Genoa Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Building in Genoa Charter Township is a two-office job. The township’s Zoning Department at 2911 Dorr Road, Brighton (810-227-5225) checks setbacks and zoning and issues a land use permit ($75 for a new home or addition) or a free land use waiver, usually within about two business days. The Livingston County Building Department (517-546-3240), run by Building Official Jim Rowell, then reviews the plans, issues the building and trade permits through BS&A Online and carries out all inspections; a new house carries a $150 county plan review fee paid when you apply.

What requires a building permit in Genoa Township?

The township decides what needs zoning review; the county decides what needs a construction permit under the state code. Most projects that change the outside of a house or add floor area need both.

A waiver is the township’s sign-off for work it does not need to review but that still needs a county permit.

On the county side, the Building Department’s project examples say a storage building under 200 square feet and 10 feet tall needs no building permit, and that roofing laid over existing shingles needs none either; a tear-off and re-shingle does. Genoa’s own zoning rules still apply to small sheds and to fences, which the township caps at 3 feet in a street-side front yard (no chain link, and no more than 49% solid) and 6 feet in side and rear yards, with none allowed in the required waterfront yard. Any pool or similar device holding more than 24 inches of water needs a 4-foot barrier and a township land use permit; the township suggests calling the county about whether an inflatable model counts.

What Genoa decides and what the state holds

Genoa writes and enforces its zoning ordinance, floodplain ordinance and engineering standards, sets its land use and site plan fees, and runs the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. It does not enforce the construction code itself: the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List names Livingston County as the enforcing agency for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work in the township, so the county sets those permit fees and decides plan review questions.

Genoa Township building department: who handles permitting

The Livingston County Building Department is the construction permit office for Genoa. It takes applications and payments on BS&A Online or at its Grand River Avenue counter. The township’s Zoning Department handles land use permits, waivers, site plans, variances and zoning complaints, and stamps the plans the county needs.

Township Hall itself has a Brighton mailing address, but the City of Brighton is a separate government; go by the tax parcel number, not the postal city, before you file.

Genoa Township permit types

The county uses one building permit application for houses and commercial work, with separate forms for electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits. Genoa uses separate residential and non-residential land use packs, plus residential and non-residential waiver forms and a sign permit application.

Residential permits

• New houses and additions. The township pack asks for three copies of the construction plans (to scale for a new home), three site or plot plans showing property lines, roads, easements, wetlands, lakes and streams, wells, septic tanks and fields, grinder pumps or sewer lines and building setbacks, the land use application, a meter form for new connections and a reduced PDF of large drawings. The county then wants two plan sets at least 24 by 36 inches with floor plans, elevations, framing details and insulation values; drawings over 3,500 square feet and log homes must be sealed by a Michigan architect or engineer.
• Decks, garages, pole barns and pools. Each needs the township land use permit first and a county building permit; the county lists plan review at $150 for a deck, $75 for a pole barn or garage and $125 for a pool.
• Remodels and finished basements. A land use waiver from Genoa, a $100 county plan review and, if a bedroom or bathroom is added on a septic lot, a health department review.
• Generators. The residential land use application, updated December 4, 2023, covers generators, which pay the $50 deck, fence and pool rate.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and industrial buildings, additions and tenant build-outs go through site plan review with the Planning Commission before the land use permit. Genoa’s review fees allow two consultant reviews and range from $2,375 for buildings under 2,000 square feet to $4,125 above 40,000 square feet, with higher special-use amounts. At the county, commercial drawings must come from a licensed architect or engineer, with sealed structural calculations, a soil boring report, rated assemblies and the trade designs; electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are bought separately.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Driveway. A Livingston County Road Commission driveway approach permit ($75 residential, $200 commercial) or a free waiver comes first for a new home or business.
• Land use permit or waiver. From Genoa, with township-stamped plans and a site plan, which the county requires before it will issue the building permit.
• Address. A vacant lot needs a county GIS address before it can get a building permit.
• Soil erosion. The Drain Commissioner issues a permit or waiver; a permit is needed within 500 feet of a lake, stream, pond, wetland or county drain or for an acre or more of disturbance.
• Well and septic, or sewer and water. Health department permits or waivers on private systems; on public utilities the county wants Genoa’s receipt for paid taps, and the township may collect connection and meter fees when it issues the land use permit.

Genoa Township permit costs and fees

Fees come from three schedules. Genoa charges land use and planning fees under its own schedules, payable only by check or cash. The county’s published table is its plan review fee, due when you apply and refunded only if you withdraw before review; the building permit fee for your plans comes from the department, and the trade forms carry their own item-by-item charts.

