Bridgeport Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Bridgeport Charter Township, a Saginaw County township of 9,874 people in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, runs its own Building and Codes Department at the township offices, 6740 Dixie Highway (989-777-0940). Ron Wheatley is the Building Official and Administrator. The department enforces the state construction code for every trade, building permits follow a fee table in effect since April 2, 2019 ($1,034 at $100,000 of construction cost), and permits with fees of $100 or more also carry a bond of $325 or $750.

What requires a building permit in Bridgeport Charter Township?

The department’s rule is simple: before any structure is built, permits must be obtained and plans submitted, and it asks owners and contractors to check with the building inspector before starting so there is no misunderstanding about permits. Building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work each have their own application, and existing buildings not under construction are inspected under the International Property Maintenance Code.

Zoning is a separate layer. The Planning and Zoning Department issues zoning permits ($45 on the township’s 2020 form) only after confirming the project meets the zoning ordinance, and a change of use in an existing building may bring it in even with no construction.

What Bridgeport decides and what the state holds

Michigan’s construction code applies as written. The Bureau of Construction Codes’ Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026) marks Bridgeport as enforcing building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing itself, and lists Saginaw County as having no county program. The township decides its fees and bonds, runs zoning through its Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals, enforces the property maintenance code on existing buildings, and its Fire Department enforces the fire codes and reviews commercial and multi-family plans.

Bridgeport Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building Official runs the department with one full-time building inspector and two part-time inspectors for electrical, plumbing and heating work, and works alongside the Fire Department. Plans are reviewed by the building official, inspector or plan reviewer; commercial work and large residential developments also go to the trade inspectors, the Fire Department and sometimes other agencies before permits issue.

The short counter hours matter for walk-in filing: the building counter is staffed for two and a half hours each morning and half an hour late in the day, Monday to Thursday, and the township office is closed on Fridays.

Bridgeport Charter Township permit types

The township posts building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications, a contractor registration form, a construction documents checklist for commercial projects, the 2019 fee schedule and the Saginaw County soil erosion application. Its BS&A Online links take building and zoning permit applications and payments.

Residential permits

• Plans. Two full sets of plans for residential projects, with a site plan, a wall cross section and energy compliance documents; site plans are required with every building permit application and must show the proposed structures, overhead and underground power lines and water lines.
• Contract and contractor. The application checklist asks for a copy of the contract and confirmation that the contractor is registered with the township.
• Homeowner affidavit. An owner may apply as the bona fide homeowner of a single-family residence that is not for rent.
• Zoning permit. $45, issued by the Planning and Zoning Department; the township posts a guide on how to draw a residential site plan.

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

Commercial permits

Multi-family, commercial and industrial projects need three full plan sets, sealed where required, and are checked against the township’s construction documents checklist. Most commercial projects go to the nine-member Planning Commission, which meets quarterly on the fourth Thursday at 6 p.m.; the township posts a site plan checklist and a special use and site plan review application. The Fire Department reviews commercial and multi-family plans, and the township says plan reviews are completed within 10 business days of the date stamped on the drawings. All plans are delivered to the Building Department, which hands them to each inspector and reviewer, and the Fire Department’s plan review requirements are meant to go to the designer before drawings are drawn up. Commercial plan review is 50% of the building permit fee, with a $55 minimum.

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. Zoning approval from the Planning and Zoning Department; variances go to the Zoning Board of Appeals, which holds its annual meeting on the second Thursday at 6 p.m. and special meetings as needed.
• Soil erosion. The Saginaw County Public Works Commissioner issues soil erosion permits for earth changes over 1 acre, within 500 feet of a water of the state, an open or tiled county drain or a pond over 5 acres, and on every lot in a multi-lot development.
• Well and septic. On sites without public water and sewer, the Saginaw County Health Department issues well and wastewater permits after a site evaluation; floodplain or wetland sites need the state permit first.

Bridgeport Charter Township permit costs and fees

Building permit fees come from the township’s schedule effective April 2, 2019 (Attachment Bldg 2). Up to $100,000 of construction cost the fee is read from a table in $1,000 steps; above that it is a base plus a rate per $1,000 or fraction.

Worked example: a house with a construction cost of $250,000 pays $1,034 for the first $100,000 plus 150 × $5 ($750), a building permit fee of $1,784, and because that fee is over $1,001 the permit also needs the $750 bond. The bands join cleanly: $1,034 plus 400 × $5 is the $3,034 that starts the next band. For residential permits the schedule says fees “include” the plan review amount. The county’s soil erosion permit for a home site under an acre is $300 for 12 months, and the Health Department’s fees effective October 1, 2026 are $585 for a residential septic permit and $275 for a residential well.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Bridgeport issues and inspects electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits itself, through its part-time trade inspectors. The electrical and plumbing applications ask whether a building permit was obtained, and the electrical application must list every inspection the job will need, because inspections are paid up front.

