Canton Charter Township is one of the largest municipalities in Wayne County and runs a building division at a scale most Michigan cities do not reach, issuing many thousands of permits and completing tens of thousands of inspections a year. The division sits within the township’s Municipal Services Department.
Plan reviews are performed in the order received and may take up to 15 business days, with an email notification of approval or a revision request when the required reviews are complete. Contractors must be registered with the township before using the portal for permit activity.
This guide covers the Charter Township of Canton in Wayne County, Michigan. It does not cover similarly named places in other states, and it does not cover neighbouring Wayne County municipalities, which permit separately.
Check with your association before you file, not after. Canton does not require homeowners’ association approval before issuing a residential permit — the applicant and owner are responsible for obtaining any association approvals themselves — and the township states it will not issue refunds for permits that are reviewed, issued and then cancelled because of association requirements. The fee is spent either way.
What requires a building permit in Canton Charter Township?
Permit required
- New commercial, multi-family and residential construction, additions and change of occupancy
- Structural alterations, load-bearing changes, foundations, decks and retaining walls
- Electrical work — services, panels, circuits, solar and EV charging — under the electrical part of the state code and the referenced National Electrical Code
- Plumbing work under the plumbing part of the state code, pulled by a state-licensed plumbing contractor; gas piping under the mechanical code
- Mechanical and HVAC change-outs, and work affecting the energy code envelope
- Re-roofing (ordinary repairs excepted), pools, signs, and demolition
Often exempt
- Minor repairs and maintenance replacing materials in kind
- Small accessory structures below the code threshold, where zoning allows
- Painting, flooring, cabinetry and other finish work
- Like-for-like fixture or appliance swaps with no alteration to wiring or piping
The code is the same statewide, but fee schedules, procedures and the choice of third-party agency differ from one municipality to the next, so an exempt list from a neighbouring township is not reliable. An exemption from a building permit is never an exemption from zoning, the energy code, or an electrical or plumbing permit. Confirm scope with Canton Building and Inspection Services before work starts.
Local rules worth knowing
On the commercial side, Canton runs a re-occupancy programme: a re-occupancy permit application must include a zoning compliance certificate and a heating, cooling and ventilation certification form completed by a licensed heating and cooling contractor, after which a building inspector and a fire inspector inspect jointly within three business days.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →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
Who handles permitting in Canton Charter Township?
Building and Inspection Services ensures that township standards for local building codes, ordinances and construction are met, issuing building, compliance, trade and grading permits and carrying out the associated inspections.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Charter Township of Canton Building and Inspection Services Division |
| Address | 1150 South Canton Center Road, Canton, MI 48188 |
| Phone | (734) 394-5200 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Counter | Building and Inspection Services counter, second floor of the Administration Building |
| Plan review time | Up to 15 business days, reviewed in the order received |
| Contractor registration | Contractors must be registered with the township to use the portal |
| Inspection scheduling | Online scheduling through the township portal |
The association point deserves emphasis because it cuts both ways. The township does not check your master deed, covenants or architectural review committee position before issuing, so a permit is not evidence that your association has approved anything. Many developments in Canton have an architectural review committee that expects a sketch of the proposed work.
New commercial construction runs a defined sequence: preliminary site plan review, board and commission approvals, site plan approval, a zoning compliance certificate from Planning and Zoning on the second floor, and a new building address, before the building permit application itself. Commercial alterations require three sets of plans sealed by a Michigan architect or engineer.
In 2025, building permits issued in Canton Charter Township authorized 406 new privately owned housing units, 62 of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Permit types
Residential permits
Residential permits cover additions, improvements, decks, fences, pools, accessory structures, demolition and grading, alongside the trade permits. Homeowner applicants have their own application form. Because the township does not check association requirements, confirm your master deed, covenants and architectural review committee position before you file rather than after the fee is paid.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →How Michigan contractor credentials work
The licence number goes on the permit application. Michigan requires the application to set out the licence number and expiry date of the residential builder, maintenance and alteration contractor, architect or engineer acting for the owner, together with a written instrument — a contract, power of attorney or letter of authorisation — showing that person is authorised to act. Doing residential work that requires a licence without one is a civil violation, which the county prosecuting attorney or the Attorney General may pursue. Confirm what Canton Building and Inspection Services requires for the parcel, along with insurance coverage.
