Health Facilities Engineering Section

Phone: 517-241-3408
Fax: 517-763-0213
E-Mail:  LARA-BCHS-HFES@michigan.gov

The Health Facilities Engineering Section serves to ensure the safe, efficient, and effective delivery of healthcare through the review and oversight of healthcare construction and modernization projects; participation in surveys and inspections of healthcare facilities; oversight of private sewage systems at healthcare facilities; and serves as consultants on issues related to the physical plant and sewage disposal systems at healthcare facilities.

Announcement: The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Community and Health Systems (BCHS), is required (MCL 333.20145) to perform construction plan review for state licensed health facilities (freestanding psychiatric hospitals, homes for the aged, hospice residents, hospitals, nursing homes, and surgery centers). Effective October 1, 2026, the Health Facilities Engineering Section (HFES) within BCHS will accept construction plans by online electronic submission only. This change will streamline the plan review process and improve review and response times. If your organization needs assistance with this change, please contact us at LARA-BCHS-HFES@michigan.gov.

Plan reviews can be submitted expeditiously online at https://aca3.accela.com/lara/. For reviews submitted online, the applicant can also check those review statuses at: https://aca3.accela.com/lara/. To ensure a timely review, please submit review requests at least 10 weeks before expected construction start date.

Plan reviews cannot begin until the following requirements have been met:

• Application for Engineering Plan Review filled out & submitted/uploaded
  • Application should be filled out in its entirety to ensure the review process can begin
• Operational Narrative detailing the scope of the project
• Sealed Plans with bookmarks
• Payment remitted to the State of Michigan
  • If paying by check – plan review cannot begin until payment is received and processed by the treasury department
• For courtesy reviews submitted online, please note “INFO ONLY” in the project description and choose “Pay by Check” to bypass payment.