Grosse Ile Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In Grosse Ile Township, the Community Development Department (Building & Zoning) at Township Hall, 9601 Groh Road (734-676-4422 ext. 226), issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, and the township takes every permit application online through BS&A. Under the 2025-2026 fee schedule most permits cost $18 per $1,000 of construction cost plus a $40 application fee, and any work within 500 feet of a waterway also needs a Wayne County soil erosion permit or waiver.

What requires a building permit in Grosse Ile Township?

The township’s fee schedule names the projects it permits, and its building application asks for a separate permit for each trade. New homes, additions, remodels, waterfront improvements, new commercial buildings and grading each have their own fee set.

The building application warns that deed restrictions may not allow a project and asks owners to check their title, and any change from the approved scope must be reported to the township before it is built. Starting work without a permit adds a $200 administration fee, and elevator permits come from the State of Michigan rather than the township.

What the township decides and what the state holds

The state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List, which spells the name “Grosse Isle,” shows the township enforcing the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes, and Wayne County has no building program. The township sets its own fees: the Community Development fee schedule was first adopted by the Township Board in 1999 and last revised in format and amounts on May 12, 2025. Zoning, site plans and land divisions are the township’s too, guided by its master plan compiled and adopted in 2025, and the township adopted the International Property Maintenance Code in September 2023. Its ordinances are published on eCode360.

Grosse Ile Township building department: who handles permitting

Permits run through the Community Development Department, which handles building and zoning, code enforcement and planning. The Community Development page currently lists the Community Development Director post as vacant; the permit coordinator takes questions on extension 226 and the zoning administrator on extension 240. Property maintenance and ordinance complaints go to the code enforcement officer on extension 229, or on the township’s citizen complaint form.

Grosse Ile Township permit types

All permits are filed through BS&A. The township’s forms page also posts the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications, an electrical installation checklist, the New Home Construction Packet, a pre-application checklist, planning and zoning applications, a drainage maintenance agreement, a lien waiver, the tree planting requirements and an affidavit for permit.

Residential permits

• Additions, remodels and accessory work need the building application with two sets of plans, specifications and a detailed site plan. The property owner and contractor are responsible for accurate information, including property line locations.
• New homes follow the New Home Construction Packet: five site plans showing elevations, swales, easements, sewer lines, sump pump drains and a benchmark; every tree on the lot six inches in diameter or larger; lot area and the coverage of principal structures, not counting driveways, checked against the maximum lot coverage in Table 3.5 of the zoning ordinance; and two sets of construction plans. The packet reprints the single-family zoning rules, the grade plan survey requirements and the township’s grading ordinance.
• Who may file. A builder’s current license must be registered with the Community Development Department, or the owner obtains a homeowner’s permit. Contractors register with the township before filing.
• Trade work is always a separate permit, with its own application.

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

Commercial permits

New commercial buildings pay the same up-front reviews as a new home ($1,000 at application) and $18 per $1,000 of construction cost once approved, and commercial applications include a Fire Department review. Site plan review is a Planning Commission matter on the fee schedule, and the township posts a 2023 Guide to Development and a business resource guide for new businesses.

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

• Pre-application. Use the township’s pre-application checklist before filing a site plan, sketch plan or special land use application.
• Planning Commission and ZBA. Site plan review costs $1,300 and a special land use $1,000, each plus planner or engineering escrow (planner escrow starts at $750, engineering at $500); a sketch plan, wetlands review or natural feature setback review is $400. A Zoning Board of Appeals hearing costs $270 plus planner escrow, or $650 for a special hearing.
• Engineering and grade review. New homes get an engineering review, generally within 14 working days, and a $450 grade review; grading on its own costs $340.
• Wayne County bonds and permits. Once a new home has an address, the owner contacts Wayne County about its street protection and excavating bonds (734-595-6504). Work within 500 feet of any waterway needs a Wayne County soil erosion permit or waiver (734-326-3936).
• Wetlands and floodplains. Where they exist, their boundaries go on the survey, and other government approvals may be needed; the application’s review checklist has lines for federal (ACE) and state (MDNRE) sign-offs.

Grosse Ile Township permit costs and fees

Fees come from the Community Development Department Fee Schedule 2025-2026, revised May 12, 2025. A $40 application fee applies to every permit; building permits include their inspections, while electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits must add them. The township home page still links the older 2024-2025 schedule, so use the 2025-2026 version posted on the Community Development pages. A refund is subject to a $40 clerical fee.

