Tyrone Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In Tyrone Township (Livingston County) the Planning & Zoning Department at 8420 Runyan Lake Road, Fenton (810-629-8631), issues a zoning and land use permit, good for one year, for all new construction and additions; a new house costs $100 plus a required $25 address sign under the fee schedule adopted November 2, 2021. Building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and every code inspection come from the Livingston County Building Department in Howell (517-546-3240).

What requires a building permit in Tyrone Township?

Tyrone’s rule is short: land use permits and waivers must be obtained for all new construction and additions, and the county building permit follows. The township’s fee schedule shows how wide that net is.

The same zoning and land use application also lists grading or site work, basement finishes, signs and stores, so ask the department which fee line your project falls under.

The county applies the state code to the building itself. Its project examples treat a storage building under 200 square feet and no more than 10 feet tall as exempt from a building permit, and roofing over existing shingles as exempt, while a tear-off and re-shingle needs a permit; Tyrone’s 100-square-foot threshold for accessory buildings on a foundation is a separate, township-level rule.

What Tyrone decides and what the state holds

Tyrone administers its zoning ordinance and master plan (the 2024 plan is current), processes site plans, special land uses, rezonings, variances and interpretations, and sets its own fees. The construction codes are the county’s to enforce in Tyrone: the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List names Livingston County for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing. The township has also posted a notice that data centers are not among the permitted or special land uses in its M-1 industrial district, citing Sections 16.01 and 16.03 of its zoning ordinance.

Tyrone Township building department: who handles permitting

Tyrone’s Planning & Zoning Department, led by Director of Planning & Zoning Ross Nicholson, handles zoning permits and the boards. Its construction-permit page sends applicants to four county offices: Environmental Health for septic and well, the Drain Commissioner for soil erosion or grading, the Road Commission for driveway approaches and the county Building Department, under Building Official Jim Rowell, for the building permits themselves.

Tyrone’s page prints the health department number as (517) 546-9850; the county’s own Environmental Health page gives (517) 546-9858. A Fenton mailing address does not mean the City of Fenton, which is a separate government; and this Tyrone is the Livingston County township, not the Tyrone Township in Kent County.

Tyrone Township permit types

The township’s Applications & Permits page carries one combined zoning and land use permit application with a checklist and a sample site plan, plus land division, combination, sewer connection, Planning Commission review and special event forms. The county issues its own building permit application and separate electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications.

Residential permits

• Zoning and land use permit. The checklist asks for proof of ownership signed by the owner, electronic copies of plans, the parcel number and legal description, a legal survey when the Zoning Administrator requires one, a Road Commission driveway sight distance approval, a favorable perc test report from the county health department, three review copies of the blueprints, the fee, two site plans and, where sewer is available, the sewer connection application.
• Site plan. A scaled drawing no larger than 11 by 17 inches; it does not have to be drawn by a licensed professional, but it must show the parcel, all structures, septic tank and drain field with the reserve area, the well, driveway and easements, grading, wetlands and other natural features, road rights-of-way, the date, scale and north arrow.
• County building permit. The approved land use permit, the county application, two scaled plan sets at least 24 by 36 inches with floor plans, elevations, framing and insulation values, soil erosion and well and septic permits or waivers, and identification; drawings over 3,500 square feet and log homes need a Michigan architect’s or engineer’s seal.

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

Commercial permits

New commercial and industrial buildings, offices, churches and similar uses pay a $200 land use fee, apartments and multiple retail units $150 per unit. Projects that need Planning Commission review pay under a separate schedule, effective October 5, 2010, that includes $1,400 for a rezoning and $1,650 for a special land use, plus planner, engineering and legal costs drawn from an escrow account. At the county, commercial drawings need an architect or engineer, sealed structural calculations, a soil boring report and full trade designs.

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

• Road Commission: a driveway sight distance approval for the township checklist ($50 per approach for the review) and a driveway approach permit or waiver.
• Health department: a favorable perc test for the township, then well and septic permits for the county.
• Township land use permit, issued once the checklist is complete.
• Drain Commissioner: a soil erosion or grading permit, or a waiver, before the county permit.
• County GIS address for a vacant lot, plus Tyrone’s reflective address sign for a new house.

Tyrone Township permit costs and fees

Tyrone’s schedule of fees was adopted on November 2, 2021 and is the one linked from the Planning & Zoning page. Work begun before a permit is issued is a violation charged at twice the permit fee. The county’s plan review fee is due when the building application is filed.

