Monroe Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

For land in Monroe Charter Township, building permits come from the township’s own Building Department at the township hall, 4925 East Dunbar Road (734-241-5502), where Eric Kronk is the Building Official. The state’s jurisdiction list shows the township enforcing building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work itself. Its 2022 fee table charges $635 plus $3 for each $1,000 of value between $100,000 and $500,000, so a $250,000 house is $1,085 before any 30% plan review charge.

What requires a building permit in Monroe Charter Township?

Construction, additions, alterations, demolition and changes of use regulated by the state code need a building permit, and plumbing, mechanical and electrical work each need their own permit, as the township’s building application states. The zoning ordinance (Ordinance 52-2010, last amended June 30, 2026) adds a second layer: nothing may be erected, moved, enlarged, altered or demolished until a zoning permit is obtained, and for work that needs a building permit, the building permit carries that zoning approval.

The ordinance limits a residential lot to two accessory buildings, each no taller than 14 feet or one story, and bars heavy-timber or industrial-steel accessory buildings in residential districts. Detached accessory buildings may not sit in front of the house, must stay at least 3 feet from side and rear lot lines and 10 feet from the house in the residential districts, and may not be larger than the house’s ground floor. On a waterfront lot the yard facing the lake or water body must be at least 50 feet deep from the high-water mark. Residential fences may be up to 6 feet tall (the Zoning Board of Appeals can allow 8 feet where sight lines are not a concern) and no more than 3 feet tall in front of the house. Pool fences must be 4 to 6 feet high with self-closing, locking gates.

What the township decides and what the state holds

The building rules are the state’s; the township decides how it enforces them, what it charges and how land is zoned. Its 2013 fee sheet notes that pole barns used as agricultural buildings are exempt under state law and that permits for kindergarten-to-grade-12 school buildings come from the state, not the township.

Monroe Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department shares the township hall with the Planning & Zoning Department, whose Community Development Director also serves as Zoning Enforcement Officer; both use 734-241-5502. The fire department (734-241-6061) has its own inspector, and the building application lists a fire district sign-off among the approvals the township checks.

The township and the City of Monroe are separate governments with separate building offices, and Monroe County runs no building program at all. The township’s building and electrical applications print the parcel number prefix 5812-, a quick check that the parcel is in the township.

Monroe Charter Township permit types

The Permits/Zoning Ordinances page lists the 2025 building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications, a 2013 plan review application and fill-in forms, a deck guide, an energy code worksheet, a construction appeal form, and the zoning applications: site plan and special land use, ZBA, rezoning or text amendment, property division and sign permits.

Residential permits

• New houses and additions use the building application, which asks for the residential builder or maintenance and alteration contractor’s state license number, the project value and whether a $50 certificate of occupancy is wanted.
• Sealed drawings are not required for one- and two-family houses under 3,500 square feet of calculated floor area, per the application.
• Accessory buildings over 200 square feet need building and zoning approval; smaller ones may need a zoning permit.
• Manufactured homes outside a park are charged at 50% of regular value plus all other improvements on the 2013 sheet; a set inside a park is $50.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial applications need five sets of construction documents sealed and signed by an architect or professional engineer, and for buildings under the Michigan Building Code two sets must be approved before the permit issues. Fire suppression work needs its own mechanical permit. Site plans and special land uses go through the Planning Commission, and the township’s posted zoning ordinance includes a section on data centers and computing centers (Section 8.1145). Marihuana businesses renew a township business license using a checklist amended in December 2025.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit expediting through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. The Building Official checks zoning with the Zoning Administrator before issuing; the zoning map was adopted December 30, 2025.
• Health department. Unsewered lots need a Monroe County Environmental Health permit (2353 S. Custer Road, 734-240-7900), and an addition near a septic system or well needs that office’s approval first.
• Soil erosion. The Monroe County Drain Commissioner issues Part 91 permits; a single-family home without a pond is $175 and a garage, pole barn or addition $125.
• Driveways. Work in a county road right-of-way needs a Monroe County Road Commission permit (734-240-5132); fences in a road right-of-way need Road Commission or MDOT approval.
• Flood zone. The application asks whether the site is in a flood zone, and flood certificates and flood gates appear on the inspection list.

Monroe Charter Township permit costs and fees

The township posts two building fee documents: the 2022 fee table (“MCT Fee Cells 2022”), which prices permits by value rounded to the nearest dollar, and an older 2013 schedule with flat charges and a square-foot cost table used to set the value. The 2022 table is the newer one and is used below for valuation fees; the flat items are quoted from the 2013 sheet.

