New Buffalo Township

Berrien County, Michigan

Last verified September 17, 2026

New Buffalo Township is a jurisdiction in Berrien 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: 269-469-3112
Email: ebrinkman@newbuffalotownship.org
Department Site: Building and Zoning Department (opens in a new tab)

Source: newbuffalotownship.org (opens in a new tab)

Permit Search

Open Permit Database (opens in a new tab)

Certificate Holder Mailing Address

New Buffalo Township
17425 Red Arrow Highway
New Buffalo, MI 49117

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

Additional Notes

Confirmed on the township's own official site (newbuffalotownship.org), a separate, distinct government from the City of New Buffalo (both in Berrien County). Building Department Administrator & Zoning Administrator: Estelle Brinkman (ebrinkman@newbuffalotownship.org); Code Enforcement contact code_enforcement@newbuffalotownship.org (name given in search as Jonathan Jackubowski, not independently re-verified). The permits page link is the township's own resource/application listing rather than a confirmed live online permit-search database, so it is listed under currentDatabaseUrl with that caveat rather than as a full portal like BS&A/CityView.

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 — New Buffalo 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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