Charlevoix County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Charlevoix County enforces the state construction code for the whole county. Under the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026), its Department of Building Safety at 13513 Division Street, Charlevoix (231-547-7236) handles building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits in the cities of Boyne City, Charlevoix and East Jordan, the village of Boyne Falls and all 15 townships, and it also runs the county’s soil erosion and storm water permits. Kevin Schlickau is the Building Official. Zoning stays local: every application needs a zoning permit from the township, city or village first.

What requires a building permit in Charlevoix County?

The department quotes the state rule: anyone who intends to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building, or to install or change electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, must apply to the building official and get the permit first. Its forms show the range of work it permits:

Every application is reviewed before any permit is issued, and an electrical project started before its permit costs an extra $100. The department’s inspection list runs footing, foundation (with a pre-pour rod inspection for poured or ICF walls), rough, insulation and final.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The state writes the code; the county enforces it everywhere in Charlevoix County, sets the permit fees, schedules inspections (including set days on Beaver Island), and adopted the 2012 Uniform Storm Water Management Ordinance. Zoning is decided by each township, city and village, each with its own zoning administrator on the county’s June 16, 2026 list, and the storm water ordinance does not apply in the units that did not adopt it.

Charlevoix County building department: who handles permitting

The state list marks Charlevoix as a county program serving every local unit for all four codes, so there is no local building office to look for: the county department is the permit office for all addresses. Local governments handle zoning only.

Charlevoix County permit types

The county posts a general building permit application for 2026, a separate roofing and siding application, and electrical, plumbing and mechanical applications, each in a printable and a fillable version. Every application needs the property tax ID number and the job-site address; the electrical form gives 231-547-7230 for tax ID help.

Residential permits

• Address: a three-, four- or five-digit job-site address.
• Plans: one set of construction plans, returned after review, with truss certifications for purchased trusses kept on site for the frame inspection. Plans for a house over 3,500 square feet must be sealed by an architect or engineer.
• Log or rough-sawn buildings: a certificate of inspection from a certified grader.
• Manufactured housing: a state building systems approval report and plans for a premanufactured home; a recommended foundation plan with tie-downs and a floor plan for a HUD home.
• Who signs: the person actually doing the work, whether contractor or homeowner. Contractors are asked for a copy of their residential builder’s license.

The department also posts sample pole building, garage and deck specifications, a building cross-section sheet, an energy code prescriptive worksheet and notes on egress windows and stairs.

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

Commercial permits

All commercial jobs need sealed, stamped plans. Mechanical plans for commercial work must carry an architect’s or engineer’s seal, except for family dwellings with total heating and cooling input under 375,000 Btu, business, mercantile and storage buildings with HVAC only and one fire area of no more than 3,500 square feet, and minor work. Fire alarm systems, sprinklers and restaurant hoods have their own plan review applications.

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 permit from the township, city or village zoning administrator (list updated June 16, 2026).
• Well and septic permits from the health department office at 220 W. Garfield Street, Charlevoix (231-547-6523), unless the site has municipal water and sewer.
• Driveway: call the Charlevoix County Road Commission (231-582-7330) about driveway permits and culverts.
• Soil erosion: a county Part 91 permit to move or fill earth within 500 feet of a lake or stream, for changes of more than one acre, and for active gravel mining meeting either test. The application asks for the project type, the size of the earth change, the nearest lake, stream or drain and its distance, start and finish dates, the erosion control plan sets and their estimated cost, and the person on site responsible for the work; the landowner or a designated agent signs it.
• Storm water: a county storm water permit, where the 2012 ordinance applies, for commercial and industrial development, subdivisions, condominiums, mobile home parks and campgrounds, larger private and public roads, and private driveways at a 10% grade or steeper sloping down to the road. Chandler and Peaine townships and the cities of Boyne City, Charlevoix and East Jordan did not adopt the ordinance, so storm water questions there go to those units.
• Wetlands: a state wetland permit may be needed.

Charlevoix County permit costs and fees

The county does not post a building permit fee schedule on the department page; the building application asks for the estimated cost of construction and the applicant is responsible for paying all fees, so ask the department for the current building fee before you budget. Checks are payable to the Department of Building Safety, and fees can be paid online through BS&A. The 2026 electrical application prints its own fee chart:

Because the administrative fee on every trade form excludes inspections, a real trade permit adds item fees and $60 for each inspection on top of the $60. The mechanical form adds a reminder that the holder must call for a final inspection when the job is done.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county department issues and inspects all three trades everywhere in the county. The Building Official is also the electrical inspector, and one inspector covers plumbing and mechanical work.

