The Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC) Plan Review Division has been performing school site plan reviews since February 2004 for Public, Public Charter and Boarding Schools. Private and parochial schools are subject to local zoning approval. The Plan Review Division provides a recommendation to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) for approval when it determines the site plan is in compliance with the applicable criteria. The MDE site plan approval is required for all construction on school property, which includes, but is not limited to, buildings, parking lots, radio/cell towers, athletic facilities and other structures. Local enforcement agencies that have school inspection delegation for construction code compliance cannot issue construction permits until the site plan is approved. The Bureau of Construction Codes will also not issue any construction approvals until the site plan is approved.
On our website at www.michigan.gov/bcc the site plan criteria and approval process is listed. We encourage the review of this material before preparing your submittals for approval. It should be noted that the site acreage requirements are recommendations and not absolutes. In densely populated areas such site sizes are unrealistic economically but every effort should be expended to acquire as much land as possible for both school and community use. Because the criteria do not cover building set-back and height limits, the local zoning requirements are used as a bench mark, as part of the purpose of the site approval process is to assure respect of the surrounding community. The site design must also devote the appropriate attention to increased parking due to building additions, fire lanes, visual and sound screening, and photometric layouts for site lighting.
When completing the Application for School Site Plan Review it is essential that all the information be provided to allow the review process to be as timely as possible. All of the site information and environmental approvals must be completed. The authoritative agency for each environmental approval must determine if it is required, and sign off on the application itself or issue a letter stating the approval status that is attached. For obvious reasons we will not accept the applicant's statement that an approval has been granted or is not required.
The Revised School Code, 1976 PA 451, Section 1263, MCL 308.1263, states that the superintendent of public instruction has exclusive jurisdiction over school site plan approval. Based on this the MDE approves school site plans after the BCC Plan Review Division finds them in compliance with all the requirements, including those by other agencies. The Revised School Code further requires that all facilities for school purposes must be constructed in accordance with the Construction of School Buildings Act 1937 PA 306. the Construction of School Buildings Act, Section 1b MCL 388.851b, requires all school buildings to comply with the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act, 1972 PA 230. In accordance with 1972 PA 230, Section 11, MCL 125.1501, only "If the application conforms to this act, the code and the requirements of other applicable laws and ordinances…" may the construction permits be issued. Therefore, until the site plan is approved construction permits cannot be issued.
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