Iron County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In Iron County, the county’s Construction Code office is the building department for all four cities, the Village of Alpha and all seven townships. From the second floor of the Courthouse Annex at 2 South 6th Street, Crystal Falls (general office (906) 875-3102), its building and electrical inspectors issue building and electrical permits and fire numbers, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to noon. Mechanical and plumbing permits are not county permits here: the state’s jurisdiction list sends them to the Bureau of Construction Codes. Since April 29, 2026 the same office is also the county’s soil erosion enforcing agency.

What requires a building permit in Iron County?

Iron County’s Construction Code office enforces the state building code and the state electrical code for every local unit, so new homes, garages, additions, alterations and commercial buildings need a county building permit, and wiring work needs a county electrical permit. Furnaces, ductwork, gas piping, water heaters and plumbing need state mechanical or plumbing permits instead. The county’s web pages do not post their own list of work that is exempt from permits, so ask the building inspector’s office ((906) 875-0601) before skipping a permit for a shed, fence or repair.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The construction codes are state codes. In Iron County the work is split by trade: the county took on building and electrical enforcement for every local unit, and the state kept mechanical and plumbing. Zoning is local to the townships and cities. The Board of Commissioners also chose the county’s soil erosion agency: Resolution 2026-007, adopted April 29, 2026, designates the Iron County Construction Code office as the enforcing agency under Part 91 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. Michigan counties have no unincorporated land, and Iron County itself is not an NFIP flood insurance community; local units join the flood program individually.

Iron County building department: who handles permitting

The state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes, rev. Nov. 6, 2026) gives the same answer for all 12 local units: building and electrical by Iron County, mechanical and plumbing by the state. The county’s own page says its building and electrical inspectors handle all the cities and townships.

The county had about 11,760 residents in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate). Because the answer is the same everywhere, the address only matters for zoning and for local services: the county posts a zoning contact sheet naming the zoning official for Bates, Crystal Falls, Iron River, Mansfield, Mastodon and Stambaugh townships and the cities of Caspian, Crystal Falls, Gaastra and Iron River. Parcel and ownership data are on the county’s GIS viewer and with the Equalization office.

In the county’s largest city, Iron River, the city’s Zoning Administrator at City Hall, 801 W. Adams Street (906-265-4719, zoning@ironriver.org), handles zoning approvals, setbacks and permitted uses and asks owners to call before starting construction, changing a property or opening a business; the city also has its own Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals, and its ordinances are published on Municode. The City of Crystal Falls has its own Planning Commission. Building and electrical permits in both cities still come from the county.

Iron County permit types

The Construction Code office handles building permits, electrical permits, fire numbers and soil erosion permits; ask the office for the current application forms, since the county site lists contacts rather than posting the forms.

Residential permits

• Building permits for houses, cabins, garages, additions and remodels come from the county building inspector.
• Electrical permits for new services, wiring and alterations come from the county electrical inspector, including in every city.
• Fire numbers: a new building on a parcel without an address gets its fire number from the same office during morning hours.
• Mechanical and plumbing: furnaces, boilers, ductwork, gas lines, water heaters, drains and water piping are permitted and inspected by the state, which the county’s contact sheet lists separately as the state plumbing and mechanical inspectors.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings follow the same split: the county issues the building and electrical permits and reviews the building and electrical side, while commercial mechanical and plumbing permits and inspections are the state’s. Larger projects that disturb soil also need the county’s soil erosion permit before earthwork begins. Mining-related questions go to the county’s Mine Inspector, a separate county office.

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. Clear the project with the township or city zoning official first; the county posts a contact sheet listing the zoning officials for six townships and the four cities.
• Septic and well. On a lot without public sewer or water, the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department takes sewage and well construction applications under its fee schedule and the Upper Peninsula environmental health code; it also handles land division reviews and evaluations for mortgages.
• Road work. Since March 17, 2025, every Iron County Road Commission permit, including culverts and work in the county road right-of-way such as driveways, must be filed through the Oxcart permit website.
• Drainage. The county board assigned the drain commissioner’s duties to the Road Commission, which reviews drainage problems, culvert placement and the drainage on plot plans with land surveyors, and checks court-set lake levels on Stager, Sunset and Fortune lakes.
• Soil erosion. The county Construction Code office is now the Part 91 enforcing agency, so earth changes that need a soil erosion permit are handled in the same building as the building permit.

