Fruitport Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Fruitport Charter Township enforces the state construction code for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, and it does so through Michigan Township Services Muskegon, which does the plan reviews, issues permits and inspects from its office at 5855 Airline Road (231-865-6977 or 231-865-3310), which it leases from the township. Zoning comes first: the township’s zoning permit costs $50 for a new house, $25 for other projects and $100 for a new commercial building, and site plans go to the Zoning Administrator at Township Hall, 5865 Airline Highway (231-865-3151).

What requires a building permit in Fruitport Charter Township?

Township code section 6-1 makes the township’s building official or inspector the enforcing agency for the state construction code throughout the township, and section 6-2 adds a local condition: where a township water main runs along the street, a building permit is issued only if the plans connect the building to the township water system. Michigan Township Services’ application list shows the work it permits for Fruitport.

Agricultural buildings can be exempt from the building code, but the zoning application asks for details of the building’s use to qualify.

What Fruitport decides and what the state holds

The state Bureau of Construction Codes’ Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026) shows Fruitport Township enforcing all four codes locally; the Village of Fruitport has its own row on the list and also enforces locally, and Muskegon County runs no program. The township chooses how to deliver the service (Michigan Township Services), keeps its own fee rules in the code, and runs zoning, site plans and land divisions; the technical code is the single state code. Violations of the construction code are municipal civil infractions under the township code.

Fruitport Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

Michigan Township Services Muskegon, Inc. (MTSM) does plan reviews, permits and inspections for Fruitport Township, the Village of Fruitport, Spring Lake Township and Village, Sullivan, Moorland and Ravenna townships and Ravenna Village. It rents its office from the township; the Township Board renewed the lease in January 2024. Zoning and site plan approval stay with each community, so Fruitport Township projects start with the township’s Zoning Administrator.

Fruitport Charter Township permit types

MTSM posts separate building permit applications for a new residence, for additions, remodels and accessory structures, for maintenance and alterations, for signs and for commercial work, plus an occupancy permit application and electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits used across all the communities it serves. Its information sheets explain what each job needs, and its sample construction drawings show a basic garage, a pole barn, wood decks, handrails, treads and risers, an egress window and a monolithic slab pour.

Residential permits

• New houses need the application with a detailed site diagram and two sets of plans (one is returned for the job site) showing foundations, elevations, labelled floor plans, a wall section from footing to peak and the north side, plus one extra floor plan for the assessor.
• Energy code data goes with the plans: a REScheck, the S and J load manuals and the name of whoever will do the blower door test.
• Engineered trusses need sealed and signed drawings from the truss supplier before the trusses are placed.
• Proof of ownership, such as a deed or land contract, is required.
• Additions, sheds, garages and pre-manufactured homes have their own information sheets.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects use the commercial application and MTSM’s plan review requirements for commercial buildings, tenant-space build-outs and signs. Each tenant space in a multi-tenant building needs its own permit, and so does each unit in a multifamily building. Temporary occupancy has its own requirements sheet. Commercial site plans need township approval first; a site plan review costs $200 at a regular Planning Commission meeting or $700 at a special meeting.

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 permit. Filed at Township Hall with a site plan showing every structure and its distances from lot lines; $50 for a new residence, $25 for other work, $100 for new commercial, payable to Fruitport Township.
• Water, sewer or septic. On township water, a paid tap receipt from the Fruitport water system (which wants a site diagram of the driveway, septic, water line and meter); otherwise a Muskegon County Environmental Health permit (231-724-6208).
• Driveways. A Muskegon County Road Commission permit or waiver for the culvert (231-788-2381; $55 for a residential driveway). Driveways or access roads over 150 feet need Fruitport Fire Department approval with a site diagram.
• Earth changes. A permit or waiver from the Muskegon County Department of Public Works (231-724-6411) within 500 feet of a stream, lake or wetland; if the DPW wants drawings, send a copy to the Drain Commissioner. Ponds need Planning Commission approval.
• Zoning relief. Special uses, PUDs and rezonings go through the Planning Commission with published public hearings, at the fees below.

Fruitport Charter Township permit costs and fees

Neither MTSM nor the township posts a current building permit fee list. The building fee table printed in township code section 14-1 dates from ordinances adopted between 1975 and 1994 and refers commercial fees to the BOCA code, so treat it as the code text rather than a quote, and get the actual fee from MTSM before you apply. The township’s planning and zoning fees were last updated on March 7, 2019.

Worked example from the zoning schedule: a business that needs a special use and a site plan at a regular meeting pays $385, because the schedule charges only the special use fee when the special use includes the site plan; any later change to a special use site plan must go back to the Planning Commission with a public hearing. A zone change becomes final eight days after its adoption is published.

Checks for building and trade permits are made payable to MTSM; zoning fees are paid to Fruitport Township, and the township takes online payments through BS&A. The doubling rule for work started without a permit is still in the code, so get the permit before any work begins. County soil erosion fees ($160 for a single-family home, $75 for a waiver) and road commission driveway fees are paid to those agencies.

Trade permits and who may pull them

MTSM issues and inspects electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits for Fruitport Township on the same forms it uses for the other seven communities it serves; the forms name all eight. Plumbing, water and sewer work also has a basic township fee rule in code section 14-1, which counts fixtures, stacks, sewers, water piping and appliances. Each multifamily unit and each commercial tenant space needs its own permit.

• Electrical: MTSM’s electrical permit application; new services and wiring are inspected by MTSM’s electrical inspector.
• Mechanical: MTSM’s mechanical permit form; new houses also need the S and J load calculations with the plans.
• Plumbing: MTSM’s plumbing form, with the township water and sewer tap paid separately to the township.

The township’s zoning application carries the state construction code warning (section 23a) against conspiring to get around the state licensing rules for residential work. Ask MTSM how it handles a homeowner doing work on the house they own and live in.

How to apply for a Fruitport Charter Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

MTSM asks applicants to get zoning and site plan approval from the township before sending construction documents, so a file without township zoning sign-off waits. Missing energy code data, unsealed truss drawings, no water tap receipt or septic permit, and a missing fire department approval for a long driveway are the gaps its permit sheet calls out. Commercial projects that need a special or public-hearing meeting add the published-notice time, since hearings must be advertised 15 days ahead. Both offices are closed Friday to Sunday.

Inspections and certificates in Fruitport Charter Township

All inspections in the township are done by MTSM; call its office at 231-865-6977 or 231-865-3310 to book one. The returned set of approved plans must be kept on the job site for the inspectors. If a truss supplier’s sealed drawings have not arrived by the time trusses go up, MTSM sends a letter to the supplier and contractor. New homes need the blower door test arranged in advance, as the energy code data asks who will do it.

MTSM posts an occupancy permit application for moving into a finished building, and a temporary occupancy has its own requirements sheet. Rental units in the township must be registered under chapter 6 of the township code, which also allows voluntary inspection of rental units.

Michigan building code in Fruitport Charter Township

Fruitport Township enforces the single state construction code under code section 6-1 (Ordinance 716 of August 27, 2001), delivered by MTSM. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Charter Township of Fruitport (community 261200) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since July 6, 2015, and the Village of Fruitport (261201) since October 7, 2022, both with flood maps effective October 7, 2021.

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

Fruitport Charter Township permit search and official resources

For records of past permits and inspections, ask MTSM first, or file a Freedom of Information Act request with the township using its posted FOIA request, extension and appeal form; police records have a separate FOIA address, and all other requests go to the township office (231-865-3151). The FOIA page also posts the township’s procedures and cost itemization.

• Michigan Township Services Muskegon: permit applications and information
• Building permit information for single-family homes
• MTSM inspection scheduling
• Fruitport Township permits page
• Planning and zoning forms
• Zoning permit application
• Planning and zoning fee schedule (2019)
• Township code chapter 6, buildings
• Township code Sec. 14-1, permit fees
• Freedom of Information Act
• Muskegon County soil erosion permits
• Muskegon County septic permits
• Muskegon County Road Commission permits
• Statewide Jurisdiction List, Bureau of Construction Codes
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Fruitport Charter Township building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Fruitport Charter Township?

Michigan Township Services Muskegon, at 5855 Airline Road, does the plan review, issues the building and trade permits and inspects for the township.

How much is a zoning permit?

$50 for a new residence, $25 for other projects and $100 for a new commercial building, paid to Fruitport Township.

How much is a building permit?

MTSM does not post a fee list. The township code still prints a 1990s-era valuation table, so ask MTSM for the current fee before you apply.

What happens if I start work without a permit?

Under township code section 14-1, the permit and inspection fees are doubled.

Do I have to connect to township water?

Yes, where a township water main is available along the property: code section 6-2 bars a building permit unless the plans connect to it.

Does a long driveway need approval?

A driveway or access road over 150 feet needs Fruitport Fire Department approval, and the culvert needs a county road commission permit or waiver.

Is the Village of Fruitport covered?

The village is a separate community with its own zoning, but MTSM also handles its building permits and inspections.

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