Oak Park, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In the City of Oak Park, the Building Division of the Municipal Services Department at 14300 Oak Park Boulevard (248-691-7450) reviews drawings, issues building and trade permits and books every inspection; Jeff Wren is the Building Official. Applications are paper forms returned to that counter, and contractors must register with the city first. Under the fee schedule in effect from July 1, 2026, a building permit is a $50 base fee plus a charge set by the value of the work, starting at $60.

What requires a building permit in Oak Park?

The city’s permit page lists the work that goes through the Building Division: new construction, additions, structural changes, repairs after a fire, demolition, pools and decks. Furnaces, air conditioners and chimneys need a mechanical permit, and any wiring or plumbing job needs its own trade permit. Several smaller projects have their own city rules.

The garage and shed guidelines also cap a garage at 600 square feet or 35 percent of the rear yard, whichever is smaller, and limit garages and sheds to a mean height of 13 feet. Detached buildings stay at least 2 feet from a side lot line, 6 feet from the rear line and 10 feet from the house, and a property survey goes with the application.

What Oak Park decides and what the state holds

The construction code itself is the state’s, and the city cannot change its technical rules. What Oak Park controls is the enforcement: the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List shows the city running its own program for all four codes (building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing), so no county or state office issues permits here. The city also sets its own fees, runs the zoning ordinance through the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals, requires contractor registration and inspects rental homes.

Oak Park building department: who handles permitting

Everything construction-related goes through Municipal Services, headed by Director Kimberly Marrone. Its Building Division handles plan review, permits and inspections, including rental housing and new-business inspections, while the Economic Development and Planning team in the same building handles zoning, site plans and variances. The city clerk, treasury and assessor are next door at City Hall, 14000 Oak Park Boulevard.

Oak Park permit types

Oak Park uses separate paper applications for each kind of permit, all returned to 14300 Oak Park Boulevard. The building form, titled Plan Examination and Building Permit, asks for the value of construction and a description of the work, and the contractor’s signature is sworn before a notary. Three sets of drawings go in when the job needs plan review.

Residential permits

• Additions, alterations, decks, porches and garages use the building permit form; the city publishes porch construction guidelines and garage and shed guidelines with footing and framing details.
• Roofs need a roofing permit with a notarized signature. No more than two layers of shingles are allowed, and a re-cover needs a pre-inspection of the existing layer. If an open-roof inspection cannot be booked, the owner files a notarized Open Roof Sworn Affidavit.
• Demolition uses the building permit form, with a $5,000 bond and sewer and water caps.
• Rental homes are registered every two years ($80) and inspected for $150 a unit.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial building permits follow the same form, with sealed plans reviewed at 0.15% of the building value and separate trade plan reviews. Business owners also need a certificate of occupancy before a new or altered space is used, and the Building Division inspects new businesses before a license issues. Signs ($140 on the permit page), fire alarm and fire suppression systems, outdoor dining and portable storage containers each have their own application.

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 permit and site plans. A $90 zoning permit covers small items such as sheds. New development goes through site plan review: administrative sketch plans take about 30 days, Planning Commission site plans about 4 to 6 weeks, and approvals last 18 months with one extension of up to 12 months. A free conceptual review meeting can be booked on 248-691-7455.
• Planning Commission and ZBA. The commission meets on the first Monday of the month at 6 p.m.; the Zoning Board of Appeals meets on the fourth Tuesday when needed (the permits page says 6 p.m., the November 2025 development guide says 7 p.m.). File at least 30 days ahead; hearings are mailed to owners within 300 feet.
• Land improvement and right-of-way. Site work needs a land improvement permit, and disturbing half an acre or more triggers stormwater detention. Work in a street or utility easement needs a right-of-way permit from the city engineer ($90 minimum plus a bond).
• Soil erosion. The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner issues soil erosion permits in Oak Park for earth changes over 1 acre or more than 225 square feet within 500 feet of a lake, stream, wetland or drain (248-858-5389).

Oak Park permit costs and fees

All building-department charges sit in the City of Oak Park Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2026, which is also posted as a web page. A building permit is a $50 base fee plus a charge set by the value of the work; plan review is added when the job needs it.

