Village of Elberta
Benzie County, Michigan
Last verified September 17, 2026
Village of Elberta is a jurisdiction in Benzie County, Michigan, which does not currently list an online permit database — contact the department directly by phone or email. 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
No online permit database on file — contact the department directly by phone or email.
Certificate Holder Mailing Address
Benzie County Building Safety & Code Enforcement448 Court Place, Suite 149 (Government Center, Lower Level)
Beulah, MI 49617
Use this address when the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.
Additional Notes
The Village's own official site (villageofelberta.com/building-permits/) states building permits are administered by the Benzie County Building Department. Benzie County's own building-safety page (benzieco.gov) describes coverage of 'Benzie County and Springdale Township in Manistee County' but does not explicitly name Elberta; delegation is confirmed on the village side, county side is consistent but not explicit. 24-hour inspection line: 231-882-9674. Village office (local/zoning contact, not the permit issuer): 151 Pearson St., PO Box 8, Elberta, MI 49628, phone 231-352-7201, clerk Rachel Perkins (clerk@villageofelberta.com). Zoning Administrator Josh Mills, 231-882-6897, jmills.zoning@gmail.com (personal email address, hedge). Code Enforcement Officer Jim Baldwin, 231-399-2633 (or possibly 231-399-CODE per one listing), jbaldwin@elberta.org. Much of the village lies within the Lake Michigan Critical Dune Area, which can add state-level (EGLE) permitting requirements.
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 — Village of Elberta'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 Benzie County
See Benzie County property and court records →
Other building permit jurisdictions in Benzie County: