Iosco County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Iosco County runs a county construction code program. The Iosco County Building Department (Department of Building and Safety Inspection) at 420 W. Lake Street, Tawas City (989-362-6511; Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) issues building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and soil erosion permits for East Tawas, Tawas City, Whittemore and 10 of the 11 townships, including Oscoda, the county’s largest community. Plainfield Township runs its own building department in Hale. Owners first need a land use permit from their township, and county permit fees can be paid online.

What requires a building permit in Iosco County?

The county’s building application covers new site-built homes, garages, decks, additions, alterations, commercial buildings, mobile and manufactured home set-ups and state-approved modular homes, with separate demolition and store-front applications. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work always needs its own permit; the county’s requirements sheet says those permits are not included in the building permit.

Starting work before a permit is issued carries a $100 violation penalty fee under the county’s 2026 trade applications, and continued violations are reported to the state licensing agency. The application also asks whether the site is within 500 feet of a lake, stream or waterway and whether it is in a flood zone.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The construction codes are written by the state; Iosco County enforces them wherever a local unit has not chosen to do so itself, which in this county leaves only Plainfield Township with its own program. The county building page describes its Building Division as enforcing building codes and zoning ordinances and keeping construction records; for a new home, though, its requirements sheet sends owners to their township for the land use permit. The county also runs an address ordinance (2018) and is the soil erosion permit office. Michigan counties have no unincorporated land, and Iosco County is not itself an NFIP flood insurance community; each township and city joins the flood program on its own.

Iosco County building department: who handles permitting

The state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes, rev. Nov. 6, 2026) shows Iosco County as the enforcing agency for all four codes in every city and township except Plainfield Township, which is listed as local for all four. The county’s own contact sheet says the same: Plainfield Township’s building department, 415 E. Main St., Hale (989-728-2811), is the one local building unit not under county jurisdiction. Paul Olmstead is the county’s Building Department Administrator; the department page lists his office hours as Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to noon.

The county had about 25,270 residents in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate). To find which office applies, check the township or city on the tax bill or the county’s FetchGIS map; Plainfield Township’s own office is in Hale. The county’s zoning administrators sheet lists zoning contacts for the townships and East Tawas, and an Equalization number (989-984-1111) for parcel questions.

Iosco County permit types

The Building Department posts its forms online: the building permit application (October 2025), separate electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications (June 2026), a demolition and store-front application, the contractor registration form, a soil erosion application packet, an address application and handouts on decks, stairs, pole buildings, well location and HUD-code homes.

Residential permits

For a house, the county wants two complete sets of plans: a site plan, a floor plan with the square footage of each level, the garage, bonus rooms, decks and porches, front, side and rear elevations, a foundation plan with walkout details, window and door sizes and a cross-section. Mobile and manufactured home set-ups and modular homes are separate improvement types on the application, and the county’s HUD home handout covers single-wide and sectional homes. Decks, stairs and pole buildings can be drawn from the county’s residential deck and stair specification sheets and its pole-building cross-section. Every job site must show its address at the entrance; without it, the county warns of possible extra inspection charges. Demolition and store-front projects have their own separate building application on the county’s forms page.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings use the same application, which records the type of frame, foundation, sewage and water supply, heating fuel and proposed use. Electrical plans and specifications must be submitted when the system is over 400 amps and the building exceeds 3,500 square feet, and the application has a section for the architect or engineer’s name and license number. The fee lines on the application show that plan review is billed separately from the building permit.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit filing through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Township land use permit. Each township issues its own land use or zoning permit; the county’s zoning administrators sheet gives the contact for each.
• Address. A parcel without an address needs an address application to the county under its 2018 address ordinance.
• Septic and well. District Health Department #2, in the same county building at 420 W. Lake Street, issues these, and the county posts guidance on well location.
• Soil erosion. The county Building Department issues soil erosion permits; its packet asks for a construction schedule and the temporary and permanent erosion controls, such as silt fence, stone entrance drives, seed and mulch.
• State permits. For state environmental permits, the county’s contact sheet lists the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) at 989-894-6200.

Iosco County permit costs and fees

Iosco County does not publish its permit fee schedule online. The building application has separate lines for the building permit, plan review and soil erosion fees, which the department fills in, and permit fees can then be paid online through GovPayNow or at the office. Call (989) 362-6511 for a quote. The fees the county does print are:

In Plainfield Township, fees are set by the township’s own building department. Septic and well permit fees are District Health Department #2’s, and road right-of-way work is handled by the Iosco County Road Commission.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are county permits everywhere except Plainfield Township, each on its own 2026 application.

