Mackinac County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Mackinac County has no construction code program of its own. Under the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List, the City of Mackinac Island, the City of St. Ignace and five townships (Clark, Hendricks, Marquette, Moran and Newton) issue their own building permits, while the state Bureau of Construction Codes handles building permits in the other six townships and nearly all electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits countywide. At county level, the LMAS District Health Department issues septic, well and soil erosion permits, and the Mackinac County Road Commission permits every driveway onto a county road.

What requires a building permit in Mackinac County?

The Michigan construction code applies on every parcel in the county; what changes from place to place is which office enforces it and what local zoning approval comes first. Because the state takes building permits in six townships and most trade permits everywhere, the first step on any job is to find the unit the parcel lies in and read its row in the table below.

The local units add their own rules. Mackinac Island’s 2026 fee schedule says a residential storage shed of up to 200 square feet needs no permit, prices roof and window replacements, and adds a $350 penalty for work done without a permit. Portage Township’s zoning permit form says an approved zoning application must be on file before any construction starts or any building permit is issued, with a sealed survey and three township inspections: when the building is staked, when the foundation excavation is complete and when construction is finished.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The county itself issues no building or trade permits. Its Planning Commission keeps the 2019 county master plan, its Equalization Department keeps property and parcel records, and its GIS is maintained with the Eastern U.P. Regional Planning & Development Commission. Zoning is handled by the cities and townships; the county site also hosts Garfield Township’s master plan and its zoning ordinance and maps (updated 2016). The state’s list marks Mackinac as having no county program, and for every unit or trade marked STATE, the Bureau of Construction Codes issues the permit and sends the inspector.

Mackinac County building department: who handles permitting

The Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026) splits the county’s two cities and eleven townships this way. LOCAL means the city or township’s own program; STATE means the Bureau of Construction Codes.

Marquette Township is a temporary exception: the state list says the Bureau of Construction Codes is providing building plan review, permits and inspections there from October 6 until December 6, 2026. The two cities are the largest units, with 2,351 people in St. Ignace and 617 on Mackinac Island in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimates.

To find which unit a parcel is in, look it up on the county’s BS&A property search or the Fetch GIS parcel viewer, or call Equalization. Township office addresses and phones are on the county’s Townships page.

Mackinac County permit types

Because the county has no building department, the permit forms belong to the units and the state. Mackinac Island’s Building & Zoning page shows the usual pattern for a city with a local building program: the city’s own building permit and zoning applications, with links to the state’s electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit applications and the mailing addresses of the Bureau’s divisions in Lansing.

Residential permits

• Where the unit is LOCAL for building: apply to the city or township for the building permit after its zoning approval; then apply to the state for each trade permit the table marks STATE.
• Where everything is STATE (Bois Blanc, Brevort, Portage and St. Ignace townships): get any township zoning approval, then apply to the Bureau of Construction Codes for the building permit and each trade permit.
• Garfield and Hudson townships: the state issues the building, mechanical and plumbing permits, but the township issues the electrical permit.
• Newton Township: the township issues building and electrical permits; mechanical and plumbing go to the state.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects follow the same split, with the added zoning steps the local unit requires. On Mackinac Island, a zoning action (standard permit, special land use, planned unit development, variance or rezoning) needs the fee and five copies of the application and plans filed with the Zoning Administrator 14 days before the Planning Commission meeting, along with answers on any condominium association, historic district and FAA-regulated airspace; the city charges commercial building fees by construction cost.

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

• Local zoning: the city or township zoning permit or approval. Where zoning approval applies, LMAS will not issue a septic or well permit without it.
• Septic and well: LMAS District Health Department permits under the Upper Peninsula Environmental Health Code. Allow at least two weeks; the applicant digs at least two test holes 2 feet square and 6 feet deep (or to water, rock or clay) and schedules the site visit. A septic system may be installed by an LMAS-licensed installer or the owner; a well by a state-registered driller or the owner at a primary residence.
• Soil erosion: LMAS enforces Part 91 in Mackinac County; a permit is needed for earth changes within 500 feet of a lake or stream or of one acre or more, and a waiver can be granted on a signed affidavit for disturbance under 225 square feet that will not send sediment into water.
• Driveways and road work: any work in a county road right-of-way needs a Mackinac County Road Commission permit; unpermitted work is removed at the owner’s or contractor’s expense.

Mackinac County permit costs and fees

There is no county building fee schedule. Building fees are set by the unit that issues the permit, or by the state where the Bureau issues it, so a Mackinac Island permit and a Brevort Township permit for the same house are priced under different schedules. The county-level fees that apply across units are the Road Commission’s, approved on August 13, 2024; Mackinac Island’s 2026 schedule is shown as an example of a local program.

Worked examples from the Island’s schedule: a 500-square-foot remodel is 500 × $0.35, or $175, and a $200,000 commercial job is $1,287 plus 100 × $9, or $2,187. The commercial bands do not join up exactly at their edges, so price a job only within the band its cost falls in.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Across most of the county, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits come from the state. The only local trade programs on the state list are electrical: Newton, Garfield and Hudson townships issue their own electrical permits. Everywhere else, and for every mechanical and plumbing permit in the county, the Bureau of Construction Codes issues the permit and its inspector does the inspection; Mackinac Island’s page links the state application for each trade and gives the divisions’ Lansing mailing addresses.

The trades themselves are licensed by the state: electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors hold state licenses, and residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors are licensed by LARA. For an owner-pulled trade permit, follow the issuing agency’s own application rules, and ask the Bureau or the township electrical program before you apply. On the health side, LMAS lets an owner install their own septic system, or construct their own well at a primary residence, under its permit.

How to get a building permit in Mackinac County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

With this many splits, check the table before filing, especially in Garfield and Hudson townships, where the building permit and the electrical permit come from different agencies. LMAS returns incomplete septic and well applications and needs a letter of authorization when someone files for the owner. On Mackinac Island, zoning applications are due 14 days before the Planning Commission meeting, and a permit not substantially started within a year or finished within 18 months goes back to the Planning Commission to be extended or revoked.

Inspections in Mackinac County

The office that issued a permit inspects the work. Local building programs inspect their own building permits; the state’s inspectors cover the STATE permits, including all mechanical and plumbing work in the county; and Newton, Garfield and Hudson townships inspect the electrical permits they issue. Ask each office how to book: the state issues its permits and inspections through the Bureau’s divisions, and a township or city program sets its own call-in rules.

Zoning has its own inspections in some units. Portage Township checks the staked site before excavation, the foundation excavation and the finished building; Mackinac Island’s Zoning Administrator inspects on completion before an occupancy permit may be issued. LMAS sanitarians visit the site for septic, well and soil erosion permits.

Michigan building code in Mackinac County

With no county program, the state codes are applied by seven local building programs and by the Bureau of Construction Codes, and no unit can amend them. Flood insurance works the same way: FEMA’s Community Status Book lists no Michigan county as a participating community, because each city and township joins the National Flood Insurance Program on its own, so ask the local unit about flood maps for a shoreline or riverside parcel.

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

Mackinac County permit search and official resources

Records sit with whoever issued the permit: the city or township building office, the Bureau of Construction Codes for state permits, LMAS for septic, well and soil erosion files, and the Road Commission for right-of-way permits. Parcel ownership and tax records are on the county’s BS&A property search, and parcel maps on Fetch GIS through Equalization.

• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List
• Mackinac County townships directory
• Mackinac County cities directory
• Portage Township zoning permit application
• Mackinac County Planning Commission
• Mackinac County Equalization
• Mackinac County GIS and parcel search
• Mackinac County BS&A property search
• Road Commission permits and fees
• Road Commission permit fee schedule
• LMAS on-site sewage program
• LMAS residential septic and well application
• LMAS soil erosion permits
• LMAS offices and hours
• City of Mackinac Island Building & Zoning
• Mackinac Island forms and state trade permit links
• Mackinac Island 2026 license and permit fees
• Mackinac Island zoning application

Mackinac County building permit FAQs

Does Mackinac County issue building permits?

No. The state lists no county program; permits come from the city or township, or from the state Bureau of Construction Codes.

Who issues building permits in St. Ignace?

The City of St. Ignace runs its own building program; St. Ignace Township is a separate unit where the state issues all permits.

Who issues electrical permits in Mackinac County?

The state, except in Newton, Garfield and Hudson townships, which issue their own.

Who handles septic and well permits?

The LMAS District Health Department, Mackinac County office at 749 Hombach Street, St. Ignace, which also runs soil erosion permits.

Do I need a permit for a driveway onto a county road?

Yes, from the Mackinac County Road Commission; a residential approach is $55.

Who issues permits in Marquette Township right now?

The state is providing the township’s building plan review, permits and inspections from October 6 until December 6, 2026; trade permits are the state’s in any case.

Does a shed need a permit on Mackinac Island?

Not if it is no more than 200 square feet, under the city’s 2026 fee schedule.

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