Novi, MI Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 7-16 of the Novi Code makes the city itself the enforcing agency for the Michigan Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act (Act No. 230 of 1972, MCL 125.1501 et seq.). That single adoption pulls in the state's building, plumbing, mechanical, residential, existing building, energy conservation and electrical codes as Novi's own construction code, so every one of those trades needs a permit issued through the same office rather than a separate city-written building code. Section 7-17 puts the building official, plus the plumbing, heating and refrigeration inspectors the official designates, in charge of running that program day to day.

Anyone who disagrees with a building official's permit decision does not go to court first: Section 7-19 sets up a construction board of appeals of three to seven members serving four-year council appointments, and that board has the same powers over permit and code disputes that Section 14 of the Act (MCL 125.1514) gives it, plus jurisdiction over flood-resistant construction variances under Section 7-23. Section 7-20 layers on one more condition tied to the permit itself: before the city issues a final certificate of occupancy on anything except a detached single-family home, the applicant must hand over full as-built plans and specifications, which the building department scans and stores under state records law, at the applicant's expense. Skip that step and the final CO does not get signed off.