Antwerp Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In Antwerp Township, the township’s own Building Department at 24821 Front Avenue, Mattawan (269-668-2615), issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits; Kevin Cardiff is the building official. Applications can be emailed to the township or dropped off, and the township says residential permits take at least 5 to 7 business days to process and commercial ones 10 to 15. Building permit fees are now worked out from construction value by the building inspector. The villages of Mattawan and Lawton handle their own permits, and since September 2022 Antwerp has also issued building, electrical and mechanical permits for neighboring Almena Township.

What requires a building permit in Antwerp Township?

The township’s combined building, zoning and plan review application covers residential work (new houses, accessory buildings, alterations, additions, demolition, swimming pools and manufactured home set-ups) and commercial new buildings, alterations, additions and demolition. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing work each need their own township permit.

The fence application carries the zoning rules from Section 5.4 C of the zoning ordinance: residential fences up to 6 ft in side and rear yards and 4 ft in the front yard, with the finished side facing out; agricultural fences up to 8 ft, and in a farm front yard no more than 40 percent opaque.

What the township decides and what the state holds

The state writes the construction code; Antwerp enforces all four parts of it, sets its own fees and writes its own zoning ordinance (last amended December 9, 2025). In August 2026 the Township Board approved a zoning amendment on solar and battery storage. Other approvals come from county agencies and EGLE, listed below.

Antwerp Township building department: who handles permitting

The township runs a joint Antwerp Township / Almena Township Building Department. Kevin Cardiff is the building official; the planning and zoning administrator is provided by Horizon Community Planning. Permit questions for the building official are taken at the township hall on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to noon, and by phone at extension 210.

Under the state’s jurisdiction list the township enforces all four codes, and Van Buren County has no county program. The two villages on the township’s permits menu are separate units on the list: the Village of Mattawan has its own building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, which must be dropped off at the village office, and the Village of Lawton posts its permits on its own website. For Almena Township the list shows building, electrical and mechanical as local, which Antwerp provides, while plumbing there is the state’s.

Antwerp Township permit types and applications

The township’s permits page carries the building packet, separate electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications, a demolition permit, a frontages and setbacks sheet and a fence permit, plus zoning forms: administrative site review, boundary line adjustment, land division, property combination, home occupation, family day care registration, sign permit, special land use, site plan review, commercial change of use and zoning information requests.

Residential permits

• Building packet. A completed application; plans drawn at no less than ¼ inch to the foot (one set for a house); a site plan showing setbacks, road right-of-way, lakes, streams, wetlands and overhead and buried utilities; energy code specifications for a new home; and the recorded deed if the property changed hands in the last 30 days.
• Pools. Every pool, including those with automatic covers, carried a $300 bond under the 2022 schedule, refunded at the final inspection if that is requested within one year.
• Applicant responsibility. The applicant signs that they are authorized by the owner and, as homeowner or applicant, takes responsibility for the work; the township states it is not responsible for contractor disputes or workmanship.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects need two sealed sets of plans. Plan review for commercial work is billed under the state Bureau of Construction Codes plan review schedule, based on use group, construction type and floor area. Commercial change of use, administrative site review and site plan review each have their own zoning application.

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. Use the Zoning Information Request form, or contact the zoning administrator at Horizon Community Planning.
• Planning Commission. Meets on the first Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the township hall. Items must be filed by 4 p.m., Monday to Thursday, at least 45 days before the meeting.
• Soil erosion. A permit from the Van Buren County Drain Commissioner when moving more than 1 acre of earth or disturbing soil within 500 feet of a lake, stream, pond or wetland.
• Driveway. A permit from the Van Buren County Road Commission.
• Well and septic. Permits from the county health department (the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department); tell them about any abandoned well on the property.
• Wetlands, lakes and floodplains. The landowner resource sheet the township posts, prepared by the county road commission, sends wetland, inland lake and stream, and floodplain permits to EGLE’s Kalamazoo district office.
• Address. A new house number comes from Van Buren County Planning & Land Management.

A site plan the Township Board approved in May 2026, for example, was conditioned on the drain commission soil erosion permit and stormwater plan, the road commission driveway permit, and health department well and septic approval before site development and building permits.