Worked examples: a $250,000 project falls in the $635-plus-$3 band, so the fee is $635 plus 150 × $3, or $1,085. The township’s own example on the 2022 table is a $2,679,465 project, rounded to $2,679,000, which comes to $8,372; adding plan review at 30% ($2,511.60) makes $10,883.60. Under the 2013 sheet the first $50 of any application fee is non-refundable and nothing is refunded after the first inspection; plan review for houses (use groups R-3 and R-4) is built into the permit fee, while commercial plan review starts at $75 plus $50 for each review inspection outside the office. A construction code appeal costs $275 at a regular meeting or $575 at a special meeting.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The township issues and inspects all trade work itself; no state Bureau of Construction Codes permit is needed for a parcel here. Each trade has a 2025 application that asks for the contractor’s state license number and expiry date, workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance details, and an attestation under the state construction code act that the applicant is authorized to sign.

• Electrical: every permit includes the $75 non-refundable application fee and a $75 final inspection. A whole house up to 2,400 square feet is $200, plus $25 for each additional 1,000 square feet; a service up to 200 amps is $10; rough or additional inspections are $75 each. Plans are not needed when the system is 400 amps or less and the building is 3,500 square feet or less.
• Mechanical: a separate 2025 mechanical application; the building application adds that fire suppression work needs its own mechanical permit, and a gas pressure test is one of the listed inspections.
• Plumbing: a separate 2025 plumbing application for each job.
• Licenses: residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors are licensed by the state (LARA), as are electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors.

The township’s forms do not include a homeowner affidavit, so an owner who plans to do their own trade work on a house they live in should ask the Building Department how it handles owner permits before filing.

How to apply for a Monroe Charter Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Commercial jobs wait on five sealed sets and on approval of the construction documents, and anything in a flood zone needs the flood certificate stages. The fence rules say the township does not verify property lines or enforce deed restrictions; the owner must locate the lines and get any homeowners’ association or architectural committee approval before applying. Permits lapse if work does not start within 180 days, and the township closes a permit when no inspection is requested and done within 180 days of issue or of the last inspection.

Inspections and certificates in Monroe Charter Township

Call the inspector whose number is on the permit, giving the job location, permit number and contact details with as much notice as you can. The township says the inspector will reply within two business days to set a time, and inspections are usually done within five business days. No work may be covered before it is inspected.

The building application lists the stages the township uses: footings (including garage footings), backfill, pre-pour, framing with truss drawings, insulation, drywall, flashing, flood certificate and flood gates where they apply, zoning compliance, fire inspection, gas pressure test, performance bond, post holes and final. Electrical permits carry their own rough and final inspections. A certificate of occupancy costs $50 on the building application; a special safety inspection requested for the sale of a building is $75 on the 2013 sheet.

Michigan building code in Monroe Charter Township

The township enforces the state construction code for every trade and hears construction code appeals for a fee. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Charter Township of Monroe (community 260154B) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community since April 3, 1978, with maps dated June 19, 2020.

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

Monroe Charter Township building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Monroe Charter Township?

The township Building Department at 4925 East Dunbar Road (734-241-5502). The City of Monroe has a separate office.

How much is a permit for a $250,000 house?

$1,085 on the 2022 fee table, plus 30% if a plan review is needed, plus the trade permits.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Yes, a zoning permit for any new fence; residential fences are limited to 6 feet, or 3 feet in front of the house.

Does a small shed need a permit?

Accessory buildings over 200 square feet need building and zoning permits; smaller ones may need a zoning permit, and a lot may have only two.

How fast are inspections scheduled?

The inspector replies within two business days and usually inspects within five.

What does an electrical permit for a new house cost?

$200 for up to 2,400 square feet plus $25 per extra 1,000 square feet, with the $75 application fee and $75 final inspection.

What happens if my permit sits idle?

It is closed after 180 days without an inspection; re-opening costs $75.

Monroe Charter Township permit search and official resources

Permit records can be searched on BS&A Online (Building Department Record Search for Monroe Charter Township). For copies of plans or files, send a written Freedom of Information Act request; the township’s FOIA procedures and request form are on its FOIA page, and the documents can be viewed at the Clerk’s office at the township hall.

• Permits and zoning ordinances page
• 2025 building permit application
• 2025 electrical permit application
• 2025 mechanical permit application
• 2025 plumbing permit application
• Building Department fee table (2022)
• Permit and inspection fee schedule (2013)
• Zoning Ordinance 52-2010, as amended
• Zoning map adopted December 30, 2025
• BS&A Online building records
• Freedom of Information Act requests
• Monroe County soil erosion permits
• Monroe County onsite sewage permits
• Monroe County Road Commission residential permits
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)

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