Frenchtown Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In Frenchtown Charter Township, permits come from the township’s own Building Department at the township hall, 2744 Vivian Road, Monroe (734-242-5900), where Gary Dahl is the Building Official. The state’s jurisdiction list shows the township enforcing building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work itself, and every building application gets a zoning review at the counter. The posted value table runs from $60 for jobs up to $1,500 to $717 at $50,000; larger jobs are priced by the department.

What requires a building permit in Frenchtown Charter Township?

The Building Department’s rule is simple: before any construction or renovation starts, a permit must be applied for, and no work may begin until the application is approved and the permit issued. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing work need their own permits, and smaller site work goes on a zoning compliance permit instead of a building permit.

Two fill permit forms are also posted, one titled for 21 cubic yards and one for fill over more than 20,000 square feet. Signs use the sign, commercial sign or sign-for-sales applications, and new addresses come through the township’s address application.

Pools are the one place where two township documents differ. The pool handout (dated August 6, 2019) says a building permit is required for all pools, that a pool must be in the rear yard, 6 feet from any dwelling, shed, garage, fence or property line and 10 feet from overhead power lines, and that pools 2 to 4 feet high need a barrier while taller ones need a barrier or a lockable ladder. The fee schedule instead lists above-ground pools under the $60 zoning compliance permit and prices in-ground pools by job value, so ask the department which permit an above-ground pool needs.

The ordinance’s own amendment table shows recent changes that matter to builders: Ordinance 300-12 (April 22, 2025) changed the use and dimension tables and parking rules and added indoor climate-controlled self-storage; 300-15 (September 16, 2025) changed electronic message sign rules; and two amendments dated January 13, 2026 added standards for mini-storage warehouses (300-14) and for battery energy storage systems (300-16).

What the township decides and what the state holds

Inspections are made under the state construction code, which the township cannot change. What Frenchtown controls is the zoning ordinance (a new ordinance adopted May 23, 2023, effective June 2, 2023, and updated through August 24, 2026), its fee schedule, its water system, and local guidance such as its construction requirements for detached accessory structures and a map of the Custer Airport safety zones.

Frenchtown Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department inspects new construction and renovations inside the township and performs a zoning review on every building application. Fire alarm and fire suppression plan documents are an exception: they go straight to Fire Savvy (800-515-8464), the firm the township names, while only the permit application itself comes to the Building Department.

Frenchtown shares a Monroe mailing address with the City of Monroe and Monroe Charter Township, but each runs its own building office, and Monroe County has no county building program. The township Clerk (734-242-5800) keeps township records and publishes ordinance changes.

Frenchtown Charter Township permit types

The Building Department’s page notes that all permit applications are new and that fees have gone up. Applications can be filed through BS&A Online, where contractors first create an account, or delivered on paper to the township hall with drawings.

Residential permits

• New houses follow the 2026 New House Checklist: building application, plans, site plan, water-tap and sewer-tap plumbing permits, an electrical permit started early for the concrete-encased electrode, the driveway permit from the Road Commission or Resort Authority, Drain Commission soil erosion approval and any Health Department well or septic permit. An elevation certificate, a vacant property application or a RES Check may also be required.
• Garages, pole barns and decks have posted guides. The detached accessory structure sheet allows 12-inch-wide footings 12 inches below grade for light-frame buildings under 600 square feet with eaves under 10 feet; other accessory buildings need footings at least 42 inches deep. Slabs must be at least 3½ inches thick (3,500 psi concrete), with ½-inch anchor bolts 6 feet apart and within 12 inches of each plate end.
• Mobile homes use the 2025 mobile home permit application.
• Owners doing their own work sign the homeowner affidavit on the building application (see the trades section).

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

Commercial permits

Commercial building applications need two paper sets and two electronic (PDF) sets of plans. The fire department reviews site plans for $100 ($50 for a revised plan), and commercial plan review costs 20% of the building permit fee. Fire alarm and suppression drawings go to Fire Savvy, and each alarm, sprinkler or hood system is a $50 item. A certificate of occupancy application and a $50 fee close out the job.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit expediting through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning review. Done by the Building Department at application; site plans follow the township’s site plan requirements and go to the Planning Commission where needed. Variances go to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
• Soil erosion. The new-house checklist calls for Drain Commission approval; in Monroe County the Drain Commissioner’s office (734-240-3105) issues Part 91 permits, $175 for a single-family home without a pond.
• Well or septic. Monroe County Health Department, Environmental Health Division, 2353 S. Custer Road (734-240-7900).
• Water and sewer taps. Start at the Building Department; for new construction the building permit comes before the tap application, which is filed with the Treasurer’s office. The checklist also lists a City of Monroe sewer tap fee, to be checked with City of Monroe Wastewater.
• Flood areas. FEMA lists the township as a participating community; an elevation certificate may be needed for a new house.

