Arenac County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Arenac County runs a building department, but it does not cover the whole county. The Arenac County Building Department, 120 N. Grove Street, Standish (989-846-9791), issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits in Clayton, Mason, Moffatt, Sims, Standish, Turner and Whitney townships, the City of Au Gres and the villages of Sterling, Turner and Twining. The City of Standish, the City of Omer and Adams, Arenac, Au Gres, Deep River and Lincoln townships run their own programs. Soil erosion permits moved to the Arenac Conservation District, $90 for a house site up to one acre, and every contractor registers with the county for $15 per trade.

What requires a building permit in Arenac County?

Where the county is the building department, its page lists the projects it sees as subject to the residential code: new homes, converting utility buildings to homes, additions, porches, decks (attached or not), swimming pools, garages, carports, storage sheds whether pre-built or built on site, pole barns, lean-tos and even demolitions. It asks owners to call the building inspector at 989-846-9791 before starting any project.

Building permits must be posted where they can be seen from the road until the final certificate of occupancy, and the job address must be clearly posted too.

What Arenac County decides and what the units hold

The construction code is the state’s. The county decides its own forms, fees and the registration rule for contractors, but only in the units it serves. Zoning is local everywhere: the department says a zoning or land-use permit from your township, city or village is required with any building permit for a new building, including sheds and garages, or for work that adds to a building’s footprint. The county’s Planning Commission meets quarterly and works from the 2021 Arenac County Master Plan.

Arenac County building department: who handles permitting

The county’s own jurisdiction list and the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List (rev. Nov. 6, 2026) agree on the split. The county warns that it does not cover all of Arenac County and asks applicants to check the list, or call, before applying.

The county’s list does not mention Omer; the state list shows Omer enforcing all four codes itself. Deep River Township, the county’s largest unit at 2,076 residents (Census 2025 estimate), is one of the self-enforcing townships, so its permits do not come from Standish. The county has 15,068 residents.

The department also posts a list of its inspectors and the township officials (dated September 10, 2026), useful for finding the zoning administrator for your unit.

Arenac County permit types

The county posts a building permit application with instructions, separate electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications (2025), an LP tank permit, a permit extension request and the contractor registration form. Every application, including trade and soil erosion permits, needs the parcel’s tax identification number.

Residential permits

• Houses under 3,500 square feet. Two sets of plans: floor and foundation plans with basement details, a roof and wall section, building elevations, a site plan showing buildings and distances to lot lines and the road, energy code compliance and truss specifications. Blower door results are due before the certificate of occupancy.
• Pole buildings. Two sets of plans with post-hole depth, diameter and spacing and the roofing material; engineered plans may be required.
• HUD mobile and pre-manufactured homes. Foundation and anchoring plans plus the manufacturer’s print pack; state-approved modular units also need the Building System Approval Report and approved plans.
• Homeowners. If the owner is doing the construction, write “homeowner” in the contractor space. The electrical form’s homeowner affidavit covers wiring in the home the owner lives in or is about to occupy.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings, and one- and two-family houses of 3,500 square feet or more, need two sets of plans and specifications with the original signature and seal of a Michigan-registered architect or engineer. Electrical plans are needed unless the service is 400 amps or less and the building is not over 3,500 square feet.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning or land use approval from the township, city or village, with a plot plan showing property lines and distances.
• Subdivision approval where it applies (ask the zoning administrator).
• Health department. Septic and well permits or existing system evaluations from the Central Michigan District Health Department for new construction, added bedrooms or a replacement mobile or modular home.
• Soil erosion for earth changes over an acre or within 500 feet of a lake, stream (including intermittent streams), river or county drain; the county notes a road ditch is sometimes a county drain.
• EGLE and the Army Corps. The county posts a joint permit decision tree for work near water or wetlands. Michigan counties are not National Flood Insurance Program communities; each township, city and village joins on its own.
• Driveway permit from the Arenac County Road Commission.

Arenac County permit costs and fees

The Building Department does not post its building permit fees; it quotes them by phone at 989-846-9791. Have the total square footage, the use group (for example R-3 for a single-family home or U for a detached utility building) and the type of construction (for example 5B for wood frame) ready when you call. Permit and registration fees must accompany the application, and an unreachable or unposted address can bring an extra inspection fee.

