Building permits, zoning and land rules in Alcona County, Michigan

Yes. Alcona County requires a written building-permit application before construction, and a permit is also required when the use or occupancy of a structure or part of one changes¹. Ordinary repairs are exempt, but structural, egress, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and public-safety work falls outside that exception¹. The Alcona County Building Division enforces the Michigan Building Code and Michigan Residential Code². Michigan's current statewide building rule uses the 2021 Michigan Building Code, effective April 9, 2025, with Michigan amendments and listed exceptions; residential requirements remain in the Michigan Residential Code¹¹. A qualifying owner may use Michigan's owner-builder licensing exemption when building on the owner's property for the owner's own use and occupancy, but the exemption does not remove the building-permit requirement⁸. Ask the Building Division before treating a barn, shed or farm structure as exempt, because we could not confirm a general agricultural exemption.

The Alcona County Building Division is the county contact for building-code administration and for building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permit questions². The office is at 216 W. Main Street, Harrisville, MI 48740, and its main phone is (989) 724-9440². Published office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m².. The county provides online fillable forms for building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and solar permits, plus online payment access, but no complete plan-review timeline was confirmed¹². Required inspections include footing, foundation, rough-in or framing, insulation and final occupancy; request the footing inspection 24 hours before concrete is poured¹³. Published fees cover roofing and solar work, but we could not confirm a complete current building-fee schedule¹⁴.

Land-use planning and zoning in Alcona County are administered at the township, city and village level, and the county does not have a planning commission³. The controlling ordinance therefore depends on the parcel's location. Alcona Township has its own zoning rules, and the City of Harrisville separately regulates land use within the city^15,16. Alcona Township publishes residential, manufactured-housing, agricultural, forest-recreation, commercial and industrial districts; those districts do not apply countywide⁶. For land in Alcona Township, the township hall is at 5576 N US 23, Black River, MI 48721, and the published contact number is 989.471-5004¹⁷. For other parcels, ask the correct township, City of Harrisville or Village of Lincoln about permitted uses, setbacks, lot size, building height and accessory dwellings³. We could not confirm a complete countywide dimensional schedule.

District Health Department No. 2 handles residential wastewater permitting and evaluation for Alcona County⁴. A property owner must apply and pay before DHD2 conducts its site review and soil evaluation; a construction permit is required before installing or repairing an on-site sewage disposal system⁵. An approved application results in either a Permit to Construct a Sewage Disposal System or a Vacant Land Approval letter⁴. The permit remains valid through its issuance year and the following calendar year, with one available 12-month extension if the written-request, fee and unchanged-site conditions are met⁵. The completed system must receive a final DHD2 inspection before it is covered or backfilled⁵. Only 7.3% of Alcona County soils avoid severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so make septic feasibility an early purchase contingency⁹. The Alcona County office is at 117 E Main Street, Harrisville, MI 48740, phone (989) 724-6757¹⁸.

Alcona Township does not allow a stored recreational vehicle to serve as a permanent or continuous dwelling, and stored units on lots with homes cannot connect to water or sewer⁶. On private property without a dwelling in Alcona Township, overnight camping is limited to 15 consecutive days and 30 total days in a calendar year; sewage disposal requires a health-department-approved septic system⁶. Those limits are township-specific. For land elsewhere in Alcona County, ask the parcel's township, the City of Harrisville or the Village of Lincoln because we could not confirm one countywide RV rule³. Michigan guidance does not create a statewide right to occupy a tiny house: tiny houses, including units built on wheels, require applicable local zoning, building, electrical and plumbing approvals, plus health-department approval for wells and septic systems⁷. Sanitary wastewater from household fixtures must go to a municipal sewer or an approved on-site septic system¹⁹.

1. Identify the parcel's township or incorporated municipality and get its zoning answer on use, setbacks, lot size, dwelling type and temporary RV occupancy³.

1. Ask District Health Department No. 2 for the septic application and site evaluation before fixing the house location, because most county soils have severe limits for a conventional drain field^5,9.

1. Ask DHD2 whether the parcel requires a well permit or notification before drilling; Michigan counties use one of those approaches²⁰.

1. Submit the county building-permit application before construction; online forms are available, and the county enforces the Michigan building and residential codes^1,2,12.

1. Schedule the required county inspections, including 24-hour notice before footing concrete, and arrange DHD2's final septic inspection before backfilling^5,13.

1. Complete the project and approved trade work before requesting the final occupancy inspection¹³.

Start with septic suitability: only 7.3% of Alcona County soils avoid severe limits for a conventional drain field, and DHD2 evaluates the site and soil before issuing a construction permit^5,9. Ask DHD2 whether a well permit or notice is required before drilling and what placement conditions apply²⁰. Confirm the parcel's zoning district and dimensional standards with its township or incorporated municipality because local requirements vary across Alcona County³. The county is 80.5% wooded and 90.2% of its land has a slope of 15% or less, so a gentle parcel may still carry meaningful clearing costs⁹. Federal land makes up 26.4% of the county, which makes a boundary survey and access review especially useful near public holdings⁹. The typical effective property-tax rate is 0.8%, and the median annual property-tax bill is $1,322⁹.