Roscommon County, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In Roscommon County, home to Houghton Lake and Higgins Lake and 23,914 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, building permits are a township matter. The county’s own answer is that building and zoning are done through each individual township, and the state’s jurisdiction list shows no county program: ten townships enforce all four construction codes themselves, the Village of Roscommon enforces building and electrical while the state handles its mechanical and plumbing permits, and the state Bureau of Construction Codes handles every trade in Au Sable Township. What the county does issue is the soil erosion permit, from its SESC program at 500 Lake Street in Roscommon.

What requires a building permit in Roscommon County?

The rules for what needs a permit come from the state code and from each township’s own zoning ordinance, so the list depends on where the parcel is. The local pages give a sense of it. Roscommon Township requires its land use permit for any building or addition, including decks and porches, and the same permit when a building or shed is torn down so it comes off the tax roll. Gerrish Township warns owners to check before installing a new woodstove, water heater or propane tank to avoid extra fees or fines. Richfield Township issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits for all construction-related work through its building official.

A seawall that EGLE has permitted still needs a county soil erosion permit when the work is within 500 feet of the water. A few small jobs by an owner-occupant are exempt from the soil erosion permit, such as gardens without added fill, stump removal up to 100 square feet, post holes for fences and decks with no added grading, and seawall maintenance up to 100 square feet, but the owner still has to keep sediment out of the water.

What Roscommon County decides and what the state holds

Michigan writes the construction code. On the Bureau of Construction Codes’ Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026), Roscommon County is shown with no county program, so the county issues no building permits anywhere. Each township and the village decide whether to enforce the code themselves and set their own fees and zoning; where a unit has not taken on a trade, the state enforces it. The county keeps the Part 91 soil erosion program under a county resolution, and the elected Drain Commissioner oversees county drains under the Drain Code (Public Act 40 of 1956).

Roscommon County building department: who handles permitting

The office depends on the township or village the parcel is in, as shown on the tax bill, not on the mailing town. The state list gives this split:

The largest townships publish their own arrangements:

• Denton Township (5,411 people; offices in Prudenville) posts a land use application, zoning fee schedule and site plan application on its forms page.
• Roscommon Township (4,520; Houghton Lake and Houghton Lake Heights) takes land use permit applications in person at the Township Hall, (989) 422-4116.
• Richfield Township (3,575; offices in St. Helen) issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits through its building official; applications go by PDF email, mail or drop-off, and the township asks for at least 5 to 7 business days. Offices are open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., (989) 389-4994.
• Gerrish Township (2,839; Higgins Lake) has a building official at (989) 821-9313, extension 225, who reviews plans, inspects and oversees zoning; the hall is at 2997 E. Higgins Lake Drive.

For the smaller townships, the county’s County Townships page links each township’s own website, which is the place to find its building and zoning contacts.

Permit types in Roscommon County

Each township issues its own forms. On a new home the health department’s septic permit must come before the building permit, and work near water needs the county’s soil erosion permit before earth moving starts.

Residential permits

• Land use or zoning permit. Townships zone their own land; Roscommon Township calls its permit a land use permit and Denton Township posts a land use application with its zoning fee schedule.
• Building permit from the township’s building official, or from the state in Au Sable Township.
• Trade permits. In the ten fully local townships the township issues electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits; in the Village of Roscommon the village issues electrical permits and the state issues mechanical and plumbing permits.
• Short-term rentals in Roscommon Township need the township’s application under its Ordinance No. 81.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects follow the same local route, with site plan review by the township’s planning commission where its zoning ordinance requires it (Denton Township posts a planning commission site plan application). On the county side, a commercial site of an acre or more, or within 500 feet of a lake or stream, needs the SESC permit before earth moving starts.

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

• Soil erosion (county). The SESC program reviews the application and site plan, then visits the site. It has 30 days to decide a complete application, and the county’s SESC guidelines say permits typically issue in 3 to 10 days depending on completeness.
• Septic and well (Central Michigan District Health Department). On a new build the septic permit must be issued before the building permit, the site must be flagged for the sanitarian, and a reserve drainfield area is required. When building permits are needed on a property with an existing septic system or well, the department requires an evaluation of that system.
• Driveways (Road Commission). A new driveway, a rebuilt or changed one, or a change in the use of land served by an existing driveway needs a Roscommon County Road Commission permit; fences, retaining walls, sprinklers, landscaping boulders and plantings are not allowed in the right-of-way.

Permit costs and fees in Roscommon County

Because the county runs no building program, there is no county building fee schedule. Each township sets its own building and trade fees, and the state sets them in Au Sable Township and for the village’s mechanical and plumbing permits. Richfield Township says its building permit fee is based on the project details and staff contact the applicant with the amount, while electrical, mechanical and plumbing fees can be worked out from the application form; it takes checks, cash and card payments by phone or in person. Denton Township posts a zoning fee schedule on its forms page.

