Almena Township
Van Buren County, Michigan
Last verified September 17, 2026
Almena Township is a jurisdiction in Van Buren County, Michigan, with an online portal for searching and pulling active or historical building permits. Use the contact information below to reach the local building department, or the mailing address if the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.
Contact
Permit Search
Certificate Holder Mailing Address
Antwerp Township Hall24821 Front Avenue
Mattawan, MI 49071
Use this address when the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.
Additional Notes
Effective September 1, 2022, Antwerp Township provides full building, electrical, and mechanical permitting service for Almena Township; all applications and fees are submitted to Antwerp Township (confirmed on both almenatownship.gov and antwerptownshipmi.gov). Almena's own Building Inspector, Kevin Cardiff, keeps limited local office hours (Wednesdays 11am-12pm) at Almena Township Hall, 27625 County Road 375, Paw Paw, MI 49079, phone (269) 668-6910. Zoning administration is separately contracted to David Jirousek, AICP / Horizon Planning (616-540-1794, david@horizon-planning.com, PO Box 68647, Grand Rapids, MI 49506), per almenatownship.gov.
What You Need Before Applying for a Permit
Most building departments ask for the same core package before they'll issue a permit: a completed application naming the property owner and contractor, the contractor's state license number and proof of insurance (general liability, and workers' comp if employees are on the job), a notice of commencement or equivalent recorded filing for larger jobs where the state requires one, and scaled plans or a site plan for anything beyond minor repairs. Roofing, fence, pool, and solar permits typically have their own simplified checklists — Almena Township's department (above) can confirm exactly what applies to your project.
Why this matters for insurance: permit history is one of the first things an underwriter or adjuster checks. Unpermitted work — a finished basement, an added bedroom, a rebuilt roof — can complicate a claim or even void coverage for that portion of the loss, and it routinely surfaces during a home inspection. Pulling the right permit up front, and keeping the closed-permit record on file, protects both the property's value and its insurability at resale.
More in Van Buren County
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Other building permit jurisdictions in Van Buren County: