Van Buren Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In Van Buren Charter Township, building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits come from the township’s Building, Planning & Economic Development department at Township Hall, 46425 Tyler Road (734-699-8913), where Christopher Salazar is Chief Building Official. Any permit can be applied for online through BS&A, and simple jobs such as roofs, furnaces and water heaters can be issued online without a visit; inspections are booked only by phone on 734-699-6564. Driveways, septic systems and wells are Wayne County permits.

What requires a building permit in Van Buren Charter Township?

The township posts applications for building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, sign, shoreline and fire suppression or protection permits, and its municipal services FAQ answers the questions residents ask most. The zoning ordinance sets the size and placement limits that the building review checks.

Accessory buildings are capped by lot size: most residential lots get a total area for detached buildings equal to the lot’s acreage times 1,280 square feet, up to 4,800 square feet, and owners of smaller lots with no garage may still build a detached garage of up to 528 square feet (zoning ordinance section 7.202). Privacy fences may be 6 feet tall in side and rear yards, and decorative fences up to 2½ feet in the front yard (section 7.205).

What the township decides and what the state holds

On the Bureau of Construction Codes’ Statewide Jurisdiction List (revised November 6, 2026), Van Buren Township enforces the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes locally; Wayne County has no construction program. The state code sets the construction standards. The township writes and enforces its zoning ordinance (a 2026 version is posted with a 2025 official zoning map), sets its fee schedules and handles site plans, special events and shoreline permits. The City of Belleville is a separate unit with its own program on the same list, so parcels inside the city’s limits are permitted by Belleville, not by the township.

Van Buren Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building, Planning & Economic Development department sits within the township’s Municipal Services and handles building and trade permits, inspections, planning and zoning, and is the contact for Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals meeting notices (734-699-8913). Prospective developers can ask for an optional pre-application meeting with staff, using the township’s pre-application checklist and its 2025 Development Guide.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation recognized Van Buren Township as a certified Redevelopment Ready Community in 2025. Alongside its master plan, the township posts a public participation plan, the 2025 Development Guide, the Sumpter Road Corridor Plan, the 2024 Michigan Avenue Innovation Network (MAIN) visioning document and older area plans for Grace Lake, the Belleville Road district and the south side, which developers can read before a pre-application meeting.

The FAQ page still shows older vanburen-mi.org email addresses for the department; the department’s own page now gives building@vbtmi.gov.

Van Buren Township permit types

The township’s document center lists 2026 versions of the building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and sign applications and the fire suppression or protection application, plus a shoreline permit, an accessory building guide, a planning and zoning application, a Board of Zoning Appeals application, a temporary land use and special event application and a temporary outdoor dining and retail application.

Residential permits

• Online-only jobs. Some permits need no plan review and can be applied for, paid and issued entirely in BS&A: the township names roof permits, interior air conditioning and furnace permits, and hot water tank permits.
• Paired trade permits. A furnace or air conditioner swap takes a mechanical permit and an electrical permit; a water heater takes a mechanical permit and a plumbing permit.
• Roofs. The open roof board must be inspected before the final. Outside office hours you can email detailed photos of the open board to the department, with the address and permit number in the subject line.
• Pools. A building permit is needed for any permanent above- or below-ground pool and for a portable pool over 12 feet across or 100 square feet; ask on 734-699-8900, extension 9219, about the building code side.
• Shoreline and accessory buildings. Shoreline work has its own township permit, and the accessory building guide explains garage and pole barn submittals.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and multi-unit projects start with the township’s planning and zoning application, and site plans go to the Planning Commission where the zoning ordinance calls for them; developers can use the optional pre-application meeting and the 2025 Development Guide to plan the sequence. Fire suppression and fire protection systems use their own application and their own 2026 fee schedules, and temporary uses such as special events or outdoor dining and retail have separate applications.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. Size, setback and use rules come from the township zoning ordinance; variances go to the Board of Zoning Appeals.
• Septic and wells. Wayne County’s Environmental Health Section is the permitting agency for residential and small commercial septic systems, and building departments in the county need proof of a sewer connection or a county sewage permit before they issue a building permit. A site and soil evaluation needs the 10-digit parcel number and a drawing of the home and both drainfield areas.
• Driveways. Wayne County issues driveway permits for the township’s roads through its DPS Permit Office, 33809 Michigan Avenue, Wayne (734-858-2774).
• Soil erosion. Wayne County’s Environmental Services Division (734-326-3936) is the soil erosion agency for the township; a single-family permit is $435 for two years, reviewed within 30 days. County permits stay active for two years, unfinished projects must renew for a fee, and county staff make unscheduled site inspections; you can also ask for one.

