Eaton County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Most building work in Eaton County is permitted by the county itself. The Eaton County Department of Construction Codes, 1045 Independence Boulevard, Room 150, Charlotte (517-543-3004), enforces the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes in 22 cities, villages and townships, takes every application through BS&A Online, and is led by Director and Building Official Christopher Garrison. Delta, Oneida and Windsor townships and the City of Eaton Rapids run their own programs. Under the fee schedule effective October 1, 2026, a house is charged $6 per $1,000 of construction value, with finished floor area valued at $97 a square foot.

What requires a building permit in Eaton County?

The department’s answers to common questions, together with its fee schedule, show where the county draws the lines. Ask the office about anything not listed; its inspectors answer specific code questions but do not design or advise on how to do the work.

Bedroom windows must still meet egress size or not be made smaller, and anyone contracting for window work must be licensed. A new building permit also starts the address process: Central Dispatch assigns the address, usually within two to three weeks of the permit.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The construction code is the state’s and the county cannot change it. Eaton County chose to run a full construction code program, sets its own fee schedule, runs a construction code board of appeals and decides local permit policies such as the siding exemption. Zoning stays with the units that run their own; the county’s jurisdiction page says it regulates zoning in the rest.

Eaton County building department: who handles permitting

The county’s jurisdiction page lists the units where it enforces all four codes: the cities of Charlotte, Grand Ledge, Olivet and Potterville; the villages of Bellevue, Dimondale, Mulliken, Sunfield and Vermontville; and the townships of Bellevue, Benton, Brookfield, Carmel, Chester, Eaton, Eaton Rapids, Hamlin, Kalamo, Roxand, Sunfield, Vermontville and Walton. The City of Eaton Rapids and Delta, Oneida and Windsor townships run their own building, trade and zoning programs.

The largest places are Charlotte (9,305 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate), Grand Ledge (7,853 in its Eaton County part), Eaton Rapids (5,218), the Eaton County part of Lansing (5,113) and Potterville (3,135). Grand Ledge points residents to the county’s online map to check whether an address is inside city limits.

Grand Ledge: the city’s building page says that since April 21, 2025 Eaton County reviews, issues and inspects its building and trade permits, and the county lists the city. The state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026) still shows Grand Ledge as a local program, so follow the city and county pages and call either office if in doubt. The part of the City of Lansing in Eaton County is not on the county’s list; the state list shows Lansing running its own program.

Eaton County permit types and what comes first

Every application, from homeowners and contractors alike, now goes through BS&A Online, and two public computers in the office can be used with staff help. The department posts step-by-step BS&A guides for homeowners and for contractors, a construction booklet, a deck specifications form, a 2025 pole building form, an energy compliance certificate and a gas test form.

Residential permits

• New homes and additions are valued from the fee schedule’s square-foot table (finished floors, basements, crawl spaces, garages and decks each have their own rate).
• Alterations are charged on the written contract cost.
• Flat-fee permits cover re-roofs, pools, stand-alone decks, residential solar panels, demolitions, chimneys and manufactured homes in licensed parks.
• Homeowners may apply for their own permits, but the department warns never to pull a permit for an unlicensed contractor: it relieves the contractor of responsibility and breaks state licensing law.

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

Commercial permits

Non-residential permits are valued from the current ICC building valuation data, and signs and billboards on contract cost. Commercial plans are reviewed for each required trade, with the plan review fee paid when the review is requested; approvals are good for 180 days, and a change of use or occupancy needs a plan review. Contractors must first register their state licenses with the office before their BS&A account is linked.

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 from the city, village or township that runs its own zoning, or the county where its jurisdiction page says so.
• Septic and well: the Barry-Eaton District Health Department evaluates the site (the old “perc test”), issues the sewage permit and does a final review; its Charlotte office is at 517-543-2430.
• Driveways: any work in a county road right-of-way needs an Eaton County Road Commission permit through OXCART; the commission checks sight distance and drainage at each new drive.
• Soil erosion: the Drain Commissioner is the county enforcing agency everywhere except the City of Lansing (Drain Office, 517-543-3886).
• Grand Ledge: city water, sewer and right-of-way permits must be in hand before applying to the county.