• Contractors list their license number and expiry, and the county keeps a contractor registration file: its registration form asks for licenses, mechanical license classes, workers’ compensation and liability insurance, with copies of all licenses and insurance.
• Homeowners sign a homeowner affidavit. The electrical version certifies that the owner will install the work personally in the home they live in or are about to occupy and will arrange the inspections; the newer Section 23a affidavit adds that the owner is not in the business of building for others and takes responsibility for all work under the permit.
• Hired help: the affidavit says an owner may hire licensed contractors for parts of the job but must make sure they are licensed and insured.
• Unlicensed contractors: the county posts a warning to owners about hiring unlicensed contractors.

How to apply for a building permit in Iosco County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county does not publish review times. Its application has a section where the department records whether zoning, septic, soil erosion and flood zone approvals are required and approved, so a missing township land use permit or health department permit is the most common reason a file waits. Incomplete plan sets, such as a floor plan without the square footage of each level or a foundation plan without walkout details, and missing window and door U-value sheets also hold permits. Building in a mapped floodplain adds an elevation certificate step during construction.

Inspections and certificates in Iosco County

Call (989) 362-6511 with the permit number, the inspection wanted, the date and how to get in. Requests must reach the office by 8:30 a.m. on the requested date, and each trade has set inspection days:

• Footings: call 24 hours before concrete; rebar in the footing must be tied together and inspected as the grounding electrode before the pour.
• Floodplain homes: a sealed as-built elevation of the lowest floor is required when that floor is placed, before further vertical work.
• Before concrete: underground plumbing before trenches are backfilled, underground ductwork or radiant tubing before slabs are poured, and poured-wall or ICF reinforcing before the walls are filled.
• Electrical service once the meter base and panel are set and grounded; it can be combined with the rough electrical inspection.
• Foundation and backfill for basements and crawlspaces, after damp-proofing and drainage, then rough-in for each trade (with a duct tightness test where ducts run outside the insulated envelope) and building framing with truss specs; a garage needs a framing inspection only if it will be finished.
• Insulation after all trade roughs pass and before interior finishes.
• Final occupancy: all work complete and approved, blower door test results provided and whole-house mechanical ventilation installed.

Permits lapse if work does not start within 180 days of issue or stops for 180 days; extensions must be requested in writing, and the fee depends on how many inspections remain.

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

Iosco County permit search and official resources

The county does not post a public permit search; call the Building Department for permit status. Copies of permits, plans and inspection records are requested under the Freedom of Information Act using the county’s FOIA Request for Public Records form for departments other than the sheriff, dispatch and prosecutor; the county also posts its public summary of FOIA procedures, cost itemization and appeal forms.

• Iosco County Building Department
• Building forms and documents
• Residential building permit requirements
• Building permit application (Oct. 2025)
• Electrical permit application (June 2026)
• When to call for inspections
• Soil erosion application packet
• Township zoning administrators and other contacts
• Contractor registration form
• Iosco County FOIA requests
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)

Iosco County building permit FAQs

Does Iosco County issue building permits?

Yes. The county Building Department in Tawas City issues building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and soil erosion permits in all three cities and every township except Plainfield.

Who issues permits in Oscoda?

Iosco County. Oscoda Charter Township is under the county program, so building and trade permits come from 420 W. Lake Street, Tawas City; the land use permit comes from the township.

Who issues permits in Hale or Plainfield Township?

Plainfield Township’s own building department at 415 E. Main St., Hale (989-728-2811), for parcels in the township.

How much does a building permit cost in Iosco County?

The county does not post its fee schedule; call (989) 362-6511 for a quote. Starting work before the permit is issued adds a $100 penalty fee.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call (989) 362-6511 by 8:30 a.m. on the requested day. Building inspections run Monday and Wednesday, electrical Wednesday and Saturday, and mechanical and plumbing Wednesday.

Where do I get a septic or well permit in Iosco County?

From District Health Department #2, 420 W. Lake Street, Tawas City (989-362-6183), before the building permit.

Can a homeowner pull permits in Iosco County?

Yes, by signing the county’s homeowner affidavit for work on the home they own and live in or will occupy, taking responsibility for all work under the permit.

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