Flint Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Property in the Charter Township of Flint is permitted by the township’s own Building Department, 1490 S. Dye Road, Flint (810-732-1350), not by the City of Flint next door. The state’s jurisdiction list marks the township LOCAL for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing, and Stuart Worthing is the Building Administrator and Building Official. Every permit except a zoning permit starts with a $65 application fee under the township’s fee schedule effective January 21, 2025, and building fees rise in bands with the cost of the work, from a $75 minimum.

What requires a building permit in Flint Charter Township?

The township’s Building/Zoning Compliance Permit Application lists the jobs it handles: new buildings, additions, alterations, repairs, demolition, foundations only, relocations, mobile home set-ups, premanufactured units, in-ground and above-ground pools, fences, decks, temporary structures, changes of use and pond or soil excavation. One form covers both tracks, and you tick either the building permit box or the zoning compliance permit box.

The form also lets you state a reason if the project is exempt from plan review, and it lists agricultural structures that need no permit under Public Act 230 of 1972; the fee schedule puts them under the zoning compliance permit instead. Anything that is not on either list should be described to the Building Department before work starts, because no work may begin until the department issues the permit.

What the township decides and what the state holds

The township sets its own fees, runs zoning through its Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals, licenses businesses, registers rental housing and inspects every trade itself. The technical rules come from the single state construction code, which the township cannot change. The application notes that the state Bureau of Construction Codes, not the township, handles state-owned buildings and school construction where no local delegation exists, and it sends K-12 projects to the bureau.

Flint Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department describes itself as full service: it reviews plans, issues permits and carries out building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspections with inspectors licensed by the State of Michigan. Code enforcement officers working from the same office patrol the township for ordinance violations. A Flint mailing address is not proof of location, because the City of Flint has its own Building and Safety office; the parcel number on the application begins with the township’s 07 prefix.

Flint Charter Township permit types

Paper applications use the township’s three-page Building/Zoning Compliance Permit Application (revised June 10, 2025) plus a required site or plot plan sheet. It asks for the project cost, the owner, the contractor’s builder license number and expiry date, federal employer and unemployment insurance numbers or a reason for exemption, the workers’ compensation carrier, and the architect or engineer if one is used. The same permits can be applied for through BS&A Online.

Residential permits

• Houses and additions regulated by the Michigan Residential Code need plan review; two sets of construction documents go in with the application. A one- or two-family dwelling under 3,500 square feet of calculated floor area does not need an architect’s or engineer’s seal.
• Garages, pole barns and other accessory buildings of 200 square feet or more go through the building permit; smaller sheds take the zoning compliance permit.
• Re-roofing, siding and replacement windows or doors on non-commercial buildings have a flat $125 permit that includes one inspection.
• Manufactured homes placed in a licensed park pay $150, which covers site work and an accessory structure added at the same time.

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

Commercial permits

Buildings regulated by the Michigan Building Code need two complete sets of construction documents, sealed by a Michigan architect or engineer, and the plans must be approved and fees paid before the permit issues. The form asks for the use group, type of construction and whether there will be fire suppression. Sprinkler systems, kitchen hood systems and fire alarms carry their own fire review fees, and fire inspections of businesses are billed by risk class ($150 or $200).

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. The Building Department also handles zoning compliance. New commercial work usually needs site plan review by the Planning Commission, which meets on the second Thursday of each month; a change of use that does not need the commission goes through administrative site plan review ($350).
• Zoning Board of Appeals. Variances go to a five-member board that meets on the first Wednesday of the month or when the chair calls a meeting. The appeal fee is $500 residential and $750 commercial.
• Soil erosion. The application’s approval table includes soil erosion; Genesee County Drain Commissioner Water & Waste Services (GCDC-WWS), G-4610 Beecher Road, issues the Part 91 permit or waiver.
• Water and sewer. The township charges a $10 water and $15 sewer connection permit plus tap-in fees per residential equivalent unit; GCDC-WWS also issues sewer and water connection permits where it serves.
• Septic and wells. Where public sewer or water is not available, the Genesee County Health Department issues the septic permit after a perc test ($220 residential, $280 commercial for each step) and the well permit ($200 for a private home).
• Driveways and addresses. The Genesee County Road Commission handles driveways, culverts and new addresses on county roads through its Oxcart online permit system; the township lists MDOT’s Davison office (810-653-7470) for state trunklines.

Flint Charter Township permit costs and fees

Fees come from the township’s Codification Schedule of Fees effective January 21, 2025, the copy posted on the Building page. The building permit fee is set by bands of construction cost, and the permit includes up to three inspections (footing, framing and final). The table is labelled both “based on square foot” and “based on total cost of the improvement”, so ask the Building Department which figure it will use for your job before you budget.

