Bay County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Bay County does not issue building permits. The Bureau of Construction Codes’ jurisdiction list marks Bay “NO COUNTY PROGRAM” and shows Bay City, Auburn, Essexville and Pinconning and all 14 townships enforcing the building, electrical and mechanical codes themselves, and plumbing too everywhere except the City of Pinconning and Gibson Township, where the state issues plumbing permits. County agencies still matter on most new homes: Monitor Charter Township’s checklist, for example, sends owners to the Bay County Health Department for septic permits, the Bay County Drain Office for soil erosion permits and the Bay County Road Commission for driveways.

What requires a building permit in Bay County?

Each city and township answers this under the state code and its own zoning ordinance. Monitor Charter Township’s building page gives a clear local example of how the line is drawn:

Other units draw their own lines. Bangor Charter Township, for instance, has a separate residential permit for roofing, siding, windows and doors and zoning permits for fences, sheds and ponds, so check the unit’s forms before assuming a job is exempt.

What the local units decide and what the state holds

The construction code is the state’s and no unit may amend it. Each city and township decides who enforces it, sets its fees and forms, and writes its zoning ordinance (Bangor’s is Ordinance #409; Monitor regulates accessory buildings under Ordinance 67-G). The state keeps plumbing in the City of Pinconning and Gibson Township, where the Bureau of Construction Codes issues the permit and inspects.

Bay County building department: who handles permitting

From the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List (rev. Nov. 6, 2026):

Note that Pinconning city and Pinconning Township are separate governments with different answers for plumbing. About 176 residents of the City of Midland live in Bay County; Midland is listed under Midland County, where it runs its own program.

The county has 102,123 residents (Census 2025 estimate). The largest units are Bay City (31,868), Bangor Charter Township (13,778), Monitor Charter Township (10,597) and Hampton Charter Township (9,581).

Three township building offices

For Bay City, Essexville, Auburn, Pinconning and the other townships, contact the city or township hall; the state list confirms each runs its own program.

Bay County permit types

Every unit has its own application set. Bangor posts building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, a residential roof, siding, window and door permit, an annual permit, sign permits and zoning permits for fences, sheds and ponds. Monitor posts building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications, an agricultural building permit, a plan review application, a zoning compliance permit and its water and sewer forms.

Residential permits

• New homes in Monitor. The township’s checklist asks for signed and sealed plans (11 by 17 inches for residential, with a PDF before the certificate of occupancy), a dimensioned plot plan, proof of address, an energy code compliance form, a Manual J report and blower door results before occupancy, and plan review fees for all four trades paid in full.
• Contractors. Bangor requires contractor registration with a $15 annual fee and a copy of the license; Monitor asks unregistered contractors to fax in its registration form.
• Hampton’s plot plan and owner affidavit. Hampton’s building application (revised May 12, 2025) requires a plot plan for every new building, addition or change of use showing existing and proposed buildings, setbacks, property and building dimensions, overhangs and the distance between buildings, and carries a homeowner affidavit for work in the home the owner lives in or is about to occupy.
• Pools, ponds and farm buildings. Monitor charges $50 for a pool permit, $100 for a pond that does not need a special land use permit, and $50 for an agricultural building permit.

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

Commercial permits

Monitor wants five sets of plans for commercial work (one for residential), at least 24 by 36 inches, signed and sealed. Its site plan review costs $700, with $600 for each further submission, and the township bills any extra attorney, planner or engineer time at actual cost before permits issue.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. Zoning approval, a site sketch or site plan review from the city or township. Monitor’s $100 zoning compliance permit is for non-residential, non-farm buildings that change use, owner or occupant (Section 17.12 of its zoning ordinance), not for a new house.
• Address. In Monitor, new-build address requests go to Central Dispatch through its online form.
• Water and sewer. In Monitor, taps start in the Building Department, a $55 water service inspection is paid first, the sewer connection fee is calculated by the township engineer from the plans, and water tap fees go to the right water district.
• Septic. Where sewer is not available, a septic permit from the Bay County Health Department.
• Soil erosion. From the Bay County Drain Office, if required.
• Driveway. From the Bay County Road Commission; Monitor posts the Road Commission’s residential driveway policy.

Bay County permit costs and fees

There is no county building fee; each city and township adopts its own. As one example, Monitor Charter Township’s application fee list (updated August 29, 2023, and linked as its current fee schedule) sets these building and zoning charges:

Example. A new house on a sewered lot in Monitor pays the $55 water service inspection before the building and trade plan review fees, the sewer connection fee set by the township engineer and the water district’s tap fee. How long a Monitor permit lasts depends on the form: the 2021 new-home checklist says one year, after which a new permit is needed at the fee in Ordinance No. 52, while the 2017 building permit application says a permit is void if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days. Ask the township which applies.

