Grand Haven Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Grand Haven Charter Township enforces the construction code with its own staff. The township’s Community Development Department, 13300 168th Avenue ((616) 842-5988, building@ghtmi.gov), covers planning, zoning, building and ordinance enforcement, and its Building Division issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits; the Building Official is Scott Corbat. Under the fee schedule revised in January 2026, a building permit is $793.40 for the first $100,000 of construction value plus $5.25 for each further $1,000, and a house permit includes three hours of plan review.

What requires a building permit in Grand Haven Charter Township?

The Building Division says permits are required for all remodeling, including basements, additions, decks and wood stoves. Its forms page adds separate packages for accessory buildings over 200 square feet, basement finishing, decks, re-roofing, re-siding, demolition, manufactured homes, moved structures and commercial and industrial work, so roof and siding replacements are permitted jobs here too.

Building without a permit can cost after-the-fact fees up to twice the normal amount, and the inspectors can require finished work to be opened so they can check it. Farm buildings have their own township application, an agricultural use exempt structure form with an affidavit.

Accessory buildings in residential districts are limited by lot size under the township’s quick reference sheet (last revised July 1, 2020): two buildings totaling 720 square feet on a lot under half an acre, two totaling 1,000 square feet on half an acre to one acre, three totaling 1,500 square feet on one to two acres, and four on lots of 10 acres or more (one more for every further 10 acres), with 4,000 square feet on 20 acres or more (2,000 more for every further 5 acres). Height is capped at 24 feet or the height of the house, whichever is greater.

What the township decides and what the state holds

The construction code and contractor and trade licensing belong to the state, and the township cannot amend the code. Ottawa County runs no building program, and the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List marks Grand Haven Township “Local” for all four codes, so the township hires its own building official and inspectors, sets its permit fees by resolution and runs its own zoning ordinance, Zoning Board of Appeals and Construction Board of Appeals.

Grand Haven Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

All permits inside the township come from the township’s Community Development Department. It is a different office from the City of Grand Haven’s Public Safety building division, even though both use Grand Haven addresses, so confirm on the parcel’s tax record (the township’s BS&A property pages) that the land is in the township.

The township’s website has moved to ghtmi.gov, and the current forms, fee schedule and zoning code are posted there. The department’s Zoning Division handles zoning permits, planned unit developments, special land uses and site plan reviews, and the Planning Division advises developers before large applications; the Township Board expects developers to pay the direct costs of their projects, including infrastructure extensions, consulting and legal fees.

Grand Haven Charter Township permit types

The forms page offers a package for each common job: additions and alterations, basement finishing and decks (each with a guide and limited plan review), accessory buildings over 200 square feet, re-roofing, re-siding, manufactured homes, demolition, moved structures, and commercial and industrial buildings. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing work each has its own application, revised in January 2026. Contractors file a registration form; homeowners working under the homeowner affidavit do not.

Residential permits

• Basic documents: the application, proof of ownership (deed, contract or agreement) and a scaled site plan with setbacks to the furthest projection, measured from the edge of any easement, plus the driveway and any retaining walls with their heights.
• Energy: the chosen energy-code compliance path, Manual S and J calculations, the name and certification of the third-party blower door tester, at least 75% high-efficacy lighting and the whole-house ventilation method.
• Drawings: one set of the existing structure and two permanent sets of the new work, with elevations showing finished grades, foundation and footing details, floor plans with every room labeled, smoke and carbon monoxide alarm locations, deck and stair details and a full cross section.
• Roof: a roof loading data sheet or preliminary truss drawings.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and industrial work uses its own application package. Plan examination by township staff is charged separately from the permit: 0.13% of building valuation with a $150 minimum up to $500,000, and $650 plus 0.03% of the value above $500,000 for larger projects, with mechanical, plumbing and electrical reviews each adding 25% of the building review fee (minimum $150). The $150 minimum application fee for commercial review is not refundable, and submissions without square-footage figures are reviewed at $150 an hour. The building official can send plans to a third-party reviewer, and the applicant pays that reviewer’s charges.

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 approval from the township, signed on the application.
• Driveway permits: an Ottawa County Road Commission permit for any new connection to a public road (Special Services Department, 14110 Lakeshore Drive, (616) 842-5400), a township driveway permit, and a separate GHT Fire/Rescue review for a driveway over 100 feet long.
• Health department report: the Ottawa County Department of Public Health’s well and septic evaluation report when the project creates bedrooms or bathrooms, (616) 393-5645.
• Earth change permit from the Ottawa County Water Resources Commissioner within 500 feet of a watercourse or for more than an acre.
• EGLE permits where they apply: the township’s packet lists floodplain, wetland, inland lake and stream, Great Lakes bottomland, high-risk erosion area and critical dune area permits, through EGLE’s Grand Rapids office, (616) 356-0500.

