Before You Build in Flint, MI: Permit & Rule Checklist (2026)

Flint Code Sec. 17-4 caps fences in A, B, and C residential zoning at 6 feet behind the 50-foot front setback line and 5 feet (max 50% solid) within the front yard. Commercial D zoning allows up to 7 feet 6 inches; industrial E and F zoning has no height limit and permits barbed wire.

Flint requires a Certificate of Zoning Compliance for fence construction. The Zoning Division reviews placement against Sec. 17-4 height and material rules and Sec. 50-63 of the Chapter 50 Zoning Code before any fence is erected, altered, or replaced.

Flint Sec. 17-4 does not require neighbor consent to build a fence. Boundary-line disputes between adjoining owners are resolved under Michigan's partition-fence statute (MCL 43.51 et seq.) and the boundary-fence rule at MCL 600.2940, not by the city zoning office.

Flint Sec. 17-4 does not list approved residential fence materials but regulates construction features. Commercial and industrial fences over six feet must be built of incombustible material except for posts. Gates may not open over public property and must follow the same 50% open rule as the fence.

Residential pool barriers in Flint follow the Michigan Residential Code 2015 Appendix AG105, which requires a barrier at least 48 inches high around any pool deeper than 24 inches. Gates must open outward, self-close, and self-latch. Public pools follow MCL 333.12521+ and the Michigan Building Code Section 3109.

Flint requires a building permit for any pool, hot tub, or spa deeper than 24 inches under the statewide Michigan Residential Code 2015 and Michigan Building Code 2015. Zoning Code Sec. 50-61 also limits placement to the rear yard with a minimum 7-foot setback from rear and side lot lines.

Every residential pool, hot tub, or spa deeper than 24 inches in Flint must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching gates opening outward, under Michigan Residential Code 2015 Appendix AG105 (statewide adoption). Public pools follow MCL 333.12521+ and MBC Section 3109.

Pools in Flint must comply with the federal Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act (15 USC 8003) for anti-entrapment drain covers, the Michigan Residential and Building Codes for bonding, GFCI protection, and barriers, and the Michigan Public Swimming Pool Act (MCL 333.12521+) for public pools.

Converting a Flint garage into habitable space (a bedroom, in-law suite, home office, or ADU) requires both (1) zoning approval under the Flint Zoning Ordinance at Chapter 50 for the change of use, because the converted space is no longer accessory parking and may count toward floor area, trigger ADU classification, or affect the underlying district's parking minimums; and (2) a building permit under the Michigan Single State Construction Code (MCL 125.1501 et seq.) administered locally by the Flint Building Official. Converted habitable space must meet the Michigan Residential Code provisions adopted from the IRC, including emergency egress (IRC R310), minimum ceiling height (IRC R305), smoke and carbon monoxide alarms (IRC R314/R315), and light/ventilation (IRC R303).

Flint is a home-rule city in Genesee County (population approximately 81,000) operating under a comprehensive Zoning Ordinance rewrite codified at Chapter 50 of the Flint City Code on Municode (https://library.municode.com/mi/flint), adopted in 2018 as a hybrid form-based code implementing the Imagine Flint Master Plan. Michigan has no statewide accessory dwelling unit preemption statute; ADU permissibility, owner-occupancy requirements, density caps, and design standards in Flint are determined entirely by Chapter 50 under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act (MCL 125.3201 et seq.). Property owners must consult the Zoning Ordinance and the Flint Department of Planning and Development (Zoning Administrator) for whether ADUs (referred to in form-based codes variously as accessory dwelling units, accessory apartments, or carriage houses) are permitted by right, by special land use, or by variance in the applicable transect or character zone.

Sheds and similar accessory structures in Flint are regulated through two layers: (1) the Flint Zoning Ordinance at Chapter 50 of the Flint City Code, which sets dimensional standards (size, height, setbacks, lot coverage, location relative to the principal dwelling) by transect or district; and (2) the Michigan Residential Code adopted under the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act (MCL 125.1501 et seq.), which under Section R105.2 generally exempts one-story detached accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds with a floor area of 200 square feet or less from building permits. The zoning permit / zoning compliance review through the Flint Department of Planning and Development is still required even when no building permit is needed.

Flint regulates recreational fires through its adoption of the Michigan International Fire Code (MIFC) under the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act (PA 230 of 1972). Recreational fires must use a fire pit or approved container, burn only clean wood, be attended at all times, and not create a nuisance or excessive smoke for neighboring properties.

Open burning of yard waste, leaves, and refuse is prohibited in Flint. Michigan's Part 115 solid-waste law (MCL 324.11501 et seq.) bans open burning of yard waste in every municipality over 7,500 population, which includes Flint, and the Michigan-adopted IFC Section 307 reinforces the ban. Only contained recreational fires burning clean wood are allowed; piles, leaf burning, and burning of construction or demolition debris are not.

Tree trimming in the City of Flint is regulated under Chapter 45 (Trees and Shrubs) of the Flint Code of Ordinances. Trees on public property, in parks, or in the public right-of-way fall under the authority of the Recreation and Park Board and the City Forester (Section 45-5). Trimming a wholly private tree generally does not require a City permit. Section 45-11.1 authorizes the Forestry Division to remove trees, limbs, and shrubs that constitute an immediate hazard, with the Forestry Supervisor exercising discretion on hazard determinations.

The City of Flint does not impose day-to-day outdoor watering schedules or even/odd address restrictions. Flint's water utility - operated through the Department of Public Works and the Flint Water Service Center - draws from Lake Huron via the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) since the 2017 transition off the Flint River, and EPA lifted the 2016 Safe Drinking Water Act emergency order on May 19, 2025 after 97% of legacy lead service lines were replaced. Michigan does not have a statewide drought-emergency watering statute analogous to states like California; EGLE coordinates voluntary conservation guidance.

Tree removal in the City of Flint is governed by Chapter 45 (Trees and Shrubs) of the Flint Code of Ordinances. Removal of any tree on a street, in a park, or in the public right-of-way requires a permit from the Forestry Division within the Department of Parks and Recreation - the City Forester (per Section 45-5) and the Recreation and Park Board hold permitting authority. Section 45-11.1 separately authorizes the Forestry Supervisor to direct immediate-hazard removals. Routine removal of a wholly private dead, diseased, or hazardous tree generally does not require a City permit.