Bath Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Bath Charter Township enforces all four state construction codes itself, according to the state’s jurisdiction list, so Clinton County does not issue building permits here. The township’s Building Department at 14480 Webster Road (517-641-4238) takes applications with a plot plan, recorded deed and three sets of drawings, and it contracts with Associated Government Services (AGS) for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspections. Plan review usually takes about a week, trade permits can be issued the same day, and every new building also needs the township’s $50 land use permit.

What requires a building permit in Bath Charter Township?

The Building Department lists six kinds of work that need a building permit, and its FAQs add several common home projects people often assume are exempt.

A pool, spa or hot tub with a filter also needs an electrical permit, and a heated one a mechanical permit. Any pool over 24 inches deep needs a barrier at least 48 inches high with a self-latching or self-closing gate. A demolition permit both records the work and tells the assessor to take the building off the tax roll; it costs nothing when a building permit is pulled to replace the demolished building.

What the township decides and what the state holds

The state writes the code. Bath chose to enforce it locally and contracts out the inspection work; it also runs its own zoning ordinance and land use permits, a Zoning Board of Appeals, and architectural guidelines for development. The township’s permit checklist warns that no building permit may be issued in a floodplain without EGLE and/or DNR approval.

Bath Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

The Bureau of Construction Codes’ Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026) marks Bath Township as local for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing, and Clinton County’s own jurisdiction list names Bath Charter Township among the places its Building Department does not cover. The township issues the permits; Associated Government Services, under contract, performs the inspections, and inspectors are reached through the Building Department. The county still handles soil erosion permits here.

Bath Charter Township had 13,556 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. It is a separate government from DeWitt Charter Township and the City of DeWitt, which share their own building office; the Southern Clinton County Municipal Utilities Authority treats sewage for all three and for Watertown Township.

Bath Charter Township permit types and application documents

The Forms & Fees list on the Building Department page holds the building permit application, separate residential and commercial electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, residential and commercial sewer connection applications, sewer disconnection and repair applications, a Board of Water and Light water service application and a water maintenance application. Planning & Zoning posts its own forms, including deck, fence, pole barn and shed installation applications and an agricultural use exempt structure application with affidavit.

Residential permits

A building permit package is the application, a plot plan, the recorded deed and three sets of drawings; the current checklist also asks for one digital set. A new house adds a driveway permit, a health department permit or sewer and water permit, and the energy code (exterior envelope) form or worksheet. The plot plan shows every building, the proposed work, distances to lot lines, bodies of water and wetlands within 500 feet, and easements, and two adjacent lot lines must be staked. Drawings for homes over 3,500 square feet must be sealed. Detached garages and accessory buildings add a floor plan, elevation, cross section and engineered truss diagram, and fences over 7 feet need footing and construction details. Solar systems on the ground or a roof need drawings, an electrical permit, the manufacturer’s installation instructions and the utility interconnection agreement, and a demolition needs proof that all utilities are disconnected and a statement on whether asbestos, underground tanks or other regulated materials are on site.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial drawings must be sealed by a design professional. A contractor is not required to pull the building permit for a commercial project, but every commercial trade permit must be pulled by a licensed contractor.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. The Planning & Zoning Administrator reviews the plot plan submitted with the building application against the zoning district. If it cannot be approved, the Zoning Board of Appeals can grant a variance or interpretation; it meets at 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday, and the application, site plan and fee are due 25 days before. Notice is published and mailed to owners within 300 feet 15 days ahead, and the applicant or a representative must attend or the appeal is tabled.
• Soil erosion. Required in some areas of the township, shown on a map in the Building Department; the permit checklist flags work within 500 feet of water. Clinton County’s Building Department issues soil erosion permits in Bath.
• Sewer, water, well and septic. Sewer connections use the township’s sewer connection applications, and sewer emergencies go to SCCMUA at (517) 669-8311; water service comes through the Board of Water and Light application; wells and septic systems are permitted by the Mid-Michigan District Health Department’s Clinton branch (989-224-2195).
• Driveway. A Clinton County Road Commission permit on county roads ((989) 224-3274).
• Floodplain. EGLE and/or DNR approval before any permit in a floodplain.

Bath Charter Township permit costs and fees

The township site does not post its building permit fee schedule; the building application leaves the permit fee, application fee and certificate of occupancy fee to be filled in by the department, so ask the Building Department at (517) 641-4238 for the fee on your project. Some charges are printed on the township’s own forms and pages.

