Highland Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In the Charter Township of Highland, the township’s own Building Department at 205 N. John Street (248-887-3791, ext. 8) issues building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits; Steven C. Tino is Building Official. A building packet is accepted only after the Planning Department has stamped the scaled plot plan, and a new house also needs an Oakland County perk test and well permit. The building permit fee is set from the value of the work as the Building Official determines it, and residential plan review takes at least two weeks.

What requires a building permit in Highland Township?

Highland publishes a long list of jobs that need permits and says to ask the Building Department when in doubt. Its booklet also notes that tearing down any structure needs a demolition permit, and every accessory structure needs a zoning review even when no building permit is required.

The township also warns remodelers that if rotted materials turn up, work must stop and the Building Official must be called before going on; carrying on without permission rescinds the permit and forfeits the fees. When alterations exceed 50% of a structure, the job is treated as a new build and the whole building must be brought up to current code.

What Highland decides and what the state holds

The state Bureau of Construction Codes’ jurisdiction list (revised November 6, 2026) shows Highland Township enforcing the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes itself; Oakland County runs no program. The township sets its own fees and deposits, zoning (the zoning ordinance has been Chapter 25 of the General Code since December 22, 2012), review procedures and street numbering, while septic, well, road and soil erosion permits come from county agencies.

Highland Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department reviews plans, issues permits and inspects building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical work, and it also includes the Ordinance Department that enforces the township’s general ordinances. The Planning and Zoning Department reviews placement and stamps plot plans, handles land divisions, land uses, business registration and sign permits, and supports the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals.

Online filing on BS&A is open to contractors who hold a valid state license and are registered with the township, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits can also be applied for by mail. The department’s booklet says other building permits are taken in person only, not by mail, fax or email.

Highland Township permit types

The township’s checklist sets out the paperwork that must come with an application, and says an application missing any of it will not be accepted. If the Zoning Board of Appeals granted a variance, its approved minutes must be attached.

Residential permits

• Plot plan: drawn to scale, approved and stamped by the Planning Department, showing the building envelope, streets and drives, lot and parcel numbers, distances to lot lines, the well, septic tank and field, easements, overhead and buried utilities, and any lakes, streams, ponds or wetlands. Building within 5 feet of a lot line needs a certified line survey unless the capped survey markers can be found.
• Plans: two complete sets of blueprints; a remodel needs floor plans of the existing and the proposed layout. The township asks for an architect’s stamp on houses of 5,000 square feet or more, while the state guide says only detached one- and two-family houses of 3,500 square feet or less are exempt from sealed drawings, so confirm which applies before drawing a large house.
• Energy and grading: energy code compliance (REScheck or Energy Star worksheets accepted) for new living space over 500 square feet, and a grading plan showing runoff for all new construction.
• Ownership and authority: a deed or land contract if the property was bought less than a year ago (a purchase agreement or tax receipt is not accepted), the owner’s written authorization for a contractor (a signed contract will do), the contractor’s license, driver’s license and liability insurance, and a notarized letter for any agent.
• Modular homes must be at least 1,000 square feet and carry the state approval sticker and building system approval report; HUD-code homes go to the zoning administrator.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects need two sets of prints stamped by an architect or engineer, and review takes about three weeks. Licensed contractors must pull every mechanical, plumbing and electrical permit on commercial work, and exterior lighting on commercial or multi-family projects needs Planning Department review.

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

• Planning and zoning. Planning confirms setbacks and placement and stamps the plot plan; projects that cannot meet the ordinance need a ZBA variance first. The ZBA decides on practical difficulty and cannot grant use variances. Book a pre-application meeting with the zoning administrator (ext. 2) for larger projects.
• Septic and well. A new house needs an approved perk test from the Oakland County Health Division, with the permit number on it; added bedrooms need a review of the existing septic system. Under the county’s schedule effective October 1, 2026, a new residential septic permit is $325 and a new well permit $260.
• Soil erosion. A new house, addition or accessory building within 500 feet of a lake, stream or other body of water needs Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner review (248-858-5389), and a copy of the soil erosion permit goes with the application.
• Driveways and water. A lot on a county road needs a Road Commission for Oakland County driveway approach permit (248-858-4835); lots in subdivisions with municipal water need a water connection permit.
• Subdivision associations. Include the association’s review where an active association exists.

Highland Township permit costs and fees

Highland does not post a permit fee table. Its permit checklist explains how the charges work: the building permit fee is based on the value of the proposed construction as determined by the Building Official during review, and it is paid when the approved permit is picked up. Ask the Building Department (ext. 8) for the amount on your project.

Because no schedule is published, the permit fee for a given job is known only after the Building Official sets the value during review; budget for the refundable deposit and the county septic, well and soil erosion fees on top.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The building permit covers only structural work. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical (heating) work each needs its own application describing exactly what will be installed, and each is charged separately.

• Homeowners: owners doing their own work can pull a homeowner’s permit. The Building Official’s notice to owners and contractors makes the limits plain: it is unlawful for an owner to take out a homeowner’s plumbing, heating or electrical permit and not do the work personally, and unlawful for a tradesperson to work on a homeowner’s permit; tickets are issued to both.
• Contractors: a contractor doing the work must take out the permit in the company name, and each application needs the building permit number (if any), job address and description, a copy of the contractor’s license and driver’s license, and the contractor’s signature and date.
• Commercial: only licensed contractors may pull trade permits on commercial jobs.

How to apply for a Highland Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The checklist is strict: an application without the stamped plot plan, the perk test, the ZBA minutes or any other listed item is not accepted. The booklet adds that reversed plans are refused and drawings must be at least 1/4 inch to the foot. A building permit expires 180 days after issue, but stays active for a full year from issue if an inspection is passed in that time; renewal is a written request costing at least half the original permit fee, and letting a permit lapse before the certificate of occupancy forfeits the cash deposit. The Building Official may mark comments or corrections on the prints, which should be read at once. Street numbers are assigned during review and printed on the permit, and mailbox placement should be cleared with the Highland postmaster (248-887-4722).

Inspections and certificates in Highland Township

Contractors can request inspections on BS&A Online using the permit number, until 2:30 p.m. on the day before; every request is reviewed before it is accepted, and a denied request is answered by email. The township booklet gives the same 2:30 p.m. cut-off for phone requests (ext. 8), with the permit number and address ready, and asks builders to give their subcontractors both. An approved set of prints must be on site for every inspection.

The booklet lists the order for a house: footings before pouring, backfill, underground plumbing, heating and electrical, an open-deck inspection on crawl spaces, rough plumbing, heating and electrical before insulation, slab compaction, rough framing with truss drawings on site, masonry flashing, insulation, drywall screw pattern, then final plumbing, heating and electrical before the final building inspection. The final building inspection will not be done until the Building Department has the Oakland County Health Division’s final septic and well approvals and the insulation installer’s certificate; gutters, downspouts and attic insulation are checked at that final.

A temporary certificate of occupancy for a house needs a finished exterior, completed decks and porches (or guard rails across exterior doors), finished electrical and heating work, water, hot water, a kitchen sink and one complete bathroom with a locking door, bedroom doors, all handrails and guards, the septic and well approvals, the insulation certificate and posted address numbers. The cash deposit comes back about 30 days after the final, less extra inspection fees or, for new houses, the township refuse fee. Demolition needs proof of ownership, two plot plans, electric and gas disconnects, a septic clean-out, a well abandonment report from the Health Division and, near water, a soil erosion permit.

Michigan building code in Highland Township

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Township of Highland (community 260650) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community, with flood maps dated September 29, 2006.

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

Highland Township permit search and official resources

Permit status for contractors’ projects shows in BS&A Online. Copies of permits, plans and inspection records are requested under the Freedom of Information Act through the Clerk’s office FOIA coordinator (ext. 5) on the township’s request form, by fax to 248-887-1937, by email, by mail or in person; requests are answered within five business days, with a possible 10-day extension.

• Highland Township Building Department
• Requirements when applying for a building permit
• Projects that need permits
• Building Department information booklet
• Planning and Zoning Department
• Zoning variances
• General and zoning ordinances
• Freedom of Information Act requests
• BS&A Online, Highland Township
• Oakland County soil erosion permits
• Oakland County Health Division, septic and wells
• Bureau of Construction Codes Statewide Jurisdiction List
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Highland Township building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit to re-roof or replace windows in Highland Township?

Yes. Re-shingling, siding replacement and replacement windows are on the township’s permit list.

What has to happen before I can submit a building permit?

The Planning Department must review placement and stamp your scaled plot plan, and a new house needs an approved Oakland County perk test and well permit.

How much is a building permit?

The fee is based on the construction value set by the Building Official during review and is paid at pick-up, along with a refundable cash deposit.

Can I pull my own electrical or plumbing permit?

Yes, as a homeowner doing the work yourself; it is unlawful to let a contractor work on a homeowner’s permit.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Registered contractors request them on BS&A Online by 2:30 p.m. the day before; each request is reviewed before it is scheduled.

When is a soil erosion permit needed?

The township wants one for a new house, addition or accessory building within 500 feet of a lake, stream or other water, issued by the county Water Resources Commissioner.

How long does plan review take?

At least two weeks for residential prints and about three weeks for commercial projects.

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