Worked example from the county commercial worksheet: a building valued at exactly $2,500,000 pays 0.0015 × $2,500,000, or $3,750, in plan review, the top of the first band. For a new house the fixed amounts are Tyrone’s $100 land use permit and $25 address sign plus the county’s $150 plan review; the county building permit fee depends on the plans.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county issues electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits in Tyrone on three separate applications, each with a $30 non-refundable application fee and a $50 final inspection; none is included in the building permit. Lines a homeowner or contractor is likely to use include $15 for a sump, lift or grinder pump and $40 for conduit or grounding work alone on the electrical form, $30 for a split refrigeration system, $25 for a fuel tank and $15 for a separately installed factory-built chimney on the mechanical form, and $10 for a residential sewer, $10 for a garbage grinder and $15 for a residential water meter on the plumbing form.

Trade contractors register their state licenses with the county ($15 per license) and must sign with an original signature. The county accepts residential building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical applications signed by the owner with identification; each trade form includes an affidavit that the owner’s work is for their own use and occupancy and will not be covered before inspection, and the county’s homeowner permit policy sets out the liability an owner-builder takes on.

How to apply for a building permit in Tyrone Township

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Tyrone’s checklist must be complete before a land use permit is issued, and two of its items come from county offices, the Road Commission sight distance approval and the health department perc test report, so start those first. Changes after approval are filed as a $50 revision. The land use permit is valid for one year, and the township’s fee schedule requires the outside of any permitted building to be finished within six months of the building permit’s issue date.

Inspections and occupancy in Tyrone Township

Every code inspection on a Tyrone permit is done by Livingston County staff. Request it through BS&A Online or the automated line at (517) 546-3830 with the permit type, number and the county’s three-digit inspection code; requests close at midnight for the next available day and cancellations at 5:00 a.m. Calling in work that is not ready can bring a re-inspection fee, payable online before the visit is rebooked. Signing the township land use application also gives Tyrone representatives permission to inspect the site.

The county certificate of occupancy requires passed inspections, any township zoning compliance sign-off, a signed certificate from the installer of any blown cellulose insulation, the health department’s final approval of the well and septic, and paid fees. Processing takes about 48 hours; a temporary certificate is $100. Under the county’s rules a permit lapses if work has not started within 180 days or is suspended for 180 days, and a written request with $75 can extend it once for 180 days.

Michigan building code in Tyrone Township

Tyrone has no building department of its own, so the state codes are applied by the county; the township’s rules are its zoning ordinance, the 2024 master plan and its zoning and renewable energy overlay map. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Tyrone Township in Livingston County (community 260848) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with maps dated September 17, 2008.

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

Tyrone Township permit search and official resources

Look up county permits and inspection results on Livingston County’s BS&A Online; copies of older county files go through the county FOIA portal. Township land use and zoning records are held by the Clerk’s Office, which takes FOIA requests in writing or on its form, must respond within 5 working days and may take a 10-day extension with notice; fees are itemized on the form.

• Tyrone Township Planning & Zoning
• Tyrone applications and permits
• Zoning and land use permit application and checklist
• Sample site plan
• Tyrone schedule of fees (adopted Nov. 2, 2021)
• Sewer permit application
• Township notice on data centers in the M-1 district
• Tyrone ordinances
• Tyrone FOIA requests
• Livingston County Building Department
• County residential permit steps
• County commercial permits
• County plan review fees
• County project examples
• County inspection line
• BS&A Online, Livingston County
• Residential soil erosion permits
• Livingston County Environmental Health
• Road Commission permits
• County FOIA portal
• Michigan Statewide Jurisdiction List

Tyrone Township building permit FAQs

Does Tyrone Township issue building permits?

No. It issues zoning and land use permits; Livingston County issues the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits.

How much is a land use permit for a new house in Tyrone?

$100, plus the $25 address sign required for new homes.

Does a shed need a township permit?

Accessory buildings of 100 square feet or more on a permanent foundation built after the house need a $100 land use permit.

What do I need before applying?

A Road Commission sight distance approval and a favorable perc test report, along with three blueprint copies and two site plans.

How long is the township permit valid?

One year; the outside of the building must be finished within six months of the building permit.

What happens if I start without a permit?

Tyrone treats it as a violation and charges twice the permit fee, plus any other penalties its ordinances impose.

Are data centers allowed in Tyrone’s industrial zone?

The township says data centers are not a permitted or special land use in the M-1 district.

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