Brownstown Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In Brownstown Charter Township, permits come from the township’s own Building Department at Township Hall, 21313 Telegraph Road (734-675-0166), headed by Building Official Ken Brandau. The township enforces the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes itself; Wayne County has no building program. The office is open Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., but issues no permits after 4:30 p.m., and permits and inspections can also be handled on BS&A Online. Under the May 2026 fee schedule, a construction permit for work costing $1,001 to $50,000 is $100 plus $11 for each additional $1,000.

What requires a building permit in Brownstown Charter Township?

The Building Department oversees all building in the township, from initial planning to completion, and coordinates the building, electrical, heating and plumbing permits and inspections. Its homeowner guidelines, updated May 7, 2026, list common jobs that need a permit and say the list is not complete.

Fences, exterior concrete and sheds need a township zoning permit, and the township’s forms include separate fence, flatwork, accessory structure, pool and fill permit applications. Footings for a house, deck, attached garage or detached garage or utility building over 400 square feet must be 42 inches deep, and only two roof layers are allowed before a full tear-off.

What the township decides and what the state holds

The construction code is the state’s, and Brownstown cannot amend it. The Bureau of Construction Codes’ Statewide Jurisdiction List shows Brownstown as a local enforcing agency for all four codes, and Wayne County as having no county program, so the township reviews, permits and inspects everything here. What the township sets itself is zoning, its fee schedules, contractor and business registration, rental and vacant property registration, its fence and accessory structure rules and floodplain determinations, which its Building Department handles for the township.

Brownstown Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department sits in the Community Services area at Township Hall and also handles drain maintenance, ordinance enforcement, rental and vacant property registration, business registration and food truck permits. Its inspectors are in the office from 7 to 9 a.m. and 3:30 to 5 p.m. to answer questions about specific projects.

Township Hall keeps the same Monday-to-Thursday hours, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., so plan counter visits for those days.

Brownstown Charter Township permit types

The Forms and Permits page carries the building permit application, electrical and mechanical applications revised in February 2026, the plumbing application, a pool permit application (February 2026), fence, flatwork, fill and accessory structure applications, a certificate of occupancy application, contractor and builder registration forms, a permit extension request and the fee schedules.

Residential permits

• What to bring. Three sets of building plans, a plot plan drawn to scale with the lot, existing structures and the proposed work, a copy of the builder’s license, a copy of the signed contract, insurance, the completed application, and the homeowner’s affidavit if the owner is pulling the permit.
• Plan contents. Footing and foundation details, all four elevations, a dimensioned floor plan with header, window and door sizes, and a wall section showing framing, insulation and engineered wood products.
• Fences. The fence application comes with a Fence Neighbor Agreement form (July 28, 2025) and a fence easement awareness sheet.
• Pools. The township’s pool inspection requirements (June 2024) go with the pool permit application.

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

Commercial permits

Plan review is required for commercial, industrial and multi-unit buildings, including interior finishes and renovations, and is priced by floor area. The township may send plans to an outside reviewer, billed at the reviewer’s cost plus a 20% administrative fee. New businesses register with the Building Department and pass building, plumbing, heating, electrical and fire inspections, and any change of use needs a new certificate of occupancy after inspections by every trade.

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. Zoning permits cover fences, exterior concrete and sheds. Development plans go to the Planning Commission, which tentatively meets on the second and fourth Mondays at 6 p.m. at Township Hall and also prepares the township’s Master Plan (current version dated July 22, 2025); the township offers a pre-application meeting (application revised January 15, 2026).
• Variances. The five-member Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances, interpretations and appeals of zoning decisions on the third Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. at Township Hall.
• Soil erosion. Wayne County is the soil erosion agency for Brownstown: earth changes over one acre or within 500 feet of surface water need a county permit before earthwork starts (734-326-3936).
• County roads. Driveways and other work in a county road right-of-way need a permit from the Wayne County DPS Permit Office, 33809 Michigan Avenue, Wayne (734-858-2774), which also inspects permit work in township subdivisions.
• Water and sewer. Tap fees are set in the township’s 2024 water tap fee schedule; demolition needs a notice of disconnect from every utility.

Brownstown Charter Township permit costs and fees

The township’s Building Inspection and Services Fee Schedule dated May 2026 sets building and zoning fees, with separate electrical (May 2026), mechanical (February 2026) and plumbing schedules. Permits are not transferable, and the first $95 of any permit is non-refundable.