Worked example from the schedule: a $20,000 kitchen and bath remodel costs $50 + $150 + $80 (eight additional thousands above $12,000 at $10 each), or $280, before trade permits. If the job needs a residential plan review, 0.15% of $20,000 is $30, so the $60 minimum applies and the total is $340. Cancelled permits over $60 are refunded at 50 percent; there is no refund on permits of $60 or less or on permits that have had inspections.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Because the city enforces all four codes, Oak Park issues and inspects its own electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits; nothing goes to the county or to Lansing. The permits page lists an $80 minimum for each trade permit, and the fee schedule itemizes the rest: for example, a mechanical permit is a $50 base plus $60 for a first furnace or boiler, plumbing starts at a $60 base, and an electrical permit adds $75 for a new service up to 200 amps.

• Contractor registration. Every contractor registers with the city before it can be issued a permit, attaching state licenses and a driver’s license; registration gives the PIN used on BSAOnline.com. Fees are $20 for residential builders, general, electrical, sign and most other contractors, $15 for mechanical and $1 for master plumbers. A notarized letter is needed when someone other than the license holder pulls the permit.
• Owner permits. The building application carries a notarized Homeowner Affidavit for an owner-occupied single-family house that is not rented, with a second box for maintenance or alterations on a rental the owner holds. The affidavit says the owner takes on a licensed contractor’s responsibilities and will not hire anyone except a licensed contractor; the roofing guide adds that family and friends may help.
• Fire protection. Fire alarm systems are permitted as electrical work and suppression systems as mechanical work, each on its own form.

How to apply for an Oak Park building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

A missing survey on a garage or shed application, an unsigned or un-notarized form and an unregistered contractor are the gaps the city’s own forms flag. Work that needs zoning relief waits for the next Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, which needs 30 days’ notice, and development projects wait for site plan approval. If the cost of construction is in doubt, the city prices the review using the International Code Council’s construction-cost method rather than the figure on the form.

Inspections and certificates in Oak Park

Inspections are booked by phone on 248-691-7450, Monday through Thursday, and are made the next business day. Although City Hall is closed on Fridays, inspectors still work: for a Friday inspection, call by 5 p.m. on Thursday. The building application commits the permit holder to call within 72 hours after the work is ready and to leave it exposed until the city accepts it.

• Roofs: when a roof is stripped, the ice-and-water shield and felt are inspected before shingles go on, then a final inspection follows.
• Garages and sheds: buildings over 600 square feet or 10 feet tall need a 12-inch footing 42 inches below grade, and wood siding and trim must be painted or stained before the final.
• Occupancy: no new or altered building may be used until a certificate of occupancy is issued; the application goes to Municipal Services.
• Rentals: every rental home must pass inspection before it is occupied, using the city’s rental inspection checklist.

Michigan building code in Oak Park

The Statewide Jurisdiction List (rev. November 6, 2026) marks Oak Park as a local program for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing, and lists Oakland County as having no county program. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City of Oak Park (community 260323) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, with no special flood hazard area identified on its map.

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

Oak Park permit search and official resources

Permit and inspection files are city records. Ask for them through the city’s online Freedom of Information Act request portal; copies are $0.10 a page plus the labor charges state law allows. For a quick answer on a past permit or a zoning question, call the Building Division or request a $50 zoning verification letter.

• Oak Park licenses and permits
• City of Oak Park fee schedule, effective July 1, 2026
• Plan examination and building permit application
• Contractor registration form
• Garages and sheds building guidelines
• Roofing guidelines for residential properties
• Guide to Development (November 2025)
• BS&A Online for Oak Park (Building Department invoices)
• Freedom of Information Act request portal
• Oakland County soil erosion permits
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Oak Park building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit for a shed in Oak Park?

A residential shed of 200 square feet or less needs only a $90 zoning permit to confirm setbacks; anything larger, and every garage, needs plan review and a building permit.

How much is a building permit for a $20,000 remodel?

$280 under the July 1, 2026 schedule ($50 base, $150, and $80 for the value above $12,000), plus $60 if a plan review is required.

Can I replace my own roof?

Yes, with a notarized roofing permit; you may not hire an unlicensed contractor, but family and friends may help. Patches up to 10 by 10 feet once a year need no permit.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 248-691-7450 Monday through Thursday for an inspection the next business day; call by 5 p.m. Thursday for Friday.

Do contractors have to register with the city?

Yes. Contractors register before any permit is issued and receive a PIN for BSAOnline.com; fees run from $1 to $20.

Does a fence need a permit?

Yes. The city’s fence permit costs $90 and is filed with Municipal Services.

Is Oak Park in a flood zone?

FEMA lists the city as an NFIP participant with no special flood hazard area mapped.

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