12 published records
Business licenses and permits in Ottawa County, Michigan
Ottawa County, Michigan; population 306,235 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The county records here run mainly through the Ottawa County Department of Public Health's Environmental Public Health division, which licenses food service establishments (fixed, seasonal, mobile, transitory food unit and temporary), reviews food plans, and charges for child day care inspections, public swimming pool inspections, body art plan review and inspections, and septic and well permits, at the figures on its fee page effective October 1, 2026. The Ottawa County Water Resources Commissioner is the County Enforcing Agency for soil erosion and sedimentation control under Ordinance No. 16-01, except for earth changes permitted by a Municipal Enforcing Agency. The Ottawa County Road Commission permits all work within county road rights-of-way, including commercial driveways. Liquor licenses are issued by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, with on-premises applications approved by the local legislative body under MCL 436.1501(2). The Library of Michigan county guide lists seventeen townships: Allendale, Blendon, Chester, Crockery, Georgetown, Grand Haven, Holland, Jamestown, Olive, Park, Polkton, Port Sheldon, Robinson, Spring Lake, Tallmadge, Wright and Zeeland. The county's cities, villages and townships each run their own zoning, building permits and any local business licensing, which stack on the county records here.
What are you opening in Ottawa 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 Ottawa County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control (SESC) Permit (commercial site)only if it applies to you | Ottawa County Water Resources Commissioner | Commercial, industrial, service facility, parking lot and similar developments, including additions or demolitions (permit maximum 2 years): $200 for up to 1 acre plus $30 for each additional acre; an assurance of compliance bond of $1,000 per acre disturbed is required before permit approval on sites of 10 acres or greater (Ordinance No. 16-01, Exhibit A, adopted May 10, 2016, effective June 1, 2016). | per permit; commercial permits run for a maximum of 2 years | 2026-10-10 |
| Semi-Public Sewage Treatment (Septic) Permit (conditional — premises off public sewer)only if it applies to you | Ottawa County Department of Public Health, Environmental Public Health | Semi-public new or repair permit $799, including up to 4 site visits; elevated pressurized mound and alternative system design permit $1,020; installation of a sewage treatment system without a permit is charged a double fee (Environmental Public Health fee page, effective October 1, 2026). | per permit, issued before installation or repair | 2026-10-10 |
| Non-Residential Water Well Permit (conditional — premises on a private well)only if it applies to you | Ottawa County Department of Public Health, Environmental Public Health | Type 3 well permit (serves under 25 people, such as a small grocery store or apartment) $625; Type 2 well permit (serves over 25 people) $833; each permit includes up to 4 site visits, and installing a well without a permit is charged a double fee (Environmental Public Health fee page, effective October 1, 2026). | per permit, issued before the well is drilled or repaired | 2026-10-10 |
| Commercial Driveway Permit (Ottawa County Road Commission)only if it applies to you | Ottawa County Road Commission | Commercial driveway $500 per driveway; right, center or lane improvements $200 per permit (Ottawa County Road Commission Administrative Policy No. 12, Rev. 1, adopted March 1, 2018, linked as the Schedule of Fees from the commercial driveway permit page). A public hearing on a revised permit fee schedule is set for October 29, 2026. | per permit, obtained before the work begins | 2026-10-10 |
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 Ottawa County?
Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control (SESC) Permit (commercial site)
Ottawa County Ordinance No. 16-01, adopted by the Board of Commissioners on May 10, 2016 and effective June 1, 2016, names the Ottawa County Water Resources Commissioner as the County Enforcing Agency for earth changes in the county. The Commissioner's SESC page states that 'A permit is needed for all earth changes within 500′ of a lake, stream or drain or that disturb one or more acres of land, as required by Part 91.' For commercial, industrial, service facility, parking lot and similar developments, including additions or demolitions, Exhibit A of the ordinance sets the permit fee at $200 for up to 1 acre plus $30 for each additional acre, with a permit maximum of 2 years, and requires an assurance of compliance bond of $1,000 per acre disturbed before approval of a permit on a site of 10 acres or greater. Under the ordinance, earth changes permitted by a Municipal Enforcing Agency (which may be a city, village or township) are exempt from the county ordinance, so a site in such a local unit applies to that local unit instead. The ordinance allows the fees to be changed by resolution of the Board of Commissioners.
