Brandon Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In the Charter Township of Brandon, the Planning & Building Department at the township offices, 395 Mill Street, Ortonville (248-627-4916), issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits; Jason Wilton is Director of Planning & Building. Applications can be filed at the counter or through BS&A Online after the department issues a web PIN. A new house needs Oakland County septic, well and soil erosion approvals first, and each of its three trade permits is a $240 flat fee up to 2,000 square feet.

What requires a building permit in Brandon Township?

The township’s forms set out four separate permits: a building permit for the structure, and electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits for each trade, each on its own application. Its application and plan-review notes cover new houses, additions and remodels, attached garages and accessory buildings, demolition and commercial buildings, and the department posts separate guidance for accessory structures and solar panels. Signs need a sign permit, and vacant property must be registered.

Work hours on permitted jobs are 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday, and stone or rock mailboxes are not allowed in the road right-of-way.

What Brandon decides and what the state holds

The Bureau of Construction Codes’ Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026) shows Brandon Township enforcing all four codes itself, and lists the Village of Ortonville, which sits inside the township, as running its own program; Oakland County has none. The state code and its residential builder and trade licenses are statewide, while Brandon sets its own fees, contractor registration, inspection days and zoning. Its ordinance page lists 2026 changes as adopted but not yet in the online code: battery energy storage rules, a data center definition and moratorium, new accessory building limits for the RE, R-1A and R-1B districts and a service station amendment.

Brandon Township building department: who handles permitting

One small department handles planning, zoning and building. It reviews plans, issues all four permit types, schedules inspections and staffs the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals, and its Planning Commission page lists a consulting planner and consulting engineers for site plan work.

Township Hall’s general number is 248-627-2851. Parcels inside the Village of Ortonville go to the village, even though the township offices share the Ortonville mailing address.

Brandon Township permit types

The application forms ask for the state license, federal employer number and workers’ compensation lines, and every contractor must be registered with the township ($15, with copies of a driver’s license and the contractor license).

Residential permits

• New houses need two complete sets of construction plans, a detailed plot plan showing setbacks, easements, the septic system, well and electric and gas lines, energy code information including window R-values, and the county septic, well, soil erosion and (where it applies) road commission permit numbers.
• Drawing standards: site plans at 1 inch = 20 feet with lot lines, setbacks, drives, wells, septic and drainage swales; foundation and floor plans at 1/4 inch = 1 foot showing egress windows, beams, joist size and spacing and every plumbing fixture; elevations with roof pitches, overhangs and flashing; and a dimensioned wall section from footing to roof, plus stair and masonry fireplace sections where they apply.
• Accessory buildings: in the R-1A and R-1B districts the total of attached and detached accessory buildings may not exceed 1,800 square feet and detached buildings may cover no more than 10% of the rear yard; in the Rural Estates (RE) district the limit depends on the house’s living area and acreage. The department will work out the allowed size for a lot.
• Mechanical permits for any air conditioner or mini-split now need the A2L refrigerant affidavit filed with the application.
• Plans for large electrical systems: electrical plans are required when the system is over 400 amps and the building over 3,500 square feet.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and other non-residential buildings use the same building application, with the use marked, and commercial and industrial projects go through Planning Commission site plan review before construction permits. The department allows at least 30 days for commercial plan review, against up to 10 days for residential plans.

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. A zoning compliance application, and a Zoning Board of Appeals variance where setbacks or size limits cannot be met. The Planning Commission meets on the second Tuesday (and the fourth if needed); the ZBA on the fourth Wednesday.
• Septic and well. Approved permits from the Oakland County Health Division (1200 N. Telegraph, Pontiac; 248-858-1280). Under the county schedule effective October 1, 2026, a new residential septic permit is $325 and a new well permit $260.
• Soil erosion. A permit or waiver from the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, which issues permits for earth changes over an acre or over 225 square feet within 500 feet of a lake, stream, wetland or drain.
• Driveways. A Road Commission for Oakland County driveway or culvert permit on county roads (permits 248-858-4835); on a private road the culvert goes in before construction and a private road maintenance agreement is required.
• Data centers. Resolution 424-26, adopted on May 4, 2026, stops the township from accepting any application to build a data center for 180 days from its effective date, with an option to extend for another 180 days; ask the department whether it is still in force before planning such a use.