Commercial permits
Commercial work runs through site plan review and zoning compliance before the building permit, with three sets of plans sealed by a Michigan-licensed architect or engineer for alterations. Tenant work is tied to the certificate of occupancy regime, and a building owner can be held responsible for allowing a tenant to occupy a space under their control without a valid tenant certificate of occupancy.
Licenses, trade classifications and design professionals
Practically, three credential layers appear on Michigan projects: the state residential builder or maintenance and alteration licence on residential work; separately licensed electrical, plumbing and mechanical trades, also licensed by the state; and, on commercial and larger residential work, drawings sealed by a Michigan-licensed architect or professional engineer, with plans reviewed by a state-registered plan reviewer; detached one- and two-family houses of 3,500 square feet or less need no architect or engineer seal. Confirm what Canton Building and Inspection Services requires for the specific building before filing.
Michigan licenses residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors at state level, and the permit application must carry the licence number. Michigan rules
Canton Charter Township permit costs and fees
Canton fees follow the published schedule by permit type and project valuation, with plan review charged by the hour on commercial, industrial and multi-family work and a combined plan review and administrative fee on new commercial buildings. A re-inspection is charged at $50, and an inspection cancelled within 24 hours carries a fee that must be paid before it can be rescheduled.
Michigan fees are set by whoever holds enforcement for the parcel — the local unit, the county, or the state where neither has taken it on — so the schedule follows the authority rather than the state. A figure from a neighbouring municipality is not reliable, and a figure from a neighbouring township can be wrong even where the county enforces both. Ask Canton Building and Inspection Services for the schedule in force on your filing date.
Need a real number for a specific Canton Charter Township project? Send us the scope, address and valuation and we will identify the authority having jurisdiction, the code edition in force and the fee categories that will apply.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Fees are set by the enforcing agency — the local unit, a county program or the state — and may only fund that agency's work. Michigan rules
Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Service installations, panel upgrades, new circuits, solar PV and EV chargers
- New plumbing, repipes, water heater change-outs, fixtures, backflow and gas piping
- HVAC installation and change-out, ductwork, venting and commercial kitchen exhaust
- Sprinkler, standpipe and fire alarm work on commercial and multi-family structures
Typically exempt
- Replacing a fixture, switch, receptacle or light with no alteration to wiring or piping
- Clearing a stoppage without replacing or rearranging concealed piping
- Filter, thermostat and routine component service
- Like-for-like appliance repair that does not alter the connection
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors hold state licences valid anywhere in Michigan, and each trade follows its part of the state construction code. Michigan rules
How to apply for a Canton Charter Township building permit
Canton does not require association approval to issue and will not refund a permit cancelled because of association requirements. Check the master deed, covenants and architectural review committee position first.
Contractors register with Canton online, uploading their state licence, and receive a PIN used to pull permits. The registration must be kept current.
New commercial construction needs preliminary site plan review, board and commission approvals, site plan approval, a zoning compliance certificate and a new building address before the permit application.
Commercial alterations require three sets of plans sealed by a Michigan-licensed architect or engineer.
Plan reviews are performed in the order received and may take up to 15 business days. You will be emailed an approval or a revision request.
Use the township’s BS&A portal to schedule inspections. A failed inspection means a re-inspection fee, and an inspection cancelled within 24 hours carries a fee payable before rescheduling.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
In Michigan, the first cause of delay is uncertainty over who enforces the code — filing with the local unit when the county holds enforcement for it, or with the county when the state does. After that comes the edition question, because the trade parts and the building parts moved on different dates, and houses still follow the 2015 residential code, so a submission drawn to the wrong one is a correction cycle. Then a missing or expired state licence number on the application, energy-code and plan documentation, and floodplain requirements along the shorelines and rivers. Build the plan-review time into the schedule and confirm the checklist with Canton Building and Inspection Services before filing.
A Michigan permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days; confirm the expiry with Canton Charter Township on phased or delayed work. Michigan rules
Inspections in Canton Charter Township
Where a permit is required, standard checkpoints include footing and foundation, framing, rough-in electrical, plumbing and mechanical, insulation and energy-code compliance, fire systems on commercial work, and final, with a use-and-occupancy certificate before the building is used. Commercial re-occupancy inspections are carried out jointly by a building inspector and a fire inspector within three business days of a completed application.
