Digital permit application gateway
Start with the issuing authority’s own submission lane. A complete application package, accurate valuation, and accessible inspection path are the fastest route through statutory plan review.
Recommended first click
Use the official digital gateway to submit plans, monitor review comments, pay required charges, and request inspections when the permit is issued. If the link is unavailable, use the agency website or phone number on the administrative profile to confirm the current lane.
Typical review lane
Most inspections are completed within three business days after a complete request; the county does not publish a standard building-permit plan-review turnaround.
Treat this as a planning signal, not a guaranteed approval date. Completeness, corrections, resubmittals, and agency workload control the actual clock.
Verify the parcel is inside this agency’s service area and note whether a city, state, fire marshal, septic authority, or utility district also has approval authority.
Prepare legible plans, site information, project valuation, ownership authorization, contractor information, and any energy, floodplain, zoning, or utility documentation the issuing office requires.
Keep the permit number, approved plan set, correction comments, fee receipts, and inspection results together. Those records establish the compliance trail for the next trade.
Application documents
Before submission, call 989-539-2761; inspection line 989-539-2741 if the project involves a change of occupancy, structural alteration, accessory structure, demolition, or work near a regulated environmental feature.
Source trail
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Clare County Community Development / Clare County Building Development is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 989-539-2761; inspection line 989-539-2741.
Most inspections are completed within three business days after a complete request; the county does not publish a standard building-permit plan-review turnaround.
The permit holder must schedule inspections in writing, by telephone at 989-539-2741, or by fax at 989-539-7385, providing permit number, permit-holder name, site address, inspection type, municipality, and a daytime contact number. Most inspections are completed within three business days after the request, on a first-requested/first-scheduled basis. Concealed uninspected work will not be approved; an adult must be present in an occupied building.
Clare County enforces the Michigan State Building Code through its county inspectors. The current 2026 framework includes the 2021 Michigan Building Code for commercial and other covered buildings, the 2015 Michigan Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings, applicable 2021 Michigan Rehabilitation Code provisions, and the current Michigan electrical, mechanical, plumbing, energy, fire, accessibility, and related state requirements. The county’s current application requires State Building Code compliance and applicable trade permits. The county’s current application materials do not publish a complete county-specific exemption list. Michigan’s ordinary minor-work exemptions generally cover painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets/countertops and repairs that do not affect structural members, egress, regulated wiring, plumbing, mechanical systems, public health, or general safety. Confirm exemptions with Clare County because additions, decks, accessory structures, remodels, roofing, trade work, and zoning or soil-erosion approvals may still require permits.
What makes an application complete
Before you click submit, make sure the drawings agree with the site plan, project description, valuation, ownership authorization, and contractor information. If the work changes structure, occupancy, drainage, fire protection, energy performance, or utility demand, describe that scope plainly. Ambiguous narratives create correction cycles and delay the field schedule.
Save the confirmation number, payment receipt, uploaded plan set, and every correction comment. Those records are the backbone of a defensible compliance file when multiple trades or agencies share responsibility.
Submission quality check
Site: address, parcel, access, setbacks, and existing conditions are consistent.
Scope: structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire, and energy work is identified.
Closeout: inspection contacts and the final approval path are understood before work begins.