Other charges in the same schedule: fill and excavation permits $150; wireless towers $500; sprinkler systems from $200 for up to 200 heads; kitchen suppression $200 and fire alarms $150 per 10,000 square feet; site plan review $750 up to a $200,000 development, plus $1 per $1,000 above that; special land uses $350 residential and $550 commercial; planned unit developments $1,000; special meetings of any board $500 on top of the application fee. Tap-in fees for most new sewer connections are $1,000 for each of the first two units and $525 for each unit after that, with a $2,000 sewer connection performance bond. Trade permit item fees are set in an attachment that is not part of the posted PDF, so ask the Building Department for them.

Trade permits and who may pull them

All three trades stay with the township: the state’s jurisdiction list marks Flint Township LOCAL for electrical, mechanical and plumbing, and the department’s own inspectors handle each one. Trade permits are separate from the building permit and are requested online through BS&A or at the counter, with plan review for trade drawings charged at 17% of the building plan review fee each.

• Who applies: the township form asks for the contractor’s state license number and expiry date, and it reminds signers that Section 23a of the State Construction Code Act (MCL 125.1523a) makes it a civil violation to help someone get around the state’s residential licensing rules.
• Fire protection: sprinklers, suppression systems and alarms are reviewed under the fire fees in the same schedule; acceptance tests by the Fire Department are $100 each.
• Code compliance checks: a housing inspection for code compliance costs $75, and the electrical, mechanical and plumbing parts need separate inspections.

Rental owners register with the township: a one-time $50 landlord fee, then $250 for a single-family rental and $450 for a duplex, which includes the first inspection and one re-inspection.

How to apply for a Flint Charter Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Building Code projects cannot receive a permit until the plans are reviewed and approved and every fee is paid. Missing license numbers, a missing plot plan or an empty environmental approvals table (zoning, health, fire, soil erosion, flood zone, water, sewer or septic, variance) are the usual holds. Expect a four-day office week: the township offices are closed on Fridays.

Inspections in Flint Charter Township

Call the Building Department at 810-732-1350, or request through BS&A Online, giving the job address, permit number and a contact. The application says the department responds to a request within two business days to schedule it, and inspections are typically done within five business days. No work may be covered before it has been inspected.

A building permit includes up to three visits: footing, framing and final. Extra or special inspections cost $75 each and are paid ahead. A permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days, and the township closes a permit when no inspection has been requested within 180 days of issue or of the last inspection; closed permits are not refunded, and re-opening one costs $75. The application records whether a certificate of occupancy is required for the job.

Michigan building code in Flint Charter Township

Flint Township enforces all four parts of the state code itself, so nothing goes to the state for electrical, mechanical or plumbing work. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the township (community 260395) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community with flood maps dated September 25, 2009. The Building page points floodplain questions to the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) at 517-284-6700, and the application’s approval table, completed by the Building Department, includes a flood zone line.

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

Flint Charter Township permit search and official resources

Open permits and inspection requests are handled on BS&A Online, linked from the Building Department page. For older permit files, plans or certificates, send a Freedom of Information Act request to the FOIA Coordinator, Charter Township of Flint, 1490 S. Dye Road, Flint, MI 48532: on the township form, by letter, by fax to 810-733-0104, by email to foia@flinttownship.org, or verbally. Put “FOIA” on the request; the township answers within five business days.

• Flint Township Building Department
• Building permit forms and document center
• Building/Zoning Compliance Permit Application (June 2025)
• Codification Schedule of Fees, effective January 21, 2025
• Planning Commission and site plan applications
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Clerk forms, including FOIA request forms
• Public summary of FOIA procedures
• Genesee County Health Department septic permits
• Genesee County Health Department well permits
• GCDC-WWS soil erosion, sewer and water permits
• Genesee County Road Commission permits and addresses
• Bureau of Construction Codes Statewide Jurisdiction List
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Flint Charter Township building permit FAQs

Is Flint Township the same as the City of Flint for permits?

No. The Charter Township of Flint has its own Building Department on S. Dye Road; the city’s office does not permit township parcels.

Who handles electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits in Flint Township?

The township itself. It is listed LOCAL for all four codes, and its state-licensed inspectors cover every trade.

Do I need a permit for a fence or a small shed?

Yes, a $75 zoning compliance permit covers fences, above-ground pools, decks not used for access and sheds under 200 square feet.

How much is the application fee?

$65 for every permit type except zoning permits, and it is not refunded if you cancel.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 810-732-1350 or use BS&A Online; the department aims to schedule within two business days and inspect within about five.

Do I need an architect for a new house?

Not for a one- or two-family dwelling under 3,500 square feet of calculated floor area; larger homes and commercial buildings need sealed plans.

When are the township offices open?

Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; the building is closed on Fridays.

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