East Grand Rapids, Michigan Building Permit Guide

The City of East Grand Rapids (2025 Census estimate 11,663) keeps zoning, drainage and right-of-way control but has designated Cascade Township Building Inspection Services as its building official for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits. You submit the application on the city’s online permit portal; the Public Works Department at 750 Lakeside Drive SE (616-940-4817) checks zoning and drainage and collects the city’s infrastructure impact fee, and the file then goes to Cascade (616-949-3765), which collects the building permit fees and inspects the work.

What requires a building permit in East Grand Rapids?

The city says building permits are required for most home improvement projects and names the common ones; it also requires its own permits and inspections for work touching streets, utilities and sidewalks.

The zoning guide lists work that needs no building permit but still has to meet setbacks and lot coverage: single-story accessory buildings under 200 square feet, pavement and driveways, retaining walls under 4 feet, prefabricated pools less than 24 inches deep, and fences, which need a fence permit instead.

What East Grand Rapids decides and what the state holds

The state jurisdiction list shows the city as its own enforcing agency for all four codes; the city carries that out by designating Cascade’s inspection department as its building official. The city controls everything else: its zoning ordinance with five districts, the drainage rules in Chapter 80, Section 8.9 of the City Code, the right-of-way construction standards, infrastructure impact fees, and land divisions, which need City Commission approval after a public hearing.

East Grand Rapids building department: who handles permitting

Two offices share each permit. The city’s zoning administrator, in the Public Works Department, reviews every building and remodeling plan for zoning and drainage; Cascade Township Building Inspection Services then reviews the code, issues the permit, collects its fees and inspects. Questions about the building code go to Cascade; questions about setbacks, coverage, fences and drainage go to the city.

East Grand Rapids permit types

The city runs two online portals: a building portal for pools, demolition, signs, fences, side-yard air conditioners, egress windows, dumpsters, storage containers, water service and utility or right-of-way work, each with zoning review; and a zoning portal for land divisions, variances, site plans, rezonings and planned unit developments. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are Cascade permits on forms marked for East Grand Rapids.

Residential permits

• New houses and additions need three copies of a site plan with setbacks, easements and the area of every structure, three sets of scaled plans, three copies of a drainage and storm water plan, and a foundation survey by a licensed surveyor when construction is complete.
• Drainage tiers. Additions and accessory buildings under 400 square feet and in-ground pools of any size are Tier 1a; other new paving or patios are Tier 1b; each needs a scaled drainage site plan and an impervious area worksheet.
• Demolition and new construction over 400 square feet must follow the city’s minimum construction site rules: silt fence, a construction entrance at least 20 feet wide of crushed stone, shoring for digging within 3 feet of a lot line, and dumpsters, toilets and materials kept on private property.
• Roofing and siding use Cascade’s worksheet with the city application.
• Accessory buildings are limited by lot size and attached garage spaces, may never cover more than 25% of the rear yard, and sit 3 feet from side and rear lot lines, 10 feet from the house and 6 feet from other accessory buildings; one under 200 square feet may be 12 feet tall and one story, a larger one 16 feet and one and a half stories.
• Accessory dwelling units (zoning ordinance Section 5.70E) may be detached, above or beside a garage, attached or inside the house; they must be 300 to 864 square feet (and no more than half the main house’s foundation area), need one extra parking space, must be registered with the city, and require a deed or title restriction recorded with the county. Detached and garage ADUs need a lot of at least 12,000 square feet in R-1, 7,200 in R-2 and 5,000 in R-3.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial uses, buildings with more than two dwelling units, special land uses and private recreation areas need site plan approval from the Planning Commission under Section 5.84 of the zoning ordinance; minor changes to an approved plan can be approved administratively under Section 5.84B. Planning Commission review starts with a pre-application conference with city staff and consultants and ends with a public hearing. A commercial building permit carries a $150 infrastructure impact fee.

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

• Conceptual review. A free meeting with the zoning administrator before any submission.
• Variances. The Zoning Board of Appeals holds a public hearing; expect six to eight weeks from application, with notices published and mailed to residents within 300 feet at least 15 days before.
• Soil erosion. Within 500 feet of a lake or stream, including lots near Reeds Lake, a Kent County Road Commission SESC permit.
• Right-of-way and utilities. City right-of-way permits for drive approaches, sidewalks and utility connections, and a water tap and meter application for new or changed service.

East Grand Rapids permit costs and fees

Costs come from two places. The city charges its infrastructure impact fee and its zoning, right-of-way and utility fees; Cascade charges the building and trade permit fees, which are paid to Cascade Township. The impact fees below appear both on the city’s building permit application and in the city’s posted FY 2026-27 fee schedule.

