Do you need a shed 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
Shed Permit rules nationwide, beyond Michigan.
Requirements and size thresholds for shed 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 shed permit rules across every locality we cover.
The application steps and inspection sequence for shed 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 shed 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 | floor area of a one-story detached accessory structure in residential construction | Confirmed on official page |
| Grand Rapids | Yes | Any size | Confirmed on official page |
| Sterling Heights | Conditional | shed floor area above which a building permit is required | Confirmed on official page |
| No localities match your filter. | |||
What a shed 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.
Building Permit Fees (effective October 2019, revised 7/15/2025), under the Zoning Compliance permit heading: "Sheds under 200 square feet, includes one inspection ... $75". The same schedule prices zoning compliance permits at $25 for building projects up to $10,000 and $75 for projects over $10,000. A shed larger than 200 sq ft pays the $15 base application fee plus the estimated project cost permit fee ($100 for cost up to $1,000; $100 plus $10 per $1,000 from $1,000 to $50,000) plus a plan examination fee of 20% of the building permit fee.
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Building permit fees are based on project cost under the BSEED Fee Schedule effective January 1, 2024, modified 7/18/2025: $2,000 or less, Flat $271.43; Over $2,000 but not over $25,000, First $2,000 Base $271.43 plus $34.09 Per $1,000 or fraction thereof over $2,000.
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FY 2027 Planning, Design and Development Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2026. Under Planning Fees, ZONING PERMITS "Level I $25.00" lists "Accessory Structure / Over 120 sqft and up to 200 sqft" and "Over 200 sqft - Building Permit". A structure of 200 sq ft or more draws the Building Permits line "Building Permit, Base Fee $54.00 plus Zoning Permit fee" for the first $1,000 of construction cost with "Building Permit, Incremental Fee $6.80" for each additional $1,000, and footnote 6 adds a $25 Zoning Permit fee for 1-2 family residential projects.
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Building Permit Application 26-27 fee chart: 'Sheds (Between 50 - 200 sq. ft)' $78.00, plus the non-refundable $56.00 application fee. Sheds and garages over 200 sq ft are permitted under the same building permit and also need an electrical permit if any electrical is installed. Re-inspection fee $75.00; re-establish expired permit $77.00.
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Jurisdictions not listed publish no dollar figure we could quote. Absence does not mean a permit is free.
Common questions about shed permits in Michigan
- Do I need a shed 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 shed work, 2 require a permit outright, 2 depend on the size or scope of the job, and 0 require none.
- Is there a shed 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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