Hazel Park, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In the City of Hazel Park, permits come from the Building Department at City Hall, 111 East Nine Mile Road (248-546-4075), where Roger Pinch is Building Official. Since March 31, 2026 every building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, right-of-way and sign permit carries a $50 application fee, and trade permits add $75 for each inspection. Residential fences need no permit, while garages, sheds and driveway changes do.

What requires a building permit in Hazel Park?

The Building Department takes plans and permits for building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, right-of-way and sign work. Its July 2026 guidance sheets answer the most common house questions directly, and they cite the zoning sections behind each rule.

Garages and sheds have tight limits: all accessory buildings together may not exceed 625 square feet or half the house’s floor area, whichever is greater; they go only in the rear yard, at least 5 feet from the rear line, 3 feet from the side lines and 10 feet from any home; only one may exceed 80 square feet, plus one more shed of up to 80 square feet; most are capped at 14 feet tall; every one needs a rat wall; and carports are prohibited. Driveway approaches must be 8 to 16 feet wide, the drive must be concrete, asphalt or pavers (no gravel or two-tracks), a lot may have only one driveway, and every garage must connect to the street by one.

What Hazel Park decides and what the state holds

Under the Bureau of Construction Codes’ Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026), Hazel Park enforces the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes itself, and Oakland County runs no program. The state code sets the construction rules; the city sets the fees, registers contractors, writes the zoning ordinance and the fence, driveway and accessory-building rules above, and inspects rental units, businesses and buildings it has tagged.

Hazel Park building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department issues all construction permits, and building permit applications carry approval lines for both the Building Official and the zoning administrator. The Planning Department, in the same building, handles zoning verifications, variances, special land use, rezonings, signs, site plan review and, in many cases, building permit zoning review, and staffs the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals.

Include a self-addressed stamped envelope or an email address with each application so the department can send you a copy of the permit.

Hazel Park permit types

The department posts separate applications for building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, right-of-way, sign, mural, dumpster and storage container permits, plus contractor registration ($15), a parcel split or combination application, an electrical plan review checklist and a furnace inspection record.

Residential permits

• Building application: address and parcel number, estimated cost, owner and contractor details with the builder’s license number, the type of work (addition, alteration, new construction, deck or porch, garage or shed, driveway, roof, foundation, demolition) and lot, building, garage and driveway sizes with lot coverage. A plot diagram must show property lines, buildings, decks, pools, drives, sidewalks and alleys with sizes and distances; knowingly giving false information is a civil infraction under Chapter 15.56.
• New houses: lots 37 feet wide or more use the “Detached Residential” type (20 to 48 feet wide, up to 34 feet or 2.5 stories) and narrower lots the “Cottage” type (up to 26 feet wide and 2 stories, at least 625 square feet). The front setback matches the average of the neighbors, no more than 20 feet; side setbacks are at least 4 feet with 10 feet between houses; every side of every floor needs a window; and an attached garage may not stick out past the front wall.
• Fences: no permit for a residential fence, but most may not exceed 6 feet, must stay inside the property lines (the city suggests a private survey), may not lean on a neighbor’s fence and, beside a neighbor’s driveway, may not come forward of the house’s rear wall.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work uses the same building application with the commercial box ticked; the form requires plans for building types beyond small homes to be prepared under an architect or engineer and to carry that professional’s seal. Site plan review and special land use applications, both updated in May 2026, go to the Planning Department, and the Building Department also carries out business inspections.

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

• Zoning Board of Appeals. A variance or appeal costs $650, filed with the Building Department along with one 24 by 36 inch plan set and a digital copy.
• Planning Commission. Site plans, special land use and rezoning ($510) go through the Planning Department.
• Soil erosion. The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner is the soil erosion agency for Hazel Park; its permits apply to earth changes over an acre or over 225 square feet within 500 feet of a lake, stream, wetland or drain.
• Dumpsters. A residential dumpster permit lasts up to 30 days for a $50 application fee, or up to six months ($100) while a new house is being built, and can be renewed at half price. The dumpster sits on the driveway (street placement needs Fire and Police Department approval), carries reflective tape on all four sides and the owner’s name and phone number, and may not stand on an arterial or collector road or within 40 feet of an intersection.
• Right-of-way permits. Any work in streets, sidewalks, verges, alleys, driveway approaches or public utilities needs one, even a like-for-like driveway replacement; it needs a copy of state ID, carries a $50 non-refundable application fee, and the city sets the bond and validity period when it approves. Call MISS DIG (811) at least 24 hours before digging.
• Construction hours. The building application limits construction work to 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Hazel Park permit costs and fees

The Building Department page sets a $50 application fee for building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, right-of-way and sign permits from March 31, 2026, and a $15 contractor registration fee. The trade applications (revised January 2025) print the rest of the trade fee schedule; the building application lists no permit fee beyond the application fee, so ask the department at 248-546-4075 what a structural building permit will cost.

