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

At a glance

Building permit

Required before construction; apply to the enforcing agency for the parcel¹

Zoning

Rules vary by city, village or township; the county Planning Commission is advisory⁵

Septic

County Health Department permit; published 2024 application fee is $350 per site⁴⁶

Owner-builder exemption

Available for an owner building on their own property for their own use and occupancy; other requirements still apply⁷

Certificate of occupancy

Required statewide before a new or altered building can be used⁸

Septic-friendly soils

Only 10.8% of soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional drain field⁹

Nearest city of 100,000+

About 23 miles away¹⁰

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 Berrien County, Michigan?

Yes. Before constructing a building or structure in Berrien County, the owner or project representative must submit a written building-permit application to the appropriate enforcing agency; a permit is also required for a change in use or occupancy¹. Ordinary repairs are exempt only within the rule's structural, egress, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and safety limits¹. The 2021 Michigan Building Code applies to covered buildings and structures, while the 2015 Michigan Residential Code applies to one- and two-family homes¹¹¹². After completion, the permit holder must request a Certificate of Occupancy in writing; all fees must be paid, permits finalized and work compliant before the code official may issue it⁸.

Who issues building permits in Berrien County?

Berrien County has no county building program; a local or state enforcing agency administers the code according to the jurisdiction list². Berrien Township is one local example: its combined Building Inspector/Zoning Administrator offers general building permits for pools, roofs, sheds and pole barns, a separate mobile-home building permit, and zoning applications for fences, signs and garden sheds under 200 square feet¹³¹⁴. In Berrien Township, mechanical and plumbing permit applications are administered through the State of Michigan¹³. Reach that township office at 269-461-6925 only for land inside Berrien Township¹³. Septic permits are the exception: they come from the Berrien County Health Department for every address, whatever township or city it lies in⁴. For land elsewhere in Berrien County, ask the parcel's city, village or township which agency enforces building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits before filing⁵¹⁵.

Does Berrien County have zoning?

Berrien County does not administer a county zoning ordinance: its townships, cities and villages run their own planning and zoning, and the Berrien County Planning Commission makes county development plans in cooperation with them³. The county therefore sets no county minimum lot size, setback or minimum dwelling size in unincorporated areas, but township zoning and building-code requirements still apply¹⁶¹⁷¹⁸. Rules for an RV, tiny home or manufactured home depend on the local ordinance and zoning district⁵. The Berrien County Planning Commission studies the county's economic, social and physical development and does not decide individual zoning cases¹⁹. In Berrien Township, for example, zoning applications cover fences, signs and garden sheds under 200 square feet¹³. Confirm the parcel's jurisdiction, zoning district and proposed use with the relevant township, city or village before designing the project⁵.

How do septic permits work in Berrien County?

The Berrien County Health Department regulates onsite septic systems where public sewer is unavailable²⁰. A county permit is required to construct, alter, extend or replace an individual system, except for the ordinance's limited sewer-pipe repair exception; the permit expires after 12 months and is not transferable²¹. Health staff review the application and inspect geology, groundwater and isolation distances; allow at least 10 working days for field work after underground utilities are marked by MISS DIG²². The owner or builder must notify the Health Officer before covering or using the work, and final approval follows completion²³. The published 2024 septic application fee is $350 per site, an engineered system review is $800 and a residential water well permit is $265; ask whether a later schedule applies²⁴. Only 10.8% of soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, so evaluate the site before fixing the house location or budget⁹. Call 269-927-5623 to begin²⁵.

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

We could not confirm a countywide rule allowing long-term RV occupancy on private land in Berrien County; ask the zoning office for the parcel's city, village or township before moving an RV onto the site⁵. Michigan's campground rules for multiple recreational units do not answer whether one owner may live in one RV on private land²⁶. Berrien Township separately lists a mobile-home building permit, but that example applies only inside Berrien Township¹³. A permanent tiny home must obtain the local zoning, building, electrical and plumbing approvals that apply to its proposed use, and a new or altered building cannot be occupied before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued²⁷⁸. Where public sewer is unavailable, sewage must go to a permitted system and receive final inspection approval²⁸.

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

1. Identify the city, village or township containing the parcel, then confirm the zoning district and building-code enforcing agency⁵².
2. Ask the local zoning office whether the house, setbacks and any temporary RV use are allowed⁵.
3. If public sewer is unavailable, apply to the Berrien County Health Department; its site review covers geology, groundwater and isolation distances²⁹.
4. Give the approved septic permit copy to the building inspector and submit the written building-permit application before construction²⁹¹⁵.
5. Schedule required building inspections and notify the Health Officer before covering septic work³⁰³¹.
6. Finalize every permit, pay all fees and request the Certificate of Occupancy in writing before occupying the building⁸. Michigan's owner-builder licensing exemption may apply when you build on your own property for your own use and occupancy, but it does not waive permit or code requirements⁷.

What to check before you buy land in Berrien County

Only 10.8% of Berrien County soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, so have the Health Department evaluate the site before fixing the house location or septic budget⁹. A Berrien County Road Department right-of-way permit is required for a new or resurfaced driveway within the county road right-of-way³². Access to a state trunkline highway instead requires an MDOT driveway permit in addition to the applicable local building permit³³. New residential construction is prohibited in a regulated floodway, while other regulated river, stream or drain floodplain work may require an EGLE permit³⁴. The effective property-tax rate is about 1.1%, and the median annual property-tax bill is about $2,357³⁵³⁶. A proposed subdivision requires preliminary-plat review before the final plat is submitted³⁷.

Watch-outs

• Berrien County has no county building program, and zoning rules vary locally, so identify the enforcing agency and zoning office for the parcel before relying on another municipality's rules²⁵.
• Only 10.8% of Berrien County's soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, so budget time and money for a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system on most parcels⁹.
• Michigan's owner-builder licensing exemption does not remove applicable building permits or code requirements⁷.

Sources

1. Building Permit Information, quoted and re-checked
2. Building Permit Information, quoted and re-checked
3. Request for Proposals — Berrien County Planning Commission Master Plan 2021, quoted and re-checked
4. On-Site Septic, quoted and re-checked
5. Request for Proposals — Berrien County Planning Commission Master Plan 2021, quoted and re-checked
6. Environmental Health Schedule of Fees – 2024, quoted and re-checked
7. Frequently Asked Questions — Residential Builder, quoted and re-checked
8. Certificate of Occupancy Request, quoted and re-checked
9. 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
10. Straight-line distance from the county center to the nearest city of 100,000+ people: Bolthole Index county data
11. Code Books, quoted and re-checked
12. Code Books, quoted and re-checked
13. Berrien Township Building/Zoning Department (berrientownship.org)
14. Building/Zoning Department – Berrien Township, quoted and re-checked
15. Building Permit Information, quoted and re-checked
16. Request for Proposals — Berrien County Planning Commission Master Plan 2021, quoted and re-checked
17. Request for Proposals — Berrien County Planning Commission Master Plan 2021, quoted and re-checked
18. Request for Proposals — Berrien County Planning Commission Master Plan 2021, quoted and re-checked
19. Berrien County Planning Commission (berriencounty.org)
20. On-Site Septic, quoted and re-checked
21. Berrien County Sewage Disposal Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
22. On-Site Septic, quoted and re-checked
23. Berrien County Sewage Disposal Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
24. Environmental Health: Schedule of Fees – 2024, quoted and re-checked
25. Berrien County Health Department, Environmental Health Office (berriencounty.org)
26. Legislation governing campgrounds in Michigan (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
27. michigan.gov (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
28. On-Site Septic, quoted and re-checked
29. Sewage Disposal Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
30. courts.michigan.gov (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
31. Berrien County Sewage Disposal Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
32. Permits, quoted and re-checked
33. Infrastructure permits (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
34. Floodplains (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
35. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
36. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
37. Preliminary Plat Review, quoted and re-checked

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.