Pontiac, MI Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Pontiac City Code § 22-2 adopts "the current version of the International Property Maintenance Code, Michigan Building Code, Michigan Electrical Code, Michigan Plumbing Code, Michigan Mechanical Code, and Michigan Residential Code along with all appendixes for each code," plus all future amended versions, as the city's construction codes. Article II of Chapter 22, titled Building Code, states its purpose is "to adopt and provide minimum standards for all building work conducted in the city." The sections that once spelled out the building permit application process, § 22-37 through § 22-40, were repealed by Ordinance No.

2467 in May 2025, so the Michigan Building Code adopted at § 22-2 now governs permit issuance directly. Under City Code § 22-6, the Department of Community Development, through its director, officials, inspectors, plan reviewers, and code enforcement personnel, is designated as the enforcing agency for the adopted codes. Contractors must register their work with the city before starting any job and renew that registration each license year under § 22-7; the City Council sets the annual registration fee by resolution. Section 22-4 restricts construction, excavation, demolition, alteration, or repair work to 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Monday through Saturday and 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sunday, unless the building inspector issues an emergency permit valid for up to three days. Owners or occupants doing quiet work themselves, such as painting, lathing, plastering, insulating, or glazing without motorized equipment, are exempt from that hours restriction under § 22-4(b). Disputes over a building official's interpretation of the adopted code go to the five-member Construction Code Board of Appeals created under § 22-11, with a further appeal to the State Construction Code Commission available within 10 business days under § 22-26.