Union Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In Union Charter Township, the township’s Community and Economic Development Department runs building services: Larry Sommer is the Building Official (989-772-4600 ext. 227), and the Building Services clerk takes permit questions and inspection calls at ext. 242. Building permit fees come from the township’s Adopted 2026 Fee Schedule, which folds plan review into the permit fee. The township leaves the trades to the county: its application states that all plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits are pulled with Isabella County, which matches the state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List.

What requires a building permit in Union Charter Township?

The township’s “Check First” sheet lists the work that usually needs a building permit, and its FAQ adds that ordinary repairs do not, though some unpermitted work still needs a zoning approval. Separate county permits cover electrical, plumbing and heating or air-conditioning work.

Non-structural interior finishes such as cabinets, flooring or drywall usually do not need a demolition permit. Commercial demolition, and residential demolition for commercial use or by an owner other than an individual, needs an asbestos survey first, and utilities must be disconnected and confirmed off before any demolition starts.

What the township decides and what the state holds

Union cannot change the state construction code, but it adopts its own construction codes ordinance (20-05), sets its fees, runs zoning under Zoning Ordinance 20-06 (amended January 14, 2026), and has its own floodplain, stormwater, sidewalk and private road ordinances. It also licenses rental housing and protects its wellheads. The state list keeps building enforcement with the township and gives electrical, mechanical and plumbing to the county.

Union Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

The Bureau of Construction Codes’ Statewide Jurisdiction List (rev. Nov. 6, 2026) shows Union Township as LOCAL for building and COUNTY for electrical, mechanical and plumbing. Isabella County’s trade pages include Union in the territory of the county electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspectors, while the county building inspector’s list leaves it out.

The township warns of phishing emails that pose as the township and ask for urgent payment: it does not take wire transfers, and genuine staff email ends in @uniontownshipmi.com. A contractor’s certificate of liability insurance and contractor’s license must be on file with the Building Official.

Union Charter Township permit types

Building permits are applied for on the township’s online form or the printable application, which starts with a property tax ID, the address, any zoning approval and any septic approval. The online form asks whether the work is residential or commercial and whether the owner or a contractor is doing it, with license numbers and expiry dates.

Residential permits

• New homes: three paper sets and one digital set of plans (foundation and floor plans, roof and wall sections, elevations), the energy code compliance form, a site plan, and the county’s plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits with their plan reviews.
• Septic approval from the Central Michigan District Health Department (989-773-5921) is needed for a new dwelling, a dwelling replaced by another (such as a mobile or modular home) and a bedroom addition.
• Manufactured and premanufactured homes: two sets of foundation and anchoring plans and a site plan; a state-approved premanufactured unit adds its building system approval and approved plans. Premanufactured units pay 50% of the normal fee.
• Owner-builders sign the application and attach a copy of a valid driver’s license; a contractor signs when a contractor does the work.
• Pools are allowed with a building permit and zoning compliance; the township posts pool guidelines.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects need four paper sets and one digital set of plans sealed by a design professional, a site plan, Planning Commission approval, the energy compliance form and the county trade permits with their plan reviews. The township reviews the plans and other agencies may review them too; fire suppression and alarm systems may need third-party review, and the application points applicants to the City of Mt. Pleasant Fire Department for that. New construction, changes of use and additions also file the state permits checklist and a hazardous substance reporting form under the township’s wellhead protection rules.

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

• Zoning. Zoning review of a building, demolition, relocation or grading permit costs $35; the Zoning Administrator works in the same department. Zoning permits, sign permits and home occupation permits have online and paper applications.
• Site plan. A minor site plan is $175; other site plans are $700 plus a $2,000 escrow deposit, and the Planning Commission acts on them.
• Zoning Board of Appeals. The ZBA hears non-use variances, interpretations and appeals on the first Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. when there is business. A variance for a farm or a one- or two-family home is $350 plus a $500 escrow.
• Grading and stormwater. A grading permit is $50 under an approved site plan or $225 plus a $1,000 escrow otherwise, and the township posts a grading plan checklist.
• Soil erosion. Isabella County Community Development issues soil erosion permits for building within 500 feet of a lake, stream, river, pond or county drain, or disturbing more than one acre.
• Driveways and roads. All work in a county road right-of-way, driveways included, needs an Isabella County Road Commission permit through Oxcart Permit Systems.

Union Charter Township permit costs and fees

Fees come from the township’s Adopted 2026 Fee Schedule. The construction cost used for a building permit is taken from the state Bureau of Construction Codes square foot construction cost table, and plan review is included in the permit fee. Every band is figured on the whole construction cost, so from $10,000 up the bands meet at their edges (the first two do not: $65 up to $1,000, then $80 just above it).

