Huron County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Huron County runs a full county construction code program. Its Planning, Building & Zoning Department, Room 102 of the County Building at 250 East Huron Avenue, Bad Axe (989-269-9269; weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), issues building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and soil erosion permits across the county, with three exceptions: the City of Caseville issues all of its own permits, Caseville Township issues its building and trade permits, and Lake Township issues its own building permits. The county also issues zoning permits in the 15 townships under county zoning.

What requires a building permit in Huron County?

The county’s Permit Requirements sheet says permits are needed before work begins on any new construction, residential or commercial, including foundations for manufactured and other off-site-built structures, and for alterations and remodeling of existing buildings. Trade permits are needed for new or replacement plumbing (water heaters included), new or updated wiring and services, new or replacement furnaces, wood stoves, fireplaces, new ductwork, LP tanks, gas lines and central air conditioning.

Plans are required for new construction and additions and for alterations of existing commercial buildings. Work on a commercial building that changes its use group, such as office to retail or residential to commercial, must comply with all applicable construction codes, including the barrier-free provisions. A farm building used exclusively for farming is flagged on the application and needs the county’s agricultural exemption form.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The construction codes are state codes; the county enforces them for the units that have not taken enforcement on themselves. Where the county is also the zoning authority, it writes and enforces the county zoning ordinance, a wind energy ordinance and special approval permits through its Planning Commission. Huron County, like every Michigan county, has no unincorporated land, and it is not an NFIP flood insurance community: each township, city and village joins the flood program on its own.

Huron County building department: who handles permitting

The state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes, rev. Nov. 6, 2026) and the county’s own Permit Requirements sheet agree on who does what. Jeff Smith is the department’s Director, Zoning Administrator and Building Official.

By the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimates the county has 30,530 residents; Bad Axe (2,943), Sebewaing (1,678) and Harbor Beach (1,556) are the largest incorporated places, and all three use the county office. To tell which rules apply to an address, check the township, village or city named on the tax bill or the county’s FetchGIS parcel map, then match it to the table; the application itself asks for the section number and jurisdiction.

The three units that keep some permits each run their own office: Lake Township has a Building & Zoning page and its own Construction Board of Appeals, Caseville Township lists a Building and Zoning department and a Construction Dept, and the City of Caseville posts its own permit application forms, including soil erosion. Contact them directly for their fees and inspection booking.

Huron County permit types

The department posts separate PDF applications for building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, plan review and soil erosion permits, along with site plan review, special approval, variance and rezoning applications and a license registration form for contractors.

Residential permits

The building application covers new homes, detached garages and sheds, additions, remodels and repairs (including fire damage), new siding, windows and re-roofs, demolition, fences and signs. The county’s drawing requirements for homes ask for a site plan showing property lines, distances to other structures and the location of the driveway, well and septic field, plus a fully dimensioned foundation plan, floor plans with egress windows and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, exterior elevations, a wall section, stair details, truss drawings from the manufacturer and deck framing details. Demolition permits require removal of everything but concrete and proof that the utilities have been disconnected.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings, multiple-family and attached single-family dwellings, and single-family homes over 3,500 square feet need plans prepared by a licensed architect or engineer. Commercial uses listed on the application range from mercantile and factory buildings to assembly, institutional and storage uses, and commercial wind turbines are permitted on the same form. Electrical plans and specifications are required when the work is over 400 amps and the building is over 3,500 square feet.

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 (site) permit. Required for any new construction, garage, shed, pool, deck or fence. The county issues it for Bingham, Bloomfield, Brookfield, Dwight, Fair Haven, Gore, Grant, Hume, Lincoln, McKinley, Rubicon, Sebewaing, Sheridan, Sigel and Winsor townships; elsewhere the city, village or township zoning official does, and the county office can give you that official’s name. Zoning approval comes before a building permit for new construction.
• Planning Commission. Special approval uses, site plans and rezonings in county-zoned townships go to the commission, which meets at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month in Room 305 of the County Building.
• Well and septic. Homes, mobile homes and businesses without municipal water or sewer need Huron County Health Department permits before the building permit is issued.
• Soil erosion. Needed before excavation when the disturbed area is within 500 feet of a lake, stream, river or county drain, or anywhere 1 acre or more is disturbed; foundations, major septic work, seawalls and dredging are common triggers.
• Driveways and moves. New or replacement driveways on county roads go through the Road Commission’s area foreman for the township, and moving or transport permits go through the Oxcart permit system.
• County drains. Work near one of the county’s more than 320 drainage districts goes to the Huron County Drain Commission, which works in coordination with the Road Commission.

