Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In the City of Grosse Pointe Park, the Building Department (313-822-4365), part of Public Service at City Hall, 15115 East Jefferson Avenue, issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and inspects the work. Registered contractors apply online through BS&A; fees under the FY 2026/2027 schedule, in effect since July 1, 2026, start at $125 for the first $1,000 of construction value, and payments are taken only at City Hall or in its drop boxes.

What requires a building permit in Grosse Pointe Park?

The Building Department page says building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are required for all new projects and most remodeling. Its own examples are additions, decks, sheds, garages, fences, furnaces and air conditioners, hot tubs and pools, and water heaters.

Outdoor seating and vending permits for businesses are due by June 12 each year. The code enforcement page adds rules that often come up with exterior projects: recreational vehicles must be kept in a garage, with driveway loading limited to 72 hours in any 30-day period, and yard signs may not exceed 15 square feet combined or four feet in height.

What the city decides and what the state holds

The state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List (where the name appears as “Grosse Pte Park”) shows the city enforcing all four construction codes, and Wayne County has no building program of its own. The city sets its fees in an administrative fee schedule adopted each June by City Council for the fiscal year starting July 1, and it writes its own zoning: a zoning ordinance adopted December 5, 2024, with eight districts (four residential, three mixed-use and one civic), a zoning map revised in September 2026 and a 2022 Master Plan. The Park is its own government, separate from the neighboring Grosse Pointe cities and from Detroit.

Grosse Pointe Park building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department is part of the city’s Public Service operation, which also runs planning and zoning, code enforcement and the conceptual review meetings for new projects. Payments are made at the City Hall front counter on the second floor or in the drop boxes inside the City Hall lobby and outside next to the library book return.

Grosse Pointe Park permit types

The Permits & Applications page carries the building permit, building permit requirements, demolition requirements, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fence and sign applications, the homeowner affidavit, a bond form, the Certificate of Occupancy application, landlord and commercial business license forms, a non-rental affidavit, rental housing guidelines, temporary right-of-way and dumpster permits, a utility work application and the 2026 vacant building registration. Incomplete applications are returned.

Residential permits

• One- and two-family homes under 3,500 square feet need the building permit application and at least two sets of plans with foundation and floor plans, a roof and wall section, building elevations and a site plan.
• Larger homes over 3,500 square feet of calculated floor area are handled like commercial work: plan review must be approved, and the approval letter attached, before the permit issues.
• Mobile and premanufactured homes need two sets of foundation and anchoring plans, a site plan and, for state-approved units, the building system approval.
• Homeowner permits. An owner doing the work writes “Homeowner” in the contractor space and signs the homeowner affidavit, stating the house is or will be their own residence, is not rented or used commercially, and that they take on a licensed contractor’s responsibility for the work.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work needs approved plan review before a building permit, and new uses often need site plan review or a special land use permit first. Businesses also need a commercial business license, and landlords a landlord business license, renewed each calendar year with a 10% penalty after December 31.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Conceptual review. The city invites anyone planning development to meet Public Service staff first, in person or by video, with the address, parcel, current and proposed use and preliminary sketches. The handout says the meeting is free, but the adopted fee schedule lists a $300 pre-application or development meeting fee, so ask which applies.
• Zoning variances. Every variance needs a Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing, typically six to eight weeks after filing; owners within 300 feet are notified at least 15 days ahead, and the criteria are in Section 14.04 of the zoning ordinance.
• Special land uses and rezonings go to a Planning Commission public hearing; allow at least 30 days for a special land use, and rezonings go on to City Council for the final decision.
• Department checklist. The building permit review procedure checks zoning, historic preservation and landscaping, requires permanent storm water measures and a perpetual maintenance agreement on sites of one acre or more, and notifies Wayne County if a needed soil erosion permit has not been applied for.

Grosse Pointe Park permit costs and fees

Fees come from the City of Grosse Pointe Park Administrative Fee Schedule for fiscal year 2026/2027, adopted June 8, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026. The Building Department page still links the FY 2025/2026 schedule as well, so use the newer one on the Permits & Applications page.

Worked example. For an addition with an estimated construction value of $40,000, the building permit is $125 plus 39 × $10 = $515, and plan review is $125 plus 39 × $1 = $164, for $679 before trade permits and the $250 refundable deposit. Mechanical and plumbing plan review, where needed, is billed at the cost charged by the city’s contracted inspector. The Building Department page lists lower Certificate of Occupancy fees for three- and four-family homes ($350 and $400) than the adopted schedule; the schedule is the adopted document.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The city issues and inspects electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits. Each uses its own fillable application, and each starts from the $150 base fee, which covers the application and the final inspection; the itemized charges are then added.