Grand Haven Charter Township permit costs and fees

The township’s permitting fee schedule was revised in January 2026 and is approved under Resolution 20-11-01. The building permit fee is based on construction valuation, not counting site work, using the International Code Council’s building valuation data (the table posted is dated October 21, 2025, and the township’s BS&A software updates with ICC). Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are charged separately.

Worked example from the schedule: a $150,000 addition to a house is $793.40 for the first $100,000 plus 50 × $5.25 = $262.50, a building permit of $1,055.90, with three hours of plan review included. Trade permits come on top. A walkout or slab-on-grade foundation insulation inspection and the final energy-code inspections are billed at $150 an hour with a $75 minimum unless an approved third-party firm does them, and work started without a permit can be charged up to double.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The Building Division issues electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits on separate applications, revised in January 2026, sent to building@ghtmi.gov. Each asks for the contractor’s state license number and expiry date and the business’s federal ID, workers’ compensation and unemployment numbers or the reason for an exemption. The electrical form also sets out when plans and specifications must accompany it for larger services.

The state licenses residential builders, maintenance and alteration contractors and the electrical, mechanical and plumbing trades. The township’s homeowner affidavit lets an owner do the work personally on the dwelling the owner lives in or is about to occupy. Signing it means nothing may be backfilled, enclosed, drywalled or used until inspected, nothing may be moved in until written approval, and separate permits are still needed before installing electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, a fireplace, a wood stove or ventilation, whether the owner or a licensed contractor does that work.

How to apply for a Grand Haven Charter Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The township does not process incomplete applications or incomplete contractor registration forms; it notifies the applicant, and processing starts only when a complete file is received. Plans must label every room with its use at occupancy: drawings showing “future” rooms or an “unfinished bedroom” are not accepted. House plans that need more than the three included hours of review are billed at $150 an hour, so complete energy and structural details save money as well as time.

Inspections and certificates in Grand Haven Charter Township

Book inspections at least one day ahead by calling (616) 842-5988 or emailing building@ghtmi.gov. Give the builder name, address, permit number and type of inspection, and say whether you want the morning or the afternoon; exact times are not given. Post the permit where it can be seen from the street for the first foundation inspection, and keep the window inspection card in a window for the approval stickers that follow.

• Foundation: footing forms, wall forms, completed walls with anchor bolts, walkout or slab insulation, and the vapor retarder under floor slabs.
• Shell: masonry veneer and the weather-resistive barrier before siding.
• Rough-in frame: after the plumbing, mechanical and electrical inspections pass.
• Final: after the trade finals and before occupancy, plus final energy-code inspections of the lighting and the attic insulation.

Every approval is shown by a green sticker on that card. If no green sticker appears by 5 p.m. on the day of a scheduled inspection, call the building department, and do not go on to the next stage of work until you have it.

Michigan building code in Grand Haven Charter Township

Grand Haven Charter Township is its own flood insurance community. FEMA lists it in the regular program since January 16, 1981, with flood maps dated October 21, 2021, and in the Community Rating System at class 8, which earns a 10% discount on qualifying flood insurance premiums. The township posts floodplain information through its Community Development pages.

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

Grand Haven Charter Township permit search and official resources

Property and assessing records are on the township’s BS&A property information pages, and the township’s permit software is BS&A as well. For copies of permits, plans or inspection records, ask Community Development at (616) 842-5988, or use the township’s Freedom of Information Act forms on its forms page.

• Grand Haven Township Community Development
• Forms, permits and applications
• Permitting fee schedule, revised January 2026
• Additions and alterations application package
• Re-roofing application
• Accessory buildings quick reference
• Commercial and industrial application package
• Electrical permit application
• Zoning permit application
• Contractor registration
• Township ordinances and zoning code
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Floodplain information
• Ottawa County soil erosion permits
• Ottawa County Road Commission driveway permits
• BCC Statewide Jurisdiction List

Grand Haven Charter Township building permit FAQs

Is Grand Haven Township the same as the City of Grand Haven?

No. The township’s Community Development Department at 13300 168th Avenue issues permits in the township; the city has its own building division.

How much is a building permit?

$793.40 for the first $100,000 of construction value plus $5.25 per additional $1,000 up to $500,000; a $150,000 addition is $1,055.90.

Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?

A fence or a shed of 200 square feet or less needs a $50 township zoning permit; a larger accessory building needs a building permit.

Do I need a permit to re-roof?

Yes. The residential re-roofing application carries a $150 application fee, and re-siding has its own form.

How do I schedule an inspection?

At least one day ahead by phone at (616) 842-5988 or by email to building@ghtmi.gov, choosing morning or afternoon and quoting the permit number.

Can a homeowner do the work?

Yes, on the dwelling the owner lives in or is about to occupy, under the homeowner affidavit; homeowners do not file contractor registration.

What does a driveway need?

A road commission permit for a new connection to a public road, a township driveway permit, and a fire department review if it is longer than 100 feet.

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