Oakland County homeowner guide
Clawson building permits & home project planning
Plan a home project in Clawson with official permit contacts, application guidance and questions to settle before requesting contractor bids.
Your local starting point
Start with Community & Economic Development
Clawson Community & Economic Development
HomeScope is an independent planning guide. The municipality decides which permits and approvals your project needs.
Use the current department page to locate forms and maps, even if older paperwork uses the former department name.
Find Clawson in the permit directory →
Official source reviewed September 16, 2026. Confirm current forms, fees and inspection arrangements with the department.
Planning calculator
Start with a working range.
Select a project only when you want a local planning range. Permit and building-department visitors can continue without choosing one.
Uses the general planning baseline with no city price premium. These are not measured local contractor prices. Obtain several written bids and confirm current permit fees and requirements directly.
Verified local details
What Clawson homeowners should know.
Start with Community & Economic Development
Clawson renamed Building & Planning to Community & Economic Development in January 2026. Its current department page links permit forms, zoning maps, fees, BS&A services and inspection information.
Clawson municipal guidance ↗Clawson building department
Start with your local permit office, then confirm every required inspection.
Clawson Community & Economic Development is the official starting point identified in our current source review. HomeScope links to the responsible municipal pages below; the department - not this guide - determines the current requirements for an address and project.
Clawson Community & Economic Development
248-435-4500 ext. 121
Open Clawson official permit guidance
Use the current department page to locate forms and maps, even if older paperwork uses the former department name.
Open official application path ↗Choose the right application path
Match the exact project scope to the municipality’s current procedure and forms.
- Confirm the parcel is inside Clawson before using the city’s permit and zoning services.
- Use the current department page to locate forms and maps, even if older paperwork uses the former department name.
- Confirm issuance before starting work and keep the approved scope with the job records.
Plan inspections before work starts
Know which checkpoints must happen before concrete or finished surfaces conceal the work.
- Open the city’s inspection guidance and confirm the required stages and final records with staff.
- Save the inspection results and confirm any remaining corrections or closeout requirements.
Assemble the submission package
Prepare the project information the official procedure identifies for your scope.
- Property address and parcel information
- Written scope identifying each affected trade
- Site sketches, plans and applicant documents requested by the municipality
- Applicant contact details and contractor information requested by the office
Local workflow
A practical sequence for Clawson.
Confirm the property
Confirm the parcel is inside Clawson before using the city’s permit and zoning services.
Prepare the application
Use the current department page to locate forms and maps, even if older paperwork uses the former department name.
Agree on responsibilities
Write down who supplies plans, applies for each permit, pays fees and handles corrections before accepting a bid.
Plan inspections
Open the city’s inspection guidance and confirm the required stages and final records with staff.
Project checkpoints
Questions change with the scope.
Home addition
Use the zoning map with staff to check the proposed footprint before commissioning final drawings.
Garage or shed
Ask about placement, drainage and foundation details for the proposed site.
Interior remodel
Ask which building and trade permits apply and how to arrange the final inspections.
Contractor-ready
Put these questions in every bid request.
- Who confirms the property is served by Clawson Community & Economic Development?
- Which permits and drawings are included in this bid?
- Are fees included, estimated or excluded?
- Who schedules inspections and corrects rejected work?
- Which final approvals and permit records will I receive?
Primary sources
Verify directly with Clawson.
Use the local record
How to plan a home project in Clawson without losing the local details.
This guide connects an early project range to the municipal starting point. It does not replace the official determination for an address, a complete design, or a contractor’s written scope.
Confirm the jurisdiction
Verify that the property is governed by Clawson before choosing forms or scheduling an inspection. Postal city names, school districts, neighboring townships, and county services do not always identify the enforcing authority.
Describe the exact work
Tell Clawson Community & Economic Development what is changing, where it is located, which trades are affected, and whether structural, utility, zoning, or site work is involved. A project label alone is rarely enough to establish the correct path.
Plan inspections before concealment
Ask which approvals must occur before concrete, insulation, drywall, roofing, finishes, or other work covers the installation. Put inspection responsibility and correction responsibility into the contractor’s written scope.
Keep the final record
Store applications, drawings, issued permits, inspection results, approved changes, warranties, manuals, receipts, and final approvals with the home. Recheck official sources if the scope or schedule changes.
Official source first