Menominee County, Michigan requires a building permit under Michigan's statewide construction code, and unlike many rural counties, the county's own Building Code Department reviews plans and issues it1. Zoning works differently: Menominee County has no countywide zoning ordinance, and only seven townships plus the Village of Powers have adopted one, so you need your township's approved zoning before the county will process a building permit23. Septic and well permits go through Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties, not the county building department4. If your project sits within 500 feet of water or disturbs more than 1 acre of earth, you'll also need a Soil Erosion Sedimentation Control application before the county accepts your building-permit paperwork5.
At a glance
- Building permit
- Required statewide; issued by the Menominee County Building Code Department1
- Zoning
- No countywide zoning; seven townships plus the Village of Powers have their own zoning ordinance26
- Septic permits
- Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties, Environmental Health Division4
- Well permits
- Same office; new and replacement well permits are valid for 2 years7
- Building-permit process order
- Township zoning (if zoned) → sanitary (well/septic) permit → Soil Erosion permit if within 500 ft of water or over 1 acre disturbed → submit to Building Code Department5
- Driveway / road permits
- Menominee County Road Commission, through its Oxcart online permitting system8
- Septic soil difficulty
- 30.5% of county soils are free of severe limits for a conventional drain field9
- Subdividing near water
- State EGLE review required if the parcel abuts a lake, stream, channel or lagoon, or lies in a floodplain; $500 preliminary review fee10
Who to call
Building permits
Menominee County Building Code Department
Reviews plans, issues building permits, performs inspections, and issues certificates of occupancy for construction in Menominee County
S904 US HWY 41, Stephenson, MI 49887
Roads & driveways
Menominee County Road Commission
Snow removal, gravel-road grading, roadway maintenance and signage, and design/engineering of roadway improvements; issues driveway and right-of-way permits through its Oxcart online system
W5416 Belgiumtown Rd, Stephenson, MI 49887
Septic permits
Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties — Environmental Health Division
Issues septic (on-site sewage treatment/disposal) permits and private well permits for Menominee County under Michigan EGLE rules
909 Tenth Avenue, Menominee, MI 49858
Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 24, 2026.
Do you need a building permit in Menominee County, Michigan?
Yes. Michigan's statewide construction code requires a written permit application before you build, and Menominee County itself is the enforcing agency for that code, which is not a given in every rural Michigan county111. The county's Building Code Department reviews your drawings for code compliance before construction begins, issues the permit once the fee is paid, performs on-site inspections against the approved drawings, and issues the certificate of occupancy when the work is done12. Ordinary repairs generally don't need a new permit, but any project that changes structural, egress, plumbing, electrical, or mechanical systems does, and you cannot legally use or occupy the building until that certificate of occupancy is issued1113.
Who is the Menominee County Building Code Department, and how do you reach them?
The Menominee County Building Code Department is the office that reviews your plans and issues your permit, and its mailing address is S904 US HWY 41, Stephenson, MI 4988712. Its listed phone line is (906) 863-7779, the same number as the county courthouse switchboard12. Before the department will take your application, you need two things already in hand: approved zoning from your township, if your project sits in one of the county's zoned townships, and a sanitary (well/septic) permit from Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties5. If your project is within 500 feet of water, or disturbs more than 1 acre of earth, add a Soil Erosion Sedimentation Control application to that list before you turn everything in to the Building Code Department5.
Does Menominee County have zoning?
Menominee County has no countywide zoning ordinance2. Instead, seven townships — Cedarville, Ingallston, Lake, Mellen, Stephenson, and Harris — plus the Village of Powers have each adopted their own zoning ordinance, while other townships, including Menominee Township, have none6. If your land sits in one of the zoned townships, that township controls setbacks, dwelling size, lot coverage, and what structures are allowed, and you must obtain its approved zoning before Menominee County will process a building permit3. If your township has no zoning ordinance, no township land-use authority constrains those questions on the township side, though whether that changes what the county itself requires has not been confirmed, so ask the Building Code Department directly for an unzoned township2. Land division is handled separately and applies countywide: subdividing under Michigan's Land Division Act triggers state EGLE review, with an added floodplain review, if the parcel abuts a lake, stream, channel, or lagoon, or lies in a floodplain, carrying a $500 preliminary-plat review fee plus another $1,500 if a 100-year flood elevation has to be established10.
