Do you need a plumbing permit in Michigan?
By Mario Bailey Last checked
- Always required
- 2
- of 4 jurisdictions
- Conditional
- 2
- depends on size or scope
- Not required
- 0
- exempt outright
Plumbing Permit rules nationwide, beyond Michigan.
Requirements and size thresholds for plumbing permits vary by locality. The table below compares what each Michigan county or city requires. Always confirm with the local office before starting.
Comparing states? See plumbing permit rules across every locality we cover.
The application steps and inspection sequence for plumbing permits come from the model code rather than from Michigan law, so they read the same wherever you build. We keep that walkthrough in one place: how a plumbing permit application and its inspections work, start to finish. What changes between Michigan jurisdictions is below: who requires a permit, what they charge, and which office you file with.
Swipe sideways to see thresholds and confidence.
| Locality | Permit required? | Typical threshold | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Arbor | Yes | Any size | Confirmed on official page |
| Detroit | Conditional | plumbing alterations beyond the working parts of a faucet or valve or clearance of stoppages | Confirmed on official page |
| Grand Rapids | Conditional | Before adding lines or pipes in walls and floors, adding or working on a water heater... | Confirmed on official page |
| Sterling Heights | Yes | Any size | Confirmed on official page |
| No localities match your filter. | |||
What a plumbing permit costs in Michigan
4 Michigan jurisdictions we cover publish a fee figure for this work. Each line is quoted from that office's own schedule and linked to its citation. The figures are not comparable to one another: some are flat minimums, some a percentage of job value, some charged per fixture, so what you pay depends on which schedule applies and on your job's valuation.
Plumbing Permit Fees (effective July 1, 2017): $15 base application fee required for all permits, non refundable and no inspections, plus $35 each inspection. Fixture line items are largely $15 each, covering water closets, tubs and showers, sinks and lavatories, dishwashers, floor drains, laundry standpipes, sump pumps and sewage ejectors, backflow preventers and water heaters. Residential system items include drain waste and vent at $35 single floor, $45 two story and $55 tri or quad, and water distribution at $25, $35 and $50 on the same scale. Sewers are $50 up to 4 inches and $65 over 4 inches. Plumbing contractor registration is $15 and work without a permit is $130.
last checked
BSEED Fee Schedule effective January 1, 2024, modified 7/18/2025, PLUMBING INSTALLATION PERMITS: "Application Fee (Non-Refundable), Flat" $73; "Each: Stack, Stack Alteration (soil, waste, vent, conductor), Sump, Interceptor, Pump, Device, Plumbing Fixtures, Plumbing Appliance, Plumbing Appurtenance, Plus Any Other Fixture, Drain, Water Connected Appliance or Appurtenance Not specifically Listed, Each" $44; "Building Drain, Building Sewer (sanitary, storm, manhole, catch basin, combined) each one" $146; "Water Distribution System, each one" $66; "Water Service (curb stop into the house), Each" $88.
last checked
FY 2027 Planning, Design and Development Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2026, Plumbing Permit Fees: "Application (Includes 1 inspection) $52.00" plus per fixture fees, most of them $5.00 each, covering items such as "Water Closet/Toilet", "Lavatory", "Bath Tub-Shower", "Sink-Kitchen", "Floor Drain/Floor Sink/Trench Drain" and "Gas Piping per Opening". "Water Heater" is $21.00, and water distribution runs from "Water Distribution 3/4\" $6.00" up to "Distribution System Over 2\" $36.00". Working prior to permit adds an "Admin Fee (working prior to permit) $173.00".
last checked
Plumbing Permit Application 2026-2027: non-refundable application fee $55.00, then per fixture. Water Heater $40.00, Tankless Water Heater $40.00, Electric Water Heater Reconnect $40.00, Water Closet / Toilet $25.00, Baths $25.00, Sinks (any description) $25.00, Floor Drains $25.00, Back Water Valve $25.00, Whirlpools $44.00, Lawn Sprinkler Systems $75.00, Basement Waterproofing $55.00, Radon $125.00, Building Sewer Connection $57.00, water distribution 3/4 inch $29.00. Re-inspection fee $75.00; re-establish expired permit $77.00.
last checked
Jurisdictions not listed publish no dollar figure we could quote. Absence does not mean a permit is free.
Common questions about plumbing permits in Michigan
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Michigan?
- In Michigan it depends on the size of the job. Permits are issued locally, so the answer comes from your Michigan city or county rather than a single statewide rule. Of the 4 Michigan jurisdictions we have verified for plumbing work, 2 require a permit outright, 2 depend on the size or scope of the job, and 0 require none.
- Is there a plumbing permit exemption in Michigan?
- 2 of the 4 Michigan jurisdictions we cover set a threshold rather than a flat rule, so the same job can be exempt in one Michigan county and permitted in the next. The table above lists each Michigan jurisdiction's published threshold in its own words, with the source and the date we verified it.
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