Building Official

A township may apply to the Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes to enforce the Single State Construction Code Act.

A township may employ or contract with a building official, construction code inspector(s), or plan reviewer who is certified by and registered with the Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes under MCL 338.2306.

The building official is in charge of issuing building permits and inspecting construction in accordance with the applicable construction code, and may also engage in plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and other construction inspections if qualified to do so, or these may be delegated to separate qualified individuals. The building official may issue "stop work" orders and seek circuit court injunctions to achieve compliance. There may also be criminal penalties or civil infraction sanctions imposed against a violator in district court proceedings (MCL 125.1512.).

Registration must be updated every three years, coinciding with the particular code update cycle being enforced. The Building Official and Inspectors Registration Act, Public Act 54 of 1986, MCL 338.2301, et seq., establishes minimum training and experience standards for building officials, plan reviewers, and inspectors (building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical). An individual who does not meet the required training and experience requirements cannot be appointed as a building official, inspector, or plan reviewer for a township. See Michigan Administrative Code Rules 408.30001, et seq., for the complete requirements.

The Office of Local Government and Consumer Services is responsible for investigation of consumer licensing complaints, performance evaluations of local enforcing agencies, applications and ordinances for approval to administer and enforce construction codes locally, registration of construction code and fire inspectors, and approval of training programs for code inspectors.