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

At a glance

Building permit

Required for residential and commercial construction in the Arenac County Building Department's service jurisdiction; confirm coverage before applying¹

Zoning

Land-use approval comes from the applicable township, city or village, not one confirmed countywide zoning authority³

Septic

Central Michigan District Health Department issues permits and normally performs a final inspection; specified projects need a permit or existing-system evaluation⁴⁵⁶

Private well

Central Michigan District Health Department permits and inspects private wells⁷

RV living

Not confirmed countywide; ask the zoning administrator for the township, city or village³

Tiny home

Rules vary locally; Omer requires at least 225 square feet of footprint and compliance with its single-family dwelling standards³⁸

Owner-builder

A qualifying homeowner may pull the county permit and do the work personally; anyone else doing the work must hold the applicable Michigan license⁹

Certificate of occupancy

Required before a new or altered building may be occupied¹⁰

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 9, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Arenac County, Michigan?

Yes, for residential and commercial construction within the Arenac County Building Department's service jurisdiction, although the department does not serve every part of the county¹. New homes, residential conversions, additions, porches, decks, pools, garages, carports, sheds, pole barns, lean-tos and demolitions are examples the county identifies as potentially subject to the Michigan Residential Code, so the Building Inspector should decide whether a particular project needs a permit¹. Michigan's State Construction Code applies statewide, but its jurisdiction list assigns enforcement to state, county or local agencies by location¹¹. Permit fees vary with the structure's total square footage, use group and construction type¹². Before paying or filing, use the department's jurisdiction list or call the office to confirm that Arenac County rather than another enforcing agency covers the parcel¹³.

Who is the Arenac County building department, and how do you reach it?

The Arenac County Building Department issues residential and commercial construction permits and conducts inspections only within its listed service jurisdiction¹³. The office is at 120 N. Grove Street, P.O. Box 724, Standish, MI 48658; call 989-846-9791 or email permits@arenaccountymi.gov¹³. A homeowner may pull an Arenac County permit and perform the work personally; if another person performs it, that person must hold the Michigan license applicable to the work⁹. Separate applications are required for electrical, mechanical and plumbing work¹⁴. Most structures require at least three inspections, although the project may require more or fewer, and the permit holder must call at least two days before an inspection is needed². A final inspection occurs after other permits are closed out and before occupancy¹⁵.

Does Arenac County have zoning?

Arenac County's building process sends zoning and land-use approval to the township, city or village that governs the parcel³. For a new build or an addition that expands an existing structure's footprint, that local zoning permit must accompany the building permit³. Michigan law allows counties, townships, cities and villages to establish zoning districts, but the actual districts and standards come from the applicable local ordinance¹⁶. The City of Omer illustrates why the exact jurisdiction matters: its residential district generally requires a one-acre lot, subject to a City Council variation through a Special Use Permit¹⁷. Omer also requires a single-family dwelling to have at least 385 square feet of living space¹⁸. We could not confirm one countywide schedule for setbacks, lot size, dwelling size, lot coverage or building height, so ask the parcel's local zoning administrator for the current map and ordinance.

How do septic permits work in Arenac County?

Central Michigan District Health Department serves Arenac County for sewage-system and private-well permitting through its Arenac office⁴¹⁹. A new septic system needs a health-department permit before the building permit²⁰. For new construction, bedroom additions and replacement mobile or modular homes, an existing septic system must be evaluated when that evaluation is used instead of a new-system permit⁶. CMDHD evaluates the proposed site and issues the permit²¹. Septic installation normally receives a final inspection by a Sanitarian; only rare circumstances allow a contractor affidavit instead⁵. Private wells require a permit under Michigan and CMDHD rules, while permit conditions can vary locally⁷. Only about 0.4% of Arenac County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so arrange the site evaluation early²². Michigan requires sanitary sewage to go to an available public sewer or an approved private sewage-disposal system²³²⁴.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Arenac County?

