Clawson, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In the City of Clawson, permits come from the Community & Economic Development Department (CED, the Building & Planning Department until January 1, 2026) at City Hall, 425 N. Main Street (248-435-4500, ext. 121), where Brian Vargason is Building Official. Fees are due when you apply: under the council’s fee resolution effective July 1, 2024, a building permit is $55 plus 1.5% of the construction cost, and every trade permit starts at a $55 base fee. Many permits issue the same day, and the city contacts applicants within two weeks on plan review.

What requires a building permit in Clawson?

Clawson sorts work into building permits, trade permits and zoning permits, and publishes an exemption list for the jobs residents ask about most. Its Guide to Permits puts new homes, renovations, roofs, windows, decks, pools, concrete with footings, commercial interior renovations and demolition under the building permit, and garages and sheds over 200 square feet need one too.

Two cautions come with the list. Removing a wall that holds outlets or switches needs an electrical permit, moving a sink or appliances during a kitchen job may need electrical or plumbing permits, and concrete removal that crosses the public right-of-way needs a Department of Public Works permit. Fences are listed both ways: the department’s 2026 Guides page puts fences with zoning permits, while its Fences Guide and Guide to Permits say a fence needs a building permit, so ask CED which application it wants before you build one.

What Clawson decides and what the state holds

The state Bureau of Construction Codes’ jurisdiction list (revised November 6, 2026) shows the city enforcing the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes, and Oakland County runs no program. The code itself is the state’s; Clawson sets the fees, registers contractors, runs zoning and site plan review, licenses businesses and decides when a certificate of occupancy is needed. Its 2026–27 budget notes that the inspectors are independent contractors paid a share of permit revenue.

Clawson building department: who handles permitting

CED combines planning and zoning, building permits and inspections, economic development and ordinance enforcement, and acts as liaison to the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals. Building plans go to the Building Official for code and ordinance review; commercial certificates of occupancy also need the Fire Marshal’s inspection.

Payments go through the Treasurer’s Department by check, cash or card; card payments, including online ones, carry a 3% processing fee.

Clawson permit types

Applications are on the department’s Forms & Applications page, and the city’s guides cover permits, fences, pools and hot tubs, residential decks and soil erosion for new homeowners. Contractors register with the department by presenting a current trade license, a driver’s license and proof of liability insurance.

Residential permits

• New houses follow the Residential New Construction Checklist: one signed and sealed printed set no larger than 24 by 36 inches plus a digital copy, the contractor’s license, driver’s license and insurance, plot plans of existing and proposed conditions on separate sheets (setbacks, easements, elevations, fences, grading and storm drainage), full construction, mechanical and energy code plans, and an Oakland County soil erosion permit.
• Additions, structural renovations, garages and sheds over 200 square feet need one hard copy and one digital set of plans with a materials list, a dimensioned plot plan and a copy of the signed contract; the Building Official may ask for a structural engineer.
• Fences, decks, pools and concrete with footings need a dimensioned drawing, which may be a sketch, survey or Google Earth image.
• Pools and hot tubs must sit at least 5 feet from side and rear lines and 10 feet from the house, measured from the water’s edge, never in a front yard, and inside a barrier that keeps out small children (hot tubs with a protective cover excepted). No overhead wire may cross within 10 feet of the water, and pools count toward the R-1 and R-2 impervious lot-coverage limits.
• Demolition needs utility shut-off confirmations from DTE and Consumers Energy, a Department of Public Works water shut-off permit and, where it applies, an asbestos abatement letter.

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

Commercial permits

All commercial construction and most exterior renovations of commercial buildings need site plan approval before permits are issued, following the city’s Development Guide. A commercial owner may apply for permits but must accept the commercial code requirements, and renovations needing several permits without site plan approval need a scope-of-work document. A commercial certificate of occupancy also requires a Clawson Initial Business License and a Fire Marshal inspection.

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 and site plan. Apart from single-family homes, most construction, land changes and many changes of use need site plan review under the Development Guide (2026 update). The Planning Commission meets on the second and fourth Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and the Zoning Board of Appeals on the third Thursday at 7:30 p.m. A complete site plan is due four weeks before the Planning Commission meeting, revised plans three weeks before, and the whole approval usually takes about two months; an approved site plan lapses if permits are not pulled within 12 months. A single-family variance costs $450 per variance, special land use $750 plus site plan fees, and a rezoning $1,275 plus $60 per acre.
• Soil erosion. The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner issues soil erosion permits in Clawson, and the new-house checklist requires one.
• Right-of-way. Work in the street, alley, sidewalk or a utility easement needs a Department of Public Works engineering inspection or obstruction permit, and pedestrians must keep a safe route.
• Site rules. Construction noise is limited to 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., debris must go in a dumpster built to keep out rodents, and portable toilets stay at least 10 feet from neighboring buildings and off the sidewalk.