Worked example: a project costing $200,000 falls in the $50,001 to $500,000 band, so the construction permit is $628 plus 150 × $9, or $1,978; a new house of 1,601 square feet or more adds $300 plan review, and the schedule also lists a $50 application fee. The printed bands do not join exactly (the first band reaches $639 at $50,000 and the second $4,678 at $500,000), so ask the department to confirm a fee near a band edge. Electrical and mechanical permits start with a $50 application fee, and each rough or final inspection is $75; a residential gas piping system is $50 on the mechanical schedule.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The township issues and inspects electrical, mechanical and plumbing work. Under its FAQ, permits are needed for furnace and water heater replacement, new or replacement air conditioning, gas piping and all electrical work other than replacing fixtures, switches and outlets.

• Electrical. Electrical permits are issued only to licensed electrical contractors and to homeowners for the dwelling they live in or intend to live in (a new home). Owners of rental properties cannot get homeowner electrical permits, and the township recommends licensed electricians for electrical work.
• Homeowner affidavit. A homeowner who pulls a permit and signs the township’s homeowner affidavit becomes responsible for the work.
• Contractor registration. Contractors register with the township: $50 a year for builders and fence contractors (renewing May 31), $40 a year for electrical contractors, and $15 for mechanical contractors for the life of their license.
• Hiring a contractor. The township tells owners to hire a state-licensed contractor in the right trade, have the contractor pull the permit before work starts and display the permit where it can be seen.

To manage permits online, contractors and homeowners create a BS&A Online account and link it to their record in the Building Department’s software with a PIN from the department.

How to apply for a Brownstown Charter Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The Building Department checks plans for zoning and code compliance but does not help design them; questions on drawings go to an architect or registered design professional. A permit can be extended once, for six months, with a written request and a $100 fee, and reopening an expired permit costs $100.

Inspections and certificates in Brownstown Charter Township

Inspections are done Monday to Thursday between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. To narrow the time window, call the inspector directly before 9 a.m. on the day of the inspection. An after-hours inspection in any trade costs $150, missing a required inspection costs $100, and each re-inspection is $75. The schedule also lists a $45 permit cancellation fee, and the first $95 paid on any permit is not refunded.

A typical new home needs inspections for water and sewer installation, footings, backfill (before backfilling), underground plumbing, rough plumbing, rough electrical, rough heating, fireplace, rough frame and exterior rough, insulation, drywall, interior slabs and attached porches, then final plumbing, electrical and heating, smoke detectors and the final building inspection. Trade inspections must pass before the rough or final building inspection.

A certificate of occupancy application costs $50 for a home. If grading, concrete or tree planting is not finished at occupancy, the schedule lists bonds of $2,000 for incomplete grading or a missing grade certificate, $1,000 for incomplete concrete and $500 for a tree, each plus a $75 re-inspection. Single-family rental inspections are $200.

Michigan building code in Brownstown Charter Township

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Charter Township of Brownstown (community 260218) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community, with flood maps effective October 21, 2021, and the township’s Building Department page says the department determines flood zones and the building requirements for them.

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

Brownstown Charter Township permit search and official resources

Once your BS&A Online account is linked with a PIN, it shows your permit and inspection history in Brownstown. Copies of permit records are requested from the Clerk’s Office under the Freedom of Information Act, in person or by email, on the township’s FOIA form or in a letter giving the details the Act requires.

• Brownstown Township Building Department
• Online permit applications and inspections
• BS&A Online, Brownstown Township
• Forms and permits
• Building and zoning fee schedule, May 2026
• Electrical fee schedule, May 2026
• Mechanical fee schedule, February 2026
• Construction guidelines for homeowners (May 2026)
• Township FAQs: residential building projects
• Planning Commission
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Wayne County soil erosion permits
• Wayne County road right-of-way permits
• BCC Statewide Jurisdiction List
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Brownstown Charter Township building permit FAQs

How late can I get a permit at Township Hall?

The Building Department issues no permits after 4:30 p.m. and is open Monday to Thursday only.

How much is a building permit in Brownstown?

$100 for work up to $1,000, $100 plus $11 per additional $1,000 up to $50,000, and $628 plus $9 per $1,000 over $50,000 up to $500,000, plus plan review where required.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof?

Yes. Roof replacement needs a building permit, and only two layers of roofing are allowed before a full tear-off.

Do fences and sheds need permits?

Yes. Fences, sheds and exterior concrete need a zoning permit; a fence permit is $150 and a shed of 200 square feet or less is $150 without concrete or $225 with it.

Can a homeowner pull an electrical permit?

Only for the home they live in or will live in. Owners of rental properties cannot get homeowner electrical permits.

When are inspections done?

Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; call the inspector before 9 a.m. on the day to narrow the time.

Can I extend a permit?

Once, for six months, with a written request and a $100 extension fee.

Who issues soil erosion permits in Brownstown?

Wayne County, for earth changes over one acre or within 500 feet of surface water.

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