Van Buren Township permit costs and fees

The township publishes its fees as seven separate 2026 schedules on its Fee Schedules page. For jobs filed online, BS&A calculates the amount and asks for payment when the permit is ready to issue; for anything needing plan review, staff set the fee during review. For a quote before you apply, call 734-699-8913 Monday to Thursday.

Because a furnace, air conditioner or water heater replacement needs two trade permits, budget for both; each is priced on its own trade schedule.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are township permits, issued and inspected under the township’s own program. The FAQ points to a separate township application for each trade, and all of them can also be filed through BS&A after you create an account.

• Licensed contractors. The township’s tips for hiring contractors start with checking that the contractor is licensed (through LARA), then putting the contract and any changes in writing, posting a Notice of Commencement at the site, collecting a Notice of Furnishing from each supplier, demanding sworn statements with each payment and getting lien waivers.
• Fire systems. Fire suppression and protection systems need their own application.
• Questions about online trade permits. Call 734-699-8913 or email building@vbtmi.gov during office hours.

How to apply for a Van Buren Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Online filing is open at any hour, but staff verify plans and prerequisites only during business hours, Monday to Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., so an application sent on a Friday waits until Monday. A missing sewer connection or county sewage permit holds up a new house, and site plans and variances follow the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals calendars. For after-hours emergencies on online permits, the FAQ directs callers to leave a message for the department director at 734-699-8900, extension 9392.

Inspections in Van Buren Charter Township

Inspections cannot be booked online. Call the inspection line, 734-699-6564, and follow the prompt. Roof jobs need an open-board inspection before the final, which can be satisfied after hours with emailed photos that show the address and permit number. Septic systems are inspected separately by Wayne County: every completed system must be inspected and approved by the county’s Environmental Health Section.

Septic inspections on unsewered lots

Where a township lot has no sewer, the county process runs alongside the building permit. A soil evaluation is usually scheduled within 5 business days of a complete application (up to 10 in peak season), with the owner or a representative, the excavator and the county environmentalist on site. The septic permit follows, normally within 3 to 5 business days of a complete application, and is good for one year. The sewage contractor calls the county for each inspection, usually done within 24 hours: the drainfield excavation before any sand or stone goes in, the sand backfill, stone and tile placement, the tank setting and, where needed, final earth cover. Before a home with a septic system is sold, Wayne County’s time-of-sale ordinance requires the system to be inspected and working.

Private wells follow the same county route: Environmental Health issues permits for new drinking water and irrigation wells after a site evaluation, a new drinking water well must pass a water test (coliform and E. coli bacteria must be negative), and irrigation well water may not be used for drinking.

Appeals of a building decision go to the township’s Board of Construction Appeals, and zoning appeals and variances to the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Michigan building code in Van Buren Charter Township

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Charter Township of Van Buren in Wayne County (community 260546) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community, with its current map dated December 3, 2013. Van Buren County is a separate county elsewhere in Michigan with its own permit offices.

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

Van Buren Township permit search and official resources

Permit and property records for the township are searchable in BS&A Online. For copies of plans or files, use the township’s online FOIA portal, fax 734-699-5213 or write to the FOIA Coordinator at 46425 Tyler Road; police records have their own FOIA contact, and the township may charge fees allowed by state law.

• Building, Planning & Economic Development
• BS&A Online property and permit data
• Permits and applications
• 2026 fee schedules
• Municipal services FAQ and after-hours permitting
• Schedule an inspection
• Zoning ordinance, zoning map and master plan
• Planning Commission
• Board of Zoning Appeals
• Tips for hiring contractors
• Township FOIA requests
• Wayne County septic and onsite sewage
• Wayne County water well permits
• Wayne County soil erosion FAQs (2026)
• Wayne County construction and driveway permits
• Bureau of Construction Codes Statewide Jurisdiction List
• FEMA Community Status Book, Michigan

Van Buren Charter Township building permit FAQs

Is the building department open on Fridays?

No. Township offices are open Monday to Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and closed on Fridays; online filing stays open.

How big can my shed or pole barn be?

Detached accessory buildings may total the lot’s acreage times 1,280 square feet, up to 4,800 square feet; small lots without a garage can still have a 528-square-foot detached garage.

Can I get a furnace or water heater permit online?

Yes. These permits need no plan review and can be issued in BS&A, but each job needs two trade permits.

Who issues driveway, septic and well permits?

Wayne County, not the township: the DPS Permit Office for driveways and Environmental Health (734-727-7400) for septic and wells.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 734-699-6564 and follow the prompt; there is no online scheduling.

Do I need a permit for a pool?

Yes for any permanent pool, and for portable pools over 12 feet across or over 100 square feet.

When does the Planning Commission meet?

The second and fourth Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at Township Hall; the township’s 2026 schedule, which may change, still lists November 18, December 9 and December 16.

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