On an unsewered lot the health department’s site evaluation looks at soil type and permeability and the depth to the seasonal high water table, and parcels that fail the standard test may still qualify for an alternative system. The road commission’s office is at 1112 Reynolds Road, Charlotte (517-543-1630, toll-free 877-883-2866), open Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from October 5, 2026 to April 4, 2027. For soil erosion, the City of Charlotte, the road commission, the Lansing Board of Water and Light and MDOT are authorized public agencies that permit their own projects; private earth changes go to the Drain Commissioner.

Eaton County permit costs and fees

The department’s Construction Code Fee Schedule took effect on October 1, 2026. Residential and non-residential permits are both charged $6 per $1,000 of estimated construction cost, but for houses the cost is worked out from fixed square-foot values; those values are not the fee.

Worked example from the schedule: a new house with 2,000 square feet of finished floor is valued at 2,000 × $97 = $194,000, so the construction permit line is 194 × $6 = $1,164, before the $150 base fee, the $50 residential plan review and any basement, garage or deck areas, which add their own values. Card payments made online after staff review carry a processor fee of $4.57 or 3.18%, whichever is greater; cash is taken only at the office.

Trade permits and who may pull them

In the 22 units it serves, the county issues electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits as well as building permits, all through BS&A. Each trade starts with a $100 base fee that includes one inspection.

• Contractors register each state license with the department first, by emailing the trade’s registration form with a copy of the Michigan license and a driver’s license; separate forms exist for building, commercial builder, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, excavator, sign and fire alarm contractors.
• Homeowners apply through the homeowner route in BS&A, and the department posts permit definition sheets for electrical, mechanical and plumbing work.
• Gas piping: the department posts a gas test form alongside the permit forms.
• Delta, Oneida and Windsor townships and Eaton Rapids issue their own trade permits.

How to apply for a permit in Eaton County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Contractor accounts are not linked until licenses are registered, so a contractor’s first permit waits on that step. Commercial plan reviews are charged per trade, and an approval is good for 180 days from the date of the approval letter. Work started without a permit can draw a $400 late fee if the permit is not obtained by the date in the violation notice.

Inspections in Eaton County

To request an inspection, call 517-543-3004 and leave your name, phone number, permit number or job address and the type of inspection. Inspectors work Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Each trade’s base fee covers one inspection, and further final or additional visits and re-inspections cost $75 each; special and safety inspections with a report are $250.

The inspector checks whether completed or proposed work meets the code; by department policy inspectors may not plan the work, require particular products or tell you how to fix a construction problem.

Michigan building code in Eaton County

The department enforces the state code, and its page lists the code books in use for houses and for other buildings. No Michigan county is a National Flood Insurance Program community; each township, city and village joins on its own (FEMA lists Delta Charter Township as a participant), so ask the local unit whether a parcel near a river or drain is in a mapped flood area.

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

Eaton County permit search and official resources

For permit files, plans or inspection records, make a Freedom of Information Act request; the county FOIA page lists the contact for each office, and general requests go to the Controller’s Office (517-543-2287). The department can also tell you a permit’s status by phone.

• Eaton County Department of Construction Codes
• Jurisdiction: units the county serves
• Construction Code Fee Schedule, effective October 1, 2026
• BS&A Online (search for Eaton County to apply)
• Homeowner permit applications
• Contractor applications and registration forms
• Construction code FAQs
• Soil erosion and sedimentation control (Drain Commissioner)
• Eaton County Road Commission permits
• Barry-Eaton District Health Department: on-site sewage systems
• City of Grand Ledge building department
• Eaton County FOIA requests
• State Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)

Eaton County building permit FAQs

Does Eaton County issue building permits in Charlotte?

Yes. The county handles building and trade permits in Charlotte, while the city runs its own zoning.

Who issues permits in Delta Township or Eaton Rapids?

Delta, Oneida and Windsor townships and the City of Eaton Rapids run their own building, trade and zoning programs.

How much is a building permit for a new house?

$6 per $1,000 of value, with finished floor counted at $97 a square foot; a 2,000-square-foot house is $1,164 before the $150 base fee and $50 plan review.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Only if it is over 200 square feet at a home (over 120 square feet at a business), including pre-built sheds.

Do I need a permit to replace siding or windows?

Not for siding. Windows need a permit when the opening is enlarged or a bedroom window is made smaller.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 517-543-3004 with your permit number or job address; inspections run weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Who handles Grand Ledge permits now?

Eaton County, since April 21, 2025, according to the city’s building page and the county’s list; the state list still shows a local program.

Who issues soil erosion permits?

The Eaton County Drain Commissioner, everywhere in the county except the City of Lansing.

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