Mount Morris Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

The Charter Township of Mount Morris (written Mt. Morris on its own pages) handles building permits through its Building Department at 5447 Bicentennial Drive, Mt. Morris (810-785-1054, ext. 220), where John Woodell is the Building Official and inspector. Trade work is the state’s: the jurisdiction list marks the township LOCAL for building and STATE for electrical, mechanical and plumbing, and the township says all trade inspections are done by state inspectors. The City of Mt. Morris is a separate government with its own program.

What requires a building permit in Mount Morris Charter Township?

The township’s requirements sheet groups permits by project: new stick-built homes, modular or manufactured homes and houses moved into the township, commercial buildings, and rehabilitation of existing buildings. It adds that roofing, siding and windows need permits too, and the fee schedule prices remodels, rehabs, re-roofs, re-siding, new signs and ramps by estimated cost.

A modular or sectional home on a private lot is priced like new construction, but its permit cannot issue until the Zoning Board of Appeals reviews the site plan. The requirements sheet sets minimums for such homes: at least 24 feet wide, a 4/12 roof pitch or steeper, 2x8 or 2x10 floor joists or floor trusses, HUD or BOCA approval, similarity with nearby housing, and at least 1,000 square feet for two bedrooms plus 150 square feet for each extra bedroom.

What the township decides and what the state holds

Mount Morris Township sets its fees, registers contractors, licenses landlords and water or sewer contractors, and decides zoning and site plans. Building plan review and building inspections are local. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and inspections are handled by the state Bureau of Construction Codes, and every part of the work follows the statewide Michigan codes.

Mount Morris Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

In the Building Department the Building Official also serves as inspector and takes messages through the department line. Planning and zoning questions go to the township’s Planning and Zoning Analyst on the same number.

The City of Mt. Morris, which the state lists as running all four codes itself, is a separate unit, so check the parcel record before filing. The county runs no building program, so neither the city nor Genesee County issues permits for township land.

Mount Morris Charter Township permit types

The township’s Application for Plan Examination and Building Permit (revised December 19, 2022) covers building, rehab, demolition and sign permits. It asks for a copy of the owner’s license, and from a contractor a copy of the driver’s license, the builder’s license and insurance, plus the workers’ compensation carrier and unemployment insurance number. Page 2 collects the use, construction type, setbacks, floor areas, bedrooms and baths, and whether the lot is on septic, well or public utilities, and page 3 is a plot plan that must show every existing and proposed structure, distances to lot lines, overhead power lines, the well head and septic field. The form notes that the assessor may visit to take measurements within the year. The Building page’s document center holds that application, the requirements and demolition sheets, the fee schedules, and county forms that the township collects with a permit: residential and commercial soil erosion applications, the Drain Commissioner’s fee schedule, an industrial pretreatment (IPP) application and a residential equivalent unit (REU) audit request.

Residential permits

• New stick-built homes: a site plan with all setbacks, a soil erosion permit from Genesee County Drain Commissioner Water & Waste Services, sewer and water permits from the same agency (or septic and well permits from the Health Department where utilities are not available), a curb and culvert permit from the Road Commission, and the completed application.
• Modular, manufactured and relocated homes: everything above plus Zoning Board of Appeals site plan review, truss specifications or sealed drawings, and the manufacturer’s or engineer’s anchoring details.
• Mobile homes in a park: $40 for piers and footings and $50 for the final and occupancy.
• Rehab permits: an itemized list of all work needed to bring the structure up to code.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work needs Planning Commission approval first, three sets of drawings sealed by an architect or engineer, every item on the new-home list, a surface water approval letter from the Genesee County Drain Commissioner, and sewer and water permits. Plans for commercial, industrial, office and multi-family buildings are reviewed for the building code at 0.13% of the total building cost, with a $150 minimum, and the township may hire outside reviewers at the applicant’s cost.

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

• Soil erosion. The Drain Commissioner’s fee schedule posted on the township page (undated) lists, for a single-family lot, a $35 application review and a $75 permit, with no extra charge for a waiver; other sites pay $100 to $600 for review by acreage, $100 per acre for the permit and a $3,000-per-acre bond.
• Utility and road permits first. The fee schedule says all sewer and water permits and county road permits must be obtained before any building permit is issued.
• Site plans. The Planning Commission asks for a professional site plan for existing structures, new construction and additions, and meets on the first Monday and third Thursday of the month unless noted. Site plan review with a building permit runs from $325 per structure up to 5,000 square feet to $400 above 40,000 square feet; additions are $300 to $345.
• Septic and well. The Genesee County Health Department (324 S. Saginaw Street, Flint; 810-257-3603) issues septic permits after a perc test, $220 each for a home, and private well permits for $200.
• Road Commission. Curb, culvert and driveway permits and new addresses are filed through the Genesee County Road Commission’s Oxcart system (810-767-4920).