Ask the enforcing agency which edition applies to your application, especially around a code change date — because editions are adopted part by part, the answer can differ between the building inspection and the trade inspections on the same job. They are carried out by an inspector registered with the state, employed or contracted by whichever authority holds enforcement for the parcel. Keep the approved plans and the energy-code documentation on site for the inspector to check against, and confirm the notice Canton Building and Inspection Services needs and its inspection windows.
Do not cover work before the required inspection has been approved. Keep the issued permit, the approved plans, product listings, energy-code documentation and your correction responses available on site.
Canton Charter Township permit search and official resources
Permit records in Michigan sit with the authority that issued them — the local unit, the county, or the state bureau where neither took enforcement on. Where Canton Building and Inspection Services is the authority for the Charter Township of Canton, it holds the building permit, the inspection history and the use-and-occupancy certificate. If you are buying, refinancing or renovating, confirm that past work was permitted rather than assuming it was — open permits and missing certificates are a common closing problem.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Confirm the authority having jurisdiction first, then confirm the edition. Michigan enforces one statewide construction code, but enforcement may sit with the local unit, the county or the state, and the code is adopted part by part on separate effective dates. Both questions have to be answered for the parcel and the filing date before the requirements are knowable.
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- Canton Township Building and Inspection Services
- Canton Township permits and applications
- Canton Township permit and inspection scheduling
- Canton Township commercial re-occupancy requirements
- Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes - current code books and effective dates
Frequently asked questions
Does Canton check my homeowners association approval?
No. The township does not require association approval before issuing a residential permit, and it states that it will not issue refunds for permits reviewed, issued and then cancelled because of association requirements. Obtaining association approvals is the applicant’s and owner’s responsibility.
How long does plan review take?
Plan reviews are performed in the order received and may take up to 15 business days. You will receive an email notification of permit approval or a revision request once all required reviews are complete.
Which code edition applies to my work?
It depends on the part of the code the work falls under. One Michigan point catches almost everyone: the commercial and residential codes are not on the same edition. The bureau moved the plumbing, mechanical and electrical parts to new editions on the twelfth of March, 2024, and the building and rehabilitation parts to their 2021 editions on the ninth of April, 2025; houses still follow the 2015 Michigan Residential Code. The residential code did not move with them. Replacement residential rules were filed for an August 2025 effective date, but the Court of Claims entered a stipulated order stopping the department from implementing them while a builders’ association challenge is litigated, so the bureau still lists the 2015 Michigan Residential Code as the code in force. That case was still live when this guide was written. Confirm the edition governing each part of your work on your filing date rather than assuming the newest one applies.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →What is a re-occupancy permit?
It is the commercial permit required before a new tenant occupies a space. The application must include a zoning compliance certificate and a heating, cooling and ventilation certification form completed by a licensed heating and cooling contractor, and the property is then inspected jointly by building and fire inspectors within three business days.
Do I need to register before using the permit portal?
Yes, for contractors. Canton requires contractors to be registered with the township before using the portal for permit activity. Homeowner applicants have their own application route.
Who licenses the contractor?
The state, not the township. Residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors are licensed by the state under Article 24 of Public Act 299 of 1980, administered by the Bureau of Construction Codes, and the plumbing, electrical and mechanical trades are state-licensed as well. The licence is valid statewide. The permit application must set out the licence number and its expiry date, and performing residential work that requires a licence without holding one is a civil violation the county prosecuting attorney or the Attorney General may pursue.
Simplify Canton Charter Township permitting with Alliance Permitting
Canton’s review queue is orderly but unforgiving of a resubmission. We front-load the association, zoning and sealed-plan requirements so the first submission is the only one.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Canton Charter Township because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- 21+ years of filing, so the authority question gets answered before the application goes in
- We confirm the edition in force for each code part on your filing date, not the newest one published
- Licence numbers, expiry dates and the written authorisation instrument checked before submission
- Correction cycles handled directly with the reviewer so your crew is not waiting on a resubmission
- Inspection sequencing tracked through to the certificate, including trade sign-offs
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.
Ready to break ground in Canton Charter Township sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Canton Charter Township permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Michigan permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Canton Charter Township permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.