• Electrical items include $7 per circuit, $20 for a service of 200 amps or less, $25 for an EV charger, $50 for home solar panels and $250 for a swimming pool, which covers four inspections.
• Mechanical items include $40 for a furnace under 500,000 BTU or an air conditioner up to 50 tons, $30 for a boiler and $25 minimum for gas piping plus 5 cents a foot.
• Plumbing items include $10 per fixture, $15 for a water heater and $50 for a sewer tap; water taps run from $1,186 to $1,386 by size.
• Who files online. BS&A filing is open to contractors registered with the city who hold a valid license and a current certificate of insurance; the city issues a PIN to link the account. Homeowners and other applicants should call the Building Department for the filing route.

How to apply for a Grosse Pointe Park building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Staff check every application for completeness, unpaid fees, zoning, historic preservation, landscaping and storm water before approving or denying it, and incomplete applications are returned rather than held. Larger homes and commercial projects wait for plan review approval, and a variance adds roughly six to eight weeks for notice and the Zoning Board of Appeals hearing. Cancelling a permit costs 10% of the permit fee.

Inspections and certificates in Grosse Pointe Park

Call the inspector’s number printed on the permit at least two days before the inspection is needed. Most structures need at least four inspections: footings before concrete is placed, backfill once walls, waterproofing and drain tile are in, a rough inspection after framing and the rough trades but before insulation, and a final before anyone moves in. A new or altered building may not be used until the code official issues a Certificate of Occupancy, which the permit holder requests once all permits are finaled and fees paid.

Grosse Pointe Park also requires a Certificate of Occupancy whenever a home or business changes ownership. A city inspector checks the property by appointment, ideally booked at least two weeks ahead on 313-822-4365, every violation must be corrected first, and the certificate is valid for two years from the initial inspection. The fee covers the first inspection and one re-inspection; failing to renew or obtain a certificate costs $175.

Rental and empty properties have their own inspection track. A landlord business license costs $100 a year for the first four rental addresses plus $10 for each additional one, and a short-term rental needs a license with a $25 application fee, a $50 licensing fee and a $100 inspection that includes the Certificate of Occupancy. A vacant building must be registered for $350, with $400 for a second and $500 for a third renewal while the property is in violation. Code enforcement acts mainly on complaints and starts by asking for compliance; if a lawn over five inches is not cut after notice, the city cuts it, bills the owner and places unpaid bills on the tax roll.

Michigan building code in Grosse Pointe Park

All four construction codes are enforced by the city. Grosse Pointe Park is a participating community in FEMA’s flood insurance program, with a current flood map dated October 21, 2021, and Wayne County is the soil erosion agency for the city.

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 Pointe Park permit search and official resources

Registered contractors see their permits in BS&A Online, and the Building Department answers questions about a property’s permit history. Records requests under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act go to the City Clerk at 15115 East Jefferson Avenue (313-822-6200, fax 313-822-1280) using the city’s request form; police and fire records go to the Department of Public Safety’s FOIA Coordinator instead.

• Grosse Pointe Park Building Department
• Permits and applications
• Grosse Pointe Park on BS&A Online
• Administrative fee schedule FY 2026/2027 (adopted June 8, 2026)
• Requirements for obtaining building permits
• Homeowner affidavit
• Conceptual review meetings
• Planning and zoning services
• Code enforcement
• FOIA requests
• Wayne County soil erosion permits
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List

Grosse Pointe Park building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Grosse Pointe Park?

$125 for the first $1,000 of estimated construction value plus $10 per additional $1,000, with plan review of $125 plus $1 per additional $1,000, under the FY 2026/2027 schedule.

Can I pay for a permit online?

No. Payments are taken at the City Hall counter by cash, check or card, or by cash or check in the drop boxes.

Who can apply on BS&A Online?

Contractors registered with the city who hold a valid license and a current certificate of insurance and have linked their account with a city PIN.

Can a homeowner pull a permit?

Yes. The owner enters “Homeowner” as the contractor and signs the affidavit that the house is their residence and is not rented or used commercially.

Do I need a Certificate of Occupancy to sell my house?

Yes. One is required at every change of ownership; the inspection is $200 for a single-family home and the certificate lasts two years.

How long does a zoning variance take?

Typically six to eight weeks from application to the Zoning Board of Appeals hearing, with neighbors within 300 feet notified.

What does a fence permit cost?

$100 under the FY 2026/2027 schedule.

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