Port Huron, Michigan Building Permit Guide

Inside the City of Port Huron, permits come from the Building Inspection Division of the city’s Planning Department, 100 McMorran Boulevard (810-984-9733), which handles building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work as well as zoning permits for fences, driveways and patios. Applications can be dropped off, mailed or emailed, and permits can be applied for, paid and inspected through the city’s BS&A Online page. Port Huron Charter Township is a separate government with its own building department on Lapeer Road.

What requires a permit in Port Huron?

The Building Inspection page sorts common jobs into building-permit work, zoning-permit work, trade permits and work that needs nothing. The line between a building permit and a zoning permit follows the type of work, and for sheds the size: 120 sq ft.

What the city decides and what the state holds

The construction code is Michigan’s, but the city enforces all four parts of it and writes its own zoning ordinance, historic district ordinance (Chapter 52, sections 576 to 591), rental certification ordinance and fee schedule. The page also points to two state approvals that sit outside the city: the EGLE Air Quality Division for a commercial demolition, or a home being converted to commercial use, under the NESHAP checklist, and the EGLE Water Resources Division for exterior work on property in a floodplain.

Port Huron building department: who handles permitting

The Planning Department runs five divisions: Building Inspection, Code Enforcement and its Administrative Hearings Bureau, Community Development, Rental Certification, and Planning and Zoning Administration. David Haynes is the Planning Director. Variance requests are filed with the Building Inspection Division on the third floor of the Municipal Office Center. The division is also the contact for the Historic District Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Construction Board of Appeals; Planning Commission business goes through the Planning office at 810-984-9735.

The state’s jurisdiction list shows the city enforcing building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing itself; St. Clair County has no county program. The list gives Port Huron Charter Township the same all-local status, but its office and fees are its own, so check which unit the parcel is in before using these forms.

Port Huron permit types and applications

The city’s Forms page has applications for building, demolition, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, sign and zoning permits, a plan review application, the right-of-way use permit (PW-3), floodplain documents and the NESHAP checklist, along with the annual contractor registration forms for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors.

Residential permits

• Roofs, windows, doors and siding are all listed as building-permit work, including replacements.
• Decks, porches and garages need a building permit; a shed up to 120 sq ft needs a zoning permit instead.
• Pools and hot tubs start with a zoning permit, and a pool over 24 inches deep adds building and electrical permits.
• Trade work in a house, from a new circuit or sump pump to a water heater, furnace or lawn sprinkler, has its own trade permit.
• Rentals must be registered and certified under the Rental Certification Program, with its own ordinance, registration form and inspection checklist.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work adds a plan review application to the building permit. The Planning and Zoning Division takes the Use Certificate Application, filed together with the Firefighter Right to Know Survey. A commercial demolition needs EGLE Air Quality approval under the NESHAP rules before the city’s demolition permit, and signs use the city’s sign permit application.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. The city has 12 zoning districts, from R single-family to M-2 general industrial; the Planning Department will confirm a parcel’s district by phone.
• Site plan review. Larger projects, such as apartment complexes, commercial sites over 1 acre, industrial buildings, hospital expansions and shopping centers, may need Planning Commission approval under Section 52-697 of the zoning ordinance, usually at one meeting.
• Special use and rezoning. Special uses take about two months and rezonings about four, because both need hearings before the Planning Commission and the City Council; owners within 300 feet are notified.
• Historic District. Alterations, significant repairs, new construction, demolition and moving buildings in the district need Historic District Commission approval for the exterior.
• Right-of-way. Sidewalks, approaches and curb cuts in the street use the PW-3 right-of-way use permit as well as a zoning permit.

The Zoning Board of Appeals grants only non-use variances, such as height, setback and bulk, where the property shows a practical difficulty; the city’s FAQ states that a bigger structure or more profit is not a sufficient reason. Owners within 300 feet are notified, and a case is normally decided at the next monthly meeting.

Port Huron permit fees

The city sets its own fees and posts two fee documents on the Forms page: the Building Inspection Fees sheet and a revised 2026 Schedule of Fees. The amount turns on the job, so ask the Building Inspection Division at 810-984-9733 to price the work before you submit; the division also confirms which trade permits the job will need.

The rental program bills by invoice: pay by mail or on the city’s payment site with the invoice number, where an added processing fee applies. Planning, rezoning, special use and variance filing fees are non-refundable. Vacating an alley takes about four months, because it needs public hearings before both the Planning Commission and the City Council. Zoning maps, ordinance books, street maps and historical aerial photographs can be bought from the Planning Department.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Port Huron issues and inspects its own electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits; none of the three goes to the state. The Building Inspection page lists the common jobs for each trade, while noting the lists are not complete.

