Delta County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Delta County runs its own construction code program. Its Building & Zoning Department at the Delta County Service Center, 2910 College Avenue, Escanaba (906-789-5189), issues building, mechanical and plumbing permits in Escanaba, the Village of Garden and all 14 townships, and mechanical and plumbing permits in Gladstone, which handles its own building permits. Electrical permits everywhere in the county come from the state Bureau of Construction Codes. The county does not post its building permit fees, so call for the amount; mechanical and plumbing forms start with a $75 application fee.

What requires a building permit in Delta County?

The county’s permit checklist sorts work into four groups, and each group has its own paperwork. A house or duplex under 3,500 square feet of floor area is a residential job; anything larger, and every commercial building, needs an approved plan review first. Moved, mobile and factory-built homes and demolitions have their own lists.

The county application also asks for a fire sign and driveway permit where the road commission requires one. If you are not sure whether a small job needs a permit, call Building & Zoning with the parcel number; the office says it needs the property identification for any inquiry.

What Delta County decides and what the state holds

The construction code itself is the state’s and cannot be changed by the county. Delta County chooses to enforce it for building, mechanical and plumbing work, sets its own fees and forms, runs zoning for nine townships under its zoning ordinance (Ordinance No. 76-2) and administers soil erosion permits. The state keeps electrical work throughout the county and issues commercial boiler permits through its boiler division.

Delta County building department: who handles permitting

According to the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes, revised November 6, 2026), the county is the enforcing agency for building, mechanical and plumbing work in the City of Escanaba, the Village of Garden and the townships of Baldwin, Bark River, Bay de Noc, Brampton, Cornell, Ensign, Escanaba, Fairbanks, Ford River, Garden, Maple Ridge, Masonville, Nahma and Wells. The City of Gladstone enforces the building code itself but uses the county for mechanical and plumbing. The list marks electrical as STATE for every unit in the county.

The Census Bureau lists three incorporated places: Escanaba (12,257 residents in the 2025 estimate), Gladstone (5,189) and Garden village (187). Gladstone takes zoning permit applications online through its own portal; the county page gives 906-428-2311 for Gladstone zoning and 906-789-7302 for Escanaba zoning.

Delta County permit types and what comes first

The county posts printable applications for building, mechanical and plumbing permits, a permit authorization letter for an agent, a rural address application, a zoning review form, a zoning ordinance application and a soil erosion application. Incomplete applications are returned.

Residential permits

• Houses under 3,500 square feet: the building application, a site plan showing roads, driveways, waterways, property lines and utilities, at least one set of plans with foundation, floor, roof and wall-section details, and your method of meeting the energy code.
• Mobile and factory-built homes: foundation plans and the method of anchoring a mobile home, a site plan, and for a state-approved premanufactured unit one copy of its Building System Approval. Setting a home also needs mechanical and plumbing permits for the connections.
• Owner or contractor: the application warns that anyone doing residential work for a set price, or supplying labor and materials on any terms other than hourly wages, must hold a Michigan license, and it lists the contractor’s license number and expiry.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings, and one- and two-family homes of 3,500 square feet or more, need a building plan review approval letter before the county will issue the permit. The application asks for the use group, construction type, fire areas, occupant load and whether the building is sprinklered, and an architect or engineer for commercial use. Demolishing a non-residential building also needs the state Notification of Intent to Renovate/Demolish form.

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. Delta County reviews zoning for Baldwin, Bay de Noc, Brampton, Cornell, Ensign, Fairbanks, Maple Ridge, Nahma and Wells townships on its $50 zoning review form, which sets the setbacks; setbacks are measured from the drip edge, not the wall. Escanaba, Gladstone, Garden village and the Bark River, Escanaba, Ford River, Garden and Masonville townships have their own zoning contacts, listed on the county page.
• Rezoning, conditional uses and variances in county-zoned townships use the zoning ordinance application ($400; text revisions $1,500).
• Septic and well. Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties starts an unsewered lot with a raw land evaluation (perk test), valid five years, then issues the septic permit, valid two years; you may have to supply a backhoe.
• Driveway. A driveway or other work on a county road needs a Delta County Road Commission permit through the Oxcart online system.
• Soil erosion. A county soil erosion permit is needed for earth work within 500 feet of a lake, river or stream.

Delta County permit costs and fees

Building & Zoning does not post its building permit fee schedule; the department page says to call for the amount, and the application has office lines for a flat or application fee, square-footage fees, a zoning fee and an after-the-fact administrative fee. If you file without paying, the application is put on hold and you are invoiced. Mechanical and plumbing fees are printed on the county’s own forms (revised April 2023):

A worked trade example from the forms: replacing a furnace and a water heater in your own home is $75 (application) + $30 + $5 + $75 (final inspection), or $185 on the mechanical form. Re-inspections of violations are charged as additional inspection fees.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Delta County issues mechanical and plumbing permits everywhere in the county, including Gladstone, on separate forms with item-by-item fees. Each trade inspection is booked with the county inspector, giving the job location and permit number.

