Washington Charter Township, Michigan Building Permit Guide

In the Charter Township of Washington, the township’s own Building Department at 57900 Van Dyke ((586) 786-0018) runs plan review, permits and inspections for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, with Dave Hajski as Building Official. Since July 2, 2026, permits and inspections must be requested through BS&A Online. A new single-family house starts with a $100 non-refundable application fee plus a $350 or $550 public works plot-plan review, and each trade permit carries a $70 base fee that covers one inspection.

What requires a building permit in Washington Charter Township?

The department says permits are needed for all new commercial and residential construction, and names roofs, interior remodels, additions, accessory buildings, decks, patios, in-ground and above-ground pools, furnaces, air conditioners, generators and water heaters. Fences and small sheds need a township zoning permit instead of a building permit.

A permit never overrides private rules. The department warns that subdivision restrictions or easement agreements may forbid work it has approved, and that no construction or lot improvement of any kind is allowed inside an easement. Recorded restrictions are held by the Macomb County Register of Deeds ((586) 469-5120), and the Township Clerk’s office keeps copies of many.

What the township decides and what the state holds

The state’s Statewide Jurisdiction List shows the township enforcing all four codes itself, so the township, not Macomb County or the state, issues every building and trade permit here. The technical rules come from the state construction code; the township sets its own fees, forms and inspection timetable, and writes the zoning rules that limit fences, sheds and garages. Its accessory-building rules, for example, allow one attached and one detached accessory building on a lot under one acre, with a combined 650 square feet or two-thirds of the house’s floor area (not counting basement and garage), whichever is greater; detached buildings must sit in the rear yard and stay under 18 feet tall on such lots, or 25 feet on lots over an acre.

Washington Charter Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department at Township Hall handles every construction permit in the township and also enforces the property maintenance and ordinance rules. Its contact page lists Dave Hajski as Building Official, plan reviewer and building inspector. Zoning sits in a separate Planning & Zoning Department in the same building, led by director Dana Berschback.

Washington Charter Township permit types

The building permit and plan examination application covers new buildings, additions, alterations, repairs, demolition, foundations, relocation and mobile home set-ups. Plumbing, mechanical and electrical work each need their own application. Contractors not yet on file pay a $20 registration with a copy of their builder’s license and driver’s license, and each trade form also carries a $15 registration line.

Residential permits

• New single-family homes follow the township’s minimum requirements sheet (revised November 13, 2025): a signed application, a township DPW application, Macomb County soil erosion, road approach and (where used) well and septic permits, three engineer-sealed plot plans, three sets of prints (four in the Glacier Club and Breckenridge subdivisions, which also pay a $25 planner’s review), energy-code compliance and two sets of Manual D duct and Manual J load calculations. Services over 200 amps need a plan review with load calculations.
• Garages, pole barns and other accessory buildings pay a $25 non-refundable application fee and need a plot plan showing setbacks, separation from every structure, easements and any well or septic field, plus two sets of signed and sealed drawings.
• Sheds and fences use the one-page zoning permit forms and are reviewed by the Building Official.
• Owner applications need the Homeowner Permit Policy form; a contractor applying for an owner needs a signed contract or an authorization letter.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects use the same building application with a commercial addendum, and the forms list a statement of special inspections. Mechanical plans need an architect’s or engineer’s seal except for minor work and small HVAC-only business, mercantile or storage buildings of up to 3,500 square feet; the plumbing form waives plans for houses of 3,500 square feet or less and for buildings needing fewer than 12 fixtures. Electrical plans must be sealed when the work exceeds 400 amps in a building over 3,500 square feet. Site plans, special land uses and rezonings go through Planning & Zoning to the Planning Commission and are priced on the April 2026 land use fee schedule.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning and site plan. The Planning & Zoning Department checks the use and setbacks and supports the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. Its Pre Planning Advisory Committee meets monthly and charges nothing; email the department ahead of the meeting to attend.
• Township DPW plot-plan review. $350 for a lot with a grading plan, or $550 for a lot without one or with a retaining wall over 2 feet; both include two reviews. Check whether the lot needs a pathway or sidewalk, which must be drawn on the plot plan.
• Soil erosion. Macomb County Public Works, Soil Erosion Sediment Control Division, 21777 Dunham Road, Clinton Township ((586) 469-5327). The county asks for a plot plan PDF on single-family work and sealed civil plans on other projects.
• Road approach. Driveway culverts and approaches onto county roads are permitted by the Macomb County Department of Roads, 117 S. Groesbeck, Mount Clemens ((586) 463-8671).
• Well and septic. Macomb County Health Department, Environmental Health Services, 43525 Elizabeth Road, Mount Clemens ((586) 469-5236 on the county’s septic and well pages; the township checklist prints 469-5235).

Washington Charter Township permit costs and fees

The township does not post a valuation table for building permits. The fees it does publish are printed on its own forms: application and review charges on the new-house and accessory-building sheets, and item-by-item charts on the electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications revised September 4, 2026. Fees are paid when you apply, and more is due when the building permit is issued, so ask the Building Department what the issuance fee will be for your project.

