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

Yes. Before constructing a building or structure in Berrien County, the owner or project representative must submit a written building-permit application to the appropriate enforcing agency; a permit is also required for a change in use or occupancy¹. Ordinary repairs are exempt only within the rule's structural, egress, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and safety limits¹. The 2021 Michigan Building Code applies to covered buildings and structures, while the 2015 Michigan Residential Code applies to one- and two-family homes⁸. After completion, the permit holder must request a Certificate of Occupancy in writing; all fees must be paid, permits finalized and work compliant before the code official may issue it⁶.

Berrien County has no county building program; a local or state enforcing agency administers the code according to the jurisdiction list¹. Berrien Township is one local example: its combined Building Inspector/Zoning Administrator offers general building permits for pools, roofs, sheds and pole barns, a separate mobile-home building permit, and zoning applications for fences, signs and garden sheds under 200 square feet⁹. In Berrien Township, mechanical and plumbing permit applications are administered through the State of Michigan⁹. Reach that township office at 269-461-6925 only for land inside Berrien Township⁹. Septic permits are the exception: they come from the Berrien County Health Department for every address, whatever township or city it lies in³. For land elsewhere in Berrien County, ask the parcel's city, village or township which agency enforces building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits before filing^1,2.

Berrien County does not administer a county zoning ordinance: its townships, cities and villages run their own planning and zoning, and the Berrien County Planning Commission makes county development plans in cooperation with them². The county therefore sets no county minimum lot size, setback or minimum dwelling size in unincorporated areas, but township zoning and building-code requirements still apply². Rules for an RV, tiny home or manufactured home depend on the local ordinance and zoning district². The Berrien County Planning Commission studies the county's economic, social and physical development and does not decide individual zoning cases¹⁰. In Berrien Township, for example, zoning applications cover fences, signs and garden sheds under 200 square feet⁹. Confirm the parcel's jurisdiction, zoning district and proposed use with the relevant township, city or village before designing the project².

The Berrien County Health Department regulates onsite septic systems where public sewer is unavailable³. A county permit is required to construct, alter, extend or replace an individual system, except for the ordinance's limited sewer-pipe repair exception; the permit expires after 12 months and is not transferable¹¹. Health staff review the application and inspect geology, groundwater and isolation distances; allow at least 10 working days for field work after underground utilities are marked by MISS DIG¹¹. The owner or builder must notify the Health Officer before covering or using the work, and final approval follows completion¹¹. The published 2024 septic application fee is $350 per site, an engineered system review is $800 and a residential water well permit is $265; ask whether a later schedule applies⁴. Only 10.8% of soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, so evaluate the site before fixing the house location or budget⁷. Call 269-927-5623 to begin³.

We could not confirm a countywide rule allowing long-term RV occupancy on private land in Berrien County; ask the zoning office for the parcel's city, village or township before moving an RV onto the site². Michigan's campground rules for multiple recreational units do not answer whether one owner may live in one RV on private land¹². Berrien Township separately lists a mobile-home building permit, but that example applies only inside Berrien Township⁹. A permanent tiny home must obtain the local zoning, building, electrical and plumbing approvals that apply to its proposed use, and a new or altered building cannot be occupied before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued^6,13. Where public sewer is unavailable, sewage must go to a permitted system and receive final inspection approval¹¹.

1. Identify the city, village or township containing the parcel, then confirm the zoning district and building-code enforcing agency^1,2.
2. Ask the local zoning office whether the house, setbacks and any temporary RV use are allowed².
3. If public sewer is unavailable, apply to the Berrien County Health Department; its site review covers geology, groundwater and isolation distances¹¹.
4. Give the approved septic permit copy to the building inspector and submit the written building-permit application before construction^1,11.
5. Schedule required building inspections and notify the Health Officer before covering septic work^11,14.
6. Finalize every permit, pay all fees and request the Certificate of Occupancy in writing before occupying the building⁶. Michigan's owner-builder licensing exemption may apply when you build on your own property for your own use and occupancy, but it does not waive permit or code requirements⁵.

Only 10.8% of Berrien County soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, so have the Health Department evaluate the site before fixing the house location or septic budget⁷. A Berrien County Road Department right-of-way permit is required for a new or resurfaced driveway within the county road right-of-way¹⁵. Access to a state trunkline highway instead requires an MDOT driveway permit in addition to the applicable local building permit¹⁶. New residential construction is prohibited in a regulated floodway, while other regulated river, stream or drain floodplain work may require an EGLE permit¹⁷. The effective property-tax rate is about 1.1%, and the median annual property-tax bill is about $2,357⁷. A proposed subdivision requires preliminary-plat review before the final plat is submitted¹⁸.