We could not confirm a countywide rule allowing or prohibiting long-term RV occupancy or temporary camping on private land in Arenac County. Because land-use approval comes from the applicable township, city or village, ask that local zoning administrator about RV occupancy, temporary camping, setbacks and utility requirements for the specific parcel³. Tiny-home rules also vary locally. In the City of Omer, a tiny house must have a footprint of at least 225 square feet and comply with every applicable single-family dwelling standard⁸. Omer separately requires at least 385 square feet of living space for a single-family dwelling¹⁸. Those Omer standards do not answer the question for land elsewhere in Arenac County. For either housing type, confirm land-use approval first, then ask the applicable building authority what construction permits apply³¹¹.

Building a home in Arenac County: the steps, in order

1. Identify the township, city or village and obtain its zoning or land-use approval, including the plot-plan details it requires³.

1. Ask the zoning administrator whether subdivision approval applies to the parcel²⁵.

1. Ask Central Michigan District Health Department which septic permit or existing-system evaluation and private-well documentation the proposed home requires²⁰⁶⁷.

1. Ask the Arenac County Road Commission whether a driveway permit is required before the building application; the county instructions do not establish that every driveway needs one²⁶²⁷.

1. Confirm that the Arenac County Building Department serves the site, then file a complete application with the supporting approvals and separate trade applications; incomplete submissions may be returned or delayed¹³²⁸.

1. Keep the permit posted, request inspections at least two days before they are needed, and wait for the final inspection before occupying the completed home²²⁹.

What to check before you buy land in Arenac County

Start with zoning jurisdiction: the township, city or village controls the parcel's land-use approval, so obtain its current map and ordinance before relying on a proposed use or building envelope³. Test the septic path early because only about 0.4% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field²². Verify whether public sewer is available or CMDHD will approve a private system, and confirm the private-well permit path if there is no public water²³⁷. Check legal road access and ask the Arenac County Road Commission whether a driveway permit is needed before applying for the building permit²⁶²⁷. For a river, stream or drain with a drainage area of at least 2 square miles, altering or occupying the 100-year floodplain requires EGLE review; new residential construction is prohibited in the floodway³⁰. The effective property-tax rate is about 1.3%, and the median annual bill is about $1,676³¹³².

Watch-outs

• The Arenac County Building Department does not cover every jurisdiction in the county, so confirm the enforcing agency before filing or starting work¹¹³.
• No countywide RV-occupancy, tiny-home-occupancy, minimum-size or setback rule was confirmed; Omer has its own tiny-house and dwelling-size standards, and other jurisdictions may differ³⁸¹⁸.
• For specified construction projects, confirm whether CMDHD requires a new-system permit or an existing-system evaluation; Arenac County's conventional drain-field soil rating is severe on nearly all mapped land²⁰⁶²².

Sources

1. Building Department - Arenac County, Michigan, quoted and re-checked
2. Building Permit Application Instructions, quoted and re-checked
3. County of Arenac Master Plan, quoted and re-checked
4. Contacts and Locations | CMDHD, quoted and re-checked
5. Sewage Systems | CMDHD, quoted and re-checked
6. Building Department - Arenac County, Michigan, quoted and re-checked
7. Building Department - Arenac County, Michigan, quoted and re-checked
8. Zoning and Ordinances - City of Omer, quoted and re-checked
9. Application for Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
10. Certificate of Occupancy Request (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Statewide Jurisdiction List, quoted and re-checked
12. Building Department - Arenac County, Michigan, quoted and re-checked
13. Arenac County Building Department (arenaccountymi.gov)
14. Building Department - Arenac County, Michigan, quoted and re-checked
15. Building Permit Application Instructions, quoted and re-checked
16. Michigan Zoning Enabling Act (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Zoning and Ordinances — City of Omer, quoted and re-checked
18. Zoning and Ordinances — City of Omer, quoted and re-checked
19. Central Michigan District Health Department - Arenac Office (cmdhd.org)
20. Sewage Systems | CMDHD, quoted and re-checked
21. Central Michigan District Health Department - Sewage System Program (cmdhd.org)
22. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
23. Michigan Part 7 Plumbing Code Rules (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
24. Disposal of residential wastewater such as swimming pool water (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
25. Arenac County Building Permit Application Instructions, quoted and re-checked
26. Building Permit Application Instructions, quoted and re-checked
27. Arenac County Road Commission (arenaccrc.org)
28. Building Permit Application Instructions, quoted and re-checked
29. Building Permit Application Instructions, quoted and re-checked
30. Floodplains (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
31. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
32. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 9, 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.