Huron Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In Huron Charter Township (the Wayne County township with offices in New Boston, not Huron County), the Building Department at 22950 Huron River Drive (734-753-4466; Building Official Jon Tackett, ext. 128) issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, reviews plans and inspects all construction, alteration, addition and demolition. Its office is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the township’s current permit fee schedules took effect July 1, 2024, and lots without public sewer need a Wayne County septic permit before a building permit can issue.

What requires a building permit in Huron Charter Township?

The Building Department says it oversees and inspects all construction, alteration, addition or demolition of any building or structure in the township, and enforces both township and state building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes. Its handouts and forms show the jobs residents bring most often.

The township also posts an A2L pressure test affidavit, a homeowner’s affidavit and a hold harmless agreement alongside the permit applications, and a guide called Preparing For Your Residential Inspection.

What the township decides and what the state holds

The state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List shows Huron Township enforcing the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes itself, and Wayne County has no construction code program. The township sets its own permit fees (new building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing schedules took effect July 1, 2024) and writes its own zoning ordinance, Chapter 530 of the township code, which is published on eCode360. The Ordinance Department lists items under review: a proposed change-of-use ordinance awaiting Township Board approval, and possible updates to mobile food vendor, tree protection (Chapter 493), building grade (Section 530-113), sign (Chapter 530, Article IX) and portable restroom rules. The township notes that a review does not mean changes will be made and sets no timeline.

Huron Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

Permits, plan review, resale and rental inspections and commercial contractor registrations all run through the Building Department. Planning and Zoning is a separate department on the same main number, headed by Shannon McGovern, Director of Planning and Zoning (ext. 148), and the Ordinance Department handles code enforcement on signs, property standards and construction compliance. Water and sewer permits come from the Department of Public Works on the same main number (fax 734-753-4111), open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Huron Charter Township permit types

The Building Department posts a building permit application, separate 2024 electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications, a permit renewal application, a resale permit application, a rental certificate application and the contractor registration form, with handouts for accessory buildings, decks, pools and single-family new construction.

Residential permits

• New houses follow the single-family new construction handout and need either a public sewer connection or a Wayne County septic permit before the building permit, plus a well permit where there is no public water.
• Decks, pools and accessory buildings each have a township handout to read before applying.
• Homeowners. A homeowner’s affidavit is posted with the permit forms; ask the Building Department when an owner may file it.
• Fences start with the Planning and Zoning department’s zoning compliance fence application.

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

Commercial permits

Before signing a lease or buying property for a business, the Planning Department asks owners to check that the site fits the use and whether a special land use, site plan review or variance is needed. Once zoning is confirmed, the business applies to the Building Department for building, electrical, mechanical and sign permits, and no business may open until it has a Certificate of Occupancy after its final inspections; the township posts a 2025 new business Certificate of Occupancy handout. Commercial contractors register with the Building Department.

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 meeting. The township encourages an early, informal review with staff; call Planning and Zoning and bring what the pre-application checklist lists.
• Site plan review. Most new buildings, additions and changes to parking or site layout need site plan approval. Township staff, the Township Planner and the Township Engineer review the plans before they go to the Planning Commission, which meets on the first Monday of each month.
• Rezonings, PUDs and special land uses need a Planning Commission public hearing, with notice under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act.
• Variances. A project that cannot meet a dimensional standard goes to the Zoning Board of Appeals, which meets in February and December and as needed.
• Land divisions. Splitting a parcel uses the township’s land division application.
• County roads and drains. Wayne County maintains the township’s roads and drains, so a driveway approach, utility line or grading in a county road right-of-way or drain easement needs a permit from the Wayne County DPS Permit Office, 33809 Michigan Avenue, Wayne (734-858-2774), filed with at least three sets of plans and the county’s residential or commercial plan checklist.

Septic and well permits from Wayne County. Where public sewer is not available, the Wayne County Environmental Health section (734-727-7400) is the permitting agency for residential and small commercial septic systems. The first step is a site and soil evaluation: the application needs the owner’s contact details, the 10-digit parcel number, a drawing showing the proposed home and the active and reserve septic areas, a legal description or survey, and any planned land split. The owner hires an excavator to dig test holes after calling MISS DIG (1-800-482-7171) to locate buried utilities, and the owner or a representative, the excavator and the county environmentalist must all be on site; evaluations are usually scheduled within five business days of a complete application. The septic permit application then adds proof of the street address, a certified survey and legal description for new construction, and a plot plan, and the finished system must be inspected and approved by the county. Where there is no public water, the same section evaluates the site and issues the well permit for a drinking water or irrigation well, and a new drinking water well must be tested before use. Field staff are usually in the office weekday mornings from 8 to 10:30.