Huron County permit costs and fees

Huron County does not publish its building or trade permit fee schedule online; the application forms leave the permit fee for the office to calculate. Call 989-269-9269 for a quote before you apply. The department’s inspection sheet (revised December 31, 2025) does list these charges:

Separate offices set their own charges for well and septic permits (Health Department) and driveway permits (Road Commission). In Caseville city, Caseville Township and Lake Township, building permit fees are set by those units.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Outside Caseville city and Caseville Township, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are county permits, including in Lake Township. The department’s staff includes its own electrical inspector and plumbing and mechanical inspectors, and the Building Official also inspects plumbing and mechanical work.

• Who signs: each trade application can be filed by a contractor or a homeowner, and contractors give their state license number and expiry date.
• Licensed work: the county reminds owners that residential contractors doing work worth more than $600 in materials and labor must hold a state license, and asks owners to see the license before hiring.
• Contractor registration: the county posts a license registration form for contractors to keep their license details on file.
• Plans: electrical plans are required over 400 amps in buildings over 3,500 square feet; ask the office whether a plan review application is needed for your trade job.

How to apply for a building permit in Huron County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county does not post review times. Its own sheet names the usual blockers: no building permit for new construction is issued until zoning approval is granted, and none until the Health Department has issued the well and septic permits where there is no public water or sewer. Incomplete drawings, especially missing truss drawings, foundation details or a site plan without the well and septic locations, will also hold an application. Applicants in a separately zoned township should call the county for the name of their local zoning official.

Inspections and certificates in Huron County

The permit holder must call for each inspection before covering or backfilling work. The county’s inspection sheet lists the stages for a new home:

• Footing after forms and reinforcing are set, before concrete; the concrete-encased grounding electrode is checked at the same time.
• Foundation after waterproofing and drain tile, before backfill.
• Rough plumbing, mechanical and electrical, then framing once all trade roughs are done.
• Insulation, with the builder’s R-value certificate posted near the electrical panel.
• Trade finals, then the building final, with 4-inch address numbers visible from the road and, for all new homes, a blower door test report.

A building may not be used or occupied until a certificate of occupancy is issued. The county’s Permit Requirements sheet says permits are generally good for one year and can be extended after that on a payment-per-inspection basis, and that a permit with no work or inspections for a year or more expires; its newer inspection sheet quotes the code’s rule that a permit lapses if work is not completed within 180 days of issue or is suspended for 180 days, with written extensions of up to 180 days. Ask the office which rule it applies to your permit.

Michigan building code

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 County permit search and official resources

The county does not post a public permit search; call the Building & Zoning office for the status of a permit. Copies of permits, plans and inspection records can be requested under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act on the county’s written FOIA request form, sent to the County of Huron at 250 E. Huron Ave., Room 305, Bad Axe; a fee may be charged. Parcel numbers and assessing data are on the county’s FetchGIS map.

• Huron County Planning, Building & Zoning
• Permit Requirements and required inspections (rev. Dec. 31, 2025)
• Building and zoning applications
• Building permit application
• Electrical permit application
• Soil erosion and sedimentation control permit application
• Planning Commission 2026 meeting schedule
• County departments and phone numbers
• County FOIA request form
• Huron County Road Commission applications and permits
• Lake Township building and zoning
• Caseville Township building and zoning
• City of Caseville building and grounds
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)

Huron County building permit FAQs

Does Huron County issue building permits?

Yes. The county Planning, Building & Zoning Department in Bad Axe issues building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and soil erosion permits in every city, village and township except the City of Caseville, Caseville Township (building and trades) and Lake Township (building only).

Who issues permits in Bad Axe, Pigeon or Sebewaing?

The county office at 250 E. Huron Ave., Room 102, Bad Axe (989-269-9269). Zoning permits in villages and cities come from the local officials.

How much does a building permit cost in Huron County?

The county does not post its permit fee schedule; call 989-269-9269 for a quote. Its inspection sheet lists $100 for a re-inspection after a code violation and $100 for an extra rough frame inspection.

Do I need a permit for a shed in Huron County?

Not a building permit for a one-story detached shed of 200 square feet or less, but every shed, whatever its size, needs zoning approval.

When do I need a soil erosion permit in Huron County?

When the work is 500 feet or closer to a lake, stream, river or county drain, or disturbs 1 acre or more anywhere. Get it from the county office before excavating, except in the City of Caseville.

Where do I get a septic or well permit?

From the Huron County Health Department, 1142 S. Van Dyke Rd., Bad Axe ((989) 269-9721). The county will not issue the building permit for a new or replacement home on an unsewered lot until those permits are in place.

Who issues zoning permits in Huron County townships?

The county, for the 15 townships under county zoning. Other townships, the cities and the villages issue their own zoning permits; call the county office for the official’s name.

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