• Electrical: the electrical contractor section is for licensed contractors only. A homeowner may sign the homeowner certification for work they install in their own single-family home that they live in or are about to occupy. Plans are required where the service exceeds 400 amps and the building is over 3,500 square feet, as the form puts it.
• Plumbing: backflow preventers with test ports must be tested at installation by a state-approved licensed tester, under a permit, and since January 1, 2018 every tester must hold an active ASSE certification; results go on the county’s ASSE test forms. A drain and vent test affidavit is on the forms list.
• Mechanical: a gas pressure test affidavit, a residential boiler checklist and mechanical ventilation information are posted with the application.

The department’s general rule for all trades is short: homeowners may take out permits only if they are actually doing the work. It also posts a warning sheet for homeowners acting as their own general contractor.

How to get a building permit in Charlevoix County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

No permit is issued until the application has been reviewed, and the county’s check sheet says plan review cannot start until every required item is on file. The requirements list makes the zoning permit, well and septic permits and soil erosion permit part of a complete file. Missing truss certifications or an unsealed plan for a house over 3,500 square feet hold up review. The application asks whether the site is in a floodplain or a low-lying area, so flag that early.

Inspections and certificates in Charlevoix County

The permit holder calls 231-547-7236 for every inspection, including the final occupancy inspection. Inspectors take calls in the office from 7 to 8:30 a.m. and inspect from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the electrical form says that in most cases inspections are done the same day if called in by 8:30 a.m.

• Building: footing (forms and reinforcing in place, before concrete), foundation (pre-pour rod inspection for poured or ICF walls; walls, anchors, damp-proofing and drainage before backfill), rough (after all trades pass rough-in), insulation, and final.
• Electrical: service (meter base and panel set and grounded), underground (before backfill or concrete), rough (before walls are covered), final.
• Plumbing and mechanical: underground with pressure tests before backfill, rough-in with tests before wall or ceiling coverings, final.
• Soil erosion: a final check once landscaping and planting are complete.

Beaver Island inspections for all trades happen only on scheduled days, and requests must be made at least one day before; the remaining 2026 dates are November 17, December 1 and December 15. Mainland inspections may not run on island days.

Michigan building code in Charlevoix County

No Michigan county is itself a National Flood Insurance Program community; each city, village and township joins on its own, and the county building application asks on every job whether the site is in a floodplain.

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

Charlevoix County permit search and official resources

Copies of permit files are requested with the county’s FOIA request form, posted on the Building Safety page. County ordinances and posted documents can be searched in the county’s online document library.

• Charlevoix County Department of Building Safety
• 2026 general building permit application
• 2026 electrical permit application and fee chart
• 2026 plumbing permit application
• 2026 mechanical permit application
• Building requirements check sheet
• Township, city and village zoning administrators (June 16, 2026)
• Beaver Island inspection dates
• Soil erosion, sedimentation and storm water permit application
• 2012 Uniform Storm Water Management Ordinance
• BS&A Online payments, Charlevoix County
• County FOIA request form
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Charlevoix County building permit FAQs

Does Charlevoix County issue building permits in Boyne City and Charlevoix?

Yes. The county Department of Building Safety enforces all four codes in every city, village and township, including Boyne City, Charlevoix and East Jordan; zoning stays with each city.

Can a homeowner pull a permit?

Only if the homeowner is actually doing the work; the electrical form limits the homeowner certification to the owner’s own single-family home.

How fast are inspections?

The electrical form says most inspections are done the same day if called in by 8:30 a.m.; inspectors take calls from 7 to 8:30 a.m.

When do I need a soil erosion permit?

To move or fill earth within 500 feet of a lake or stream, or for an earth change of more than one acre; the department’s soil erosion officer issues it.

How do inspections work on Beaver Island?

On set island dates for all trades; book at least a day ahead. The last 2026 dates are November 17, December 1 and December 15.

Do I need sealed plans for a house?

The county requires sealed, stamped plans for houses over 3,500 square feet and for every commercial job; log or rough-sawn buildings also need a certified grader’s certificate.

Where do I get well and septic permits?

From the health department office at 220 W. Garfield Street, Charlevoix (231-547-6523), unless the site has municipal water and sewer.

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