Semi-Public Sewage Treatment (Septic) Permit (conditional — premises off public sewer)
The Ottawa County Department of Public Health's Well & Septic page states that permits are required for the installation of all new and repair sewage disposal (septic) systems, and that before a permit is issued the site must be evaluated to ensure it meets all the requirements of the Ottawa County Environmental Health Code. A business premises is a semi-public system: the semi-public new or repair permit is $799 including up to 4 site visits, an elevated pressurized mound or alternative system design permit is $1,020, and installing a system without a permit is charged a double fee. The figures are from the county Department of Public Health's official Environmental Public Health fee page, effective October 1, 2026 (the Board of Commissioners action adopting these figures is not published online). This record applies to a premises served by its own septic system.
Non-Residential Water Well Permit (conditional — premises on a private well)
The Ottawa County Department of Public Health's Well & Septic page states that permits are required for the installation of all new and repair on-site water wells, after a site evaluation against the Ottawa County Environmental Health Code. A business well serving under 25 people needs a Type 3 well permit, $625; a well serving 25 or more people at least 60 days a year (the Type II program, such as motels and schools on wells) needs a Type 2 well permit, $833. Each permit includes up to 4 site visits, and installing a well without a permit is charged a double fee. The figures are from the county Department of Public Health's official Environmental Public Health fee page, effective October 1, 2026 (the Board of Commissioners action adopting these figures is not published online). This record applies to a premises that draws water from its own well.
Commercial Driveway Permit (Ottawa County Road Commission)
The Ottawa County Road Commission states that 'A permit is required from the Road Commission for any and all work being conducted within the road right-of-way, including utilities, and oversize and overweight vehicles,' and its Special Services Department reviews and administers the applications, which go to permits@ottawacorc.com. A business adding a commercial driveway onto a county road pays $500 per driveway, and right, center or lane improvements are $200 per permit, under Administrative Policy No. 12, Rev. 1, adopted by the Board of County Road Commissioners on March 1, 2018, which the Road Commission's commercial driveway page links as its Schedule of Fees. The Board of County Road Commissioners has given public notice of a hearing at 9:30 A.M. on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 14110 Lakeshore Drive, Grand Haven, to receive comments on a revised permit fee schedule, so these amounts are in effect until a revised schedule is adopted.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Ottawa County Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance No. 16-01, with Exhibit A fee scheduleOttawa County Board of Commissioners · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Soil Erosion & Sedimentation ControlOttawa County Water Resources Commissioner · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Environmental Public Health Fees (effective October 1, 2026)Ottawa County Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Well & SepticOttawa County Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Ottawa County Environmental Health Code (effective September 1, 2016)Ottawa County Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Administrative Policy No. 12, Rev. 1 — Developing Public Roads, Permitted Activities & Miscellaneous Fee Schedule (adopted March 1, 2018)Ottawa County Road Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Commercial Driveway PermitsOttawa County Road Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Permits — Special Services DepartmentOttawa County Road Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Public Notice: Permit Fee Schedule hearing (October 29, 2026)Ottawa County Road Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
Who issues business permits in Ottawa County?
Permitting in Ottawa County is split across 4 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.
Ottawa County issuing agencies
- Ottawa County Department of Public Health, Environmental Public HealthFood service licensing of fixed, seasonal, mobile, transitory food unit and temporary food establishments, with food plan review and change-of-ownership review · Child day care environmental health inspections · Public swimming pool plan review, inspection and licensing program, with at least annual inspections · Body art facility plan review and inspections, alongside the state body art facility license under MCL 333.13104 · Septic (sewage treatment) and well permits under the Ottawa County Environmental Health Code9 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
- Ottawa County Road CommissionPermits for any and all work within the county road right-of-way, including commercial driveways, utilities, and oversize and overweight vehicles, administered by its Special Services Department1 permit
- Ottawa County Water Resources CommissionerCounty Enforcing Agency for soil erosion and sedimentation control under Part 91 of Public Act 451 of 1994 and Ottawa County Ordinance No. 16-011 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.