Worked example. A $20,000 kitchen remodel pays $110 when the application is filed ($40 application fee plus $70 plan review) and $360 from the permit table once approved, $470 in all before any trade permits. The fee schedule also lists building enforcement fines of $100, $250 and $500 for first, second and third offenses.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Grosse Ile Township issues and inspects electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, each on its own 2025 application, and the New Home Construction Packet stresses that trade permits are issued separately from the building permit.

• Inspections cost extra. Unlike building permits, trade permits must add their inspections, at $50 each on the fee schedule.
• Registration. Contractors register with the township ($35); mechanical contractors pay a $15 registration.
• Electrical checklist. The township posts an electrical installation checklist with the electrical application.
• Water and sewer. The Department of Public Works handles the water tap fee and the sewer permit; the excavator’s name and current certificate of insurance must be registered with the DPW, and the sewer permit must be completed before a Certificate of Occupancy issues. The sewer compliance fee is paid by separate check.
• Homeowners may obtain a homeowner’s permit in place of a registered builder’s license, as the New Home Construction Packet allows.

How to apply for a Grosse Ile Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

New-home engineering review generally takes about 14 working days, and the building permit and performance bond are issued only after the application is approved. A new-home site plan must show the swales, the benchmark and the tree locations, so check those before filing. Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals items wait for their meetings and escrow deposits, and a permit extension costs $100.

Land divisions have their own fees on the Planning Commission schedule: a lot split or reconfiguration is $650 plus $340 for each lot beyond two, a lot combination $100 for each parcel touched and created, and a rezoning $1,300 plus $100 per acre, each plus planner or engineering escrow where it applies. A subdivision or site condominium starts at $7,500, a minor modification to an approved site plan is $650, and a special Planning Commission meeting costs $650.

Inspections and certificates in Grosse Ile Township

Schedule inspections through BS&A Online or by calling Community Development at least 24 hours ahead. Building, plumbing and mechanical inspections are made on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1 to 4 p.m., and electrical inspections on the same days from noon to 4 p.m. For new homes and additions the packet lists post holes, pre-pour footings and floors, backfill, rough frame, brick ledge, insulation, drywall, roofing and a final for every permit. The rough frame inspection is booked only after the rough trade inspections pass, with all framing, fire-stopping and fire-caulking complete; insulation is checked before drywall, drywall is seen fastened but not finished, and the roofing check looks for ice guard reaching 24 inches inside the interior wall at the eaves and in every valley.

Allow at least five working days for a Certificate of Occupancy request. The performance bond is refunded within 90 days once all final inspections pass, the final grade certification is approved and any outstanding fees are paid.

Michigan building code in Grosse Ile Township

The township enforces all four construction codes and has adopted the International Property Maintenance Code for existing buildings. Grosse Ile has been in the regular phase of FEMA’s flood insurance program since August 1, 1980, with a current flood map dated October 21, 2021, and Wayne County is the soil erosion agency for the township.

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

Grosse Ile Township permit search and official resources

Property records and permits can be searched on the township’s BS&A pages. Freedom of Information Act requests are made through the township’s online FOIA request portal, and Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals agendas and minutes are posted on its meeting portal.

• Building and permits
• Community Development Department
• Grosse Ile Township on BS&A Online
• Applications and forms
• Community Development fee schedule 2025-2026
• Building permit application
• New Home Construction Packet
• Planning Commission meetings
• Zoning Board of Appeals meetings
• FOIA request portal
• Wayne County soil erosion permits
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List

Grosse Ile Township building permit FAQs

Can I apply for a permit on paper?

The township takes all permit applications online through BS&A; call the permit coordinator at 734-676-4422 ext. 226 if you need help.

How much does a building permit cost on Grosse Ile?

Most permits are $18 per $1,000 of construction cost plus a $40 application fee and any plan review; new homes pay $1,000 up front and $2.50 per square foot.

Do I need a soil erosion permit for a project near the water?

Work within 500 feet of any waterway needs a Wayne County soil erosion permit or waiver, as does an earth change over one acre.

When are inspections done?

Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons: building, plumbing and mechanical from 1 to 4 p.m., electrical from noon to 4 p.m.

Can a homeowner pull the permit?

Yes. The township accepts a homeowner’s permit in place of a registered builder’s license, but the mechanical fee sheet in the New Home Construction Packet says homeowners cannot pull permits for residential boilers.

Is a performance bond required?

A new-home permit is issued with a performance bond, refunded after the finals and final grade approval; the fee schedule scales bonds by construction cost, starting at $500 under $25,000.

Do roofs and siding need a permit?

Roofs, siding, gutters, windows and doors are priced on the building permit fee schedule without a plan review fee, so they pay the $40 application fee and the permit fee by cost.

What happens if I start without a permit?

The township adds a $200 fee for failing to secure a permit before work began.

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