Frenchtown Charter Township permit costs and fees

The Building Fee Schedule posted with the permit applications sets the building permit by estimated value (labor and materials, which the township may recalculate). It is a step table rather than a formula: $60 up to $1,500, then a fixed amount for each $100 or $1,000 step up to $50,000. The schedule does not show an adoption date, and the department’s page notes that fees were recently increased.

Worked example from the table: a $30,000 garage falls in the $29,001–$30,000 row, so the building permit is $490; trade permits and any soil erosion permit are extra. A new house valued above $50,000 is priced by the department, and new homes also pay the $75 residential plan review. Water and sewer connections carry separate charges collected by the Treasurer’s office (water supply, main extension, physical tap and sewer fees, plus any special assessment), and the checklist points to a separate City of Monroe sewer tap fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

All trade permits are township permits. Licensed contractors file a Contractor Administrative Form with a copy of their license and pay $75; the registration expires on the same day as the license. Contractors can then apply and pay online through BS&A.

• Electrical (2025 application): $50 application fee; a new single-family house is $250 up to 2,500 square feet or $350 above that, covering up to three inspections; services through 200 amps $20; extra inspections $60 each; above-ground pools $50 and in-ground pools $75. Plans are required when the system is over 400 amps and the building is over 3,500 square feet.
• Plumbing and mechanical: separate township applications; a new house needs both a water-tap and a sewer-tap plumbing permit.
• Fire protection: alarm, sprinkler and hood systems are permitted by the township, with drawings reviewed by Fire Savvy.

Homeowners may pull permits on their own home under the township’s affidavits. The building application’s homeowner affidavit is for an owner-occupied single-family residence with no rental or commercial use, and the owner agrees to do the work personally and not hire anyone else to install electrical, plumbing, heating or related equipment. The electrical application has its own affidavit for wiring installed by the owner in the home they live in or are about to occupy. Residential builders and trade contractors otherwise need state licenses, which the forms record by number and expiration date.

How to apply for a Frenchtown Charter Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The checklist for new houses is the township’s own list of what must be in the package before it is accepted, so a missing driveway, soil erosion or health approval holds the file. Building contrary to the approved plans draws added fees, and fire alarm or suppression drawings belong with Fire Savvy rather than the Building Department.

Inspections and certificates in Frenchtown Charter Township

Schedule inspections by calling the Building Department at 734-242-5900, giving the job location and permit number with as much notice as possible. Work may not be covered, enclosed or occupied until the township’s inspector has approved it, and an inspection called before the work is ready costs $60 more.

For water service, call the Building Department to inspect the line once it is built, then call the Water Department to book the connection; the connection must be completed within a five-week window. A new house electrical fee covers up to three inspections. When the building and trade finals pass, the certificate of occupancy ($50) is issued on its own application.

Michigan building code in Frenchtown Charter Township

The township enforces the state construction code for every trade and has its own construction code appeal application. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Charter Township of Frenchtown (community 260146B) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since January 19, 1978, with maps dated June 19, 2020, and the Building Department links to FEMA from its page.

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

Frenchtown Charter Township building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Frenchtown Charter Township?

The township Building Department at 2744 Vivian Road (734-242-5900). It also issues electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits.

Can I apply online?

Yes, through BS&A Online; contractors create an account first. Paper applications with drawings are taken at the township hall.

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

Yes, a $60 zoning compliance permit covers fences, retaining walls, driveways, above-ground pools and sheds under 200 square feet.

How much is a permit for a $30,000 project?

$490 on the posted table; jobs over $50,000 are priced by the department.

Can a homeowner pull their own permit?

Yes, for a single-family home they live in, by signing the homeowner affidavit and doing the work themselves.

Where do fire alarm and sprinkler plans go?

To Fire Savvy (800-515-8464); only the permit application goes to the Building Department.

Does a swimming pool need a permit?

Yes. The pool handout requires a building permit for all pools and sets 6-foot clearances; the fee schedule lists above-ground pools under the $60 zoning permit, so confirm which applies.

How do I get a water tap for a new house?

Pull the building permit first, then apply at the Treasurer’s office; the connection must be finished within five weeks.

Frenchtown Charter Township permit search and official resources

BS&A Online has a Building Department Record Search for Frenchtown Charter Township, which shows permits on a parcel. For copies of township records, contact the Clerk’s office (734-242-5800), which keeps the township’s documents; meeting agendas and minutes for the Township Board, Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals are in the Agenda Center.

• Frenchtown Building Department
• Permit applications
• Building fee schedule
• Building permit application
• Zoning compliance application
• Electrical permit application (2025)
• Contractor administrative form
• New house checklist (2026)
• Construction requirements for detached accessory structures
• Zoning ordinance (effective June 2, 2023)
• Water tap process
• BS&A Online for Frenchtown Charter Township
• Agendas and minutes
• Monroe County soil erosion permits
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)

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