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

Before constructing a building or structure in Oakland County, Michigan, submit a written building-permit application to the appropriate local enforcing agency; a change in use or occupancy also requires a building permit¹. Ordinary repairs may be exempt¹. Michigan’s statewide building code applies, with provisions for one- and two-family dwellings in the Michigan Residential Code¹. The listed codes are the 2021 Michigan Building Code, effective April 9, 2025, and the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, effective February 8, 2016⁸. Michigan’s owner-builder exception covers residential construction on the owner’s property for the owner’s own use and occupancy; the exception concerns builder licensing and does not waive the building permit⁶. The separate licensing exception for projects below $600 excludes work that is part of a larger operation or contracts split to evade the law⁶. A new or altered building cannot be occupied until the code official issues a certificate of occupancy⁹.

Oakland County has no county building-code program; the appropriate city, village or township enforcing agency handles building permits and inspections, including for unincorporated land in a township². Farmington Hills¹⁰, Southfield¹¹, Novi¹², Pontiac¹³, Auburn Hills¹⁴, Ferndale¹⁵, Berkley¹⁶ handle their own building permits. Septic permits remain with Oakland County Health Division throughout the county⁴. Use Oakland County’s Local Community Planning & Zoning directory to reach the parcel’s local planning department, then ask the local enforcing agency for building-plan requirements, building-permit fees and inspection arrangements^2,3.

Oakland County does not control local planning and zoning; cities, villages and townships handle those functions, so unincorporated Oakland County land still needs a township zoning check³. Farmington Hills¹⁷, Rochester Hills¹⁸, Southfield¹⁹, Novi²⁰, Pontiac²¹, Oak Park²², Auburn Hills²³, Birmingham²⁴, Ferndale²⁵, Berkley²⁶, Hazel Park²⁷ have their own zoning. Oakland County Health Division still handles onsite sewage permits countywide⁴. Ask the parcel’s local planning department about permitted uses, setbacks, lot and dwelling sizes, accessory dwellings and manufactured-home siting³. For proposed subdivisions and site-condominium developments, county Environmental Health Services reviews soils and water supplies with EGLE before approval when septic systems and private wells are proposed; sewer-and-city-water developments receive office reviews⁴.

Oakland County Health Division issues septic permits and inspects residential and nonresidential onsite sewage systems countywide⁴. Residential systems need a new-system permit for vacant, burned-down, demolished or extensively remodeled property; repair permits cover qualifying replacements, alterations and repairs to existing systems⁴. Apply online through Citizen Access after registering, or at a county office; community sewage disposal applications must go to an office counter, and online applications carry a portal service fee⁴. The listed residential septic fees are $325 for a new system on vacant land and $221 for repair or replacement, with a 3.5% card transaction fee⁴. A permit modification costs $90, and reinspection beyond the first follow-up costs $55⁴. Required inspections appear on the septic permit; absent special inspections, arrange the final inspection before covering⁴. Only 9.8% of mapped soils lack severe limits for a conventional drain field, making septic feasibility an early site-planning question²⁸.

We could not confirm a countywide rule allowing long-term RV occupancy or temporary camping on private land in Oakland County. Ask the parcel's city, village or township whether an RV may be occupied, where it may be placed and whether it may be used during construction because those zoning rules are local³. Oakland County Health Division still handles any required septic permit for onsite sewage, regardless of which local government decides the zoning question⁴. We also could not confirm one countywide minimum-home-size or tiny-home occupancy standard. Michigan guidance requires applicable local zoning approval, building permits, electrical permits, plumbing permits and final approvals for the tiny houses it addresses, but does not create a statewide right to occupy one⁵. A tiny home using onsite sewage also needs county septic approval and inspections⁴.

1. Identify the parcel's city, village or township, then use Oakland County's directory to find its planning and zoning department³.

1. Confirm the proposed use, district standards and required local approvals because zoning varies by jurisdiction³.

1. Determine whether the parcel has sewer service; contractors working on covered county sewer or drain connections must meet county bonding and insurance conditions²⁹.

1. If sewer is unavailable, apply to Oakland County for the onsite sewage permit, and apply for a county permit if the project uses a private well^4,7.

1. Ask whether site work triggers a soil-erosion permit; covered earth-change work includes access roads, driveways, clearing and grading³⁰.

1. Submit the building-permit application to the local enforcing agency before construction starts^1,2.

1. Complete the local building inspections and every septic inspection shown on the septic permit, then obtain the certificate of occupancy before using a new or altered building^2,4,9.

Confirm the parcel's city, village or township and obtain its zoning designation, permitted uses and dimensional standards before relying on a listing description³. Resolve septic feasibility early because only 9.8% of mapped soils lack severe limits for a conventional drain field²⁸. Confirm the water source as well: Oakland County inspects and issues permits for private wells⁷. Check mapped floodplains before placing a home or adding fill because qualifying work in a river, stream or drain floodplain with a drainage area of at least 2 square miles requires a state permit³¹. Ask the local enforcing agency about any additional local floodplain and building standards^2,3. The effective property-tax rate is about 1.3%, with a median annual bill of $4,241²⁸.