Birmingham, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In the City of Birmingham, the Building Department inside the Community Development Department (City Hall, 151 Martin Street, room 223; 248-530-1850) issues building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and demolition permits, with Jeff Zielke as Building Official. Most applications can be filed on BS&A Online. Under the city’s 2026 fee schedule a building permit costs $90 for the first $1,000 of construction value plus $10 for each further $1,000 up to $100,000, and the plan review fee is due before a project enters review, which the city puts at about two to three weeks.

What requires a building permit in Birmingham?

The Building Department’s answer for houses is broad. Its FAQ lists a building permit for new homes, additions and renovations, decks and porches (roofed or open), attached or detached garages and sheds, window and siding replacement, basement finishing and basement waterproofing, above-ground and in-ground pools, and every new roof or roof repair. A fence needs its own fence permit, and any full or partial demolition needs a demolition permit.

Air conditioner condensers count as accessory structures and may not sit in a required side yard, which is why the city wants a plot plan with a refrigeration permit. The zoning ordinance also keeps at least 65% of a house’s front open space free of concrete, asphalt, gravel, brick or similar paving, and the city posts a separate impervious surface application. Deed restrictions are not enforced by the city; subdivision associations enforce them and they are recorded with the Oakland County Register of Deeds.

What Birmingham decides and what the state holds

The Bureau of Construction Codes’ Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026) shows Birmingham enforcing the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes itself; Oakland County runs no construction-code program. The technical rules are the state’s, so Birmingham cannot change what the code requires, but it sets its own permit fees, bonds and contractor registration, runs zoning, site plan, design and historic district review, issues its own soil erosion permits as a Part 91 agency, and licenses rental property. Its Adopted State Codes page lists the editions it enforces.

Birmingham building department: who handles permitting

All construction permits come from the Building Department, which shares the Community Development counter with the Planning Department. Planning reviews site plans, rezonings, lot splits, signs, historic preservation and special land uses, and the city’s Engineering Department reviews site drainage, right-of-way work and soil erosion plans for the same projects.

Inspectors are usually in the office for questions between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. and between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. The city cannot recommend contractors.

Birmingham permit types

Birmingham posts separate applications for building, demolition, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fence, sign, impervious surface, site evaluation, soil erosion, water and sewer, right-of-way, sidewalk and drive approach, obstruction and tent permits, most with an online version on BS&A. Contractors also register with the city each year.

Residential permits

• New houses and additions need the building permit application, a Site Evaluation application from Engineering with its checklist and a cover letter signed by the builder and surveyor describing how the lot will drain, two sets of plans and four certified surveys (or site plans drawn from one) showing existing and proposed grades. Before most new construction permits are issued, the signature page of the city’s New Construction Packet must be on file.
• Seals: plans must carry an architect’s or engineer’s seal except for one- and two-family dwellings under 3,500 square feet of calculated floor area.
• Utilities and trees: a DTE clearance letter is required for every new house, addition and detached garage, and every survey or plot plan must show the city trees in the right-of-way.
• Site set-up: before a new house or addition permit is issued, the lot needs rigid perimeter fencing set 1 foot back from the sidewalk, a 6-inch 21AA gravel construction entrance, silt fencing and protection for city trees.
• Demolition: DTE, Consumers Energy and city water disconnect notices, a survey, written notice to the neighbors, 4x6 color photos of all sides of the house (kept as a record with the Historic Board), and a letter confirming fencing, silt fence and sidewalk upkeep; Code Enforcement checks the site before the permit is issued.

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

Commercial permits

A commercial building application needs four sets of sealed plans, four certified boundary surveys with civil drawings, two sets of specifications, two sets of structural calculations and a geotechnical report that refers to the proposed work. Non-single-family engineering review is a separate application with a $250 application fee and a review fee of 2% of the engineer’s estimate (minimum $250). Tenant build-outs, parking and occupancy changes are all filed on the same building 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 and Planning. Setbacks, lot coverage and the front-yard paving limit are checked before a permit issues. Planning handles site plans, special land use permits, design review and historic district review; commercial exterior changes need Planning approval first.
• Board of Zoning Appeals. Variances are heard on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the City Commission Room. Applications are due by the 12th of the previous month, and only the first seven appeals received go on each agenda.
• Site Evaluation (Engineering). Required for new houses, additions, pools and other large projects; it covers drainage, sewer and water service and the city tree report. Downspouts may not connect to combined or sanitary sewers.
• Soil erosion. Birmingham is its own Part 91 agency. A city permit is needed for new construction that disturbs an acre or more or lies within 500 feet of a lake or stream; file three hard copies of the plans, which Engineering reviews within 10 business days.
• Right-of-way. Driveway approaches, sidewalks, utility cuts and any other work in the street need Engineering permits, and a $5,000 right-of-way bond is posted before a new-construction building permit issues.
• Zoning rewrite. The city is rewriting its zoning ordinance to match the Birmingham Plan 2040 master plan; its project page lists a December 9, 2026 study session.

