Kalamazoo Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

The Charter Township of Kalamazoo, a separate government from the City of Kalamazoo, sends all construction permits to the Kalamazoo Area Building Authority (KABA), 2322 Nazareth Road (269-216-9511), which reviews plans, issues building and trade permits and inspects. Applications can be filed online or on paper, and KABA then routes them to the township for zoning and other reviews. KABA prices most jobs at 0.39% of their value from the ICC valuation table, with minimums from $108 for smaller projects.

What requires a building permit in Kalamazoo Charter Township?

Between them, the township’s zoning FAQ and KABA’s “Who Do I Call” sheet give the clearest lines for common home projects. KABA’s application lists new buildings, additions, alterations, foundations, decks, detached garages and accessory buildings, manufactured homes, re-roofing, siding, pools, signs, fences and demolition.

A no-permit project still has to meet zoning setbacks, which are listed by district in Article 25 of the zoning ordinance. The township’s 2021 zoning fee list does carry a $100 zoning fee for residential accessory buildings of 200 square feet and under, so ask the zoning office before building a small shed close to a lot line.

What the township decides and what the state holds

The state writes the construction code and the township cannot change it. Under the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026), the township is a LOCAL program for all four codes and meets that duty through KABA, a joint construction code authority shared with Comstock, Pine Grove and Richland townships, the City of Parchment and the Village of Richland under the Urban Cooperation Act; Comstock has given notice that it will leave KABA on October 7, 2027. The township keeps zoning, site plans, home occupations, floodplain review and its rental home permit.

Kalamazoo Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

KABA is a separate legal body run by a board with one elected member from each partner community and one at-large member; its board meets on the third Tuesday of the month. Mike Alwine is KABA’s Building Official. Kalamazoo County runs no building program, and the City of Kalamazoo’s own building office does not serve township addresses.

KABA’s forms give its fax as 269-250-9078; the township FAQ prints 269-290-9078, so use the number on KABA’s own forms.

Kalamazoo Charter Township permit types

KABA takes building and demolition, electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications through online forms on its website or on printable PDFs, and the inspection request is online too. The township’s own applications cover zoning matters only.

Residential permits

• New homes and additions. Priced by square footage and use from the ICC valuation table; KABA posts cross-section drawings for a one-story house, an attached or detached garage and a pole barn to show the detail it expects.
• Remodels and basements. For a kitchen or bath, sketch where fixtures and appliances move and any added floor area; for a basement, sketch the finished area with all changes and measurements. Finished basements are valued at $74 per square foot.
• Pole barns and utility buildings are valued at $31.50 per square foot; covered decks, porches and unheated sunrooms use the utility rate.
• Pools, decks and demolition have flat fees or KABA guidance sheets, including pool bonding and deck construction handouts.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial applications give the construction type, use group and occupant load, and as-built plans are required before a certificate of occupancy on every commercial project. The township’s site plan fees start at $600 plus a $3,600 escrow for projects under six units or 1,500 square feet, and a pre-application conference with the township planner, zoning administrator and fire marshal costs $100 an hour during the planner’s office hours.

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 zoning review. Permits start at KABA and are routed to the township, which checks zoning, setbacks and any conditions; commercial work with no building permit needs a $100 zoning approval.
• Planning Commission and ZBA. The seven-member Planning Commission handles site plans, special uses and rezonings; the five-member Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances, which cost $600 plus a $500 escrow.
• Road right-of-way. Driveways, culverts and any work between the street edge and the property line need approval from the Road Commission of Kalamazoo County.
• Fill and floodplain. The township has a fill permit application and a $100 floodplain review fee.
• Septic and soil erosion. County permits apply on unsewered lots and larger earth changes; see the Kalamazoo County guide for those offices.

Kalamazoo Charter Township permit costs and fees

Building permit fees are KABA’s, under a schedule amended September 17, 2024 and in effect since October 1, 2024. Construction value is the square footage multiplied by the ICC Building Valuation Data rate for the use and type of construction; alterations that add no floor area are valued from a reasonable estimate, which KABA may ask you to back up with cost data. Each fee covers the required inspections and one re-inspection of each type.

Worked examples from the schedule: a 30 by 40 foot pole barn is 1,200 square feet × $31.50, a value of $37,800, so the fee is $37,800 × 0.0039, or $147.42; finishing 800 square feet of basement is valued at $59,200 and costs $230.88. KABA’s 2023 application form still mentions a $55 re-inspection fee; the 2024 schedule sets $60. $50 of a cancelled permit’s fee is kept. Township zoning fees are separate: $250 for a home occupation, $100 for a zoning verification letter and $120 for a two-year rental home permit, and work begun without a township permit is charged double.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are KABA permits, each with its own line-item fee list on the application. The electrical form charges a $50 non-refundable application fee that covers no inspections, $10 for a service up to 200 amps, $5 per circuit and $50 for each inspection, and the final inspection fee must be included with the application.

• Licensed contractors enter their state license number and expiry date; the electrical form repeats the license exemption for telecommunications firms working on their own systems, which does not cover fire alarms.
• Homeowners who live in the dwelling may obtain their own permits, KABA says, even when they hire a contractor, although it recommends that the contractor pull the permit. For electrical work the owner signs KABA’s homeowner affidavit: the work is installed by the owner in the home the owner lives in or is about to occupy, and nothing is covered or energized until the inspector approves it.
• Inspector days. KABA schedules building inspections Monday to Friday, electrical on Mondays and Wednesdays, mechanical Monday to Friday (Tuesday afternoons only) and plumbing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
• Other forms. KABA also posts a gas piping test affidavit and a residential energy worksheet among its printable forms.

How to apply for a Kalamazoo Charter Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

KABA says trade permits that need no plan review can usually be processed the day they arrive, while building permit applications may take 7 to 10 days to review. Applications are accepted in person, by mail, by fax, by email to permits@kaba-mi.org or through the online forms. Fees can be paid by card over the phone, or by cash, check or card at the office; card payments carry a charge of $3 per $100.

KABA’s application asks for the front, side and rear setbacks and a site plan showing every street name and the north arrow, and a project that cannot meet zoning needs a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Changes to approved plans mean as-built drawings before occupancy. A permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days of issue or stops for 180 days; KABA posts a permit extension request form.

Inspections and certificates in Kalamazoo Charter Township

Request inspections through KABA’s online form or by phone at least 24 hours ahead, giving the permit number, address and access instructions. KABA’s list of required inspections for new construction runs footing, rebar, foundation before backfill, radon or sub-slab, masonry, framing, energy compliance after insulation, and final.

• All electrical, mechanical and plumbing rough-ins must pass before the framing inspection, and trade finals before the building final.
• Pole barns and accessory buildings need footing and final inspections, and framing as well if the inside is finished.
• Decks need footing and final; pools need a final, with the electrical bonding inspection before any concrete slab is poured.
• Demolition needs proof that sewer or septic and water or well are disconnected, then a final.

Every KABA building permit ends in a certificate of occupancy. Before it is issued, all trade finals must pass, blower door results must be filed where they apply, the energy compliance sticker must be on the service panel, handrails, guards and smoke and CO alarms must be in place, and the address numbers must be at least 4 inches tall. Exterior footings must reach 42 inches below grade, except for freestanding accessory buildings with eaves no higher than 10 feet (up to 600 square feet if light-frame, 400 square feet otherwise) and decks not supported by the house. A temporary certificate needs working life-safety systems, one usable bathroom and kitchen, and a $1,000 bond.

KABA has a written temporary certificate of occupancy policy, and appeals of its decisions go to a Construction Board of Appeals on KABA’s application form.

Michigan building code in Kalamazoo Charter Township

The township enforces the state code through KABA for every trade. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Charter Township of Kalamazoo (community 260429) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community with flood maps effective July 31, 2024, and the township charges a $100 floodplain review.

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

Kalamazoo Charter Township permit search and official resources

Neither KABA nor the township offers a public permit search online. Permit files are KABA records: use KABA’s Freedom of Information Act request form to ask for copies of permits, plans or inspection results, and ask the township for zoning decisions and approvals.

• How do I obtain a building permit? (township)
• Township planning and zoning FAQs
• Township planning and zoning fee schedule
• Township planning and zoning applications
• Planning and Zoning department
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• KABA permits and forms
• KABA fee schedule (October 1, 2024)
• KABA: who do I call
• KABA list of required inspections
• KABA online inspection request
• KABA FOIA request form
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List

Kalamazoo Charter Township building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Kalamazoo Charter Township?

The Kalamazoo Area Building Authority (KABA), 2322 Nazareth Road, 269-216-9511, for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work.

Is Kalamazoo Township the same as the City of Kalamazoo?

No. The city runs its own building office; township addresses go to KABA and the township’s zoning office.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not under 200 square feet, per the township FAQ; above 200 square feet you need a KABA permit, and zoning setbacks apply either way.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

No permit for fences up to the 6-foot zoning limit; corner-lot fences sit 10 feet back on the side street.

How much does a pole barn permit cost?

KABA values pole barns at $31.50 per square foot and charges 0.39% of that value; a 1,200-square-foot barn is $147.42.

Can a homeowner do their own electrical work?

Yes, by signing KABA’s homeowner affidavit for the home they live in or are about to occupy, and passing the inspections.

Which days does KABA inspect plumbing?

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; electrical is Mondays and Wednesdays, and building inspections run every weekday.

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