Oxford Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In the Charter Township of Oxford, the Building & Planning Department at Township Hall, 300 Dunlap Road (248-628-9787), issues every building permit, inspects the work and enforces the zoning ordinance; Tim London is the Building Official and the township’s stormwater manager. Contractors and homeowners can apply and book inspections on BS&A Online. Under the fee schedule effective January 15, 2024, a job costing $1,000.01 to $50,000 pays $100 plus $4.50 for each $1,000 over $1,000, plus a plan review of 0.13% of the cost ($100 minimum).

What requires a building permit in Oxford Township?

The township answers the common questions on its building page and in its application guides. Wood decks, sheds over 200 square feet, garages and pole barns, additions, basement finishes, pools and spas, demolition, signs and commercial tenant changes all need permits, and so does a lawn irrigation system, which takes a plumbing permit and inspection.

A detached accessory building starts with a zoning compliance review ($125), when the zoning official checks the plot plan and stakes the location, before the Building Official reviews the plans. The township’s guide asks for a 4-by-24-inch rat wall with 42-inch footings, a 4-inch concrete floor on 4 inches of sand and siding at least 8 inches above grade.

What Oxford Township decides and what the state holds

The state construction code is used without local amendment. The Statewide Jurisdiction List shows the township enforcing building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing itself, while the Village of Oxford, inside the township, has its own program. The township sets its fees, zoning (Ordinance No. 067A.048, updated April 2026), sign rules and water and sewer connection charges, and runs its own soil erosion program under Part 91 of the state environmental law.

Oxford Township building department: who handles permitting

The building side of the department issues permits, inspects existing and new construction, enforces the building and zoning codes and reviews permanent signs, commercial tenant changes of occupancy and land use permits. The planning and zoning side prepares cases for the Planning Commission, a seven-member body appointed by the township supervisor with board approval for three-year terms, and the five-member Zoning Board of Appeals. The township engineer, Sharpe Engineering of Oxford, files a monthly activity report on municipal and private projects.

Oxford Township permit types

The document center holds the township’s combined Application for Building Permit & Zoning Compliance, a trade permit application for electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, the contractor registration form, the homeowner affidavit, and guides for detached accessory buildings, decks, pools and spas, basement finishes, demolition and fences, plus a plot plan review checklist.

Residential permits

• New houses and additions go through plot plan review against the township checklist, then plan review; the document center also has the final grading certificate form used at the end of a job.
• Accessory buildings follow the four-step guide: application with two sets of plans and two plot plans, zoning review and staking, Building Official plan review with a signed review sheet, then permit pick-up.
• Manufactured homes pay $200 (single-wide) or $250 (double-wide), including two inspections.
• Pools are $150 above ground and $200 below ground.

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

Commercial permits

New commercial buildings carry a $200 application fee and are priced on the same cost-based scale, with trade permits charged per trade by floor area. Tenants moving into an existing space file the Change of Occupancy/Zoning Application: $260 for the change of occupancy plus $125 for planning and zoning, $385 in all, with a building layout plan. The form notes that interior or exterior alterations need architectural drawings before a building permit is issued, and that any water and sewer fees must be paid before permits or the certificate of occupancy are released. The township also publishes instructions for white-box build-outs. Site plans, special land uses, rezonings and planned unit developments each have their own township guide and application.

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 compliance. Projects such as detached accessory buildings start with a $125 zoning permit ($120 plus $5 mileage) and a staking inspection on a Tuesday or Thursday morning.
• Planning Commission and ZBA. The Planning Commission meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays when needed, and the ZBA at 7:00 p.m. on the second Monday when needed, both at Township Hall.
• Soil erosion. Oxford issues its own soil erosion and sedimentation control permits (the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s map shows the township running its own program); the Village of Oxford is on the county’s program.
• Water, sewer, septic. Lots on private systems need Oakland County Health Division well and septic permits (248-858-1280). Connecting to township water costs a $6,075 tap fee plus a $100 water construction fee, and a sewer tap is $6,000; county fees are paid separately at the Water Resources Commissioner, One Public Works Drive, Waterford.

Oxford Township permit costs and fees

The Oxford Township Building Fee Schedule took effect on January 15, 2024. Building permits are priced on project cost, counting materials and labor; the accessory-building guide adds that cost is figured from the International Code Council’s building valuation data. A non-refundable application fee and a plan review fee are charged on top.

