Manistee County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Manistee County does not issue building permits. On the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List the county is “no county program”, the City of Manistee, Manistee Township and Springdale Township enforce the codes locally, and in the other 12 townships and all five villages the state Bureau of Construction Codes issues the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and does the inspections. The county’s Planning Department, 395 Third Street, Manistee ((231) 723-6041), runs the countywide soil erosion program and addressing and keeps a permits page that lists, community by community, where each kind of permit comes from.

What requires a building permit in Manistee County?

What needs a permit depends on which office enforces the code at the parcel. In the 17 state-run townships and villages, the state’s rules decide it and the state issues the permit. In the City of Manistee, new structures and additions need both a city land use permit and a building permit, and renovations may need one or both; the city’s Zoning Administrator decides which, and some repairs count as ordinary repairs needing neither. Manistee Township’s Building Department answers the same question for its own residents.

Soil erosion permits are a county matter everywhere. The county requires an application for any soil disturbance within 500 feet of a river, lake or stream or of a county drain, for earth changes over one acre wherever they are, and for sites with slopes over 20 percent.

What the local units decide and what the state and county hold

Each township, village and city zones its own land and issues its own zoning or land use permits; the county permits page links many of their ordinances, such as Arcadia Township’s Zoning Ordinance No. 183 (February 2022, amended by No. 192 in October 2025), Manistee Township’s 2025 revised ordinance and the City of Manistee’s ordinance as amended September 27, 2023. Under contract, the county Planning Department acts as zoning administrator and code enforcement for Arcadia, Maple Grove and Onekama townships and the villages of Bear Lake, Eastlake and Onekama, and as floodplain administrator for Onekama village. Building and trade permits stay with the state or the local program named on the state list.

Manistee County building department: who handles permitting

The county permits page is the quickest check: under each community it names the building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical office and the zoning, health, driveway, soil erosion and address contacts.

Springdale Township’s two sources differ: the state list shows a local program, while the county page points to the Benzie County building office, so call the township or Benzie County before applying. In the state-run units, the county page lists the state’s contact numbers for building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, and the county itself takes no part in those permits. In Manistee Township, the county page lists zoning applications and building permit applications on the same township line, (231) 723-6507 ext. 12.

Manistee County permit types

Because there is no county building permit, the forms depend on the office. State permits are applied for through the state’s permit system; the City of Manistee posts separate residential and commercial building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications.

Residential permits

• State-run units: building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits for houses, garages and additions all come from the state.
• City of Manistee: start with a land use permit from Planning & Zoning ((231) 398-2805); if none is needed, staff prepare a memo for the file. The building inspector then handles the building permit.
• Soil erosion: a new house carries a county permit fee of $250, $450 or $650 depending on the site’s priority, and a garage, addition or outbuilding $200 to $450; a scaled site plan is required.
• Septic: owners may install their own septic system under a District Health Department #10 permit; anyone else must be licensed by the health department.

The county’s soil erosion application (revised June 2026) asks for more than a sketch. It needs directions to the site, including the road surface, the nearest crossroad and any gate code (used only by the inspector); a location map at no more than 200 feet to the inch showing water, drains, storm inlets, buildings, slopes, runoff, the area to be disturbed, soil piles and every temporary and permanent control; the legal description; a soils survey or description; and a dated schedule from marking the limits of work through final seeding and the call for final inspection. The permit is mailed for posting on site or picked up in person, and extra people can be named to receive an emailed copy.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial soil erosion permits need three sets of plans sealed by a Michigan-licensed engineer and start at $600, $800 or $1,000 for the first acre, plus $50 for each added acre. If the county decides an outside engineer must review the plans, the developer pays that cost. Commercial building permits follow the enforcing office: the state, the city or Manistee Township.

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: from the township, village or city, or from the county Planning Department where it administers zoning under contract. Along the Betsie River in Springdale Township, the county page names a state DNR contact for zoning, (989) 370-7543.
• Address: new addresses come from the county Planning Department on its address request form.
• Well and septic: District Health Department #10, Manistee office, (231) 723-3595; in the City of Manistee, the city DPW, (231) 723-7132.
• Driveway: Manistee County Road Commission, (231) 889-0000, which posts its permit fee schedule, instructions and application online; its transportation permits for moving loads are filed on the Oxcart system.
• State environmental permits: the county page lists EGLE’s Cadillac office, (231) 775-3960.

Manistee County permit costs and fees

Building permit fees are set by whichever office enforces the code: state fees in the state-run units, the City of Manistee’s Building Permit Fee Schedule adopted April 2, 2024, and Manistee Township’s own charges. The county sets only its soil erosion fees, which depend on a site priority score.

High priority means 5 acres or more of earth change, or a site touching surface water; moderate means slopes of 20 percent or more or a county drain easement on or next to the lot; low means 1 to 5 acres with no direct water connection, or work within 500 feet of water that does not touch it. A new home on a lot that borders a lake is therefore $650, while one on a flat lot 300 feet back from a stream, with no direct connection and no county drain easement, is $250. Extensions cost half the original fee, and the county gives no refunds once an application is made.

Inside the City of Manistee, the Building Fee Schedule adopted April 2, 2024 charges a $100 base fee per permit, which includes the inspections and the certificate of occupancy, plus $0.30 per square foot for a one- or two-family house, $0.35 for townhouses and multi-family buildings, $0.18 for manufactured homes and $0.25 for detached garages, covered decks and porches and sunrooms. An unfinished basement adds $50 and a finished one $150, plan review where required adds 30 percent of the permit cost, and each extra inspection is $100. A 1,500-square-foot house in the city therefore starts at $100 plus 1,500 × $0.30, or $550, before any basement charge or plan review. Pools and residential demolitions are $100 each.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits follow the same split as building permits. In the 12 state-run townships and five villages, the state issues and inspects all three trades, and its licensing rules apply. In the City of Manistee, Associated Government Services handles mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits under contract; its office is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed from noon to 1:30 p.m., and trade inspections are booked at (269) 629-0601. Manistee Township’s Building Department handles its own trade permits.

• Wells: drilled under a District Health Department #10 permit; the health department evaluates the site, locates the well area and inspects the finished work.
• Septic systems: homeowners may install their own; contractors must be licensed by the health department, and the system cannot be covered until the sanitarian has been called 24 hours ahead for a final inspection.

How to get a building permit in Manistee County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county has 30 days from a complete soil erosion application to issue, deny or ask for changes, so file it early. Starting earth work without a permit can bring civil action, a fine of up to $2,500 and a double fee. Waterfront and steep sites fall into the higher fee tiers, and commercial plans must be sealed.

Inspections in Manistee County

Building and trade inspections are booked with the office that issued the permit: the state in most townships and villages, the city building inspector (building) and Associated Government Services (trades) in the City of Manistee, and the township in Manistee Township.

The county inspects soil erosion work. Keep erosion controls in place until the final inspection unless permanent measures replace them, and call (231) 723-6041 once the site is stabilized and earth work has stopped. The landowner remains responsible for clean-up if sediment leaves the site. District Health Department #10 sanitarians inspect wells and septic systems before they are covered.

Michigan building code in Manistee County

No Michigan county is a National Flood Insurance Program community; each city, village and township joins on its own, and the county acts as floodplain administrator only for the Village of Onekama under contract.

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

Manistee County permit search and official resources

Records stay with the office that issued the permit: the state for state-run units, the City of Manistee, Manistee Township, District Health Department #10 for well and septic records, and the county Planning Department for soil erosion permits and addresses (planning@manisteecountymi.gov). Splitting a parcel is a separate local approval: the county permits page lists each unit’s land division contact and links the parcel division applications that some townships and villages post.

• Manistee County permits by community
• Manistee County Planning Department
• Contracted zoning and code enforcement services
• Soil erosion fee schedule
• Soil erosion permit application (06-2026)
• Address request form
• City of Manistee permit applications
• City of Manistee building permit information guide
• City of Manistee building permit fee schedule (adopted April 2, 2024)
• District Health Department #10 wells and septic
• Manistee County Road Commission permits

Manistee County building permit FAQs

Does Manistee County issue building permits?

No. The state lists no county program; the state issues permits in 12 townships and five villages, and three units run their own.

Who issues permits in Onekama, Bear Lake or Kaleva?

The state Bureau of Construction Codes, for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work.

Who issues building permits in the City of Manistee?

The city building inspector at City Hall, after any required land use permit; electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits go through Associated Government Services.

When do I need a soil erosion permit?

For soil disturbance within 500 feet of a lake, river, stream or county drain, over one acre, or on slopes over 20 percent; the county Planning Department issues it.

How much is a soil erosion permit for a new house?

$250, $450 or $650 depending on the site’s priority; a lakefront lot counts as high priority.

Can I install my own septic system?

Yes, a homeowner may, under a District Health Department #10 permit; the system must be inspected before it is covered.

Who issues building permits in Springdale Township?

The state list shows a local program, but the county page sends applications to the Benzie County Government Center; call the township first.

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