Building Department
Overview
If you are planning any new building or remodeling
projects this year, please contact the Building Department before
you start. Let us help to make your project flow smoother.
All permit applications can be obtained at City Hall, 508 E. Main,
2nd Floor Building Department. Diane Powers, the Building
Department's Administrative Assistant, will be happy to assist
you.
If the trip up the stairs is too much for you, we
would be happy to meet you on the first floor to take care of all of
your Building Department needs. Just inform anyone on the
first floor and they will call us to come down.
Building Department's Administrative Assistant Can Help
The
City’s Building Department offers more services than you might
realize. Come in or call Diane Powers for questions regarding
the issuance of building, mechanical, or electrical permits. This
department also has lots of information to help you with garage
sales, sign, pool or deck installation & fence permits. If
you are not sure if your project requires a permit or if you need
fee information or want to schedule an inspection on an existing
permit, give Diane a call. Do you have questions regarding the
registration of your rental property? Need to schedule your
annual rental inspection? Have a question regarding code
enforcement complaints? Call Diane at 269-683-4700 ext. 210
She’ll be happy to help.
What Do City Building Inspectors Really Do?
Just
as the contractor generally seeks to make a profit, the homeowner
tries to get construction and remodeling work done as inexpensively
as possible. So it's the job of the building inspector to give
an unbiased opinion to both contractors and homeowners as to what is
acceptable and required for all building jobs.
The inspector's primary function is to ensure
everyone's safety by insisting that uniform codes and standards of
the building industry are used in all construction and remodeling
projects. Electrical, mechanical and building codes are put in
place so that everyone knows what the expected result of a project
should be. This requires the inspector to have a good
knowledge of many different areas regarding building construction.
And as we all know, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
That's where the permit fees come in.
At the time, permit fees might seem costly, but in
actuality, they only amount to 1 percent or less of the total value
of the project. It's very difficult to get an unbiased opinion
at that price (especially one with your best interest and safety at
heart). The permits cover the cost of the Building
Department's operations. In Michigan, as in most other states,
the operations of the building offices of a city are not
specifically paid by taxes but rather by the generation of revenues
through permit fees.
So the next time you see your friendly building inspector, don't
think of him as the guy who's going to charge you all sorts of fees.
Think of him as a person who may save your life and the lives of
your family members by making sure the building you work or live in
meets uniform code standards. Building Inspectors Ensure
Safety.
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