• Homeowners: both county trade forms carry a homeowner affidavit for work installed by the owner “in my own home in which I am living or about to occupy”; the owner arranges the inspections and must not cover work before it is approved.
• Contractors: the forms ask for the state license number and expiry, federal employer and unemployment numbers and workers’ compensation details, or the reason for an exemption.
• Mechanical plans: a one- or two-family home needs sealed mechanical plans only when the heating and cooling input exceeds 375,000 Btu per hour; minor alterations and small single-fire-area shops are also exempt from sealed plans.
• Electrical: the state Bureau of Construction Codes issues the permit and sends the inspector. The county’s rough inspection and certificate of occupancy still wait for the electrical approvals, so apply to the state early.

How to apply for a permit in Delta County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Missing plans, a missing zoning or sanitary approval, or an unpaid fee are the usual reasons a file stalls, and the county returns incomplete applications. Large homes and commercial work wait for the plan review approval letter. The soil erosion officer has up to 30 days but usually issues within five to ten business days, and the site must be staked before that inspection.

Inspections and occupancy in Delta County

Under the department’s inspection policy (effective January 1, 2018), you request inspections by phone during office hours; the policy also lists messages, fax and email. Inspections are done in the order requested and may take up to two business days, and a set date and time needs three days’ notice. The person who asked for the inspection is responsible for checking the result.

• Footing: forms and reinforcement in place, including piers for pole buildings and decks.
• Foundation (backfill): damp-proofing, drain tile and floor deck before backfill.
• Rough: framing, bracing and fire stopping after the electrical, mechanical and plumbing rough approvals; truss drawings must be on site.
• Insulation before covering, and final before anyone moves in.
• Demolition: once utilities are removed, and again when the site is cleaned up and backfilled.

A permit stays valid while work and inspections continue. It is closed if no inspection is requested and done within 180 days of issue or of the last inspection; closed permits are not refunded and cost $50 to re-open. The certificate of occupancy request must cover building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing, and the county issues it only after every permit is finaled.

Michigan building code in Delta County

Delta County enforces the state code as the county enforcing agency named on the state list; it does not write its own construction code. No Michigan county is a National Flood Insurance Program community: each township, city and village joins on its own, so ask the township or city office whether a parcel near the bay or a river is in a mapped flood area before you design.

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

Delta County permit search and official resources

To get copies of permit files or inspection records, use the county’s Freedom of Information Act request form; the FOIA page posts the county’s procedures, public summary and appeal forms. Land records, tax searches and a regional GIS map are linked from the county home page.

• Delta County Building & Zoning (forms and zoning contacts)
• Requirements for obtaining building permits
• Building inspection policy (effective January 1, 2018)
• Building permit application
• Mechanical permit application and fee chart
• Plumbing permit application and fee chart
• Soil erosion (SESC) permit application
• Zoning review form (county-zoned townships)
• Zoning ordinance application, Ordinance No. 76-2
• Delta County Road Commission permits (Oxcart)
• Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties: on-site sewage
• City of Gladstone forms and permits
• Delta County FOIA requests
• State Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)

Delta County building permit FAQs

Does Delta County issue building permits in Escanaba?

Yes. The county is the building, mechanical and plumbing agency for the City of Escanaba; the city handles zoning.

Who issues building permits in Gladstone?

The City of Gladstone issues its own building permits, while Delta County issues its mechanical and plumbing permits and the state its electrical permits.

Where do I get an electrical permit in Delta County?

From the state Bureau of Construction Codes, which handles electrical permits and inspections in every unit of the county.

How much is a building permit in Delta County?

The county does not post its building fee schedule, so call 906-789-5189. Mechanical and plumbing permits start at a $75 application fee plus item and inspection fees.

Can I do my own plumbing or furnace work?

Yes, in a home you live in or are about to occupy, by signing the homeowner affidavit on the county form and arranging the inspections yourself.

Do I need a soil erosion permit to build near the lake?

Yes, for earth work within 500 feet of a lake, river or stream. The county issues it, usually within five to ten business days after the staked site is inspected.

How long does a permit last?

Until 180 days pass without a requested inspection; the county then closes it, and re-opening costs $50.

Who handles zoning in my township?

The county zones Baldwin, Bay de Noc, Brampton, Cornell, Ensign, Fairbanks, Maple Ridge, Nahma and Wells townships; the other townships, the two cities and Garden village have their own zoning contacts.

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