Village of Bingham Farms, Michigan: building permits, zoning and septic

At a glance

Building permits

State law requires an application before construction, subject to code exceptions; Southfield provides contracted building services.¹²

Zoning

Village zoning ordinance applies inside Bingham Farms.³

New-home review

Village engineering and planning consultants and Southfield Building Department must approve plans before construction.²

Septic permits

Oakland County Health Division issues septic permits and inspects installations.⁴⁵

Owner-builder

Michigan has an own-property, own-use and occupancy licensing exemption; building and zoning requirements still apply.⁶

Sewage disposal

Buildings with plumbing fixtures must connect to available public sewer or an approved private sewage disposal system.⁷

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Village of Bingham Farms, MI?

Michigan law requires a written building-permit application before construction of a building or structure in Bingham Farms, except as otherwise provided in the code.¹ The application includes plans, specifications, a site plan and the enforcing agency’s fee.¹ Bingham Farms contracts with Southfield for building services, and most building-service permits are issued there.² An owner building a home for personal use and occupancy on the owner’s property may qualify for Michigan’s residential-builder licensing exemption, but that exemption does not remove building-permit, inspection or zoning requirements.⁶

Who handles building applications in Village of Bingham Farms?

Start a Bingham Farms new-home or exterior-improvement project with the Village Office for guidance before work begins.² New-home plans must receive approval from village engineering and planning consultants and Southfield Building Department before construction starts.² Reach the Village Office at (248) 644-0044 and Southfield Building Department at (248) 796-4100.²⁸ Southfield’s building page links online building-permit applications and inspection requests; ask the department how to submit a Bingham Farms project.⁸ For a parcel created by division or partition, the village’s required land-division approvals must precede building or occupancy permits.⁹

Does Village of Bingham Farms have zoning, lot-size and setback rules?

Bingham Farms has a village zoning ordinance incorporated into its code by reference.³ The village’s Planning page links the zoning ordinance and describes illustrated zoning requirements and standards.¹⁰ We could not confirm the applicable district names, minimum lot sizes, setbacks, lot coverage or minimum dwelling sizes; ask the Village Office to identify the parcel’s district and review the proposed home and site layout.¹⁰² For a divided parcel, obtain the village’s required land-division approvals before seeking building or occupancy permits; subdivision-related fees are set by Village Council resolution.⁹¹¹

How do septic permits work inside Village of Bingham Farms?

Oakland County Health Division handles onsite sewage disposal systems inside Bingham Farms, including septic permits and construction and final inspections.⁴⁵ A new residential system requires a new septic-permit application; qualifying replacement, alteration or repair work uses a repair application.¹² The published vacant-land residential septic-permit fee is $325, and the residential repair fee is $221.¹³ Applications can be submitted online or at county offices.¹⁴ A Health Division sanitarian must be present for the soil evaluation, and acceptable soils, water table and space are conditions for issuance.¹⁵ Follow the inspections listed on the septic permit; where no special inspections are listed, the final inspection occurs before covering the system.¹⁶

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Village of Bingham Farms?

We could not confirm permission to occupy an RV, tiny home, manufactured home or accessory dwelling on a private Bingham Farms parcel; ask the Village Office to review the proposed use under village zoning before buying land for that purpose.³² Michigan’s sewage requirements still matter: sanitary sewage must go to municipal sanitary sewer or an onsite septic system.¹⁷ Buildings with plumbing fixtures must connect to public sewer where available, or otherwise to an approved private sewage disposal system.⁷ A new or altered building subject to Michigan’s construction code cannot be occupied until the code official issues a certificate of occupancy.¹⁸

Building a home in Village of Bingham Farms: what comes first?

Use this approval sequence for a proposed Bingham Farms home.

• Ask the Village Office to review the project and coordinate village engineering and planning consultant approval with Southfield Building Department approval before construction.²
• For a divided or partitioned parcel, resolve the required village land-division approvals before building or occupancy permits can issue.⁹
• Establish sewer availability or an approved private sewage disposal plan; apply to Oakland County Health Division if the home needs septic.⁷⁴
• Submit the building-permit application and plans before construction, subject to code exceptions, and arrange required construction inspections.¹¹⁹
• Obtain the certificate of occupancy before using a new or altered building covered by the construction code.¹⁸

What stays with Oakland County, and what should Bingham Farms buyers check?

Septic permitting stays with Oakland County Health Division even for property inside Bingham Farms; village zoning and contracted building services follow the municipal route.⁴³² If a private well is proposed, ask the Health Division which local well-permit or notification requirements apply before drilling under Michigan’s county-ordinance framework.²⁰ Do not assume village utility-connection thresholds or driveway and floodplain approval procedures: we could not confirm those local details, so start with the Village Office for the parcel review.² For land outside village limits, use the Oakland County guide for the county septic application route.¹⁴

Watch-outs

• Bingham Farms new-home plans need village consultant approval and Southfield Building Department approval before construction; contact the Village Office before starting exterior improvements.²
• Building or occupancy permits cannot issue for a divided or partitioned Bingham Farms parcel until the required village land-division approvals are in place.⁹
• We could not confirm private-land RV or tiny-home occupancy permission in Bingham Farms; ask the Village Office to review the specific use under village zoning.³²

Sources

1. Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act, MCL 125.1510 (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
2. Village of Bingham Farms Office (binghamfarms.org)
3. § 157.01 ZONING ORDINANCE INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE. (Village of Bingham Farms), quoted and re-checked
4. Onsite Sewage Disposal System (Septic) (Village of Bingham Farms), quoted and re-checked
5. Onsite Sewage Disposal System (Septic) (Village of Bingham Farms), quoted and re-checked
6. Frequently Asked Questions – Residential Builder (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. Michigan Part 7 Plumbing Code Rules (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. City of Southfield Building Department (cityofsouthfield.com)
9. § 156.28 PERMITS AND FEES. (Village of Bingham Farms), quoted and re-checked
10. Planning (Village of Bingham Farms), quoted and re-checked
11. § 156.28 PERMITS AND FEES. (Village of Bingham Farms), quoted and re-checked
12. Onsite Sewage Disposal System (Septic), quoted and re-checked
13. Onsite Sewage Disposal System (Septic) — applications and fees, quoted and re-checked
14. Onsite Sewage Disposal System (Septic) — applications and fees, quoted and re-checked
15. Oakland County Health Division, Environmental Health Services (oaklandcountymi.gov)
16. Onsite Sewage Disposal System (Septic), quoted and re-checked
17. Disposal of residential wastewater such as swimming pool water (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. Certificate of Occupancy Request (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. MCL 125.1512, Inspection of construction (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. Before you start a well drilling business (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 12, 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.