Ionia County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Ionia County runs its own construction code program. The Ionia County Building Department, on the second floor of the Health and Human Services Building at 175 E. Adams Street, Ionia (616-527-5374; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., open through lunch, with an after-hours drop box), takes in and issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits for the cities of Ionia and Belding, all seven villages and all 16 townships. The county contracts with Associated Government Services, Inc. for plan review, inspections and code enforcement. Residential trade permits are priced per inspection, starting at $96.

What requires a building permit in Ionia County?

The county’s 2025 building permit application lists the work it covers: new buildings, additions, alterations, attached garages and accessory buildings, decks, siding, re-roofing, swimming pools, manufactured homes, foundation-only permits, demolition and fences over 7 feet tall, for both residential and commercial projects. Separate permits are needed for electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, residential or commercial.

Plans are needed for most work. A design professional’s seal is not required for one- and two-family dwellings under 3,500 square feet, while commercial plans must be sealed. The county’s pages do not publish a separate list of exempt work, so ask the Building Department about small sheds or repairs before you start.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The construction codes are state codes; Ionia County administers them for every unit except Portland, and has done so for the City of Ionia since January 11, 2010, when the city transferred its building, mechanical, plumbing and electrical enforcement to the county. Zoning stays local: the county program does not issue zoning approval, which comes from the township, village or city. Michigan counties have no unincorporated land, and Ionia County is not an NFIP flood insurance community; each local unit joins the flood program itself.

Ionia County building department: who handles permitting

The state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes, rev. Nov. 6, 2026) shows Ionia County as the enforcing agency for all four codes in every local unit except the City of Portland, which runs its own program for all four. The county’s building page says the same.

The county had about 66,560 residents in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate). To tell which office handles an address, check the township, village or city on the tax bill or the county’s tax parcel viewer: Portland city addresses go to the city, while Portland Township addresses outside the city use the county. Zoning is a separate question; the county’s permit packet lists zoning contacts for Boston, Danby and Keene, Orange, Orleans and Otisco townships, Portland Township, the villages of Clarksville, Lake Odessa, Pewamo and Saranac, and the City of Ionia, and an older checklist adds the City of Belding.

In the City of Portland, the city contracts with Municipal Inspection Services of Grand Ledge for state-certified building, mechanical, electrical and plumbing inspectors and permit administration (517-622-8822); applications and inspection requests go through that firm, payments go to Portland City Hall at 259 Kent Street, and the city itself handles zoning, fence and right-of-way permits.

Ionia County permit types

The Building Department posts one building permit application for residential and commercial work, separate residential and commercial electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications, a permit application checklist, a residential driveway application, sample drawings (foundation details for modular and HUD homes, a house cross-section, framed and pole garages) and a “Show On Plans” checklist.

Residential permits

A house application needs three full sets of plans plus one digital set, the energy compliance worksheet, a site plan or lot diagram, and copies of the driveway, water and sewer or well and septic, soil erosion and zoning approvals. The lot diagram must show distances from property lines, the road right-of-way and easements. Decks need a floor plan, an elevation, a cross-section from footing to top and a post-to-girder connection detail. HUD-code and modular homes use the county’s sample foundation and pier drawings.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects use the same building application with three sets of plans sealed by a design professional, plus a digital set, and the same outside approvals. Commercial electrical, mechanical and plumbing work uses the commercial versions of the trade forms, and plans submitted for review carry a plan review fee.

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 approval. All zoned areas must approve the project before the permit is submitted; contact the township, village or city zoning official.
• Well and septic. The permit packet lists Ionia County Environmental Health for well and septic permits, and the City of Ionia and the Clarksville-Morrison Lake sewer system for water and sewer in their service areas.
• Driveways and road work. The Ionia County Road Department takes every right-of-way permit, including driveways and culverts, through the Oxcart online system and emails approved applicants a link to pay by card.
• Soil erosion. The 2025 permit packet sends applicants to the Building Department for a soil erosion permit when work is within 500 feet of water.
• Floodplain and wetlands. State approval from EGLE or the DNR comes first for any building in a floodplain.
• Airport zoning. Near the county airport, the height of the structure decides whether an airport zoning permit is needed.
• Address number. The county’s checklist asks for documentation of the address from the Ionia County Department of Equalization, so a new parcel needs its number assigned before the permit.

Ionia County permit costs and fees

The county does not publish a building permit fee schedule online; the building application says the applicant pays all fees for the permit, and the office calculates them. Residential trade fees are printed on the 2025 application forms:

Worked example. Trade permits for a new house without underground electrical work total $288 for electrical, $384 for mechanical and $384 for plumbing, or $1,056, before the building permit fee, which the office quotes.

Road Department permits follow its fee schedule approved July 22, 2025: $50 for a new residential or farm driveway or a change to one, $400 for a commercial driveway or road approach and $50 for a temporary drive. Overhead or underground utility work is $300, a road bore $200, and a road cut $200 in gravel or $300 in asphalt. Work done without a road permit can be charged up to five times the normal fee, capped at $5,000.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are county permits everywhere except the City of Portland, and the contracted inspector, Associated Government Services, Inc., reviews and inspects the work. Each trade has residential and commercial applications.

• Contractors enter their state license number, expiry date and insurance details on the form.
• Homeowners may sign the owner statement on the residential trade forms, certifying that they own and live in (or will occupy) the home, will do the work themselves and will not let anyone else do any of it.
• Plans are required for a dwelling of 3,500 square feet or more, filed with an Application for Plan Examination and fee; mechanical plans are not needed for one- and two-family homes with heating and cooling input of 375,000 Btu or less.
• Inspections are bought in units: the permit price depends on how many inspections the job needs, so choose the line on the form that matches the work.

How to apply for a building permit in Ionia County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county does not post review times. The checklist must be complete and returned with the application before a permit can be issued, so the usual delays come from missing outside approvals: zoning sign-off from a local official, a driveway permit from the Road Department or a well and septic permit. Projects in a floodplain wait on EGLE or DNR approval, and taller structures near the airport may need an airport zoning permit. Plans for large homes and commercial work go through plan review by the contracted inspector before issue. If a project stalls, the county posts a permit extension form.

Inspections and certificates in Ionia County

Inspections are requested through the Building Department’s inspection request line, (616) 527-5367, and carried out by Associated Government Services, Inc. for the county. Trade permits are priced by the number of inspections bought, so a new house’s plumbing and mechanical permits each include several visits, and a special or safety inspection is $96.

• Trade stages include underground work where the form says so, rough-in and final.
• Extensions: use the county’s permit extension form before a permit lapses.
• Complaints: the county takes building complaints on its own form, and the contracted inspector handles code enforcement issues.
• Appeals: disputes over code decisions go to the Construction Board of Appeals, which has its own application.

Ask the Building Department when you apply which inspections your permit includes and what the inspector needs to see at the final inspection before a building is occupied.

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

Ionia County permit search and official resources

Ionia County does not post a public permit search; call the Building Department at (616) 527-5374 for permit status. Records requests go to the county under the Freedom of Information Act by mail, fax, email or hand delivery, addressed to the FOIA Coordinator, Ionia County Administration Office, 3rd Floor Courthouse, 100 W. Main St., Ionia (fax 616-527-5380); the county asks requesters to use its FOIA request form. Parcel numbers are on the county’s tax parcel viewer.

• Ionia County Building Department
• Building permit application and checklists (2025)
• Residential electrical permit form
• Residential mechanical permit form
• Residential plumbing permit form
• Ionia County Road Department permits (Oxcart)
• Road Department permit fee schedule (July 22, 2025)
• Ionia County tax parcel viewer
• Ionia County FOIA requests
• City of Portland building, trade and zoning permits
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)

Ionia County building permit FAQs

Does Ionia County issue building permits?

Yes. The county Building Department issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits in every township, village and city except the City of Portland.

Who issues permits in the City of Ionia and Belding?

Ionia County. The City of Ionia moved its building and trade code enforcement to the county on January 11, 2010, and the state list shows Belding under the county as well.

Who issues permits in Portland?

The City of Portland enforces all four codes itself through its contractor, Municipal Inspection Services (517-622-8822). Portland Township, outside the city, uses the county.

How much does an electrical permit cost in Ionia County?

On the 2025 residential form, $96 for a single inspection, $192 for an addition or remodel, and $288 for a new house ($384 with underground work).

Can a homeowner pull a trade permit in Ionia County?

Yes. The residential trade forms include a statement for an owner who lives in or will occupy the home and does all the work personally.

Do I need a driveway permit?

On county roads, yes, from the Ionia County Road Department through the Oxcart system; a new residential driveway permit is $50.

Who does the building inspections?

Associated Government Services, Inc., under contract with the Ionia County Board of Commissioners, reviews plans and does the inspections; book them on (616) 527-5367.

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