Iron County permit costs and fees

Iron County does not post its building or electrical permit fees on its website; call the general office at (906) 875-3102 for a quote before you apply. Mechanical and plumbing permit fees are the state’s, because the state issues those permits here. The fees that are posted by other county offices include:

Sewage and well construction fees are set in the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department’s own application and fee schedule. Soil erosion permit fees are set by the county; ask the soil erosion inspector during the afternoon office hours.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Iron County splits the trades. The county’s electrical inspector issues and inspects electrical permits for every unit. Mechanical and plumbing permits are state permits throughout the county under the Statewide Jurisdiction List, so they are applied for with the Bureau of Construction Codes and inspected by state inspectors; the county’s contact sheet gives the bureau’s Lansing number, 517-241-9313.

• Electrical: apply to the county; the electrical inspector’s office is (906) 875-0607.
• Mechanical and plumbing: apply to the state, not the county, even inside Iron River or Crystal Falls.
• Owners doing their own work: ask the office that issues the permit, the county for building and electrical work or the state for mechanical and plumbing, how it handles a permit for an owner working on their own home.
• Combined jobs: a new house usually needs four permits from two agencies, building and electrical from the county and mechanical and plumbing from the state, so schedule inspections with both.

How to apply for a building permit in Iron County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Iron County’s permit counter is open only in the morning, and the soil erosion inspector keeps afternoon hours that depend on field work, so plan visits around those windows. Missing health department approval for a septic system or well, an unresolved zoning question, or a driveway permit that has not been filed in Oxcart will hold a new home. Remember the second agency: a county building permit does not cover the furnace or plumbing, and the state permits must be in place before that work is inspected.

Inspections and certificates in Iron County

Building and electrical inspections are made by the county’s own inspectors, who cover all the cities and townships; call the building inspector’s office ((906) 875-0601) or the electrical inspector’s office ((906) 875-0607) to book. Mechanical and plumbing rough and final inspections are made by the state inspectors who serve Iron County.

• Two schedules: coordinate the county building and electrical visits with the state mechanical and plumbing visits so walls are not closed before every trade has passed.
• Soil erosion: the county inspector checks erosion controls in the field, which is why the office keeps afternoon hours “pending any inspections”.
• Final approval: the building final comes after the trade finals; ask the building inspector what is needed before the home or business can be occupied.
• Heavy loads: builders moving heavy equipment should check road restrictions; since September 2, 2026 special overweight loads are no longer permitted across the Bates-Amasa Road bridge over the Paint River.

Road Commission hours change with the season: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central time Monday to Friday from November to April, and 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday from May to October.

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

Iron County permit search and official resources

The county does not post an online permit search; call the Construction Code office for the status of a building or electrical permit. Records such as permits and inspection reports can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act using the county’s FOIA Request for Records form, which is posted with its FOIA procedures and appeal forms. State-issued mechanical and plumbing permits are state records.

• Iron County Construction Code office
• Local zoning, state and other contacts (county sheet)
• Soil erosion enforcing agency Resolution 2026-007 (April 29, 2026)
• Iron County Road Commission permits and fees
• Dickinson-Iron District Health Department permits and evaluations
• City of Iron River Zoning Administrator
• Iron County FOIA requests
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)

Iron County building permit FAQs

Does Iron County issue building permits?

Yes. The county Construction Code office in the Courthouse Annex, Crystal Falls, issues building and electrical permits in every city, village and township in the county.

Who issues plumbing and mechanical permits in Iron County?

The state Bureau of Construction Codes, whose inspectors also make those inspections. The state’s jurisdiction list shows the state, not the county, for mechanical and plumbing in all 12 local units.

Who issues permits in Iron River?

The county, for building and electrical work, and the state for mechanical and plumbing. Zoning goes through the city.

When is the Construction Code office open?

For building permits and fire numbers, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to noon; the soil erosion inspector keeps hours from noon to 3:30 p.m., depending on inspections.

Who issues soil erosion permits in Iron County?

The Iron County Construction Code office, which the Board of Commissioners designated as the county enforcing agency on April 29, 2026.

How do I get a driveway or culvert permit?

Through the Iron County Road Commission’s Oxcart permit system; work in the county right-of-way, such as a driveway, is $25 per operation.

How do I get an address or fire number for a new building in Iron County?

From the county Construction Code office in the Courthouse Annex, which handles fire numbers along with building permits during its morning hours, 8 a.m. to noon on weekdays.

Where do I get a septic or well permit?

From the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department, whose Iron County office is at 1374 Commercial Avenue, Crystal Falls.

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