Antwerp Township permit fees

Trade fees are printed on the current forms. Electrical (Antwerp and Almena form, revised 2026): $55 base fee, $65 for each inspection requested (pool bonding, underground, service, rough-in, final), $30 for a service up to 200 amps, $5 per circuit, $9 per 25 fixtures, $26 for a permanent pool or hot tub, $36 for solar and $50 for a temporary service. Mechanical (revised October 15, 2026): $85 application fee, $50 per rough, final or additional inspection, $50 for a residential heating system and $30 for a furnace, boiler or water heater.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Antwerp issues all three trade permits itself, each with its own inspection line, and all applications and fees for Antwerp and Almena go to the Antwerp township hall. Plumbing inspections are booked at extension 216, and the 2026 plumbing application is printed on the letterhead of Southwest Plumbing Inspections of Mattawan.

• Electrical. Sealed plans are required unless the system is 400 amps or less and the building is not over 3,500 sq ft. The application becomes the permit only after the inspector signs it, and incomplete forms are returned.
• Plumbing. Plans are not required for one- and two-family homes of 3,500 sq ft or less, minor work, or buildings needing fewer than 12 fixtures; otherwise plans go in with an application for plan examination.
• Mechanical. Re-inspections are $50, and the form lists furnaces, boilers, rooftop units, gas fireplaces, factory-built chimneys, gas piping and solar heating panels.

All three forms have a homeowner’s affidavit. The electrical and mechanical versions apply to work the homeowner installs personally in their own single-family dwelling that they live in or are about to occupy; the plumbing version covers the owner’s own home on the same terms. Anyone else needs a state-licensed contractor, whose license number, federal ID and workers’ compensation carrier go on the form.

How to apply for a permit in Antwerp Township

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The township warns that workloads vary, so residential permits take no less than 5 to 7 business days and commercial projects 10 to 15. Incomplete applications are returned to the applicant, which the packet says causes further delay. A county permit missing from the packet checklist, or a Planning Commission item filed less than 45 days ahead, also holds a project up.

Inspections in Antwerp Township

Building inspections are performed Monday through Thursday and requested at 269-668-2615 ext. 210. Electrical (ext. 214), plumbing (ext. 216) and mechanical (ext. 300) inspections each have their own line, and the same lines serve Almena Township for building, electrical and mechanical work.

• Trade inspections. Electrical inspections are charged per visit ($65), and mechanical rough, final and additional inspections $50 each. The forms say trade work may not be enclosed, covered or put into operation until it has been inspected and approved.
• Re-inspections. $50 under the 2022 building schedule and the current mechanical form.
• Expired permits. The 2022 schedule renewed an expired permit at $50 for each inspection still needed.
• Pool bond. The $300 bond is returned at final inspection if the final is requested within a year.

The building packet reminds applicants that burning demolition debris or surplus construction materials violates state law and draws fines.

Michigan building code in Antwerp Township

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Antwerp Township (community 261139) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since May 24, 2010, with a current map dated June 10, 2026 on which no flood elevations were determined. On April 14, 2026 the Township Board adopted an ordinance to participate in the program.

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

Antwerp Township permit records and official resources

Ask the township office for permit and inspection records. Records can also be requested under the Freedom of Information Act; the township’s 2022 fee structure charges 25 cents a page for FOIA copies. Township Board minutes, posted on the agendas and minutes pages, include a monthly building activity report with permit counts for Antwerp and Almena.

• Antwerp and Almena permits page
• Building, zoning and plan review packet
• Electrical permit application
• Mechanical permit application (rev. October 15, 2026)
• Plumbing permit application (2026)
• Building permit fees (2022, still posted)
• Planning and zoning fee structure (2022)
• Fence permit application
• Zoning ordinance and maps
• Planning Commission
• Building and planning contacts
• Village of Mattawan permits
• Pay building permits online (BS&A Online, search for Antwerp Township)
• Township Board minutes, June 9, 2026 (fee schedule)
• Township Board minutes, April 14, 2026 (flood insurance ordinance)
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Antwerp Township building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Antwerp Township?

The township’s own Building Department at 24821 Front Avenue, which also issues electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits.

I live in Mattawan or Lawton. Do I apply to the township?

No. The villages of Mattawan and Lawton issue their own permits; Mattawan applications are dropped off at the village office.

How much is a building permit?

The building inspector calculates it from construction value under the fee schedule approved for 2026–2027; ask before you apply.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

A shed or barn under 200 sq ft needs zoning approval only; larger outbuildings need a building permit.

Can I do my own electrical work?

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

How long does a permit take?

At least 5 to 7 business days for residential work and 10 to 15 for commercial projects.

Who handles soil erosion permits?

The Van Buren County Drain Commissioner, for earth changes over 1 acre or within 500 feet of water or wetlands.

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