Isabella County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Isabella County runs a county construction code program through its Community Development Department, Room 105, 200 N. Main Street, Mt. Pleasant (989-317-4061; weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). It issues building permits for Broomfield, Chippewa, Coe, Coldwater, Denver, Gilmore, Isabella, Lincoln, Nottawa, Sherman, Vernon and Wise townships and the villages of Lake Isabella, Rosebush and Shepherd, and electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits there and in the City of Mt. Pleasant and Union Township, which issue their own building permits. Deerfield, Fremont and Rolland townships run all four codes themselves. Under the schedule effective August 1, 2026, every county permit carries a $75 administration fee.

What requires a building permit in Isabella County?

The county’s building FAQ says a permit is needed for any construction that physically changes or adds structure to a property. Its examples are additions, decks, siding, re-roofing, remodeling with structural changes, egress windows, sheds, garages, pole buildings, moving or demolishing a structure, temporary structures, signs, repairs after fire or storm damage and any change in the use of a building. Separate electrical, mechanical or plumbing permits are needed whenever one of those systems is installed, enlarged, altered, repaired, removed, converted or replaced.

The exemptions cover the building permit only; a zoning permit may still be needed before any building or structure is erected, moved, extended or enlarged.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The codes are state codes. The county decides how it administers them in the units it serves: its fee schedule, its refund and extension rules, and its Construction Board of Appeals. Its Planning and Zoning division also administers and enforces the Isabella County Zoning Ordinance and supports the county Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. Michigan counties have no unincorporated land, and the county itself is not an NFIP community; Mt. Pleasant and Union Township each participate in the flood insurance program on their own.

Isabella 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 jurisdiction table agree. Steve Krotzer is the county’s Building Official.

The county had about 64,690 residents in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate). A sliver of the City of Clare (73 residents) lies in Isabella County, but the state lists Clare under Clare County with its own program. To find the right office, look up the parcel’s township, city or village on the county’s GIS map or tax bill.

In Mt. Pleasant, the city’s Building Safety department (Building Official Cory Donnell, 989-779-5301) issues building permits online through BS&A and sends applicants to the county for electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits. First-time BS&A users fill in the city’s contractor form and get a PIN from the department ((989) 779-5347), and projects that need construction plans or a site plan are reviewed by the city before the permit issues. The city also adopted the 2021 International Fire Code with appendices, in effect since April 23, 2026. Union Township’s Building Official is reached at (989) 772-4600, ext. 227, and the township likewise says all plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits are pulled with the county.

Isabella County permit types

The county posts separate applications for building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, each effective August 1, 2026, plus a plan review application, the agricultural structure affidavit, a refund policy and a pole barn design tool.

Residential permits

For a house or addition, the county may ask for a foundation plan, pier sizes, floor plans, a typical wall section, smoke detector and egress window locations, a completed energy code compliance sheet or REScheck, the sewage disposal and well permits, the zoning permit and a soil erosion permit. Mobile and manufactured homes have their own fees, with a separate foundation fee for piers or a crawl space. Siding, window and door replacement, residential demolition and re-roofing are flat-fee permits that do not need a certificate of occupancy.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and industrial work is valued from the same state square-foot cost table, with a commercial plan review fee based on valuation and a trade plan review charge for each trade. Plans go through the county’s plan review application process. Wind turbines are permitted at $10 per linear foot from grade to hub, plus an escrow for third-party technical review.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Address. A parcel without an address applies to Community Development with its tax ID, the street name and direction and a measurement from the nearest side line to the driveway; a recent split needs the split record.
• Septic and well. New homes and commercial buildings need sewage disposal and well permits from the Central Michigan District Health Department (989-773-5921), which also requires an evaluation of the existing septic system for bedroom additions, for any addition on land zoned Lake Residential and whenever a mobile or modular home is moved.
• Soil erosion. Work within 500 feet of a lake, stream, river, creek, pond or county drain, or disturbing more than 1 acre, may need a permit from Community Development.
• Zoning permit. Where the county zoning ordinance applies, the zoning application needs the tax ID, legal description, address, septic approval, soil erosion permit, owner’s signature, a plot plan and any township split approval or new deed.

Isabella County permit costs and fees

The Community Development Department’s permit fee schedule took effect on August 1, 2026. The building fee is based on the total construction value, calculated from the state’s square-foot construction cost table (February 2022 figures) rather than the contract price; for a one- or two-family home of Type VB construction the table uses $150.87 per square foot, and unfinished basements $23.20.

Worked example. A new home whose square footage works out to a total construction value of $250,000 falls in the $100,001 to $500,000 band: $440 plus $2 for each of the 150 thousands over $100,000 ($300) gives a building fee of $740. Adding the $75 administration fee, $50 residential plan review and $25 certificate of occupancy brings the building permit to $890, before the separate electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits.

Trade permits start with their own $75 non-refundable administration fee; the electrical form, for example, adds $4 per circuit and a $70 final inspection, with $55 an hour for special inspection services.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are county permits in every unit except Deerfield, Fremont and Rolland townships, including in Mt. Pleasant and Union Township, where the building permit comes from the local office. The county has its own electrical inspector and a mechanical and plumbing inspector.

• Contractors give their license number and expiry, federal employer ID, workers’ compensation carrier and unemployment insurance number on the application.
• Property owners applying for their own work leave the contractor section blank, sign as the owner and give a driver’s license number.
• Homeowner builders: the county’s FAQ says a homeowner may obtain a building permit for the single-family home they will occupy and act as their own general contractor, but then carries all the liability a licensed contractor would, and the county cannot help with claims against an unlicensed contractor.
• Payment of all fees is due when you apply; checks may be made out to Isabella County.

How to apply for a building permit in Isabella County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county warns that most building permits cannot be issued at the time of application, because plans and the outside permits are checked first. The most common holdups are a missing sewage or well permit, a missing zoning permit or soil erosion permit, and incomplete plans. Applications must carry the correct property owner, address and tax ID; the county points applicants to its online parcel data to find the tax ID. Projects that need plan review go through the county’s plan review application before a permit is issued.

Inspections and certificates in Isabella County

To schedule an inspection, call (989) 317-4220 and leave your name, the job address, a phone number, the trade and type of inspection, the permit number, how to get into the building and any special instructions. The county says inspections should normally be done within 48 hours of scheduling and asks for at least 24 hours’ notice.

• Extra visits: each additional or repeat inspection costs $70.
• Permit life: an issued permit is extended automatically each time an inspection is completed; once expired, it can be extended within 30 days by written request and a $75 fee, and a closed permit requires a new one.
• Certificate of occupancy: after the plumbing, electrical, mechanical and building finals pass, request the certificate from the Building Official; pick it up at the Inspections Office or have it mailed, then move in.
• Appeals: code decisions can be taken to the county’s Construction Board of Appeals.

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

Isabella County permit search and official resources

The county does not post an online permit search; call Community Development at (989) 317-4061 for permit status. Copies of permits and inspection records are public records requested under the Freedom of Information Act through the county Administration department’s FOIA Requests page. Parcel numbers, owners and maps are on the county’s interactive GIS map.

• Isabella County Permits & Inspections
• Inspectors and how to schedule an inspection
• Building permits, jurisdiction and FAQ
• Permit process (address, septic, soil erosion, zoning)
• Permit fee schedule (effective Aug. 1, 2026)
• Application for building permit
• Application for electrical permit
• Permit documents and forms
• Planning and zoning
• City of Mt. Pleasant Building Safety
• Union Township building services
• Isabella County FOIA requests
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)

Isabella County building permit FAQs

Does Isabella County issue building permits?

Yes, in 12 townships and the villages of Lake Isabella, Rosebush and Shepherd. Mt. Pleasant, Union, Deerfield, Fremont and Rolland issue their own building permits.

Who issues electrical permits in Mt. Pleasant?

Isabella County. Mt. Pleasant’s Building Safety department issues the building permit, but electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits come from the county, and the same is true in Union Township.

How much is a building permit in Isabella County?

It depends on the construction value from the state cost table: for a $250,000 home, $740 plus the $75 administration fee, $50 plan review and $25 certificate of occupancy, or $890.

Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?

Not a building permit for a one-story detached shed of 200 square feet or less or a fence up to 6 feet, but check zoning before you build.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Isabella County?

Yes, for the single-family home they will occupy; the owner then takes on all the liability a contractor would.

How fast are inspections?

Usually within 48 hours of the request, with at least 24 hours’ notice; call (989) 317-4220.

What happens if I start without a permit?

All permit fees are doubled under the August 2026 fee schedule.

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