Mount Morris Charter Township permit costs and fees

The township’s Schedule of Fees was last updated on April 13, 2020, and its Schedule I miscellaneous fees were amended by Resolution 2022-24, passed on December 12, 2022. Building permit fees include the inspections the permit needs; re-inspections are extra.

Zoning and appeal fees: rezoning $800 (plus $400 for each extra classification), special land use $450, administrative review $200, Zoning Board of Appeals variance $400, Construction Board of Appeals $300, ordinance interpretation $150, and $350 for a special meeting of either board. Plats run $325 plus $5 a lot for preliminary approval and $225 plus $5 a lot for final approval. The new-construction rate is written in a way that can be read more than one way, so ask the Building Department to price the job before you budget; electrical, mechanical and plumbing fees are paid to the state, not the township.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Mount Morris Township does not issue trade permits. The state’s jurisdiction list marks the township STATE for electrical, mechanical and plumbing, and the Building page says all of those inspections are done by state inspectors, with links to the state’s process for each trade. File each trade permit with the Bureau of Construction Codes and book its inspections with the state inspector.

• Electrical, mechanical and plumbing: state permits and state inspections, with state fees; the township application asks you to give it copies of the state permits.
• Water and sewer contractors: the township’s business license schedule lists a $75 yearly water and/or sewer contractor license.
• Builders: contractors register with the township for $25 a year.
• Utility disconnections: for demolition, the township wants a letter from Consumers Energy confirming that gas and electric service has been cut.

Rental owners hold a township residential landlord license, $300 for a two-year cycle, and rental re-inspections cost $75.

How to apply for a Mount Morris Charter Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

A missing county permit holds up the file, since the schedule bars any building permit until sewer, water and road permits are in hand. Commercial projects also wait for the surface water letter from the Drain Commissioner and Planning Commission approval. The office is open Monday to Thursday only, and the Building Department asks callers to leave a message for the Building Official.

Inspections in Mount Morris Charter Township

Building inspections are booked with the township Building Department by phone at 810-785-1054, ext. 220. The application form gives the inspection window as Monday to Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., asks for 24 hours’ notice (a later call moves the inspection to the next day) and offers special inspections by appointment only. Trade inspections are booked separately with the state. Re-inspections cost $60, special inspections $75, and lifting a stop work or do-not-occupy order $150.

Demolition has its own sequence: a soil erosion permit, sewer and water disconnection (or septic tank removal and well plugging under Health Department rules), and the utility letter come first; afterwards all concrete must be removed and the lot backfilled, graded, seeded and strawed. The township requires a backfill inspection and a final inspection, with a representative of the demolition contractor present. Occupancy fees are paid per dwelling unit or per tenant under Schedule E.

Michigan building code in Mount Morris Charter Township

Building enforcement is local and the trades are the state’s. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Township of Mount Morris (community 260400) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps dated September 25, 2009; the City of Mount Morris has its own separate listing.

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

Mount Morris Charter Township permit search and official resources

To get copies of township permits, plans or occupancy records, use the township’s Freedom of Information Act request form on its FOIA page and send it to the Clerk’s office (810-785-0818); police records go through the police department. State trade permit records are held by the Bureau of Construction Codes.

• Mt. Morris Township Building Department and document center
• Building permit application
• Building permit requirements
• Demolition permit requirements
• Schedule of Fees, revised April 13, 2020
• Schedule I miscellaneous fees, Resolution 2022-24
• Planning Commission, site plan and zoning applications
• Freedom of Information Act requests
• GCDC-WWS soil erosion, sewer and water permits
• Drain Commissioner fee schedule (posted by the township)
• Genesee County Road Commission permits and addresses
• Genesee County Health Department septic permits
• Genesee County Health Department well permits
• Bureau of Construction Codes Statewide Jurisdiction List
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Mount Morris Charter Township building permit FAQs

Who issues electrical permits in Mount Morris Township?

The state Bureau of Construction Codes; the township issues building permits only and state inspectors do every trade inspection.

Is the City of Mt. Morris the same office?

No. The city is a separate government listed as running all four codes itself.

Do I need a permit to replace a roof or windows?

Yes. The township’s requirements sheet lists roofing, siding and windows as work that needs a permit.

Can I put a manufactured home on my own lot?

Yes, with a Zoning Board of Appeals site plan review and the township’s minimums, including a 24-foot width and a 4/12 roof pitch.

What must I have before the building permit?

Sewer and water (or septic and well) permits, the soil erosion permit and the Road Commission curb and culvert permit.

Do contractors register with the township?

Yes, for $25 a year under Resolution 2022-24.

When is the township office open?

Monday to Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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