The electrical form prices residential work by the number of inspections, in steps of $112, and adds a plan review fee where plans are required. Payment for permits is made out to Bath Charter Township.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The township issues electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits on separate residential and commercial forms, and the Building Department says trade permits can be reviewed and issued the same day. Bath does not require trade contractors to register, but it keeps a copy of each contractor’s license on file. The electrical form asks for the contractor’s license number and expiry date and the master electrician’s license.

• Electrical. Plans with an Application for Plan Examination are needed for a dwelling of 3,500 square feet or more; minor alterations and repairs and systems up to 400 amps are exempt from plans.
• Mechanical. Needed for heated pools, spas and hot tubs as well as furnaces and air conditioners.
• Plumbing and sewer. Plumbing permits, plus the township’s sewer connection, repair or disconnection applications for work on the sewer lead; the owner maintains the lateral from the building to the main.

Homeowner permits

A homeowner may pull a trade permit for their own house when doing the work themselves; otherwise a licensed contractor must obtain it. On the residential electrical form the homeowner states that they are, or will be, the owner and occupant, will do the work themselves and will let no one else do it. A trade permit closes with a Certificate of Compliance once its final inspection is approved.

How to apply for a Bath Charter Township permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Applications are checked for completeness and processed in the order received; review should take about a week but can run longer for big projects or a long queue. The plan review lists code items missing from the drawings, and the plot plan is checked against zoning, with denials appealable to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Work must start within 180 days of issue and not stop for 180 days, or the permit becomes invalid.

Bath Charter Township inspections and final approval

Call (517) 641-4238 to schedule. If the call goes to voicemail, leave the inspection address, type of inspection, permit number, and the caller’s name and phone number. Inspections are normally done five days a week, and the inspector will not inspect if the address cannot be identified, which is why the hard card must face the road.

• Footing before concrete is poured.
• Rough-in before anything is concealed; every trade needs its approved rough-in before the building rough-in is called, because checking trade approvals is part of the building inspection.
• Final once the project is complete; again, the trades’ finals come first.

A final inspection is required for every project. A Certificate of Occupancy is issued after an approved final on a building project, and a Certificate of Compliance after an approved final on a furnace, air conditioner or other trade-permit work; both go to the permit holder. The township notes that an approved final may be needed for insurance and that more banks are asking for a certificate of occupancy when a house is sold. A permit with no inspection for 180 days is closed, and re-opening it costs $75.

Michigan building code

The township enforces the state code locally through its contract inspectors, and the building permit form asks for energy compliance by REScheck, ENERGY STAR, a HERS score of 83 or better, or prescriptive insulation values. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Bath Charter Township (community 261175) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective May 3, 2011.

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

Bath Charter Township permit search and official resources

For copies of permits, plans or inspection records, submit the township’s Request for Public Records form under its FOIA procedures; the township says it must answer within five business days unless it takes one extension of up to ten business days. A lost permit hard card can be replaced by calling the Building Department, and the minutes of a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting can be requested from Planning & Zoning.

• Bath Charter Township Building Department
• Building permit application and checklist
• Residential electrical permit
• Planning & Zoning
• Land use permit requirements
• Planning & Zoning forms and applications
• Zoning Board of Appeals requests
• Sanitary sewer service
• Freedom of Information Act
• Clinton County Building Department (soil erosion)
• Mid-Michigan District Health Department well and septic
• BCC Statewide Jurisdiction List

Bath Charter Township building-permit FAQ

Does Clinton County issue building permits in Bath?

No. Bath enforces the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes itself; the county handles only soil erosion permits here.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof shingles or windows?

Yes. The township requires a building permit to replace siding, shingles or windows.

What does a pool or hot tub need?

A building permit and a land use permit, an electrical permit if it has a filter, a mechanical permit if heated, and a 48-inch barrier for pools over 24 inches deep.

Does a shed need a permit?

It needs the township’s $50 land use permit, which covers accessory buildings including sheds; the township’s building permit list names no size exemption, so ask the Building Department whether a small shed also needs a building permit.

Can I pull my own electrical or plumbing permit?

Yes, for your own house if you do the work yourself; otherwise a licensed contractor must.

How long does a permit take?

Building review should take about a week; trade permits can be issued the same day.

Who does the inspections?

Associated Government Services, under contract with the township; book them at (517) 641-4238.

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