How do septic and well permits work in Menominee County?
Septic systems — called on-site sewage treatment/disposal systems, or OSTDs, in Michigan — and private wells are both permitted by the Environmental Health Division of Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties, not by the county building department414. Reach that office at 909 Tenth Avenue, Menominee, MI 49858, phone 906-863-445114. You need your sanitary permit in hand before the Building Code Department will accept your building-permit application5. Soil conditions here are better than in many rural counties: 30.5% of Menominee County's soils are free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, though a site evaluation is still worth doing before you count on the cheapest system9. A new or replacement private well permit is valid for 2 years, and new wells must meet the Michigan Water Well Construction and Pump Installation Code, including minimum isolation distances7.
Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Menominee County?
This depends on which township your land is in, and no official Menominee County source resolves it countywide2. Michigan treats a tiny house differently from an ordinary recreational vehicle, even one built on wheels: state guidance on tiny houses proposed as resort cabins requires local zoning, building, electrical, and plumbing approval, plus health-department permitting for any well or septic system, the same as a conventional structure15. If your township is one of the seven with zoning, or the Village of Powers, check with that township before placing a tiny home or living long-term in an RV; if your township has no zoning ordinance, no township-level land-use rule constrains it, though whether the county's own building and sanitary-permit requirements still apply to a stationary RV has not been confirmed2. Either way, any unit that generates sewage needs an approved septic system or an approved connection, regardless of what kind of dwelling it is16.
Building a home in Menominee County: the steps, in order
- Confirm your township and whether it's one of the seven zoned townships or the Village of Powers, or one of the townships with no zoning ordinance6.
- If your township is zoned, get its zoning approved before you go any further3.
- Apply for your sanitary (well/septic) permit through Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties14.
- If you're within 500 feet of water or disturbing more than 1 acre of earth, complete a Soil Erosion Sedimentation Control application5.
- Submit your completed building-permit application, along with your zoning and sanitary approvals, to the Menominee County Building Code Department12.
- If you're adding or changing a driveway, or working in a county road right-of-way, apply through the Road Commission's Oxcart online permitting system178.
- Schedule inspections as the Building Code Department directs, and get your certificate of occupancy before you move in13.
What to check before you buy land in Menominee County
Find out which township the parcel is in first, since that single fact decides whether zoning, setbacks, or dwelling-size rules apply at all2. Check the soil next: 30.5% of Menominee County's soils are free of severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, a better starting point than many rural counties, but still worth confirming with a site evaluation before you rely on it9. The county is heavily wooded, at 76.2% forest cover, and gently sloped, with 98.5% of land at 15% grade or less, both favorable for building sites and access roads1819. It sits within reasonable range of services: 74 miles to the nearest metro area, with a population density of 22 people per square mile2021. If the parcel abuts water or sits in a floodplain, budget for the state's EGLE subdivision and floodplain review before you plan a build10. The effective property tax rate runs about 1%, with a median annual bill near $1,470 on typical Menominee County parcels2223.
Watch-outs
- No official source confirms whether the county's building and sanitary-permit requirements apply to a stationary RV placed in a township with no zoning ordinance; ask the Building Code Department directly before you rely on that gap2.
- No countywide minimum lot size, setback, dwelling-size, or building-height rule exists outside the zoned townships; these are set locally by each of the seven zoned townships and the Village of Powers6.
Sources
- Menominee County - Building Code Department (2026 county census)
- Menominee County - Townships with Zoning Ordinances (2026 county census)
- How to apply for a Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
- Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties - On-Site Sewage (2026 county census)
- How to apply for a Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
- Zoning, quoted and re-checked
- Water Well Program, quoted and re-checked
- Road Commission Permits, quoted and re-checked
- Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
- Subdivisions, quoted and re-checked
- Building Permit Information (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Menominee County Building Code Department (menomineecountymi.gov)
- Certificate of Occupancy Request (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties — Environmental Health Division (phdm.org)
- 2022 ARVC - General (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Disposal of residential wastewater such as swimming pool water (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Menominee County Road Commission (menomineecountymi.gov)
- Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
- Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
- Distance to the nearest metro area: Bolthole Index county data
- Population density: Bolthole Index county data
- Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
- Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
Written September 24, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.