• Plumbing: alterations, new water service, distribution piping, a second meter for irrigation, lawn sprinklers, floor drains, sump pumps, grease traps and backflow preventers.
• Mechanical: furnaces, air conditioners, gas piping, water heaters, fireplaces including prefabricated units, wood stoves, unit heaters, new ductwork, air handlers, cooling towers, chillers, refrigeration and air cleaners.
• Electrical: new services and circuits, the wiring for furnaces, air conditioners, water heaters, sump pumps and heat pumps, illuminated signs, generators, pools, spas and hot tubs, reconnections, smoke detectors and other alterations.

Contractors register with the city each year on the form for their trade, alongside their state license. The homeowner route is narrow: an owner may pull a permit instead of a licensed contractor only if they are the registered legal owner, the house is their primary residence and they live in it. A landlord doing work on a rental does not meet that test.

How to apply for a permit in Port Huron

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The biggest waits are the board calendars. The Planning Commission meets on the first Tuesday at 6 p.m., the Historic District Commission on the first Tuesday at 4 p.m. and the Zoning Board of Appeals on the first Monday at 6 p.m., each with a 30-day filing deadline. When the ZBA grants a variance, the building permit can then be approved. For Historic District work the city encourages a preliminary talk with staff and attendance at the commission meeting to explain the proposal; regular building maintenance in the district is permitted and encouraged. Missing approvals from EGLE on a commercial demolition or floodplain project also hold up a permit.

Inspections and code enforcement in Port Huron

Inspections are booked through the Schedule an Inspection service on the city’s BS&A Online page, or by calling the Building Inspection Division. The city’s list treats a remodel that exposes the sub-floor or wall studs as permit work, even though tile, carpet or a same-layout cabinet swap alone needs no permit.

• Rental certification. Rental properties are inspected against the city’s rental inspection checklist and property maintenance code; the Rental Certification Division answers at 810-984-2465, and the city points tenants to Michigan Public Act 348 of 1972 for tenant rights.
• Code enforcement. Blight and property maintenance complaints go to 810-984-9797, the division the city calls Code Enforcement and Administrative Hearings Bureau.
• Construction Board of Appeals. Meets on the first Wednesday at 5 p.m. to hear appeals of permit denials and code decisions; the FAQ gives 10 days after a notice of violation to file.
• Vacant property. Foreclosed, vacant and abandoned properties are registered with the Planning Department.

Pools, spas and hot tubs carry both a building and an electrical permit, so each gets its own inspections, and a generator is on the electrical list. A sump pump appears on both the plumbing and the electrical lists, so it may need two trade permits.

Michigan building code in Port Huron

Property in a floodplain may need EGLE Water Resources Division approval before any exterior project, and the city posts a floodplain packet and a flood map. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City of Port Huron (community 260204) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps dated July 19, 2022.

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

Port Huron permit search and official resources

Permit records can be searched on the city’s BS&A Online page under Building Department Record Search. Anything not online can be requested in writing under the Freedom of Information Act from the City Clerk, 100 McMorran Blvd. (810-984-9725 ext. 0); the city answers within 5 business days for requests delivered in person or by mail and 6 for electronic ones, may extend by 10 business days, and asks for a deposit of up to half when costs are estimated over $50.

• Building Inspection Division
• Planning Department and boards
• Planning and zoning FAQ
• Zoning administration and maps
• Permit forms and fee documents
• BS&A Online: apply, pay, search records, schedule inspections
• Rental certification
• City department phone list
• Freedom of Information Act requests
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Port Huron building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit to replace my roof or windows in Port Huron?

Yes. Roofs on a house or garage, windows, doors and siding are all on the city’s building permit list.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

A shed over 120 sq ft needs a building permit; a smaller one needs a zoning permit.

Do I need a permit for a fence or driveway?

Yes, a zoning permit. Driveway approaches and curb cuts also involve the street right-of-way.

Can a homeowner pull permits?

Only the registered legal owner who lives in the house as a primary residence may pull permits instead of a licensed contractor.

Is the City of Port Huron the same as Port Huron Township?

No. The township is a separate charter township with its own building department and fees on Lapeer Road.

What if my house is in the Historic District?

Any exterior alteration, significant repair, new construction or demolition needs Historic District Commission approval; applications are due 30 days before its first-Tuesday meeting.

How much does a permit cost?

The city’s building inspection fee sheet and 2026 schedule of fees set the amounts; the division at 810-984-9733 will price a specific job.

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