A valuation-based example: Hampton Charter Township

Hampton prints its building permit fee table (Table 1-A, adopted July 25, 2005) on its current application. Jobs up to $500 cost $30, including a final inspection only; above that the fee steps up by valuation band, for example $1,310.73 for the first $100,000 plus $7.37 for each additional $1,000 or fraction up to $500,000. A house valued at $250,000 would pay $1,310.73 + (150 × $7.37) = $2,416.23. Re-inspections and inspections with no listed fee are $50 an hour, plan changes are $40 a page, commercial plans are charged $40 a page at application, and outside consultants are billed at cost. Hampton’s 2026 schedule, approved by the township board on December 1, 2025, lists a $250 re-occupancy certificate, a $50 residential (Type I) site plan and a $700 residential special use application.

Bangor’s contractors add a $15 annual registration. Other units publish their own schedules; ask the city or township office for the current one before budgeting.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Trade permits come from the same city or township as the building permit, except plumbing in the City of Pinconning and Gibson Township, which is issued and inspected by the state Bureau of Construction Codes.

• Monitor. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are each required as described on the township page; call the trade inspector named there for inspections, and pay permits online through BS&A.
• Bangor. Electrical (2024 form), mechanical and plumbing permits can be filed in person or online, and inspections are booked on the township inspection line.
• Hampton. The township enforces all four codes with its own electrical inspector and its own plumbing and mechanical inspector, using separate applications for each trade (revised May 12, 2025).
• Pinconning city and Gibson Township plumbing. Apply to the state; the state list sends questions about state-issued permits to the matching division of the Bureau of Construction Codes.

Contractors carry state licenses and register with townships that require it. Homeowner permits follow each unit’s own forms; read the owner section of your township’s trade application before signing as the installer.

How to get a building permit in Bay County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Monitor’s checklist lists what it will need before a permit is issued, so a file waits while any item is missing: signed and sealed plans, the address letter, a septic, soil erosion or driveway permit, or the water and sewer escrow and easement paperwork. The township also bills outside professional review at actual cost, which must be paid before permits issue.

Inspections in Bay County

Book inspections with the unit that issued the permit. Bangor uses its inspection line (989-684-5427); Hampton schedules inspections by appointment, and its inspectors keep no regular office hours; Monitor lists its building, electrical and plumbing or mechanical inspectors on its building page and asks owners to call them directly. State inspectors handle plumbing inspections in the City of Pinconning and Gibson Township.

In Monitor, the Manual J report and blower door results must be in before the certificate of occupancy, along with a PDF of the construction plans, and all permits and inspections are then filed with the assessor by parcel number.

Michigan building code in Bay County

All 18 local units apply the same state code; the differences across Bay County are in offices, fees and zoning.

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

Bay County permit search and official resources

Permit records are kept by the issuing city or township. Monitor files permits, inspections and the occupancy permit with its assessor by parcel ID; request copies from the unit under the Freedom of Information Act.

Flood insurance. Michigan counties are not NFIP communities; each unit joins on its own. FEMA lists Bay City, Bangor Charter Township and Monitor Charter Township as participating, all with maps dated July 31, 2024; Monitor posts a FEMA flood map link and floodplain information on its building page.

County phone numbers on Monitor’s checklist (Bay County area code 989): Health Department 895-4006, Drain Office 895-4290, Road Commission 686-4610, Bay County Department of Water & Sewer 684-3883.

• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)
• Monitor Charter Township Building & Code
• Monitor Charter Township forms and fees
• Monitor new construction checklist
• Monitor Township application fee list
• Bangor Charter Township Building & Zoning
• Bangor Charter Township building permit form
• Hampton Charter Township building inspection
• Hampton building permit application and fee table
• Hampton Charter Township 2026 fee schedule

Bay County building permit FAQs

Does Bay County issue building permits?

No. The state lists Bay as having no county program; every city and township issues its own permits.

Who issues plumbing permits in Pinconning and Gibson Township?

In the City of Pinconning and Gibson Township the state Bureau of Construction Codes issues plumbing permits; Pinconning Township issues its own.

Do I need a permit to replace siding or windows in Monitor Township?

Not for siding or same-size windows; changing a window’s size needs a building permit.

Do I need a permit for a shed in Monitor Township?

A building permit is required for sheds over 200 square feet; check Ordinance 67-G for accessory building rules.

Who issues septic permits in Bay County?

The Bay County Health Department, needed where public sewer is not available, according to Monitor’s checklist.

Where do I get a soil erosion permit?

Monitor’s checklist sends owners to the Bay County Drain Office (989-895-4290) when one is required.

How much is a building permit in Hampton Township?

Hampton charges by valuation: $30 up to $500, and $1,310.73 plus $7.37 per additional $1,000 for jobs between $100,001 and $500,000, so a $250,000 house is $2,416.23.

How do contractors register in Bangor Township?

With the registration form, a copy of the license and a $15 annual fee.

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