City of East Lansing
Ingham County, Michigan
Last verified September 17, 2026
City of East Lansing is a jurisdiction in Ingham 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
East Lansing Planning, Building and Housing410 Abbot Road
East Lansing, MI 48823
Use this address when the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.
Additional Notes
All permit applications are handled online via BS&A. General department phone (517) 319-6810 is listed on the Building Permits pages; an alternate number (517) 337-1731 appears on the 'Apply for a Permit Online' page for Planning, Building and Housing generally, with after-hours line (517) 351-4220. No dedicated department email was found on the pages reviewed.
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 — City of East Lansing'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 Ingham County
See Ingham County property and court records →
Other building permit jurisdictions in Ingham County: