Menominee County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In Menominee County the Building Code Department, S904 US Highway 41, Stephenson (906-753-6343), issues building permits in the villages of Carney, Daggett and Powers and all 14 townships. The cities of Menominee and Stephenson run their own building programs. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are issued and inspected only by the State of Michigan, everywhere in the county. The county’s posted fee schedule charges a $75 application fee plus $0.20 per square foot for a new house, with plan review, inspections and the certificate of occupancy included.

What requires a building permit in Menominee County?

The county publishes its own list of projects that need a building permit and those that do not.

Exempt work can still need other approvals: a township zoning permit where the township zones, and state electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits for any trade work.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List gives Menominee County the building code in its three villages and 14 townships and gives the state the electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes in every unit, including the two cities. The county sets its own building fees and handles soil erosion permits. Zoning is local: seven communities have zoning ordinances (Cedarville, Harris, Ingallston, Lake, Mellen and Stephenson townships and the Village of Powers), and in those an approved township or village zoning permit must come before the county building permit.

Menominee County building department: who handles permitting

The department lists its hours in Central time, an hour behind Eastern time. The office is closed on Fridays and open only until 1 p.m. on Thursdays.

Menominee County permit types

The department uses one Application for Building Permit and Plan Review (revised January 19, 2017) for residential and non-residential work, plus a soil erosion application and a soil erosion waiver form. The application must come with the fee, a site plan, drawings showing the foundation, floor plan, elevations and wall sections, and the other documents that apply: zoning and sanitary approvals, the soil erosion and driveway permits and energy code compliance. Incomplete applications are returned. Each form must be filled out completely, signed and dated, and the project address is given by fire number, road, township and parcel number.

Residential permits

• Houses up to 3,500 square feet, accessory buildings up to 3,000 square feet, additions and alterations: the application and fee, a site plan showing the work, property lines, roads and existing buildings with dimensions, drawings that show all structural and code items, and any required zoning, sanitary and soil erosion approvals.
• Larger houses and accessory buildings: drawings by a registered design professional.
• Tall walls: engineered, stamped drawings are required for sidewalls over 12 feet high.
• Demolition: always a permit, with two inspections, one before and one after.

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

Commercial permits

Non-residential projects need drawings prepared by a registered design professional, the site plan and the same zoning, sanitary and soil erosion approvals. They are charged a $75 application fee, plan review at $50 an hour, $0.10 per square foot for new construction or $0.05 for utility buildings and remodels, and $50 for each inspection.

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

• Zoning: from the township or village in the seven communities that zone; the county posts each one’s zoning application, to be filed with the township.
• Sanitary (well and septic): Menominee County Public Health, 906-863-4451, part of Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties.
• Soil erosion: a county permit for earth changes of one acre or more or within 500 feet of a lake or stream. The landowner applies, or an agent with a written letter of authorization; the form needs the area disturbed, the distance to the water, a scaled site map showing the water’s edge, a soils description, on-site drainage and a timetable from installing temporary controls to removing them.
• Driveway: a Menominee County Road Commission permit for work within the county road easement.
• Address: fire numbers come from the township supervisor.
• Floodplain and wetlands: state permits.

Menominee County permit costs and fees

The fee schedule posted on the county’s forms page sets residential fees as an application fee plus a square-foot charge, with plan review, inspections and the certificate of occupancy included. Its file name marks it as a draft dated June 6, 2018, so confirm with the office that it is the schedule in force. Pay online, in cash or by mail, with checks made out to the Menominee County Treasurer.

Worked example: a 1,500-square-foot house on a basement costs the $75 application fee plus 1,500 × $0.20, or $375, and a 24 by 30 foot detached garage (720 square feet) costs $75 plus $72, or $147. Local government units pay no fee. State electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are billed separately by the state.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county is explicit, and prints it at the top of its building application: electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits in Menominee County are issued only by the State of Michigan, and the state does the inspections, in the villages and townships and in both cities. Apply for them through the state’s Bureau of Construction Codes, not the county office.

• Order of finals: the state electrical, plumbing and mechanical finals must be completed and approved before the county will do the final building inspection.
• Contractors: trade contractors need the state license for their trade. On the county application an owner may apply only for residential work, and the form warns that anyone doing residential work for a set price, supplying materials as well as labor, or working on terms other than hourly wages must be licensed by the state.
• Sanitary systems: wells and septic systems are permitted by Menominee County Public Health, not the building department.

How to get a building permit in Menominee County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county issues a permit only after the drawings are approved and the fee paid, and it needs the zoning, sanitary and soil erosion approvals first. Short office hours (closed Fridays, half day Thursday) and the hour’s difference for callers on Eastern time are worth planning around. Starting before the permit adds a $100 after-the-fact fee.

Inspections in Menominee County

The department performs the on-site building inspections for county permits, and its application asks for two working days’ notice for timely inspections. All work must be inspected before it is covered, and a certificate of occupancy must be issued before anyone moves in; the state does all trade inspections. The county’s final building inspection waits until the state trade finals are approved, and the department then issues the certificate of use and occupancy. Extra inspections cost $50 each.

A building permit expires after 180 days if work has not started or no inspections have been called for. Extensions can be requested in writing, by phone or by mail at no cost, and a closed permit can be reinstated for $50.

Michigan building code in Menominee County

No Michigan county is a National Flood Insurance Program community; each city, village and township joins on its own, and floodplain and wetland permits are issued by the state.

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

Menominee County permit search and official resources

County building permit records are kept by the Building Code Department in Stephenson (906-753-6343); state trade permit records are held by the state, and city permits by each city. The county courthouse is at 839 10th Avenue, Menominee ((906) 863-7779).

• Menominee County Building Codes
• What needs a building permit
• Requirements for obtaining a building permit
• Building permit, soil erosion and township zoning forms
• Application for building permit and plan review
• Building permit fee schedule
• Costs, fees and online payment
• Township zoning
• Soil erosion and sedimentation control
• Building Codes FAQs

Menominee County building permit FAQs

Who issues electrical and plumbing permits in Menominee County?

Only the State of Michigan, which also does the inspections; the county issues building permits only.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for a detached residential shed under 200 square feet; a non-residential one needs a permit at 120 square feet or more.

How much is a building permit for a new house?

$75 plus $0.20 per square foot on a basement or crawl space, so a 1,500-square-foot house is $375, inspections included.

Do I need a permit to reside or repair my house?

No. Siding, maintenance, minor repairs and finish work need no county building permit.

Do I need zoning approval first?

Yes, in the seven communities that zone: Cedarville, Harris, Ingallston, Lake, Mellen and Stephenson townships and the Village of Powers.

How long is a permit good for?

It expires after 180 days if work has not started or no inspection has been called; extensions are free on request.

Who handles septic systems?

Menominee County Public Health, 906-863-4451.

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