Clawson permit costs and fees

Fees are set by the City Council’s fee resolution effective July 1, 2024 (labelled 2024/2025), which the department’s fee page links as its current schedule. Each permit has a base fee plus quantity or valuation charges, and plan review fees are added where plans are reviewed; everything is due when you apply.

Worked example from the schedule: replacing a furnace of 75,000 BTU or less is the $55 heating and cooling base fee plus $65 for the furnace, or $120. The 2022 Guide to Permits also charges $75 to reinstate an expired permit, separate from the $25 renewal fee in the schedule.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are approved on the application alone, without plans, unless the job is part of a larger project. Clawson’s guides say that when a contractor does the work it is the contractor’s job to take out the permit.

• Homeowners: permits may be issued to a homeowner for their primary residence; the city then holds the owner responsible for the work, whoever performs it, and the fee schedule requires a signed homeowner affidavit before electrical, heating, plumbing or sewer permits are issued to a homeowner.
• Rental property: work on rentals must be done by licensed contractors.
• Contractors: each registers with CED (residential builders and electricians $30, heating contractors $15) with a current trade license, driver’s license and liability insurance.
• Mechanical scope: mechanical permits cover heating, ventilation, air conditioning and fire sprinkler work; plumbing permits cover fixtures, water heater replacement and sewer repairs.

How to apply for a Clawson building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Staff check every application for completeness and the right fee before it goes to review, and the applicant is told if details or money are missing; nothing moves until it is fixed. A permit is valid for six months, extended another six months if an inspection is recorded in the first six; a permit with no activity in its first six months becomes invalid and is not refunded.

Inspections and certificates in Clawson

Inspections are requested by email or by calling 248-435-4500, ext. 121, by 3:00 p.m. to be on the next business day’s schedule. Electrical inspections run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., plumbing on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m., and mechanical on Tuesdays and Thursdays; for building inspections, leave a phone number to get a time window. The number of inspections depends on the permit and scope, and applicants are told the requirements when they apply.

The city’s construction site standards add site rules that inspectors check: the approved plans and permit must be on site at every inspection, a copy of the permit with the contractor’s phone number must be posted where it can be seen once work starts, open excavations beside occupied homes need a barrier at least 48 inches high until backfilled, and all backfill must be clean fill free of debris. Police, building and ordinance inspectors all enforce these standards.

A certificate of occupancy is issued only after a successful final inspection and is required for every commercial property, every new home and vacant or abandoned property named in the city code. CED mails it to the permit applicant or has it picked up. For commercial spaces the Fire Marshal also checks exit lights, sprinklers, emergency lighting, extinguishers, exits and storage.

Michigan building code in Clawson

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City of Clawson (community 260170) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community with no special flood hazard area mapped.

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

Clawson permit search and official resources

Permits applied for online can be tracked and paid on BS&A Online. Copies of older permits and plans are public records: the city’s FOIA procedures and public summary, posted with the department’s guides, explain how to ask, and the fee schedule charges actual cost for FOIA requests.

• Community & Economic Development Department
• Forms and applications
• Permit guides and information
• Fee schedule and payment options
• Council fee resolution, effective July 1, 2024
• Guide to Building and Permits
• Fences guide
• Pools and hot tubs guide
• Development Guide, 2026 update
• Residential new construction checklist
• Construction site standards and expectations
• Inspections and certificates of occupancy
• FOIA public summary
• Oakland County soil erosion permits
• Bureau of Construction Codes Statewide Jurisdiction List
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Clawson building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Clawson?

$55 plus 1.5% of the construction cost under the July 1, 2024 fee resolution, plus $125 and 0.2% of cost where plan review applies.

Do I need a permit for a new driveway or patio?

Yes, a $55 zoning permit for concrete without footings, and work crossing the right-of-way also needs a Public Works permit.

Does replacing siding need a permit?

No. Siding is on the city’s list of work that needs no permit, along with gutters, doors, flooring and kitchen cabinets.

Can I pull a permit for work on my own house?

Yes, for your primary residence; the city holds you responsible for the work. Rental property work must be done by licensed contractors.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Email the department or call 248-435-4500, ext. 121, by 3:00 p.m. for the next business day.

Is City Hall open on Fridays?

No. City Hall is open Monday to Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; the drop box and BS&A Online take applications at other times.

How long is a Clawson permit valid?

Six months, extended six more if an inspection is recorded; a permit with no activity in six months becomes invalid.

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