Worked example from the electrical chart: replacing a 200-amp service and adding four circuits costs the $70 base fee plus $25 for the service and 4 × $6 for the circuits, or $119. Land-use reviews are priced separately on the Planning & Zoning Schedule of Land Use Fees (April 2026), which charges planner time at $180 an hour, engineer time at $148 and attorney time at $150; Zoning Board of Appeals fees are charged per variance request.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are all issued and inspected by the township, each on its own application. The forms ask for the contractor’s state license number and expiry date, workers’ compensation and employer numbers; the plumbing form also asks for the master plumber’s name and license.

• Electrical: base fee $70, then items such as services ($25 up to 200 amps, $35 for 200 to 600 amps), lighting at $15 per 25 fixtures, generators at $45, pools at $65 and hot tubs at $50.
• Mechanical: base fee $70; furnaces $35, gas piping $10 per opening, new ductwork $40 per unit. Outdoor units must sit in the side or rear yard within 3 feet of the house, and in a side yard only where the house keeps at least a 10-foot side setback.
• Plumbing: base fee $70; most fixtures $10 each, water heaters $25, water services of 2 inches or less $25.
• Homeowners: each trade form has a homeowner affidavit for work the owner installs personally in a home the owner lives in or is about to occupy, and the owner then arranges the inspections. For building permits, the township’s Homeowner Permit Policy lets an owner act as general contractor on the owner’s own single-family residence, but the owner then carries all the liability a licensed contractor would.

How to apply for a Washington Charter Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Missing county approvals are the usual hold-up on new houses, because the township expects the soil erosion, approach and health permits in the package. DPW plot-plan review fees cover two reviews. Plans missing a required seal (houses over 3,500 square feet of habitable space) or the load calculations for a service over 200 amps are not complete. Trade permits become invalid if work does not start within six months of issue or stops for six months, and a permit with no inspection for six months is cancelled with no refund.

Inspections in Washington Charter Township

Request every inspection on BS&A Online; the department asks callers not to phone on the day of an inspection to add or change a time. Next-day requests must be in by 3:00 p.m.

Trade inspections can be booked for a day but not a time. If you use a lock box, give the code with every request; the township does not store codes, and an inspector who is locked out charges a re-inspection. The trade forms forbid concealing any work before it has been inspected.

Michigan building code in Washington Charter Township

The township posts a one-page list of the code editions it enforces, dated February 9, 2026, on its Building Department pages. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Charter Township of Washington (community 260447) as a participating National Flood Insurance Program community, with flood maps effective November 20, 2013; the department’s FAQ links to the current flood maps.

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

Washington Charter Township permit search and official resources

Permit and inspection records can be searched on the township’s BS&A Online pages after accepting the data disclaimer on the Public Data Records page. For copies of plans or other files, send a Freedom of Information Act request to the Township Clerk, who is the FOIA Coordinator, at foia@washingtontwpmi.org, or call 586-786-0010.

• Building Department and inspection schedule
• Building Department forms
• Minimum requirements for a new single-family house (rev. Nov. 13, 2025)
• Building permit application
• Electrical permit application and fee chart
• Mechanical permit application and fee chart
• Plumbing permit application and fee chart
• Homeowner Permit Policy
• Accessory buildings and structures handout
• Shed zoning permit
• Fence zoning permit
• BS&A Online, Washington Township
• Planning & Zoning Department
• Schedule of Land Use Fees (April 2026)
• Township ordinances and recent amendments
• FOIA information
• Macomb County soil erosion program

Washington Charter Township building permit FAQs

Can I still apply for a permit at the counter?

No. Since July 2, 2026 the township requires building and trade permits and inspections to be requested on BS&A Online; cash payments are still taken at Township Hall.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

A shed of 200 square feet or less with no footings needs a $50 zoning permit; a larger one, or any brick or block shed, needs a building permit.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Yes, a zoning permit for every fence: $50 for under 50 feet, $60 for longer. Fences in single-family areas are limited to 6 feet and are not allowed in front yards, apart from one street side of a corner lot.

Can a homeowner pull permits?

Yes. The Homeowner Permit Policy form covers building work on the owner’s own single-family residence, and each trade form has an affidavit for work the owner installs in a home the owner lives in or is about to occupy. The owner takes on the liability a contractor would.

What does a new house cost before the building permit?

The $100 application fee and a $350 or $550 DPW plot-plan review are due at application, plus Macomb County soil erosion, road and any health permits; the building permit fee itself is charged at issuance.

Is the township changing its rules for data centers?

The Planning Commission has been reviewing draft amendments on data centers and large-scale industrial uses, with drafts posted for its September 10, October 8 and November 12, 2026 meetings; as of November 12, 2026 the township’s page shows none adopted. A rezoning request for the 32 Mile Technical Campus was withdrawn.

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