Brandon Township permit costs and fees

Brandon prints its trade fee schedules on the electrical and mechanical applications (both updated October 2026) and the plumbing application (February 2025). The building application lists no fees, so ask the department at 248-627-4916 for the building permit charge on your project. Every trade schedule bills a flat rate that includes a set number of inspections plus itemized work.

Worked example from the schedules: a new 3,000-square-foot house is one 1,000-square-foot step over the flat rate, so its electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are each $240 + $35 = $275, or $825 for the three, before itemized items such as air conditioning or a generator. Septic, well, soil erosion and road permits are paid to the county agencies, not the township.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The township issues building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits to licensed contractors only, and each contractor must be currently registered with Brandon and give a federal ID number. The exception is the homeowner permit: Brandon will issue all four permit types to a homeowner, who then carries responsibility for the work. The electrical form’s homeowner affidavit has the owner certify that the work will be done personally in a home the owner lives in or is about to occupy, and that nothing will be covered or put into use before inspection.

• Electrical: service, rough and final inspections, booked for Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• Plumbing: underground, rough, then gas pressure test and final, on Mondays and Wednesdays.
• Mechanical: underground, rough, gas pressure test and final, plus a propane hook-up check; the pressure test must be witnessed at the final.
• Transfers: a permit moves to a new contractor or to the owner only on the property owner’s written request.

How to apply for a Brandon Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The building application quotes the state rule that a complete application is approved or denied within 10 business days, or 15 for a complicated building, and the department allows up to 10 days for residential plans and at least 30 days for commercial ones. The building application has blanks for the county septic, well, soil erosion and road commission permit numbers, so obtain those before filing. A permit becomes invalid if work does not start within six months or stops for six months, and a permit with no inspection for six months is closed; closed permits are not refunded, and reopening an electrical permit costs $75.

Inspections and certificates in Brandon Township

Call 248-627-4916 by 7:00 a.m. on the day to schedule or cancel an inspection. Building inspections run Monday to Thursday, usually after 1:00 p.m.; electrical and mechanical inspections Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; plumbing inspections Monday and Wednesday in the same hours. The address must be posted and the site reachable.

Building inspections follow the job: footings, pads, trenches or postholes (with property lines staked), backfill, sand compaction under a garage floor, pea stone under a basement floor, brick flashing, rough framing, insulation and final. Brick veneer must show the water-resistant membrane, flashing and weep holes; a wood-burning fireplace gets a joint inspection by the building department and the Brandon Township Fire Department; and every new driveway is inspected by the Fire Department after the rough building inspection.

Michigan building code in Brandon Township

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Township of Brandon (community 261031) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps dated September 29, 2006; a floodplain permit is on the township’s own review checklist.

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

Brandon Township permit search and official resources

Permit records and fees for your own projects can be viewed and paid on BS&A Online once the township issues a web PIN. Older permit files are public records under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act; written requests go to the township offices at 395 Mill Street (Clerk’s office 248-627-2851).

• Planning & Building Department
• Building and planning applications
• Building information and plan requirements
• Inspections and procedures
• Building permit application
• Electrical application and fee schedule
• Mechanical application and fee schedule
• Plumbing application and fee schedule
• Zoning information and accessory buildings
• Recent ordinances, including the data center moratorium
• BS&A Online, Brandon Township
• Oakland County soil erosion permits
• Oakland County Health Division, septic and wells
• Bureau of Construction Codes Statewide Jurisdiction List
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Brandon Township building permit FAQs

Can a homeowner pull permits in Brandon Township?

Yes. The township issues building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical homeowner permits, and the owner is responsible for the work done under them.

How much are the trade permits for a new house?

Each is a $240 flat fee up to 2,000 square feet with three inspections, plus $35 for each additional 1,000 square feet and itemized extras.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 248-627-4916 by 7:00 a.m. on the inspection day; each trade has set inspection days.

Does the township handle permits in Ortonville?

No. The Village of Ortonville runs its own construction-code program under the state list, even though the township offices are in Ortonville.

What do I need from the county for a new house?

Approved septic and well permits from the Oakland County Health Division, a soil erosion permit or waiver, and a road commission driveway permit where the lot fronts a county road.

How long does plan review take?

Up to 10 days for residential plans and at least 30 days for commercial plans, once everything has been received.

Is there a data center moratorium in Brandon Township?

The township board adopted Resolution 424-26 on May 4, 2026, halting data center applications for 180 days from its effective date with an option to extend; ask the department for its current status.

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