Whether clearing land in Michigan needs a permit depends on where the land is wet, how much ground gets disturbed, what your township allows and what happens to the debris, so there is no single answer. The way to find out is to call the offices that cover your land, starting with EGLE if any of it is wet and your township office for local rules.
Why there is no single answer
Clearing a fence row on dry upland and clearing a wooded lot with a wet corner and a creek along the back are different projects in the eyes of the agencies that oversee land and water. The same goes for forestry mulching versus pulling stumps, and for burning brush versus hauling it.
Several offices can be involved: the state for wetlands and waterways, the county for soil erosion and county drains, the township for zoning and local ordinances, and the fire department or township for burning. None of them can be skipped because a neighbor did not need a permit. Rules depend on your parcel, so the safe approach is to describe your project to each office and ask what applies. A contractor can help you think through the list, but the answer has to come from the office itself.
Wetlands, lakes and streams: EGLE
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) regulates wetlands. Its wetland permit page says a permit is needed to place fill in a wetland, to dredge or remove soil, to build or develop in one, or to drain surface water from one. Its examples include removing tree stumps, bulldozing, grading and digging a pond. EGLE also handles permits for work in inland lakes and streams and in floodplains.
Wetlands are not always obvious. EGLE says land does not have to be wet all the time to be a wetland, and that maps cannot set boundaries on a single parcel; an on-site look is needed. It offers a Wetland Identification Program for an on-site review, and pre-application meetings for people unsure whether a project affects wetlands. If any part of your land stays wet, start there.
Soil erosion and county drains
Michigan's soil erosion and sedimentation control program, administered by EGLE and run locally by county enforcing agencies, can require a permit for larger earth changes and for work close to a lake or stream. Grubbing stumps and grading count as earth change. Our guide to site prep for a new home names the enforcing office for St. Clair, Lapeer and Macomb counties.
County drains are the other county-level question. Many rural parcels in St. Clair and Lapeer counties border or are crossed by a county drain, and both counties have a drain commissioner's office. If you plan to clear along a drain, work near it or change how water reaches it, call the drain commissioner first and ask what is allowed in the drain easement.
Township zoning and local ordinances
Your township, city or village sets local rules. Some have ordinances on tree removal, on clearing in certain zoning districts, on work near lakes or natural features, or on filling and grading. Rules differ from one township to the next across St. Clair, Lapeer and Macomb counties, and they change.
Call the township office or zoning administrator, describe what you plan to clear and what the land will be used for afterward, and ask whether any permit or review applies. If the clearing is for a house or pole barn, the building permit process usually brings these questions up anyway, and our guide to pole barn permits covers that side. A new driveway onto a county road is a separate call to the county road commission.
Burning the brush
If the plan is to burn the brush pile, that is its own permission. The Michigan DNR says burn permits in the southern Lower Peninsula come from the local fire department or local government, not the DNR, and it tells people to check with city, township or village officials about local ordinances before lighting a fire.
So for land in St. Clair, Lapeer or Macomb County, call your fire department or township office before planning a burn. If burning is not allowed or not practical, the brush can be mulched on site or hauled off, and our guide on land clearing cost explains how that choice affects the price.
MISS DIG 811 before stumps come out
Pulling stumps, grubbing roots and grading are digging, and Michigan's MISS DIG 811 system exists so buried utility lines get marked before that happens. The service is free. When you hire a contractor, the contractor makes the contact, and digging cannot start before the start time on the locate request.
Remember that MISS DIG members mark public lines. A private line, such as power run out to a barn or a line to an outbuilding, is not marked by them. Point those out during the walk-through so they are known before any machine starts. Once the calls are made, Elite can walk the land and price the clearing. Call (989) 702-2426.
The Short Version
- If any part of the land is wet, call EGLE before stumps come out or ground is graded.
- Larger earth changes or work near a lake or stream can need a county soil erosion permit.
- Call the drain commissioner before clearing along a county drain.
- Ask your township about local ordinances, and your fire department or township about burning.
- Never assume a permit is not needed; confirm with each office for your parcel.
Quick Answers
Do I need a permit for forestry mulching in Michigan?
It depends on the land. Mulching does not dig, but work in a wetland, near a lake or stream, or along a county drain can still involve EGLE, the county or the drain commissioner, and some townships have local rules. Describe the project to those offices and ask.
Who decides if part of my property is a wetland?
EGLE regulates wetlands in Michigan. It says an on-site inspection is needed to know for sure, and it offers a Wetland Identification Program for an on-site review. A wetland consultant is the other route.
Who do I call to clear land in St. Clair County?
For the work itself, a land clearing contractor such as Elite at (989) 702-2426. For permission, start with your township office, EGLE if any ground is wet, the county drain commissioner if a drain is nearby, and your fire department about burning.
Can I clear land right up to a county drain?
Ask the county drain commissioner's office first. Drains often come with an easement and rules about what can be done along them, and those are set by the county, not the landowner or the contractor.
See the land clearing & site prep service or call (989) 702-2426.