Independence Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In the Charter Township of Independence, the Building, Planning & Zoning Department at 6483 Waldon Center Drive, Clarkston (248-625-8111, option 1) issues every building permit, runs the inspections and enforces the zoning ordinance; David J. Moran is the Building Official. Building applications are accepted only in person or by U.S. mail, and a complete residential application is approved or denied within 10 business days. Under the 2025 township fee schedule, a new house costs $300 plus $0.75 a square foot, with a separate $300 application fee.

What requires a building permit in Independence Township?

The department’s forms show what it permits: new homes, mobile and pre-manufactured homes, additions, remodels, repairs, decks, attached and detached garages, accessory buildings, in-ground and above-ground pools, basements and demolition, plus signs and commercial work. Electrical, plumbing, heating, fireplace and air-conditioning work is never part of the building permit; each needs its own trade permit issued after the building permit.

The township has its own wetlands permit application for work in regulated wetlands, and decks must respect a 25-foot natural feature setback. A historic outbuilding listed in the township’s Historic and Rural Preservation Plan does not count toward the storage-building limit.

What Independence decides and what the state holds

The construction code is the state’s and cannot be amended locally. Under the Statewide Jurisdiction List the township enforces building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing itself; Clarkston, inside the township, appears on the same list with its own program, so this department does not permit there. The township decides its fees, zoning districts and setbacks, accessory-building limits, wetlands review and the paperwork it asks for.

Independence Township building department: who handles permitting

One department handles building permits, inspections, zoning and land use permits, sign permits and commercial changes of occupancy, and prepares cases for the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. It also runs the township’s rental program. The township names Carlisle/Wortman Associates as its planning consultant and Nowak & Fraus as its engineers.

Independence Township permit types

Paper forms cover each permit: residential and commercial building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications, a residential land use application, a commercial change of occupancy packet, fire alarm and suppression, permanent and temporary signs, and a request to extend a permit. The residential building form needs original signatures (faxed ones are refused), a scaled plot plan, and a job site that is marked.

Residential permits

• New homes and additions need copies of the builder’s license and driver’s license, two sets of plans, the Michigan energy worksheet and a scaled plot plan showing drainage, existing and proposed grades, septic and well, setbacks and existing buildings.
• Setbacks run 40 feet front, 50 rear and 10 side in R1A and R1B; 75, 50 and 10 in R1C; and 75, 75 and 50 in R1R (PUD, PRO, PRD and R2 lots differ).
• Pools follow the township’s required-inspections sheet and carry a bond.
• Basement finishes and decks have township detail sheets to attach.
• Subdivision lots: the form has a box for subdivision control committee approval, signed by the committee where a subdivision requires it, and asks for the lot or unit number.
• Code questions: the department posts a Michigan Residential Code reference guide, updated in January 2026, alongside its deck construction guide.

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

Commercial permits

A commercial application goes in with two sets of sealed plans and one electronic copy, a scaled site plan, the county driveway or MDOT permit, the sewer and water or septic and well permit, the county soil erosion permit and the plan review fee, unless a pre-construction meeting is required first. The township puts the commercial process at about three to four weeks; plans must follow the fire department’s recommendations and barrier-free rules.

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

• Septic and wells. On unsewered lots the Oakland County Health Division (1200 N. Telegraph Rd., Bldg. 34 East, Pontiac; 248-858-1280) issues the permits, and its acceptance letters are needed before a certificate of occupancy; septic fields must be 100 feet from water. Sewered lots need a tap from the township’s Department of Public Works.
• Driveways. A Road Commission for Oakland County driveway permit is needed on public roads, not on private ones.
• Soil erosion. The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner issues these permits here, for earth changes over 1 acre or more than 225 square feet within 500 feet of a lake, stream, wetland or drain (248-858-5389).
• Planning Commission and ZBA. The commission meets at 6:00 p.m. on the second Thursday (the fourth Thursday held in reserve), and the ZBA at 6:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday, both at 6483 Waldon Center Drive with a Microsoft Teams option.

Independence Township permit costs and fees

The Building Department Fee Schedule posted as the 2025 fee schedule (last revised January 2025) sets every charge. Each application carries a non-refundable application fee that is not credited to the permit fee, and most permits require a refundable performance bond.

Worked example: a $20,000 interior remodel is $150 + $10 × 19, or $340, plus the $100 application fee and a $500 bond. A new 2,000-square-foot house is $300 + $0.75 × 2,000, or $1,800, plus the $300 application fee and a $750 bond, before the electrical ($275 for 1,501 to 2,000 square feet), plumbing ($300) and furnace ($200) permits. Permits cancelled in writing before work starts are refunded at 70%, with at least $75 kept; nothing is refunded after six months.

Trade permits and who may pull them

All three trades are issued and inspected by the township, on separate residential or commercial applications. Licensed electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors can also apply and book inspections on BS&A Online after getting a PIN from the department; the online system is open to them only.

• New-home trade fees are set by floor area: electrical runs from $250 (up to 1,500 square feet) to $650 (4,001 to 5,000), and plumbing from $265 to $600 over the same ranges. Smaller jobs are itemized, with a $100 minimum for electrical and mechanical permits.
• Registration. Contractors register with the township; the schedule lists $24 for residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors and $15 for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, refrigeration, fire alarm and sign contractors. Builders attach a copy of the builder’s license and a driver’s license to each application.
• Owners. The residential form has a homeowner section and asks for contractor details only when a contractor is used, along with the contractor’s federal employer number, workers’ compensation carrier and MESC employer number, or the reason for an exemption.
• Refrigerants. Installers of systems using A2L refrigerants file the township’s 2026 installation and testing affidavit.

How to apply for an Independence Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The township’s clock starts only when every document is in: it then approves or denies a residential application, in whole or in part, within 10 business days, or 15 for a particularly complicated building, as Section 11(1) of 1972 PA 230 requires. Missing county permits, an unsealed plan for a large house, faxed signatures and an unmarked site are the common holdups. Changes after approval cost $150 to review, and starting work early costs at least $250.

Inspections and certificates in Independence Township

Licensed trade contractors book inspections on BS&A Online; everyone else arranges them with the department on 248-625-8111, option 1. Each permit includes a set number of inspections (11 for a new house or addition, 6 for an alteration, 5 for an accessory building), and each one beyond that is $75, or $50 if paid when the permit is issued. A failed inspection is also $75.

A permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days, and it is closed if no inspection is requested and made within 180 days; the township has a request-to-extend form. For a house on a private well or septic system, the certificate of occupancy waits for the Oakland County Health Division’s acceptance letters, a rule in place since July 1, 2005. A temporary certificate costs $100 plus $75 for the final inspection, then $100 a month for a house ($200 for commercial) until the final certificate, backed by a bond of at least $1,000.

Michigan building code in Independence Township

The Statewide Jurisdiction List (rev. November 6, 2026) shows Independence Township enforcing all four parts of the state code locally and Oakland County with no county program. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Township of Independence (community 260475) as a National Flood Insurance Program participant, with its current flood map dated September 29, 2006; the residential form asks whether the property has bodies of water, flood plains, wetlands or easements.

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

Independence Township permit search and official resources

Property and permit information for the township is on BS&A Online. To obtain copies of permits, plans or inspection records, send a Freedom of Information Act request to the Township Clerk’s Office, which acts as the FOIA coordinator; the forms and the township’s FOIA policy are on the clerk’s page. The department also posts monthly building activity reports.

• Independence Township Building, Planning & Zoning
• Building permit and setback requirements
• Printable building forms
• 2025 building department fee schedule
• Residential building permit application
• Residential land use application (under 200 sq ft)
• Accessory buildings and structures
• Well and septic approval before occupancy
• Planning Commission
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• BS&A Online for Independence Township
• FOIA requests (Township Clerk)
• Oakland County Environmental Health
• Oakland County soil erosion permits
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Independence Township building permit FAQs

Can I submit a building permit online in Independence Township?

No. Building applications are accepted in person or by U.S. mail; only licensed electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors use BS&A Online.

How long does residential plan review take?

10 business days after every document is received, or 15 for a particularly complicated one; commercial permits take about three to four weeks.

What does a new house permit cost?

$300 plus $0.75 per square foot, with a $300 application fee and a $750 bond; trade permits are extra.

Do I need a permit for a small shed?

A residential structure under 200 square feet needs a land use permit; larger buildings need a building permit within the lot-size limits.

Who handles permits in Clarkston?

Clarkston has its own program on the state list; this department covers the rest of the township.

When does the Zoning Board of Appeals meet?

At 6:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month at 6483 Waldon Center Drive.

What happens if I start without a permit?

The township charges $250 or double the permit fee, whichever is greater.

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