Birmingham permit costs and fees

Fees come from the City of Birmingham 2026 Fee Schedule (updated July 1, 2026). The schedule was first adopted by City Commission Resolution 02-18-10 in February 2010 and is amended by resolution; the latest annual review listed in it is Resolution 06-170-26 of June 22, 2026. Construction value for the building permit is taken from the latest ICC Building Valuation Data table, at 100% for new work and 50% for renovations.

Worked example from the schedule: a $60,000 addition carries a building permit of $90 + 59 × $10 = $680, a plan review fee of $175 (0.20% of $60,000 is $120, below the minimum), a refundable $300 bond and the $600 Site Evaluation fee for an addition. The May 2025 building permit application still prints a $150 plan-review minimum and a shortcut formula that comes out $5 lower; the 2026 schedule, amended by City Commission resolution, is the adopted one. Refunds keep at least 25% for administration, and no refund is given once work is 75% complete.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing, heating, refrigeration and electrical work each need a separate permit from the Building Department, and each carries a $55 base fee plus itemized charges from the 2026 schedule (for example a 30–200 amp service at $35, a furnace up to 100,000 BTU at $60, a water heater at $30 on the mechanical or plumbing side).

• Electrical: the city’s FAQ says the permit is applied for by a licensed electrical contractor and a licensed electrician must be on site. A residential owner may get a homeowner’s permit only if the owner does the work personally; pulling one for work someone else performs is illegal.
• Plumbing: the FAQ states that a licensed master plumber applies for and receives the plumbing permit.
• Mechanical: furnaces, boilers, air conditioning, ductwork and gas piping need a mechanical permit; air conditioning condensers need a plot plan because they cannot sit in a required side yard.
• Builders: building applications for homes must include copies of both the individual and the company residential builder licenses, and every contractor pays the city’s annual registration fee.

How to apply for a Birmingham building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Only complete submissions are accepted, so missing surveys, unsigned owner sections or unpaid review fees stop a file before review starts. Surveys without city trees in the right-of-way or without existing and proposed grades are returned, and drainage questions raised by Engineering in the Site Evaluation often take longer than the building review. A permit lapses if work does not begin within 180 days of issue or stops for 180 days.

Inspections and certificates in Birmingham

Inspections are booked on BS&A Online, which takes requests 24 hours a day once your account is linked to the permit; the office line helps with scheduling questions in the morning and late-afternoon windows. Code Enforcement also checks construction sites, and the fee schedule fines site maintenance violations at $250 for a first offense and $500 for later ones.

A final certificate of occupancy is issued only after final mechanical, electrical and plumbing inspections are approved, and construction bonds are returned on request once all finals pass. When a temporary certificate is issued before everything is done, the city holds a cash bond of up to $60,000 for a home or $150,000 for a commercial space. Rental properties need an annual rental license and city inspection ($200 for the first unit, $50 for each additional unit).

Michigan building code in Birmingham

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City of Birmingham (community 260168) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps dated September 29, 2006.

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

Birmingham permit search and official resources

Permit status for your own projects shows in your linked BS&A Online account, and BS&A’s Birmingham property search shows parcel records. Copies of older plans and permit files are requested under the Freedom of Information Act through the city’s online FOIA form, by fax to 248-530-1080, by mail to the Clerk’s Office, PO Box 3001, or at the City Hall counter or drop box; an emailed or faxed request counts as received one business day after it is sent.

• Birmingham Building Department
• Building permits and applications
• Building permit procedures
• Building Department FAQ
• City of Birmingham 2026 Fee Schedule
• Building permit application (revised May 2025)
• Site Evaluation application (revised March 2026)
• Soil erosion and sedimentation control policy
• Inspection requests on BS&A Online
• Board of Zoning Appeals
• Zoning ordinance update project
• Public records (FOIA) requests
• Bureau of Construction Codes Statewide Jurisdiction List
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Birmingham building permit FAQs

Does a new roof need a permit in Birmingham?

Yes. The Building Department requires a building permit for a new roof and for repairs to an existing roof, as well as for window and siding replacement.

How much is a building permit for a $60,000 addition?

The permit is $680 under the 2026 schedule, plus a $175 plan review fee, a refundable $300 bond and a $600 Site Evaluation fee.

Can a homeowner pull an electrical permit?

Yes, a residential owner can get a homeowner’s electrical permit, but only for work the owner does personally.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Yes. Birmingham issues a separate fence permit, which its FAQ prices at $50.

How long does plan review take?

The city allows about two to three weeks, and review starts only after the plan review fees are paid.

Who issues soil erosion permits in Birmingham?

The city itself, as a Part 91 agency, for qualifying earth changes; the county Water Resources Commissioner’s map also shows Birmingham running its own program.

When does the Board of Zoning Appeals meet?

The second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m.; file by the 12th of the month before, and only seven appeals are heard per meeting.

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