• Homeowners. The electrical application carries an affidavit for work the owner installs personally in the home they live in or are about to occupy, and the owner must arrange the inspections; the mechanical and plumbing applications also have a homeowner option.
• Contractors. Residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors hold LARA licenses, and electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors hold state trade licenses; the township’s contractor registration form records the company and its licensee.
• Plans for trade work. Electrical plans are not needed for systems up to 400 amps in buildings up to 3,500 square feet.
• Expiry. An electrical permit is closed when no inspection is requested and done within six months of issue or the last inspection; closed permits are not refunded, and reopening one costs $65 plus the inspections.

How to apply for a Bridgeport Charter Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Commercial and multi-family plans go to every inspector and plan reviewer on the project, including the Fire Department, and the township sets a 10-business-day review from the date stamped on the drawings. The application checklist lists the contract copy, contractor registration and energy compliance documents, so bring them with the application. In winter, plan for the soil erosion rule that from January 1 to March 31 the county issues only 18-month residential permits, at $400.

Inspections and certificates in Bridgeport Charter Township

Inspections are requested at 989-777-0940, ext. 211. Electrical and plumbing inspections run on Tuesdays and Thursdays and mechanical inspections on Tuesday and Thursday mornings; each must be called in at least a day (24 hours) ahead.

• Paid in advance. The electrical application must include every inspection that will be requested, at $55 each.
• Small jobs. A building permit for work up to $2,000 includes one inspection in its $85 fee.
• Six-month rule. Electrical permits lapse if work does not start or stops for six months, and are closed when no inspection happens for six months.
• Bonds. The $325 or $750 building bond and the $500 electrical permit responsibility bond are posted with the permits.

Existing buildings are later inspected under the property maintenance code, and businesses get Fire Department inspections, normally once a year, with a letter at least two weeks ahead.

Michigan building code in Bridgeport Charter Township

Bridgeport enforces the state construction code for all four trades on the jurisdiction list, and the property maintenance and fire codes locally. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Charter Township of Bridgeport (community 260186) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective August 15, 2023 and regular-program entry on March 15, 1984. The Health Department will not issue a septic or well permit on a floodplain or wetland site until the state permit is in hand.

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

Bridgeport Charter Township permit search and official resources

Permit holders can pay and follow building department items through BS&A Online. For copies of permit files or plans, use the township’s Freedom of Information Act request form: print, sign and date it and send it to the FOIA Coordinator by mail or email (office 989-777-0940).

• Bridgeport Charter Township Building and Codes
• Building permits and forms
• Building permit fees (effective April 2, 2019)
• Building permit application
• Electrical permit application
• Mechanical permit application
• Plumbing permit application
• Contractor registration form
• BS&A Online (search for Bridgeport Charter Township)
• Planning and Zoning
• Planning and zoning permits and forms
• Zoning permit application
• Fire Department inspections and plan reviews
• Saginaw County soil erosion permit application
• Saginaw County Public Works Commissioner
• Saginaw County Health Department: septic permits
• FOIA request form
• Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)

Bridgeport Charter Township building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Bridgeport Charter Township?

$85 up to $2,000 of construction cost, $1,034 at $100,000, then $5 per $1,000 up to $500,000, so a $250,000 house is $1,784 plus a $750 bond.

Why is there a bond on my permit?

The fee schedule requires a $325 bond when the permit fee is $100 to under $1,000, and $750 when it is $1,001 or more.

When are inspections done?

Electrical and plumbing on Tuesdays and Thursdays, mechanical on Tuesday and Thursday mornings; call ext. 211 a day ahead.

Can a homeowner pull a permit?

Yes, as the bona fide homeowner of a single-family home that is not for rent, signing the homeowner affidavit on the application.

Do I need a zoning permit to remodel inside my house?

No zoning approval is needed for interior remodeling of an existing structure, though building or trade permits may still be needed.

Who issues soil erosion permits?

The Saginaw County Public Works Commissioner; a residential site under an acre is $300 for a 12-month permit.

Does the Fire Department review house plans?

No. The Fire Department reviews plans only for commercial and multi-family occupancies.

How long does plan review take?

The township says plan reviews are completed within 10 business days of the date stamped on the drawings.

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