Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Shiawassee County, Michigan

A new home in Shiawassee County, Michigan requires a building permit from the agency assigned to that community¹. The county handles new-home permitting in its listed jurisdictions, while some communities use a local enforcing agency³. Ordinary repairs are exempt only within the Michigan Building Code's limits; structural, egress and covered trade work do not qualify as ordinary repairs¹. Michigan has adopted the 2021 Michigan Building Code, effective in April 2025, while one- and two-family dwelling provisions are in the Michigan Residential Code¹. Where the county administers inspections, required stages include foundation or footing, rough frame, insulation and final inspection, and work must remain uncovered until approved⁵. A new or altered building cannot be occupied until the code official issues a Certificate of Occupancy⁶.

The Shiawassee County Department of Community Development runs Building & Trades from 201 N Shiawasse St, 3rd Floor, Corunna, Michigan; call 989.743.2396 or email comdev@shiawassee.net⁹. Community Development performs building and zoning work for most, but not all, communities, so ask whether the parcel uses county or local administration¹⁰. Shiawassee County publishes processes for building permits, site-plan and zoning review, land divisions and environmental-health permits, and applicants should contact the relevant office before submitting⁸. Michigan's owner-builder exception can excuse a qualifying owner who builds on their own property for their own use and occupancy from residential-builder licensing, but permits, inspections, codes, zoning and septic approvals still apply⁷. County building and trade fees are published in a current schedule¹¹. Even where a city or township handles its own building permits or zoning approval, septic and private-well permits still go through the Shiawassee County Health Department Environmental Health Division^4,5.

Shiawassee County has a zoning ordinance with agricultural, residential, business and industrial districts, but it applies within the county zoning jurisdiction rather than replacing every local ordinance². The county handles zoning for Antrim, Bennington, Burns, Fairfield, Middlebury, New Haven, Rush, Sciota, Shiawassee and Woodhull townships, while Caledonia, Hazelton, Owosso, Perry, Venice, Vernon, Corunna, Durand, Laingsburg, Bancroft, Byron, Lennon, Morrice and New Lothrop use local zoning³. Where county zoning applies, the ordinance's map and district schedules control lot size, setbacks, lot coverage and building height, with standards varying by district and use¹². Planning & Zoning reviews development proposals and enforces county land-use rules¹³. Outside the zoning ordinance's mobile-home parks, a manufactured home used as a dwelling must be at least 20 feet wide across any elevation, meet HUD standards and connect to a water supply and sewer system the County Health Department approves¹². Ask Planning & Zoning to identify the governing jurisdiction and district before designing a home³.

Shiawassee County requires a Health Department permit before constructing, replacing, substantially repairing or extending a septic system⁴. An application can require a disposal-system plan, soil testing, high-water evaluation and engineered materials; the Health Officer may reject a site with inadequate isolation, flood exposure, unsuitable permeability or a seasonal high water table less than 2 feet below grade⁴. The Environmental Health Division works from 201 N. Shiawassee St. - 3rd Floor, Corunna, and can be reached at 989.743.2390¹⁴. None of Shiawassee County's mapped soils avoid a severe limitation rating for a conventional drain field, so arrange the site evaluation before closing¹⁵. The county's new-home process also requires a private-well permit, and a newly drilled well must be inspected⁵.

In the Shiawassee County zoning jurisdiction, an RV or similar structure that does not meet dwelling standards may be occupied for no more than 2 weeks in a month unless it is in a bona fide campground¹². Temporary housing requires a zoning permit and is limited to living on-site while a new dwelling is built or while a damaged dwelling is rebuilt; the normal permit period is no more than 1 year, with a possible additional 1-year extension¹². Communities with local zoning may have different rules, so confirm the parcel's authority before moving an RV onto it³. We could not confirm a complete tiny-home rule; Michigan treats a tiny house proposed in a resort setting as a building rather than a recreational unit, even on wheels, and requires local zoning and construction approvals¹⁶.

1. Call Community Development at 989.743.2396 to identify the parcel's zoning authority and construction-code enforcing agency^3,9.
2. Check the controlling zoning map and district schedule before fixing the home design or site plan¹².
3. Obtain septic and private-well permits from Environmental Health for the new home^5,14.
4. Secure the approved Road Commission driveway permit required by the county checklist, keeping the driveway at least 15 feet from side lot lines; state-highway access also requires an MDOT permit^5,17.
5. Submit the zoning application, address request, plot plan, soil-erosion review, building application, plans, specifications, truss drawings and energy-code form required for the project⁵.
6. Call for each county-administered building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspection, and do not continue over work until its approval sticker is posted⁵.
7. Finish all final inspections and obtain the Certificate of Occupancy before moving in^5,6.

Confirm which government zones and inspects the parcel before relying on a county map or application packet³. Test septic feasibility early because none of Shiawassee County's mapped soils avoid a severe limitation rating for a conventional drain field¹⁵. Verify that a well can be permitted and that the driveway location can receive Road Commission approval⁵. Check mapped flood hazards before designing because Michigan regulates covered work in qualifying river, stream and drain floodplains and prohibits new residential construction in the floodway¹⁸. A land division requires an application, official survey, five years of tax-payment certification, Road Commission access approval, supporting materials and payment before final recording through the Register of Deeds⁸. Typical home values are about $214,722, while the median property-tax bill is about $2,214 a year at an effective rate near 1.3%¹⁵.