26 published records
Business licenses and permits in Oakland County, Michigan
Oakland County's own service-directory pages state that 'Oakland County does not require a business license' and that building permits and licenses are the responsibility of the city, village or township where a business sits, and its Master Plan & Township Zoning Review page states that 'Oakland County does not have a Planning Commission,' describing the county's zoning role as review of township rezoning requests at community borders or involving County property; Michigan counties are limited-home-rule units. The county's regulatory footprint over the ten covered industries runs almost entirely through the Oakland County Health Division (OCHD) Environmental Health Services Unit — fixed, mobile, STFU and temporary food licensing, the certified-food-manager mandate, body art facility licensing and practitioner permitting, public swimming pool inspection, child care and adult foster care facility inspection, water well permits, and on-site sewage (septic) permits and installer licensing — plus the County Clerk's Assumed Name (DBA) certificate, the Road Commission for Oakland County's (RCOC) county road right-of-way construction permit, and Oakland County Animal Control and Pet Adoption Center's conditional commercial kennel license. Unlike Wayne County, no municipality in Oakland County runs its own local health department, so every OCHD food and environmental-health record listed here applies countywide with no city carve-out. Where the state, not the county, issues the underlying license — public swimming pools (EGLE) and child care/adult foster care facilities (MDHHS/LARA) — Oakland County's role is limited to performing the state-required local inspection and charging its own inspection fees under the 2026 Environmental Health Fee Schedule (for pools, $86 a year), independent of the state's own license fee and renewal cycle. Oakland County's official website migrated around September 19, 2026 from oakgov.com to oaklandcountymi.gov; both domains currently resolve, with oakgov.com redirecting to the matching oaklandcountymi.gov page.
What are you opening in Oakland 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 Oakland County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — Oakland County Positiononly if it applies to you | Oakland County Government — Business Development and Facilities Management | No fee | not applicable — the county's Business Development page states that Oakland County does not require a business license | 2026-09-28 |
| Zoning Approval — City, Village or Township Issues (Oakland County)only if it applies to you | Oakland County Government — Business Development and Facilities Management | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-28 |
| Assumed Name (DBA) Certificateonly if it applies to you | Oakland County Clerk / Register of Deeds, Vital Records | $10 one-time filing fee | 5 years, renewable | 2026-09-28 |
| On-Site Sewage Disposal (Septic) Permitonly if it applies to you | Oakland County Health Division (OCHD), Environmental Health Services Unit | New residential system $325; residential system repair/replacement $221; commercial system, 1-1,999 gallons/day, $468; commercial system, 2,000-10,000 gallons/day, $936 (larger commercial flows escalate to state review); re-inspection beyond the first $55; permit modification $90; engineered plan review $100; alternative system review $360; annual operation review $50. Separately, it is unlawful to install, construct, alter or repair an on-site sewage disposal system in Oakland County without an OCHD-issued installer license: licensing requires an OCHD class and exam with a passing score of at least 70%, a one-time $50 registration/exam fee, and a $100 annual license fee. | per project, for new construction, repair/replacement or alteration of an on-site sewage disposal system; the installer license itself renews annually | 2026-09-28 |
| Water Well Permitonly if it applies to you | Oakland County Health Division (OCHD), Environmental Health Services Unit | New well (private/Type III, vacant land) $260; replacement well $238; augmentation well $313; irrigation well $250; well abandonment $0; additional wells at the same site $41; geothermal well $250; Type II water-supply plan review (non-community) $250. | per well, for the specific construction, replacement, augmentation, irrigation, geothermal or abandonment project applied for | 2026-09-28 |
| Building/Construction Permit — Local Community Issues (Oakland County)only if it applies to you | Oakland County Government — Business Development and Facilities Management | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-28 |
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 Oakland County?
General Business License — Oakland County Position
No fee applies at the county level. Oakland County's Business Development 'Tools & Templates' page states in its own words: 'Oakland County does not require a business license,' and directs a new business to 'check with the city or township that your business is located in to find out if a local business license is required.' A business in Oakland County still needs whatever Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) registration applies to its entity type, recorded at the state layer, and, inside an incorporated city, village or township, that municipality's own business license if one exists. Oakland County's food, body art, septic, well and other environmental-health licenses listed separately for this county are separate, targeted programs, not a stand-in for a general business license.
Zoning Approval — City, Village or Township Issues (Oakland County)
No fee applies at the county level. Oakland County's Master Plan & Township Zoning Review page states that 'Oakland County does not have a Planning Commission'; instead, three Commissioners of the Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee sit on a Coordinating Zoning Committee, and the page describes the county's zoning role as reviewing and commenting, under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, on township rezoning requests at the border of an adjacent community or involving or adjacent to County property — not a zoning approval a business itself applies for. Zoning ordinances, boards of zoning appeals and planning commissions are those of the county's individual cities, villages and townships, so a business confirms zoning compliance, variances and conditional-use approvals with the city, village or township where its premises sits.