Worked example from the county commercial worksheet: a $1,000,000 tenant build-out pays 1,000,000 × 0.0015, or $1,500, in plan review at application, and the county may adjust it after checking the value against International Code Council valuation data. For a new house, the published amounts you can add up in advance are the $75 Genoa land use fee and the $150 county plan review; ask the county for the building permit fee for your plans, and ask the township for current connection charges on sewer or water.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Under the state list, Livingston County enforces all four codes in Genoa, so every electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit comes from the county on its own form. Each form starts with a $30 non-refundable application fee and a $50 final inspection, then prices the work item by item:

• Electrical: for example $20 for a service up to 200 amps, $8 per circuit, $8 per 240-volt outlet (the form’s line for EV chargers) and $90 for a pool or hot tub; services over 400 amps need drawings.
• Mechanical: $50 for a new home heating system with duct and venting, $40 for residential air conditioning, $35 for a water heater or gas fireplace and $10 per gas opening.
• Plumbing: $15 per toilet, $10 per sink, tub or shower, $40 for a residential water service and $50 for a water softener.

Contractors sign their own applications: the county accepts only the license holder’s original signature and asks each builder or trade contractor to register their state license with the department ($15 per license, renewed after the state renewal). A homeowner may sign residential building and trade applications with identification, and each trade form carries a homeowner affidavit that the work is for the owner’s own use and occupancy. The county’s homeowner permit policy explains that an owner building a single-family home for their own use can act as general contractor but takes on the contractor’s liability, workers’ compensation and tax duties.

How to apply for a building permit in Genoa Township

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The usual holdups are a land use permit that has lapsed (it is good for 12 months), plans without the township stamp, a vacant lot with no address, and a missing erosion or septic sign-off. Changes to size or location after approval go back to Genoa first. At the county, commercial plan review fees start from your own value estimate and may be corrected during review.

Inspections and occupancy in Genoa Township

All code inspections are county inspections. Book them on BS&A Online or the automated request line at (517) 546-3830 using the permit prefix (BLD, ELE, MEC or PLM), the permit number and the county’s three-digit inspection code. Requests are taken until midnight for the next available day, cancellations must be in by 5:00 a.m., and results are posted the day after the visit. Work that is not ready can be charged a re-inspection fee, which must be paid online before you rebook.

The county will not issue a certificate of occupancy until every required inspection has passed, any township zoning compliance sign-off is filed, the installer’s certificate for blown cellulose insulation is in, Environmental Health has approved the well and septic, and all fees are paid. Allow at least 48 hours; a temporary certificate costs $100 and needs a stated reason. A permit stays valid while work and inspections continue, but lapses if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days.

Michigan building code in Genoa Township

Genoa sits inside Livingston County’s construction code program, so the county applies the state codes here without any township amendments. The township’s own rules are zoning, floodplain and engineering standards. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Genoa Township (community 260843) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program with maps dated September 17, 2008, and the township’s floodplain ordinance applies in mapped flood areas.

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

Genoa Township permit search and official resources

To check a permit or inspection, search the property on Livingston County’s BS&A Online. Copies of past county permits and plans are requested through the county’s online FOIA portal; Genoa’s land use files, variances and floodplain letters are held at Township Hall, where the Zoning Department can say whether a property is in a mapped floodplain and whether a FEMA map amendment is on file.

• Genoa Township Zoning Department and land use FAQ
• Residential land use application pack (rev. May 7, 2024)
• Residential land use waiver
• Genoa planning and zoning review fees
• Variance application pack
• Zoning Board of Appeals meetings
• Genoa floodplain information
• Genoa Planning Department applications
• Livingston County Building Department
• County residential permit sequence
• County plan review fees
• County permit forms
• County inspection request line
• BS&A Online for Livingston County
• Drain Commissioner residential soil erosion permits
• Livingston County Environmental Health
• Livingston County Road Commission permit office
• Livingston County FOIA requests
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List

Genoa Township building permit FAQs

Does Genoa Township issue building permits?

No. Genoa issues land use permits and waivers; the Livingston County Building Department issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and inspects.

How much is a land use permit in Genoa?

$75 for a new home or addition, $50 for an accessory building, deck, fence, pool or generator, and $150 for commercial work, paid by check or cash.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Genoa?

Yes, a township land use permit. Street-side front fences are limited to 3 feet and may not be chain link; side and rear fences to 6 feet.

How long does the township review take?

Typically about two business days for a land use permit, after which you take the stamped plans to the county.

Can I pull my own permits in Genoa?

Yes for your own single-family home: the county lets a homeowner sign residential building and trade applications with identification under its homeowner affidavit and policy.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Through BS&A Online or the county line at (517) 546-3830, by midnight for the next available day.

Is my Genoa lot in a floodplain?

Ask the Zoning Department, which keeps the FEMA-based floodplain map and parcel list for community 260843.

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