan permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Ann Arbor permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.