County-level charges come from the SESC program: beyond the permit itself, projects needing extra inspections because controls were not installed or maintained can be charged $75 a visit. Ask the SESC office at (989) 275-8323 for the current permit fee. A soil erosion violation that is not fixed after the certified notice can bring a fine of up to $25,000 a day, county-installed controls billed to the owner, a cease-and-desist order and an order to restore the site. The health department and Road Commission charge their own permit fees.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Trade permits follow the jurisdiction list. In Backus, Denton, Gerrish, Higgins, Lake, Lyon, Markey, Nester, Richfield and Roscommon townships, the township issues and inspects electrical, mechanical and plumbing work. In the Village of Roscommon the village handles electrical work and the state Bureau of Construction Codes handles mechanical and plumbing. In Au Sable Township every trade permit is a state permit.

• Inspection days. Gerrish Township’s electrical and mechanical-plumbing inspectors work Mondays and Wednesdays, booked through the township hall at extension 221. Richfield Township lists separate inspector phone numbers on each issued permit, and the permit holder must schedule the inspections.
• Licenses. Residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors hold LARA licenses, and electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors hold state trade licenses; Richfield notes that its inspectors are licensed in their trades and registered as code officials with the state.
• Homeowners. Whether an owner may pull a trade permit for their own home is set out on each issuing agency’s application, so ask the township, or the state for Au Sable Township.

How to get a building permit in Roscommon County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The health department’s rule that a septic permit comes before the building permit, and its ban on construction before the septic permit issues, set the pace on rural lots. The county SESC office can take up to 30 days on a complete application, and the application packet notes that a fully completed application speeds approval. Richfield Township asks applicants to allow at least 5 to 7 business days for its building permit review.

Inspections and certificates in Roscommon County

Building and trade inspections are booked with whoever issued the permit: the township building department, the village for building and electrical work, or the state. Gerrish Township books building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspections at (989) 821-9313, extension 221. Richfield Township prints the inspector contacts on each permit.

• Soil erosion inspections. The county SESC program inspects at least twice, at the start and at closure, with more visits by priority. The owner or contractor calls for a final inspection once the site is stabilized.
• Stabilization rule. Part 91 requires permanent erosion controls within 5 calendar days after final grading; temporary controls stay until then.
• Permit on site. The SESC permit and site plan must be posted until the site is stabilized.
• Change of owner. If a property with an open SESC permit is sold, the permit transfer form must be filed before the transfer.

Certificates of occupancy come from whichever office issued the building permit, after its final inspections.

Michigan building code in Roscommon County

The state code is enforced locally in ten townships and, for building and electrical work, in the Village of Roscommon, with the state covering Au Sable Township and the village’s mechanical and plumbing work. FEMA lists no Michigan county as a National Flood Insurance Program community; each township and the village join the program on their own, so floodplain rules and maps depend on the unit.

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

Permit search and official resources in Roscommon County

Building permit records are held by the township or village that issued them. County records, including soil erosion files, are requested under the Freedom of Information Act in writing or by email to the County Controller, who is the county’s FOIA Coordinator. Septic and well records are requested from the Central Michigan District Health Department.

• Roscommon County townships and village (links to each)
• County FAQ: building and zoning are done by each township
• Roscommon County soil erosion and sedimentation control program
• SESC guidelines and application
• Central Michigan District Health Department: septic permits
• Central Michigan District Health Department locations
• Roscommon County Road Commission permits
• Gerrish Township building department
• Richfield Township building and zoning
• Roscommon Township permit information
• Denton Township forms
• County FOIA requests
• Statewide Jurisdiction List (Bureau of Construction Codes)

Roscommon County building permit FAQs

Does Roscommon County issue building permits?

No. The county has no building program; building and zoning are handled by each township and the Village of Roscommon, and the state covers Au Sable Township.

Who issues permits in Au Sable Township?

The state Bureau of Construction Codes, for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work.

Who issues plumbing permits in the Village of Roscommon?

The state; the village enforces building and electrical work, and the state handles mechanical and plumbing.

Do I need a soil erosion permit to build on Houghton Lake or Higgins Lake?

Yes, if the earth change is within 500 feet of the lake or covers an acre or more; the county SESC program issues it, (989) 275-8323.

Do I need a septic permit before the building permit?

Yes. The Central Michigan District Health Department requires the septic permit before a building permit on a new build.

Do I need a permit for a new driveway?

Yes, onto a county road: the Road Commission permits new, rebuilt or changed driveways and any work in the right-of-way.

How long does a township permit take?

Richfield Township asks for at least 5 to 7 business days; other townships set their own timelines.

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