Assumed Name (DBA) Certificate
A sole proprietorship or partnership doing business in Oakland County under a name other than the owner's or owners' own legal name must file an Assumed Name (DBA) Certificate with the Oakland County Clerk / Register of Deeds before conducting business under that name, under Michigan's 1907 assumed-name statute, MCL 445.1 et seq. The fee is $10.00 and the certificate is valid for five years before it must be renewed. Filing is available in person — walk-in at the Pontiac office or by appointment in Troy — or by mail, and a search tool for existing filings is available online. An LLC or corporation registers its trade or assumed name with the state instead, through the LARA Corporations Division, not through the county clerk.
On-Site Sewage Disposal (Septic) Permit
A business built where no municipal sewer is available needs an on-site sewage (septic) permit from OCHD before installing a new system or repairing an existing one, under the county's own Sanitary Code, Article XI, a genuine Oakland County ordinance rather than a state pass-through. A new residential system is $325 and a repair or replacement is $221; a commercial system flowing 1-1,999 gallons a day is $468 and 2,000-10,000 gallons a day is $936, with larger commercial flows escalating to state review; a re-inspection beyond the first is $55, a permit modification is $90, an engineered plan review is $100, an alternative system review is $360, and an annual operation review is $50. Separately, installing, constructing, altering or repairing an on-site sewage disposal system in Oakland County without an OCHD-issued installer license is unlawful: a contractor becomes licensed by passing an OCHD class and exam with a score of at least 70%, paying a one-time $50 registration/exam fee, then a $100 annual license fee. This applies to any of the ten covered industries whose building lacks municipal sewer, not only to the installer performing the work.
Water Well Permit
A business built where public water is not available needs a well permit from OCHD before drilling, under the county's own Sanitary Code, Article II and Article X — a genuine Oakland County ordinance, most recently revised effective December 1, 2025 and retitled the 'Well and Borehole Construction and Aquifer Protection Program.' A new private or Type III well on vacant land is $260, a replacement well is $238, an augmentation well is $313, an irrigation well is $250, a geothermal well is $250, and an additional well at an already-permitted site is $41; well abandonment carries no fee. A Type II water-supply plan review for a non-community system is $250. This applies to any of the ten covered industries whose building lacks public water, not only to a contractor drilling the well.
Building/Construction Permit — Local Community Issues (Oakland County)
No fee applies at the county level. Oakland County's Facilities Management FAQ assigns building permits and licenses to local communities rather than to the county, stating in its own words: 'Building permits and licenses are the responsibility of local communities. Please select the name of the city, village or township... in which you are interested in securing a permit or license from and contact their office.' A restaurant, retail store, childcare center or any other business covered here obtains its building permit from the city, village or township where it is located — Troy, Southfield, Pontiac, Royal Oak, Novi, Rochester Hills, Waterford Township and each of the county's other communities run their own building departments. The only county-level construction-permitting function that reaches any of the ten industries at all is the Road Commission for Oakland County's road right-of-way construction permit, recorded separately, which covers only work touching a county-maintained road, not building construction generally.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Business Development, Tools & Templates — states 'Oakland County does not require a business license' and directs businesses to check with their city or townshipOakland County, Michigan · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Master Plan / Township Zoning Review — the county's limited coordinating role in border-adjacent rezoning cases onlyOakland County Community Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Assumed Names / Co-Partnerships — filing process and current feeOakland County Clerk / Register of Deeds · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- MCL 445.1, 'Carrying On Business Under Assumed or Fictitious Name,' 1907 PA 101Michigan Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- On-Site Sewage Disposal System (Septic) — permit fees and installer licensing under Sanitary Code Article XIOakland County Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Well and Water Services — water well permit fees under Sanitary Code Articles II and XOakland County Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- MCL 325.1001, Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act, 1976 PA 399Michigan Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Facilities Management FAQ — states 'Building permits and licenses are the responsibility of local communities. Please select the name of the city, village or township... and contact their office'Oakland County, Michigan · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Application to Work in Road Right-of-WayRoad Commission for Oakland County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
Who issues business permits in Oakland County?
Permitting in Oakland County is split across 6 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.
Oakland County issuing agencies
- Oakland County Health Division (OCHD), Environmental Health Services UnitFood service licensing and plan review for fixed, mobile, STFU and temporary food establishments — countywide, no city carve-out · Certified food manager mandate administration (state-required, county-restated) · Body art facility licensing, plan review, bi-annual inspection, and practitioner permitting · Public swimming pool inspection, as the local partner to the state (EGLE)-issued license · Child care and adult foster care facility inspection, performed as part of the state licensing process · Water well permits and on-site sewage (septic) system permits, including septic installer licensing11 permits
- Oakland County Government — Business Development and Facilities ManagementThe county's own confirmation, on its Business Development and Facilities Management pages, of which licensing, permitting and zoning functions Oakland County does and does not perform for businesses10 permits
- Oakland County Animal Control and Pet Adoption CenterCommercial kennel licensing (boarding, breeding or training dogs for compensation) under the state dog-law framework · Per-animal dog licensing (not a business licensing function for these industries)2 permits
- Oakland County Clerk / Register of Deeds, Vital RecordsAssumed Name (DBA) certificate filing for sole proprietorships and partnerships1 permit
- Oakland County Health Division (OCHD), Communicable Disease UnitAnimal bite reporting and rabies exposure follow-up, in coordination with local Animal Control agencies1 permit
- Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC)County road right-of-way construction permits — work touching a county-maintained road1 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.