Ogemaw County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Ogemaw County is one of the Michigan counties that enforces the state construction code everywhere inside its borders. The Ogemaw County Building Department, 205 S. 8th Street, West Branch ((989) 345-3370), issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits in both cities, the Village of Prescott and all 14 townships, and it also issues soil erosion permits countywide. Building fees are quoted by phone, while the trade forms print their own fee charts with a $75 application fee that covers one inspection.

What requires a building permit in Ogemaw County?

The county’s residential application covers the projects most owners bring in: a new stick-built, state-approved or HUD home, an addition, a remodel, a deck or covered porch, a sunroom, attached and detached garages, pole barns, lean-tos, pavilions, carports and sheds. Demolition and change of use have their own forms, and commercial work uses a separate application. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing work each needs its own permit on its own form.

Roofing and siding are the one point where the county’s own documents disagree. The department’s general information sheet says roofing and siding permits are no longer required in Ogemaw County, while its older building-permits page still says they have been required since October 1, 2011, and the commercial application lists a $90 reroof fee. Call the department before you re-roof a commercial building or rely on the exemption for a house.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The construction code itself is the state’s, and no county or township can amend it; licensing of builders and trades is also a state matter. The county sets its own fee schedule, runs the inspections and hears local appeals through a Construction Board of Appeals appointed by the chair of the Board of Commissioners. That board cannot grant exceptions to barrier-free (accessibility) requirements, and its decisions can be taken further to the state construction board of appeals.

Ogemaw County building department: who handles permitting

Michigan counties have no unincorporated land, so every parcel sits in a city, village or township. In Ogemaw County the answer is the same for all of them: the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List marks every unit “County” for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing, and the department’s information sheet says it issues all construction-related permits for the whole county and performs all inspections.

Zoning is handled by a different office in the same building: Ogemaw County Planning and Zoning, Room 114, (989) 345-3375. Its office page lists hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Ogemaw County permit types

The department posts a residential building application, a residential demolition permit, a commercial building application, a change-of-use application, a contractor registration form, a homeowner affidavit and the county zoning permit, plus separate electrical, mechanical, plumbing and soil erosion forms. Every application asks for the property ID number, the township and driving directions.

Residential permits

• Plans: two complete sets with dimensions and materials, a labeled foundation plan, a dimensioned floor plan, a cross section showing material sizes and spacing, and a side view with elevation.
• Approved zoning application attached, where the county or a local unit zones the parcel.
• Inspections: a residential building permit includes three inspections; more may be required.
• Contractor details: the builder’s license number and expiry date, and whether the contractor is registered in Ogemaw County.

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

Commercial permits

All commercial work needs engineered prints. The commercial form asks for the proposed use, the principal type of frame and a site plan drawn to scale, and the department works out the fee from the use group, construction type and floor area against a construction cost table, adding a base fee to a rate per $1,000 of value. A change of use needs its own application describing the current and proposed use, with parking, fences and greenbelts shown on the site plan.

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 permit from Ogemaw County Planning and Zoning (or from West Branch city, West Branch Township or Edwards Township inside their borders). The county form says it must be obtained before the building permit is approved and stays valid for one year.
• Septic approval from District Health Department No. 2 when bedrooms are added, and a septic and well permit for the first building on a parcel.
• Driveway permit, or approval of the existing driveway, where the property borders a county road, from the Ogemaw County Road Commission.
• Soil erosion permit from the building department for larger or near-water earth changes.
• House number for a new home from Planning and Zoning: $40 for one address, $20 to change an existing one.

Ogemaw County permit costs and fees

The county does not post a building permit fee table. Its general information sheet asks applicants to call the department for the fee for their project, and the commercial form computes the fee from a construction cost table. The electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications each print a fee chart marked effective October 1, 2011; you count the items, multiply by the unit price and pay the total with the application. Checks are made payable to the Ogemaw County Building & Zoning Department.

Example from the electrical chart: a homeowner adding six new circuits and a standby generator would list the $75 application fee, 6 × $5 for the circuits and $20 for the generator, a total of $125 before any rough or final inspection fee the inspector calls for. Card payments go through GovPayNet, which adds its own service fee. Septic, well and driveway permits are priced by the health department and road commission, not by the county building office.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county department issues electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits in every Ogemaw County unit, and the same office inspects. Each form asks for the contractor’s license number and expiry date, federal employer number, workers’ compensation carrier and unemployment number, or the reason for an exemption. Contractors register with the county once, for $10, by sending a copy of their current state license and driver’s license; plumbing and electrical firms also list their master plumber or master electrician.

Residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors hold state licenses, as do electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors. Each county trade form includes a homeowner affidavit: the owner certifies that the work will be installed personally in the home the owner lives in or is about to occupy, will not be covered or used until the county inspector approves it, and that the owner will arrange the inspections. The mechanical form adds that a homeowner may install a fuel tank only if the homeowner owns it; otherwise a licensed mechanical contractor must. The county’s separate homeowner affidavit warns owners who sign a building application and then pay someone else that they can become liable for that person’s mistakes, taxes and injuries if the worker is unlicensed.

Sealed plans are not needed for an electrical job of 400 amps or less in a building of 3,500 square feet or less, for heating systems of 375,000 Btu or less in one- and two-family homes, or for plumbing in one- and two-family homes of 3,500 square feet or less; larger work goes with an application for plan examination.

How to apply for an Ogemaw County building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county zoning office warns that missing site plan information delays the building permit, and its site plan instructions say incorrect or incomplete drawings will be refused. Many zoning permits also need written approval from District Health Department No. 2, so ask early whether septic information is required. On a lot under two acres with no house, a storage building or garage needs a health-department-approved septic system and room for a future dwelling of at least 720 square feet shown on a scaled site plan; on two acres or more, no septic permit is needed for a building without plumbing.

Inspections and certificates in Ogemaw County

Call the department at (989) 345-3370 when work is ready, giving as much notice as possible, and have the township name and permit number ready. No electrical, mechanical or plumbing work may be covered until the county inspector has seen it, and the inspector’s phone number is printed on the permit.

• Building: the permit fee covers three inspections; the inspector decides whether extra visits are needed.
• Trades: the application fee covers one visit, and rough, additional, re-inspection and final visits are $50 each on the trade charts.
• Septic: District Health Department No. 2 inspects the finished system before it is covered or backfilled, at a time arranged with the installer or owner.

A permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 180 days of issue or stops for 180 days, and the county cancels a permit when no inspection is requested and done within 180 days of issue or of the last inspection. Cancelled permits cannot be refunded or reinstated, so a stalled project needs a new permit.

Michigan building code in Ogemaw County

Floodplain insurance is not a county matter in Michigan: no county joins the National Flood Insurance Program, and each township, city and village takes part on its own. For floodplain, wetland or shoreline work, check with the local unit and with EGLE before the county issues a permit.

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

Ogemaw County permit search and official resources

Permit records are kept by the building department in West Branch. For copies of permits, inspection results or plans, call (989) 345-3370 or write to permits@ocmi.us, naming the township and parcel number. Septic and well permit records are held by District Health Department No. 2 in West Branch, and parcel and assessment questions go to Equalization at (989) 345-0328.

• Ogemaw County Building Department
• Building & soil erosion general information
• Building permit forms list
• Residential building permit application
• Commercial building permit application
• Electrical permit application and fee chart
• Mechanical permit application and fee chart
• Plumbing permit application and fee chart
• Contractor registration form
• Soil erosion permits
• Construction Board of Appeals
• Card payment instructions
• Ogemaw County Planning & Zoning
• County zoning permit application
• Application for new address
• District Health Department No. 2: residential septic permits
• District Health Department No. 2: well permits
• Ogemaw County Road Commission permits
• BCC Statewide Jurisdiction List

Ogemaw County building permit FAQs

Does Ogemaw County issue building permits in West Branch and Rose City?

Yes. The county building department enforces the code in both cities, the Village of Prescott and all 14 townships, for building and all three trades.

How much does a building permit cost in Ogemaw County?

The county quotes building fees by phone at (989) 345-3370. Trade permits start with a $75 application fee that includes one inspection, plus per-item charges from the form’s chart.

Do I need a permit to re-roof or re-side my house?

The department’s current information sheet says roofing and siding permits are no longer required, but an older page and the commercial reroof fee say otherwise; call before starting.

Can I email my application?

Yes, to permits@ocmi.us. You can also bring it in or leave it with a check in the Annex Building drop box.

Who handles zoning?

Ogemaw County Planning and Zoning, (989) 345-3375, everywhere except the City of West Branch, West Branch Township and Edwards Township, which zone for themselves.

Can a homeowner do their own electrical or plumbing work?

Yes, on the home the owner lives in or is about to occupy, by signing the homeowner affidavit on the county trade application.

Where do I get a septic or well permit?

District Health Department No. 2, 630 Progress Street, West Branch, (989) 345-5020.

When does a permit expire?

When no inspection is requested and done within 180 days of issue or of the last inspection; cancelled permits are not refunded or reinstated.

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