Huron Charter Township permit costs and fees

The township implemented new building permit fees on July 1, 2024, with separate building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing fee schedules linked from the Building Department page; planning and zoning applications have their own fee schedule on the Planning and Zoning page. The amounts are set by those schedules, so ask the Building Department (734-753-4466) for the fee on your project before you apply.

Wayne County’s soil erosion program asks for a plan review fee by check payable to Wayne County, dropped off with three printed plan sets after the online application; its Environmental Health section prices septic and well permits on its own posted fee schedule.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The township issues and inspects electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits itself, each on its own 2024 application and priced on its own fee schedule from July 1, 2024.

• Commercial contractors register with the Building Department, which keeps the township’s commercial contractor registrations.
• Heating and cooling. An A2L pressure test affidavit is posted with the trade forms; ask the department when it must be filed.
• Water and sewer connections. The DPW installs water meters and issues water and sewer permits, runs the cross connection control program for backflow devices, and lists registered contractors and certified backflow testers.
• Owners doing their own trade work should ask the Building Department which trade permits an owner may take out personally.

How to apply for a Huron Charter Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Site plans pass through township staff, the planner and the engineer before the monthly Planning Commission meeting, so plan around that monthly cycle. The Zoning Board of Appeals sits only in February and December unless a meeting is called, which matters for variances. On unsewered lots, the county soil evaluation is usually scheduled within five business days of a complete application but can take up to ten in the busy season, and the building permit waits for the septic permit. Wayne County does not begin a soil erosion review until the printed plan sets and the plan review fee reach its office. Permits that run long can be renewed on the township’s permit renewal application.

Inspections and certificates in Huron Charter Township

The Building Department inspects all construction, alteration, addition and demolition in the township, and posts a guide, Preparing For Your Residential Inspection, for owners and contractors. Call the Building Department to schedule each stage. Commercial projects finish with final inspections and a Certificate of Occupancy, which every new business needs before it opens.

The department also inspects existing homes: it conducts residential resale inspections, taken out on the township’s resale permit application, and rental inspections for a rental certificate. Where a home is on a septic system, Wayne County’s Time of Sale ordinance, which applies everywhere in the county outside Detroit, separately requires the system to be inspected and working before the home can be sold; the county posts a list of registered evaluators.

Michigan building code in Huron Charter Township

The township enforces all four construction codes through its own Building Department. Huron Township has been in the regular phase of FEMA’s flood insurance program since October 17, 1986, with a current flood map dated December 3, 2013; the township’s planning projects include riverbank stabilization along the Huron River at Riverside Park.

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

Huron Charter Township permit search and official resources

Building permits can be paid on BS&A Online, and the Building Department answers questions about the permits on file for an address. Records requests under the Freedom of Information Act go to the FOIA Coordinator by email at FOIA@hurontownship-mi.gov or by mail to Huron Charter Township, Attn: FOIA Coordinator, 22950 Huron River Drive, New Boston, MI 48164, using the township’s request form.

• Huron Charter Township Building Department
• Planning and Zoning
• Huron Charter Township on BS&A Online (payments)
• Ordinance Department and ordinances under review
• Water Department and DPW
• Freedom of Information Act requests
• Wayne County soil erosion permits
• Wayne County septic permits and Time of Sale program
• Wayne County well permits
• Wayne County road right-of-way permits
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List

Huron Charter Township building permit FAQs

Is Huron Charter Township the same as Huron County?

No. Huron Charter Township is in Wayne County, with offices on Huron River Drive in New Boston; Huron County is a different county with its own offices.

Who issues building permits in the township?

The township’s own Building Department, for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work; Wayne County does not issue building permits.

Do I need a septic permit before a building permit?

Yes, if the lot has no public sewer. Wayne County’s Environmental Health section issues septic permits, and building departments in the county need proof of a sewer connection or a septic permit first.

Who fixes the roads and drains?

Wayne County maintains roads and drains in the township; report road problems to 1-888-ROAD-CREW, and get a county permit for work in a county road right-of-way.

When does the Planning Commission meet?

On the first Monday of each month; it reviews site plans, rezonings, special land uses and the master plan.

Does a business need a Certificate of Occupancy?

Yes. A Certificate of Occupancy is required before any business opens in the township.

How much is a building permit?

Fees follow the township’s building and trade fee schedules in effect since July 1, 2024; call the Building Department for the amount on your project.

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