Macomb Township, at about 95,100 residents in 2025, added more people between 2020 and 2025 than any other community in Macomb County, and it is a general law township rather than a charter township. That does not change the code route — it administers and enforces the state code itself — but it does change how the unit is named on paperwork.
The Building Department inspects any construction for which a permit is taken out in the township, covering building, plumbing, heating and electrical work. Where you are unsure whether a permit has been taken out, or whether one is required, the department asks to be contacted rather than guessed at.
This guide covers Macomb Township. Clinton Charter Township, Shelby Charter Township and the other Macomb County communities each permit separately, and Macomb County itself does not permit here.
Zoning compliance comes before occupancy, on six triggers. Macomb Township requires that any structure or premises to be occupied, reoccupied, created, erected, changed or converted must first be issued a certificate of zoning compliance. Reoccupation and conversion are on that list alongside erection, so a tenant change or a use change needs the certificate just as a new building does.
What requires a building permit in Macomb Township?
Permit required
- New commercial, multi-family and residential construction, additions and change of occupancy
- Structural alterations, load-bearing changes, foundations, decks and retaining walls
- Electrical work — services, panels, circuits, solar and EV charging — under the electrical part of the state code and the referenced National Electrical Code
- Plumbing work under the plumbing part of the state code, pulled by a state-licensed plumbing contractor; gas piping under the mechanical code
- Mechanical and HVAC change-outs, and work affecting the energy code envelope
- Re-roofing (ordinary repairs excepted), pools, signs, and demolition
Often exempt
- Minor repairs and maintenance replacing materials in kind
- Small accessory structures below the code threshold, where zoning allows
- Painting, flooring, cabinetry and other finish work
- Like-for-like fixture or appliance swaps with no alteration to wiring or piping
The code is the same statewide, but fee schedules, procedures and the choice of third-party agency differ from one municipality to the next, so an exempt list from a neighbouring township is not reliable. An exemption from a building permit is never an exemption from zoning, the energy code, or an electrical or plumbing permit. Confirm scope with the Macomb Township Building Department before work starts.
Local rules worth knowing
On lots of 10,000 square feet or less in the AG, R-1, R-1-S and R-1-E districts, the township caps detached accessory buildings at 12 feet in height, while an attached garage may equal the maximum height permitted for the main building. That is a lower detached limit than several neighbouring communities apply, and it catches garage and workshop designs drawn to a neighbouring township’s standard.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →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
Who handles permitting in Macomb Township?
The Building Department is responsible for inspecting any construction for which a permit is taken out in Macomb Township, covering building, plumbing, heating and electrical work alongside code enforcement.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Macomb Township Building Department |
| Address | 54111 Broughton Road, 1st Floor, Macomb, MI 48042 |
| Phone | (586) 992-0710, extension 1 |
| Fax | (586) 992-0720 |
| building@macomb-mi.gov | |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Scope | Building, plumbing, heating and electrical work in the township |
| Zoning compliance | Certificate required before occupancy, reoccupation, change or conversion |
The certificate of zoning compliance is the item most often missed, because its triggers are written broadly. A structure or premises to be occupied, reoccupied, created, erected, changed or converted must first have one. A commercial tenant moving into an existing fitted-out space has reoccupied it; a use change has converted it. Neither involves construction, and both need the certificate.
Separately, the township runs a property maintenance ordinance that catches owners after completion: snow and ice must be removed from public sidewalks within 24 hours of a snow or ice event, on all sides of a home or business including frontages on major and connector roads. New builds on corner lots inherit more sidewalk than owners expect.
In 2025, building permits issued in Macomb Township authorized 369 new privately owned housing units, 343 of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Permit types
Residential permits
Residential permits follow the state residential code with township zoning applied. The permit application carries the standard homeowner and contractor certification that work will be installed in accordance with the code and will not be enclosed, covered up or put into operation until it has been inspected and approved. Application fees are non-refundable.
How Michigan contractor credentials work
The licence number goes on the permit application. Michigan requires the application to set out the licence number and expiry date of the residential builder, maintenance and alteration contractor, architect or engineer acting for the owner, together with a written instrument — a contract, power of attorney or letter of authorisation — showing that person is authorised to act. Doing residential work that requires a licence without one is a civil violation, which the county prosecuting attorney or the Attorney General may pursue. Confirm what the Macomb Township Building Department requires for the parcel, along with insurance coverage.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Commercial permits
Commercial work runs through plan review with sealed drawings, and the certificate of zoning compliance sits alongside the building permit rather than inside it. Electrical fees are itemised by installed component — trenches, feeders, fire alarm panels, initiation devices, duct detectors, commercial hoods with suppression, light poles and sign circuits — so a commercial electrical estimate is built up item by item.
Licenses, trade classifications and design professionals
Practically, three credential layers appear on Michigan projects: the state residential builder or maintenance and alteration licence on residential work; separately licensed electrical, plumbing and mechanical trades, also licensed by the state; and, on commercial and larger residential work, drawings sealed by a Michigan-licensed architect or professional engineer, with plans reviewed by a state-registered plan reviewer; detached one- and two-family houses of 3,500 square feet or less need no architect or engineer seal. Confirm what the Macomb Township Building Department requires for the specific building before filing.
Michigan licenses residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors at state level, and the permit application must carry the licence number. Michigan rules
Macomb Township permit costs and fees
Macomb Township building permit fees are calculated on the construction value of the project, using the published schedule in force from 1 July 2026, with flat fees for set items such as decks and roofs. A non-refundable application fee is paid at filing and credited to the permit fee on issuance. The electrical schedule is itemised by component rather than by valuation. Residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors also pay a $20 township registration, valid until their state licence expires.
Michigan fees are set by whoever holds enforcement for the parcel — the local unit, the county, or the state where neither has taken it on — so the schedule follows the authority rather than the state. A figure from a neighbouring municipality is not reliable, and a figure from a neighbouring township can be wrong even where the county enforces both. Ask the Macomb Township Building Department for the schedule in force on your filing date.
Need a real number for a specific Macomb Township project? Send us the scope, address and valuation and we will identify the authority having jurisdiction, the code edition in force and the fee categories that will apply.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Fees are set by the enforcing agency — the local unit, a county program or the state — and may only fund that agency's work. Michigan rules
Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Service installations, panel upgrades, new circuits, solar PV and EV chargers
- New plumbing, repipes, water heater change-outs, fixtures, backflow and gas piping
- HVAC installation and change-out, ductwork, venting and commercial kitchen exhaust
- Sprinkler, standpipe and fire alarm work on commercial and multi-family structures
Typically exempt
- Replacing a fixture, switch, receptacle or light with no alteration to wiring or piping
- Clearing a stoppage without replacing or rearranging concealed piping
- Filter, thermostat and routine component service
- Like-for-like appliance repair that does not alter the connection
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors hold state licences valid anywhere in Michigan, and each trade follows its part of the state construction code. Michigan rules
How to apply for a Macomb Township building permit
A certificate of zoning compliance is required before any structure or premises is occupied, reoccupied, created, erected, changed or converted.
On lots of 10,000 sq ft or less in the AG and R-1 districts, detached accessory buildings are capped at 12 feet; attached garages may equal the maximum height permitted for the main building. Confirm the limits for your parcel and zoning district with the Building Department.
The building and residential parts of the state code sit on different editions and dates, so confirm each before drawing.
Applications are processed at Broughton Road. Application fees are non-refundable, so file complete.
Plumbing, heating and electrical work is permitted separately, with the electrical schedule itemised by installed component.
Nothing may be enclosed, covered up or put into operation until it has been inspected and approved.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
In Michigan, the first cause of delay is uncertainty over who enforces the code — filing with the local unit when the county holds enforcement for it, or with the county when the state does. After that comes the edition question, because the trade parts and the building parts moved on different dates, and houses still follow the 2015 residential code, so a submission drawn to the wrong one is a correction cycle. Then a missing or expired state licence number on the application, energy-code and plan documentation, and floodplain requirements along the shorelines and rivers. Build the plan-review time into the schedule and confirm the checklist with the Macomb Township Building Department before filing.
A Michigan permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days; confirm the expiry with Macomb Township on phased or delayed work. Michigan rules
Inspections in Macomb Township
Where a permit is required, standard checkpoints include footing and foundation, framing, rough-in electrical, plumbing and mechanical, insulation and energy-code compliance, fire systems on commercial work, and final, with a use-and-occupancy certificate before the building is used. The department asks to be contacted where there is any doubt about whether a permit has been taken out or whether one is required, rather than the question being assumed away.
Ask the enforcing agency which edition applies to your application, especially around a code change date — because editions are adopted part by part, the answer can differ between the building inspection and the trade inspections on the same job. They are carried out by an inspector registered with the state, employed or contracted by whichever authority holds enforcement for the parcel. Keep the approved plans and the energy-code documentation on site for the inspector to check against, and confirm the notice the Macomb Township Building Department needs and its inspection windows.
Do not cover work before the required inspection has been approved. Keep the issued permit, the approved plans, product listings, energy-code documentation and your correction responses available on site.
Macomb Township permit search and official resources
Permit records in Michigan sit with the authority that issued them — the local unit, the county, or the state bureau where neither took enforcement on. Where the Macomb Township Building Department is the authority for Macomb Township, it holds the building permit, the inspection history and the use-and-occupancy certificate. If you are buying, refinancing or renovating, confirm that past work was permitted rather than assuming it was — open permits and missing certificates are a common closing problem.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Confirm the authority having jurisdiction first, then confirm the edition. Michigan enforces one statewide construction code, but enforcement may sit with the local unit, the county or the state, and the code is adopted part by part on separate effective dates. Both questions have to be answered for the parcel and the filing date before the requirements are knowable.
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- Macomb Township Building and Code Enforcement
- Macomb Township permit requirements
- Macomb Township permit applications
- Macomb Township accessory building and structure requirements (PDF)
- Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes - current code books and effective dates
Frequently asked questions
When do I need a certificate of zoning compliance?
Macomb Township requires that any structure or premises to be occupied, reoccupied, created, erected, changed or converted must first be issued one. Reoccupation and conversion are on that list, so a tenant change or a use change triggers it even where no construction is proposed.
How tall can my detached garage or shed be?
On lots of 10,000 square feet or less in the AG, R-1, R-1-S and R-1-E districts, detached accessory buildings are capped at 12 feet in height. Other lots and districts can differ, so confirm with the Building Department. An attached garage may equal the maximum height permitted for the main building, which is a different and usually higher limit.
Is Macomb Township a charter township?
No. Macomb Township is a general law township, unlike neighbouring Clinton and Shelby, which are charter townships. It administers and enforces the state construction code itself either way, but the correct legal name matters on paperwork.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Which code edition applies to my project?
It depends which part of the code the work falls under. One Michigan point catches almost everyone: the commercial and residential codes are not on the same edition. The bureau moved the plumbing, mechanical and electrical parts to new editions on the twelfth of March, 2024, and the building and rehabilitation parts to their 2021 editions on the ninth of April, 2025; houses still follow the 2015 Michigan Residential Code. The residential code did not move with them. Replacement residential rules were filed for an August 2025 effective date, but the Court of Claims entered a stipulated order stopping the department from implementing them while a builders’ association challenge is litigated, so the bureau still lists the 2015 Michigan Residential Code as the code in force. That case was still live when this guide was written. Confirm the edition governing each part of your work on your filing date rather than assuming the newest one applies.
Are application fees refundable?
No. The township permit applications state that the application fee is non-refundable, so treat filing as a commitment rather than an enquiry.
Who licenses the contractor?
The state, though the township also registers residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors ($20, valid until the state licence expires). Residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors are licensed by the state under Article 24 of Public Act 299 of 1980, administered by the Bureau of Construction Codes, and the plumbing, electrical and mechanical trades are state-licensed as well. The licence is valid statewide. The permit application must set out the licence number and its expiry date, and performing residential work that requires a licence without holding one is a civil violation the county prosecuting attorney or the Attorney General may pursue.
Simplify Macomb Township permitting with Alliance Permitting
The zoning compliance certificate is the item that surprises tenants and buyers here, because it fires without any construction at all. We check it first.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Macomb Township because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- 21+ years of filing, so the authority question gets answered before the application goes in
- We confirm the edition in force for each code part on your filing date, not the newest one published
- Licence numbers, expiry dates and the written authorisation instrument checked before submission
- Correction cycles handled directly with the reviewer so your crew is not waiting on a resubmission
- Inspection sequencing tracked through to the certificate, including trade sign-offs
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.
Ready to break ground in Macomb Township sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Macomb Township permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Michigan permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Macomb Township permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.