Paw Paw Township

Van Buren County, Michigan

Last verified September 17, 2026

Paw Paw 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

Phone: 269-729-9244
Email: athensmi@safebuilt.com
Department Site: SAFEbuilt (contracted building/zoning permit administrator) (opens in a new tab)

Source: pawpawtownshipmi.gov (opens in a new tab)

Permit Search

SAFEbuilt Community Core Online Permitting (opens in a new tab)

Certificate Holder Mailing Address

SAFEbuilt (for Paw Paw Township)
107 S. Capital Ave, P.O. Box 190
Athens, MI 49011

Use this address when the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.

Additional Notes

Paw Paw Township contracts building/zoning permitting and inspections to SAFEbuilt, confirmed on the township's own official site (pawpawtownshipmi.gov/permits/). Online applications are submitted via SAFEbuilt's 'Community Core' portal (login requested by emailing athensmi@safebuilt.com). Township Hall itself: 114 N. Gremps Street, Paw Paw, MI 49079, phone 269-657-4340 (paper/in-person submission point, not the reviewing authority).

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 — Paw Paw 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.

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