Two county-area fees are published:

Example. A new home disturbing 1.5 acres pays $90 for the first acre plus $40 for the fraction, or $130, for a one-year soil erosion permit; a two-year permit would be 1.5 × $130 = $195. Starting earth work before the permit is approved doubles the initial processing fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

In the units the county serves, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are county permits; in Standish, Omer and the five self-enforcing townships, the local program issues them. Contractor registration is required before the county issues a permit: send the form with a $15 fee for the builder and for each trade, plus copies of a driver’s license, the contractor’s license and any master electrician or master plumber license.

• Electrical inspections are normally on Wednesdays.
• Mechanical and plumbing inspections are normally on Wednesdays.
• LP tanks have their own county permit application.

A homeowner may sign the electrical homeowner affidavit for work in the home they live in or are about to occupy and then must arrange the inspections. An electrical permit is closed if no inspection is requested and done within six months of issue or of the last inspection.

How to apply for an Arenac County building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The department says in capitals that incomplete applications, or ones without the required documents, will be delayed and may be returned without review. The items it lists as required are the ones to check: the tax ID number, zoning approval with a plot plan, septic and well permits, contractor registration and the fee itself. Permits will not be issued until every requirement is met.

Inspections in Arenac County

Call the office at least two days before you need an inspection; have the permit number, the site address and access instructions ready, since the inspector may need inside access. Inspections run between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on the usual days (building on Thursdays, electrical, mechanical and plumbing on Wednesdays), and the office cannot promise a set time. Other days may be possible on request.

• Footing. After forms are set and rebar is supported, before concrete; for post-frame buildings, after holes are dug and before cement and posts go in.
• Foundation. After footings, walls, waterproofing and drain tile; basements must pass before backfill.
• Rough and insulation. Framing and trades before insulation, then insulation before interior finishes.
• Final. Blower door results go in before the certificate of occupancy.

Most structures need at least three inspections, and calling for each is the permit holder’s job, whether contractor or homeowner. The county posts a permit extension request form for jobs that run long.

Michigan building code in Arenac County

In the units the county serves, Arenac enforces the state code for both residential and commercial work; in the self-enforcing units the same state code applies through their own offices.

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

Arenac County permit search and official resources

For a county-issued permit, call or email the Building Department; for copies of records use the county clerk’s Freedom of Information Act page. Parcel and tax ID numbers come from the Equalization Department (989-846-6246) or the county’s online tax and parcel viewer. Ask the Drain Commissioner (989-846-2011) before crossing or tapping a county drain.

Soil erosion. The Arenac Conservation District is the County Enforcing Agency under Revised Ordinance 2017-01, at 4490 W. M-61, Standish (989-846-4565, ext. 5). The county’s older jurisdiction sheet still says the Building Department issues soil erosion permits countywide; the department’s page now says it no longer handles them, which is the current arrangement. Projects under five acres get their Part 31 storm water coverage through the Part 91 permit.

Health department. Central Michigan District Health Department, 583 E. Cedar Street, Suite 100, Standish ((989) 846-6541), Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m.

• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)
• Arenac County Building Department
• Arenac County building jurisdiction list
• Arenac County building permit application instructions
• Arenac County building permit application
• Arenac County contractor registration form
• Arenac County electrical permit application
• Arenac County Ordinance 2017-01 (soil erosion)
• Arenac Conservation District soil erosion permits
• Central Michigan District Health Department offices
• Arenac County Planning Department

Arenac County building permit FAQs

Does Arenac County issue building permits everywhere?

No. It covers seven townships, Au Gres city and the villages of Sterling, Turner and Twining. Standish city, Omer and Adams, Arenac, Au Gres, Deep River and Lincoln townships run their own programs.

How much does a building permit cost in Arenac County?

The county quotes fees by phone (989-846-9791) from the square footage, use group and construction type; contractors also pay $15 per trade to register.

Who issues soil erosion permits in Arenac County?

The Arenac Conservation District, as the County Enforcing Agency; a house site up to one acre is $90.

Do I need a permit for a shed in Arenac County?

The county lists storage sheds, pre-built or built on site, among the projects under the residential code, and a new shed also needs a local zoning permit.

Which days are inspections in Arenac County?

Building inspections are normally on Thursdays and trade inspections on Wednesdays, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.; call at least two days ahead.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Arenac County?

Yes; enter “homeowner” as the contractor on the building application, and use the electrical homeowner affidavit for your own home.

Do I need a soil erosion permit for a deck near the lake?

Within 500 feet of water, the Conservation District charges $45 for a residential deck when post holes are not re-established within 24 hours; plain post-hole digging with no other grading is on its exempt list.

Who issues septic and well permits?

The Central Michigan District Health Department’s Standish office, 583 E. Cedar Street.

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