Worked example: a $30,000 addition pays $100 + $4.50 × 29, or $230.50, plus the $50 application fee and a plan review of 0.13% of $30,000 ($39, so the $100 minimum applies), for $380.50 before trade permits. The bands do not join exactly ($50,000 works out to $320.50 in the second band, but the third starts at $400), so price each job inside its own band. Cancelled permits are refunded only within six months and keep the application fee, plan review, 25% of the permit fee and $60 per inspection made.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Oxford issues electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits on one trade permit application. For a home, each trade is a flat fee set by the living unit’s floor area ($195, $215 or $235), and the rough and final inspections are included; commercial and industrial trades run from $270 to $770 per trade by floor area.

• Contractors register with the township and create a contractor account on BS&A Online to apply and request inspections.
• Homeowners. The township says a homeowner can get a permit without a license when doing the work on their primary home, and must sign the homeowner affidavit stating no contractor is being paid. The affidavit, adopted by the Township Board in 1999, covers building, mechanical, electrical and plumbing work installed by the owner in a home the owner lives in or is about to occupy.
• Irrigation. A lawn sprinkler system needs a plumbing permit and inspection; the township quotes $115.
• Water and sewer service lines. Only an insured excavator bonded with Oakland County or an insured state-licensed contractor may take out the township water or sewer permit, which costs $115 ($50 administrative fee, $60 permit and $5 mileage). After the township issues it, the Building Department sends the Water Resources Commissioner a tap approval letter. The township plumbing inspector checks the service line on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.; call by 3:00 p.m. the day before, set the county inspection for the same day and have both permits on site. The county installs the meter once a licensed plumber has installed permitted backflow prevention.
• Fire protection. Fire alarm and suppression systems have their own application.

How to apply for an Oxford Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The accessory-building guide lists what plans must show (roof pitch, truss or rafter spacing, header sizes, wall bracing, footing and rat wall); leaving details out holds up plan review. Outside consultant reviews are billed at 1.25 times the consultant’s cost. A permit lapses if work does not start within six months or stops for six months, and a permit with no inspection for six months is cancelled; cancelled permits cannot be refunded or reinstated, and an expired permit costs $50 to reactivate.

Inspections and certificates in Oxford Township

Inspections are requested on BS&A Online (separate links for contractors and homeowners) or by calling the Building Department with the permit number, job location and lock-box code or other access instructions. The township’s inspection windows are:

• Building: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
• Electrical, mechanical and plumbing: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
• Grading and soil erosion reviews and silt-fence inspections: mornings only, Tuesday and Thursday.
• Zoning reviews and staking: mornings only, Tuesday and Thursday.

The township says a building gets an average of 20 inspections before it can be occupied. No work may be concealed until it is approved. Extra inspections are $60 each plus $5 mileage. A temporary certificate of occupancy carries a fee based on the estimated cost to finish the project, at least $500.

Michigan building code in Oxford Township

The Statewide Jurisdiction List (rev. November 6, 2026) marks Oxford Township as a local program for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing, lists the Village of Oxford separately, and shows no county program in Oakland County. The Charter Township of Oxford is not found in the FEMA list (FEMA’s Community Status Book for Michigan); ask the Building Official, who is also the township’s stormwater manager (248-628-9787, ext. 110), about floodplain or drainage questions on a specific lot.

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

Oxford Township permit search and official resources

Permit and property information can be looked up through the township’s BS&A Online page. Copies of permits, plans and inspection records are requested with the township’s FOIA records request form, under the FOIA procedures and public summary in the document center.

• Oxford Township Building & Planning
• Applications, guidelines and documents
• Building fee schedule, effective January 15, 2024
• Application for building permit and zoning compliance
• Trade permit application (electrical, mechanical, plumbing)
• Contractor registration form
• Homeowner affidavit
• Detached accessory building guide
• Soil erosion and sedimentation control permit application
• Zoning Ordinance No. 067A.048 (April 2026)
• Planning Commission
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• FOIA records request form
• BS&A Online for Oxford Township
• Oakland County Environmental Health
• Oakland County soil erosion jurisdiction map
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Oxford Township building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit for a fence in Oxford Township?

Not for a fence less than 7 feet high, according to the township; its fence requirements still apply.

Does a shed need a permit?

Only if it is larger than 200 square feet; larger sheds start with a $125 zoning compliance review.

How much is a permit for a $30,000 addition?

$230.50 for the permit, plus a $50 application fee and the $100 minimum plan review, $380.50 in all.

Can I pull my own permit?

Yes, for work you do yourself on your primary home, with the homeowner affidavit.

Do replacement windows need a permit?

No, unless the window opening is made larger.

Who issues soil erosion permits?

The township itself: $250 for a residential permit, renewed each year.

What does it cost to connect to township water?

A $6,075 tap fee and a $100 water construction fee, plus the $115 township water permit and the county’s own fees.

When are inspections done?

Tuesday to Thursday: building 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., trades 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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