Harrison Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In the Charter Township of Harrison, the Building Department at the township hall, 38151 L’Anse Creuse (586-466-1430), issues and inspects building, plumbing, heating and electrical permits; Brent Condon is the Building Official. Decks, fences, sheds, roofs, siding, flatwork, replacement windows and doors and all trade permits can be filed on BS&A Online, and other permits are filed in person. Fees combine a zoning fee, plan review, a permit fee and a bond, with 10% of the bond added as an administration fee.

What requires a building permit in Harrison Township?

The township’s fee schedule and forms show the permits it issues. Small jobs carry a flat fee, while new homes, additions and commercial work are priced on the cost of construction. Even a water heater swap needs a plumbing permit, the department’s FAQ says, and owners unsure whether a permit was taken out, or whether one is needed, are asked to call the department.

Lot coverage and impervious surface worksheets are on the forms page for jobs that add hard surface. The township warns that some older forms still quote zoning rules replaced when a new zoning ordinance was adopted on November 4, 2015, so confirm setbacks and coverage with the department rather than the form.

What Harrison Township decides and what the state holds

The state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List shows Harrison Township enforcing all four codes itself, and Macomb County has no building program. The township sets its fees, runs zoning through the Planning and Zoning Department, Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals, regulates seawalls and docks under the waterfront construction article of its code (Chapter 94, Article III), and requires elevation certificates in mapped flood zones. Wetland, floodplain and shoreline work also needs state and federal approval, which the township asks to see before it issues a permit.

Harrison Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department employs its own building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspectors plus code enforcement staff. Inspectors take questions in person from 8 to 8:30 a.m. (the building inspector every weekday and the plumbing inspector on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays); otherwise leave a voicemail. Zoning questions go to the separate Planning and Zoning Department at 586-466-1461, open the same hours.

Harrison Township permit types

A combined Building & Zoning Permit application covers most construction, and separate forms cover electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, fire department permits, address assignment, permit extensions and Building Board of Appeals cases. The forms page also posts sample submittals for decks, sheds, fences, porches, pools, detached accessory buildings, impervious surfaces and waterfront work.

Residential permits

• New homes, additions and substantial rehabs. The April 2024 checklist asks for the application signed by the applicant with photo ID, a plot plan by a licensed surveyor (three copies), three sets of construction plans, energy-code compliance, sealed engineering for trusses, piles or compaction, and a soil testing report on waterfront lots. Add an elevation certificate in a 100-year flood zone, an EGLE (formerly MDEQ) permit for river flood zone or wetland work, and copies of any county soil erosion, road or septic permits.
• Water and sewer. Tap or lateral fees must be paid before the building permit is issued (water and sewer office 586-466-1425).
• Small projects online. Decks, fences, sheds, roofs and siding, driveways, sidewalks and patios, and replacement windows and doors can be applied for on BS&A.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work is filed in person and priced on the commercial scale, with plan review based on construction cost. Before a business opens, a commercial zoning compliance, occupancy and use inspection costs $200, and the same fee covers liquor license inspections. The building official may send plans to an outside consultant, billed at the consultant’s fee plus 10%.

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

• Site plan review. The Planning Commission reviews site plans, special land uses, planned unit developments and rezonings; the Planning and Zoning Department also runs a technical committee review, and posts each year’s meeting dates.
• Zoning Board of Appeals. Hears appeals of administrative decisions, interprets the ordinance and map, and decides variances.
• Waterfront work. Seawall, dock and hoist permits need a site plan, the state (EGLE, formerly MDEQ) permit and Army Corps of Engineers approval. Seawall sheet piling must have about 40% of its length in the ground, and canal walls must allow dredging to elevation 569.0.
• Soil erosion. Macomb County Public Works issues soil erosion permits here; its 2026 fee for a sea wall, in-ground pool or rural fill is $431, and a two-year single-family permit is $1,016.
• Roads and septic. Driveway approaches, culverts and storm taps on county roads need a Macomb County Department of Roads permit; a septic system needs a Macomb County Health Department permit.

Harrison Township permit costs and fees

The Building Department’s posted fee schedule (a 2023 file) charges up to four pieces for each job: a zoning fee, a plan review fee, a permit fee and a bond, plus an administration fee equal to 10% of the bond. Where the fee depends on cost of construction, the township applies a minimum based on the International Code Council’s square-foot construction cost table.

