Farmington Hills, MI Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

The city adopted no separate municipal building code after 2001: Ordinance No. C-4-01 repealed the old building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical code articles (former §§ 7-26 through 7-204) and replaced them with a single adoption clause. Under § 7-26, the city council, planning commission, city engineer, city building official, building board of appeals and designated inspectors are named as the enforcing agency for the State Construction Codes throughout Farmington Hills' corporate limits. Because the state codes set the substantive permit triggers, work covered by those codes, from new construction to additions and most structural repairs, needs a permit issued through the city building official's office before it begins.

Section 7-27 requires the city council to adopt permit fee schedules by resolution, tied to the cost of the plan review, inspection and administrative overhead the department provides. Section 7-28 clarifies that wherever the adopted state code says "state" or "municipality," it means the State of Michigan and the City of Farmington Hills, and "local ordinances" means this Code, so amendments layered on top carry the same force as the base code. Section 7-29 adds Appendix G of the Michigan Building Code (fire sprinkler standard) under Act 230, Section 8b(6). Section 7-30 folds FEMA's September 29, 2006 Flood Insurance Study and listed FIRM panel numbers into Section 1612.3 of the Michigan Building Code, adding review for projects in a mapped floodprone area.