15 published records
Business licenses and permits in Macomb County, Michigan
Macomb County, Michigan, seat Mount Clemens; population 886,175 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The county records here run mainly through the Macomb County Health Department's Environmental Health Services Division, whose 2026 fee schedule (in effect January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026) covers food service licensing (fixed, mobile, special transitory food unit and temporary), food plan review, the county body art establishment permit, public pool inspection, child care facility environmental health inspection, and septic and well permits. The Public Works Commissioner issues soil erosion and sedimentation control permits outside the local units that hold municipal enforcing agency status (the county coverage map names Sterling Heights and St. Clair Shores), and the Department of Roads issues right-of-way permits for work on county roads. The county's Local Communities page lists 27 cities, villages and townships: Armada Township, Armada Village, Bruce Township, Lenox Township, Memphis, New Haven, Ray Township, Romeo, Richmond, Richmond Township, Washington Township, Chesterfield Township, Clinton Township, Harrison Township, Macomb Township, Mount Clemens, New Baltimore, Shelby Township, Sterling Heights, Utica, Center Line, Eastpointe, Fraser, Grosse Pointe Shores, Roseville, St. Clair Shores and Warren. Each of them runs its own business licensing, zoning and building permits, which stack on the county records listed here; the county Planning and Economic Development page describes the county's planning role as assisting 'with the land use and zoning functions of our local communities.'
What are you opening in Macomb County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Macomb County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Road Right-of-Way Permit (commercial approach and construction)only if it applies to you | Macomb County Department of Roads | Commercial approach $250 per lot plus a deposit; commercial ditch enclosure $250 per lot plus inspection; overhead or underground installations $250 plus inspection; commercial site plan review $300; field inspection $70 an hour regular time and $90 an hour overtime (Department of Roads permit fee page as published on 2026-10-09). | expires one year from the date of issuance; renewable for an additional year on payment of the permit fee | 2026-10-09 |
| Local Business License, Zoning and Building Permits — City, Village or Townshiponly if it applies to you | Macomb County Planning and Economic Development | No fee | set by each city, village or township | 2026-10-09 |
| Onsite Sewage Disposal (Septic) Permit (conditional — premises off public sewer)only if it applies to you | Macomb County Health Department, Environmental Health Services Division | Soil evaluation $243; new septic permit $489; repair permit $150; permit modification $189; plan review for engineered, semi-public or commercial septic systems $710; re-evaluation $130 an hour (2026 Environmental Health fee schedule, in effect January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026). | per permit | 2026-10-09 |
| Water Well Permit — Type III Public Well (conditional — premises on a private well)only if it applies to you | Macomb County Health Department, Environmental Health Services Division | Type III public well (small apartment complex, small commercial): new $611; repair or replacement $146. Required water sample fees are paid separately at the final inspection request (2026 Environmental Health fee schedule, in effect January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026). | per permit | 2026-10-09 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Macomb County?
County Road Right-of-Way Permit (commercial approach and construction)
A business or contractor adding a commercial driveway approach or doing construction within a Macomb County Department of Roads right of way needs a permit from the Department of Roads. The figures come from the Department of Roads' permit fee page as published on 2026-10-09: a commercial approach is $250 per lot plus a deposit, a commercial ditch enclosure $250 per lot plus inspection, overhead or underground installations $250 plus inspection, and commercial site plan review $300; field inspection is billed at $70 an hour regular time and $90 an hour overtime. The page states that fees are subject to change according to Department of Roads policy. Commercial construction requires four copies of a signed and sealed engineering site plan, and a certificate of insurance naming the Department of Roads as certificate holder and additional insured. All permits expire one year from the date of issuance.
Local Business License, Zoning and Building Permits — City, Village or Township
The county's Local Communities page describes Macomb County as a collective of 27 cities, villages and townships, and each of them runs its own business licensing, zoning and building permit regime, which stacks on the county records listed here. The county Planning and Economic Development page states that 'One of the primary functions of the Macomb County Community Planning Division is to assist with the land use and zoning functions of our local communities.' Section L of the county soil erosion ordinance refers to the local units 'which issue building permits'. There is no fee in this record itself; each city, village or township sets its own fees, so a business confirms its license, zoning and building requirements with the clerk and building office of the local unit where it is located.
Onsite Sewage Disposal (Septic) Permit (conditional — premises off public sewer)
A business premises that is not on a public sewer needs a septic permit from the Macomb County Health Department. The county septic page states that the program covers single family dwellings and commercial or industrial buildings that generate less than 10,000 gallons of sewage per day. The fees are $243 for a soil evaluation, $489 for a new septic permit, $150 for a repair, $189 for a permit modification and $710 for plan review of an engineered, semi-public or commercial system. The figure is from the Macomb County Health Department's official Environmental Health fee schedule page, whose fees are in effect January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026. A premises on a public sewer has no septic permit under this record.
Water Well Permit — Type III Public Well (conditional — premises on a private well)
A small commercial premises that draws water from its own well needs a Type III public well permit from the Macomb County Health Department: $611 for a new well and $146 for a repair or replacement. The schedule notes that these permit fees do not include the required water sample fees, which are paid at the time of the final inspection request. The figure is from the Macomb County Health Department's official Environmental Health fee schedule page, whose fees are in effect January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026. The county's drinking water wells page asks business applicants for a new or replacement well to contact the program supervisor before applying to discuss specific requirements. A premises without its own well needs no well permit under this record.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Department of Roads permit requirements and feesMacomb County Department of Roads · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Planning services: land use, zoning and policyMacomb County Planning and Economic Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Local communities — 27 cities, villages and townshipsMacomb County, Michigan · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Macomb County Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance (adopted August 16, 2007, effective January 1, 2008)Macomb County Public Works Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Macomb County Health Department — food service establishment license fee schedule, effective 2026Macomb County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Onsite sewage disposal pageMacomb County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Drinking water wells pageMacomb County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
Who issues business permits in Macomb County?
Permitting in Macomb County is split across 5 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Macomb County issuing agencies
- Macomb County Health Department, Environmental Health Services DivisionFood service licensing (fixed, mobile, special transitory food unit and temporary) under the Michigan Food Law, 2000 PA 92, with food plan review · Body art establishment permits and plan review under the county body art regulation (effective February 2, 2009), alongside the state facility license · Public swimming pool and spa inspection for pools licensed by the state · Child care and adult care facility environmental health inspections · Onsite sewage (septic) permits and water well permits11 permits
- Michigan Liquor Control CommissionState liquor licensing; under MCL 436.1501(2) an on-premises license application must be approved by the local legislative body in which the place of business is located before the commission grants it5 permits
- Macomb County Department of RoadsPermits for approaches, construction and other work within the Department of Roads right of way1 permit
- Macomb County Planning and Economic DevelopmentAssists 'with the land use and zoning functions of our local communities', in the words of its planning services page1 permit
- Macomb County Public Works Office (Public Works Commissioner)County enforcing agency for soil erosion and sedimentation control under Part 91 and the county Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance, outside local units holding municipal enforcing agency status1 permit
Other Michigan jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.