The schedule’s wording for jobs over $10,000 (“$260.00 + .9% / $1000” for homes, “$250 + .9% / $1000” for commercial work) does not make the arithmetic clear, so ask the department to price a larger job. Expedited zoning review is $50 for a one-business-day turnaround; expedited plan review adds 25% for two business days on homes or five on commercial work. Starting without a permit carries a $150 fine, and a refunded building permit keeps $60 for administration. Appeals to the township’s Building Board of Appeals cost $150 for a home, $250 for commercial property and $75 for a sign.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, mechanical (heating) and plumbing permits are township permits, inspected by the township’s own inspectors, and all three can be filed on BS&A. Contractors need a valid state license and a township registration ($15) before they can link a BS&A account with the township’s PIN.

• Electrical. On a new house, an electrical permit and a passed Ufer (concrete-encased electrode) inspection are needed before the foundation inspection, because footing steel must be bonded before concrete is poured.
• Mechanical. No mechanical permit is issued until the mechanical inspector approves equipment sizing and duct design for new homes and substantial additions, together with a whole-house ventilation worksheet.
• Plumbing. Required even for a replacement water heater; backflow test reports use the township’s own form.
• Inspection days. Plumbing on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings; mechanical on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from late morning; electrical on Monday and Friday afternoons.
• Owners. The township’s pages describe the contractor route; an owner planning to do trade work personally should ask the department which forms apply before filing.

How to apply for a Harrison Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Waterfront plans move faster when the state and federal permits, seawall details and site plan arrive together, the township notes, and incomplete information may delay issuance. Each extra plan review on a house is $65. A permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days of issue or stops for 180 days after the last inspection; the Building Official can extend it on a written request showing good cause, and may charge half the original permit fee to renew it.

Inspections and certificates in Harrison Township

Book inspections on BS&A by 3 p.m. on the day before; you need the permit number, and the township confirms or declines each request by email. Building inspections run every weekday. A re-inspection, special inspection or extra building inspection is $60.

On new homes, a preliminary grade survey or the township’s backfill certificate, sealed by a Michigan land surveyor and showing setbacks and the top-of-foundation grade, must be approved before the backfill inspection; flood-zone lots use a separate backfill certificate. Sealed truss plans must be approved before the trusses go up and before the rough building inspection, and an elevation certificate is required for final approval in a 100-year flood zone. A residential safety inspection is $180. A temporary certificate of occupancy costs $250 plus 10% of a $1,000 bond and lasts 90 days. Rental buildings with more than three units are inspected for $50 per unit plus a $10 certificate fee.

Michigan building code in Harrison Township

Harrison Township enforces the state construction code in all four trades and adds its own waterfront construction rules. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the township (community 260123) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community with flood maps dated December 30, 2020; the department’s FAQ points owners to the flood maps and invites questions about where a house sits.

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

Harrison Township permit search and official resources

Ask the Building Department first about past permits on a property. The Clerk’s Office is the township’s Freedom of Information Act coordinator, and all FOIA requests go to it on the township’s FOIA form, by email or by fax to 586-466-1420 (Clerk’s Office 586-466-1406, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).

• Harrison Township Building Department
• Building Department staff and contacts
• Online permitting and inspection scheduling
• Building applications and forms
• Building Department fee schedule
• Residential submittal checklist (April 2024)
• Waterfront construction submittal requirements
• Planning and Zoning Department
• Planning and ZBA application forms
• Clerk’s Office and FOIA
• Macomb County 2026 soil erosion permit fees
• Macomb County Department of Roads permits
• Macomb County septic permits
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Harrison Township building permit FAQs

Can I apply for a Harrison Township permit online?

Yes, on BS&A Online for decks, fences, sheds, roofs and siding, flatwork, replacement windows and doors, and electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits; other permits are filed in person.

How much is a deck permit?

A $15 zoning fee, $40 plan review and $180 permit, plus a bond of $100 and 0.5% of the cost of construction, with 10% of the bond added as an administration fee.

Do I need a permit to replace a water heater?

Yes. The township requires a plumbing permit for installing a water heater.

What do I need to build or repair a seawall?

A township permit with a site plan and seawall plans meeting Chapter 94, plus the state (EGLE) permit and Army Corps approval; Macomb County also lists a soil erosion permit category for sea walls.

When is the inspection request deadline?

3 p.m. on the day before the inspection, through BS&A; the township emails whether the request is approved.

Who is the Building Official?

Brent Condon, reachable at 586-466-1434; the department’s main line is 586-466-1430.

Who repairs the sidewalk in front of my house?

The owner of the property next to the sidewalk is responsible for its repair, maintenance and replacement, according to the Building Department’s FAQ.

How long is a permit valid?

180 days from issue if work starts and inspections continue; the Building Official can extend it on a written request, and renewal can cost half the original fee.

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