Worked example: if the state cost table puts a new house at $250,000, the permit is $209 plus 250 × $3.75 ($937.50), or $1,146.50, plus the $35 zoning review. Utility connections are billed on the same schedule and must be paid before the permit is issued: water hook-up is $1,911 for a 5/8-inch or one-inch service, the water benefit fee is $2,967.30 per residential equivalency unit (REU) and sewer hook-up is $4,280 per REU.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Union does not issue electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits. Its building services page links the county’s permit process, and the county takes the applications at its inspection department every working day from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., through support staff or the inspectors themselves. The county asks for a fully completed form with the correct property tax ID to avoid processing delays.

• Electrical: needed whenever a system is installed, enlarged, altered, repaired, removed, converted or replaced.
• Plumbing: needed for the same range of work; clearing stoppages or resetting a toilet without replacing piping is exempt.
• Mechanical: heating, ventilation, gas piping, chimneys, fireplaces, refrigeration and similar systems; replacement of minor parts is exempt.
• Owners: the county issues trade permits to a homeowner who will do the work on a home they live in or are about to move into; rentals, apartments and commercial work need a contractor in that trade.

Every county trade application, in the versions effective August 1, 2026, starts with a $75 non-refundable administrative fee and a $70 final inspection, with $70 for each rough, underground or extra inspection and an hourly rate of $55 in special cases. As an example from the plumbing fee chart, adding a bathroom with three fixtures and one rough inspection comes to $233 ($75 + 3 × $6 + $70 + $70). The township’s rough and final building inspections cannot pass until the county’s trade inspections are approved.

How to apply for a Union Charter Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The township will not accept an application without a correct property tax ID, the address, any required zoning approval and septic approval. New homes are held up when the county trade permits and plan reviews are not yet in hand, and commercial jobs wait for Planning Commission approval and outside agency reviews. Use the township’s plan review and grading plan checklists before handing in plans.

Inspections in Union Charter Township

Book building inspections with Building Services at 989-772-4600 ext. 242, preferably 24 hours ahead; the permit holder must call before any work is covered. The township’s sequence is footing (before concrete), backfill (after footings, walls, waterproofing and drain tile), rough (after framing, with all county trade roughs approved), insulation (before walls are covered) and final (after the county trade finals, with a blower door test where required for homes).

A new or altered building may not be used until the Building Official issues a certificate of occupancy ($50). Request it when the work is finished, verbally or preferably in writing with the building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, boiler or elevator permit numbers; it is not issued until fees are paid and every permit is finaled. County trade inspections are booked separately on 989-317-4220 at least a day ahead and are normally done within 48 hours. Rental homes need a township rental certificate; inspection for a single-family rental is $72 per unit, covering up to two visits.

Michigan building code in Union Charter Township

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Union Charter Township (community 260812) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community, with flood maps effective February 5, 2014. The township’s floodplain management provisions are in Ordinance 2013-05 on the Planning & Zoning page.

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

Union Charter Township permit search and official resources

The township posts no online permit search. Ask Building Services about a permit, or request copies of building files under the Freedom of Information Act: the township accepts a request in any written form, on its online FOIA form or its printed form, in person or by mail to 2010 S. Lincoln Road. County trade permit files are requested from Isabella County.

• Union Township Building Services
• Adopted 2026 Fee Schedule
• Building permit online application
• Building permit application and instructions (PDF)
• Check First permit guide
• Planning & Zoning applications and ordinances
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Township FOIA requests
• Isabella County permit process
• Isabella County inspections and scheduling
• Isabella County plumbing permit application (Aug. 1, 2026)
• Isabella County Road Commission permits
• Statewide Jurisdiction List, Bureau of Construction Codes
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Union Charter Township building permit FAQs

Does Union Township issue electrical or plumbing permits?

No. All electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are pulled from Isabella County Community Development at 200 N. Main Street.

How much is a building permit for a new house?

For a $250,000 cost under the state table, $209 plus $3.75 per $1,000, or $1,146.50, plus the $35 zoning review; plan review is included.

Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?

If it does not need a building permit, it still needs a zoning permit, which is free for sheds, accessory structures, fences and walls.

Can I build my own house in Union Township?

An owner doing the work signs the application and attaches a copy of a valid driver’s license; the county trade permits follow its own owner-occupant rule.

How long is a building permit good for?

The township says an approved permit is valid for 180 calendar days.

What does it cost to connect to township water and sewer?

Under the 2026 schedule, $1,911 for a water hook-up, a $2,967.30 water benefit fee per REU and $4,280 per REU for a sewer hook-up.

When does the Zoning Board of Appeals meet?

On the first Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m., when there are cases to hear.

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