Under Cascade’s posted building fee schedule, adopted by Cascade Charter Township in 2021, a new house or addition is $140 plus $3.50 per $1,000 of value from the ICC valuation table, decks and interior remodels are $175, re-roofs $85, and the trade forms for East Grand Rapids start with a $70 application fee that covers one inspection. Worked example on those schedules: a new house valued at $400,000 owes the city $150 and Cascade $140 + 400 × $3.50 = $1,540, before trade permits.

Trade permits and who may pull them

East Grand Rapids does not run its own trade inspections: Cascade issues and inspects electrical, mechanical and plumbing work in the city, and the city’s fee schedule refers those charges to Cascade. The trade forms read “City of East Grand Rapids, c/o Cascade Charter Township” and are paid by check to Cascade Charter Township.

• Who may apply. The city’s rule is short: a homeowner may apply when the homeowner will do the work; otherwise a licensed contractor or builder must obtain the permit and do the work.
• Contractor registration. Contractors register once with Cascade ($15, with a copy of the license); the registration lasts for the license term and is named as valid in East Grand Rapids.
• Outdoor equipment. A new air conditioner, generator or other unit in a side yard also needs the city’s side-yard mechanical permit.
• Utility work. Water service, sewer and meter work needs city right-of-way or tap permits in addition to Cascade’s plumbing permit.

How to apply for an East Grand Rapids building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The drainage plan must show gutters, downspouts, underground piping, sump pumps and where runoff is sent; leaving these out holds the file at the city, because drainage is checked before Cascade sees the application. A variance adds six to eight weeks. Any part of a non-conforming house that is torn down must be rebuilt to current zoning, which can change an addition’s design.

Inspections and certificates in East Grand Rapids

Code inspections are Cascade’s: request them through Cascade’s online portal, by phone at 616-949-3765 or by text to 616-240-4693. The city adds its own checks. New houses and additions are inspected for zoning compliance, a licensed surveyor’s foundation survey is due when construction is complete, and the drainage system must be installed as approved and inspected before a certificate of use and occupancy can be issued. Cascade asks East Grand Rapids residents to contact the city before requesting the certificate, so the city can confirm final drainage and zoning approval.

During construction, work is limited to 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., a rule the city says it strictly enforces, and the right-of-way must stay free of materials, dirt and debris, with portable toilets kept on private property. On demolition and new construction over 400 square feet, the site standards also require protecting sidewalks and curbs from heavy vehicles, with any damage repaired by the contractor; ignoring them can bring a stop-work order and citations. After a new fence is built, email the city photos that match the approved site plan.

Michigan building code in East Grand Rapids

The city enforces the state code through Cascade’s inspection department as its designated building official. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City of East Grand Rapids (community 260105) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since September 3, 1980, with current flood maps effective February 23, 2023.

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

East Grand Rapids permit search and official resources

For copies of permits, plans or approvals, use the city’s FOIA request form, posted with its fee schedule and FOIA policy on the Documents & Forms page; Cascade, which keeps the plan review and inspection records, posts monthly permit activity lists on its Communities page.

• Building permits in East Grand Rapids
• Zoning and planning services development guide
• Documents and forms, online permit portals and FOIA
• FY 2026-27 fee rate schedule (posted as proposed)
• City Commission agenda, June 1, 2026
• Residential zoning guide
• Fence permit
• Swimming pool permit
• East Grand Rapids building permit application packet
• Cascade Township Building Inspections
• Cascade forms, including East Grand Rapids trade permits
• Cascade building permit fee schedule
• Kent County Road Commission permits and soil erosion
• Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)

East Grand Rapids building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in East Grand Rapids?

Cascade Township Building Inspection Services, designated as the city’s building official, after the city completes its zoning and drainage review.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Yes. Every new fence has needed a city fence permit since October 26, 2018; it is free and needs a site plan and completion photos.

What is the infrastructure impact fee?

A city charge collected with the building application: $150 for a new house, commercial building or main-building demolition, $100 for an addition, $75 for an accessory structure and $50 for a pool.

Can a homeowner pull a permit?

Yes, if the homeowner will do the work; otherwise a licensed contractor or builder must obtain it.

Does a small shed need a building permit?

Not if it is a single-story accessory building under 200 square feet, but it must still meet the 3-foot lot line setbacks, the 12-foot height limit and the cap of 25% of the rear yard for all accessory buildings.

Do I need a drainage plan for a patio or pool?

Yes. In-ground pools of any size and other new paving need a drainage plan and impervious area worksheet under the city code.

What hours can contractors work?

Between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.; the city says it strictly enforces this.

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