Worked example from the trade applications: a new single-family house needs at least three electrical inspections (service, rough and final), three mechanical inspections (rough, final and gas line) and three plumbing inspections (underground, rough and final). Each trade permit is therefore $50 + 3 × $75 = $275, or $825 for the three, and a temporary electrical service adds another $75 inspection. Trade permit fees are non-refundable once work has started and cannot be transferred.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are separate applications, each priced by the number of inspections. Contractors register with the city ($15), and the applications ask for the license holder’s details and signature.

• Homeowners: the building and electrical applications carry a homeowner affidavit. The owner certifies that the work will be installed by the owner personally in a home the owner lives in or is about to occupy, that nothing will be covered or put into use until inspected and approved, and that the owner will arrange the inspections.
• Electrical plans: plan review is required when the building exceeds 3,500 square feet and the service exceeds 400 amps; the department posts an electrical plan review checklist.
• Multi-family and commercial: each unit in a multi-family or multi-tenant building needs at least a rough and a final electrical inspection, plus one for the service; for other commercial buildings the inspector estimates the number of visits.
• Contractor registration: one $15 registration runs alongside each contractor license listed, with copies of every driver’s license and current contractor license. Building and sign contractors name the individuals allowed to pull permits for them, and electrical and plumbing contractors name the master or specialist who will; the form notes that state rules let only licensed electrical and plumbing contractors and their authorized masters obtain those permits.
• Furnaces: a furnace or heating plant inspection record form is posted for heating work.

How to apply for a Hazel Park building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Each building application needs sign-off from both the Building Official and the zoning administrator, so setbacks, the accessory-building size limit and the one-driveway rule are checked on the same application. Variances add a Zoning Board of Appeals hearing. Knowingly giving false information on the plot diagram is a civil infraction, and work started before a permit costs an investigative fee equal to the permit fee.

Inspections and certificates in Hazel Park

Trade inspections are billed at $75 each and a failed inspection costs another $75 to re-inspect. New single-family homes need the minimum inspections set out on each trade application, and every trade permit includes at least one inspection. The trade forms make the permit holder responsible for arranging inspections; the department answers at 248-546-4075 Monday to Thursday and by phone or email on Friday mornings.

Beyond construction, the department inspects rental properties, businesses and buildings it has tagged, and the city licenses short-term rentals through the Clerk. Work must stay within the 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. construction hours printed on the application.

Michigan building code in Hazel Park

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City of Hazel Park (community 260289) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program with no special flood hazard area mapped.

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

Hazel Park permit search and official resources

Fees and bills can be paid online through the city’s BS&A page. For copies of permits, plans and inspection records, send a Freedom of Information Act request to the City Clerk, who is the city’s FOIA coordinator; the request must include your full name, address and contact information.

• Hazel Park Building Department
• Building permit application
• Electrical permit application and fees
• Mechanical permit application and fees
• Plumbing permit application and fees
• Contractor registration form
• Right-of-way permit application
• Residential dumpster permit application
• Building a shed or garage (guidance sheet)
• Installing or altering a driveway (guidance sheet)
• Constructing a residential fence (guidance sheet)
• Residential homes (guidance sheet)
• Zoning Board of Appeals forms and fees
• City Clerk FOIA requests
• Oakland County soil erosion permits
• Bureau of Construction Codes Statewide Jurisdiction List
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Hazel Park building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit for a fence in Hazel Park?

No. Residential fences do not need a permit, but most are limited to 6 feet and must stay inside your property lines.

Does a shed need a permit?

Yes. A garage, shed or other accessory structure needs a building permit, and it must have a rat wall and sit in the rear yard.

How much does a permit cost in Hazel Park?

Every building, trade, right-of-way and sign permit carries a $50 application fee since March 31, 2026; trade permits add $75 per inspection.

Can I replace my driveway without a building permit?

A like-for-like replacement needs only a right-of-way permit; widening or changing the driveway also needs a building permit.

Can a homeowner do their own electrical work?

Yes, by signing the homeowner affidavit, which requires the owner to do the work personally in a home they live in or are about to occupy.

Is the Building Department open on Fridays?

Only by phone or email, from 9:00 a.m. to noon; the counter is open Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Do I need a permit for a dumpster at my house?

Yes. A residential dumpster permit costs $50 for up to 30 days, or $100 for up to six months while a new house is under construction, and it renews at half price.

How much is a variance hearing?

$650, filed with the Building Department for the Zoning Board of Appeals.

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