Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Curtis Township, Michigan

Curtis Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New buildings, renovations, and accessory buildings inside Curtis township (residential, commercial, agricultural).

  • A zoning permit must be obtained first (see permit_process claim).
  • The ordinance does not state which agency issues the building permit.

  “all buildings; new, renovation for commercial, residential, agriculture, and accessory buildings must obtain a building permit prior to starting construction.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Curtis township's limits (Alcona County, Michigan). Curtis township administers its own zoning ordinance; the county does not zone land inside the township.

  • Ordinance adopted May 13, 2010 and effective June 14, 2010. The copy was found on energyzoning.org rather than the township's own site, and no later amendments were found.

  “this ordinance shall be known and may be cited as the “curtis township zoning ordinance””

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Curtis township

  • Districts: SFR, MR, RR, FR, AG, NB, CBCC, I-1, as listed in the ordinance table of contents; the zoning map was not opened.

  “single family residential (sfr) mixed residential (mr) rural residential (rr) forest recreation (fr) agricultural (ag) neighborhood business (nb) central business-corridor commercial (cbcc) light industrial (i-1)”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Agricultural (AG) district inside Curtis township

  • Same caveat about the garbled schedule table; confirm in the printed schedule.

  minimum dwelling unit floor area: 924 sq ft

  “ag agricultural 10 ac. 330 35 (i), (j) 25 7 (b)(h) 25 924 s.f. (d) 20%”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Single family residential (SFR) district inside Curtis township

    “minimum yard setbacks (in feet) minimum d.u. floor area maximum % of lot coverage front side (g) (m) rear (n) 24 25 7 (b)(h) 10 924 s.f. (d) 30%”

  • Specified — Rural residential (RR) district inside Curtis township

    “rr rural residential 2 ac. 200 24 25 7 (b)(h) 10 924 s.f. (d) 20%”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Agricultural (AG) district inside Curtis township

  • Section 5.05.1 sets the same 10-acre minimum for dwelling unit placement.

  minimum lot area: >= 10 acres

  “ag agricultural 10 ac. 330 35 (i), (j) 25 7 (b)(h) 25 924 s.f. (d) 20%”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Single family residential (SFR) district inside Curtis township

    “sfr mr area width (ft.) max. height of structure at eves feet (a) 12,000 s.f. 100 single family 20,000 s.f two family multi-family minimum lot area”

  • Specified — Rural residential (RR) district inside Curtis township

    “rr rural residential 2 ac. 200 24 25 7 (b)(h) 10 924 s.f. (d) 20%”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Agricultural (AG) district inside Curtis township

  • Maximum lot coverage per schedule; footnote (d) not reviewed.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 20 percent

  “ag agricultural 10 ac. 330 35 (i), (j) 25 7 (b)(h) 25 924 s.f. (d) 20%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single family residential (SFR) district inside Curtis township

    “minimum yard setbacks (in feet) minimum d.u. floor area maximum % of lot coverage front side (g) (m) rear (n) 24 25 7 (b)(h) 10 924 s.f. (d) 30%”

• Building heightSpecified

  Agricultural (AG) district inside Curtis township

  • Footnotes (i) and (j) attached to the 35 ft figure were not reviewed and may modify it.

  maximum height of structure at eaves: <= 35 feet (footnotes (i) and (j) not reviewed)

  “ag agricultural 10 ac. 330 35 (i), (j) 25 7 (b)(h) 25 924 s.f. (d) 20%”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles on private land inside Curtis township

  • RVs may be stored on a lot with a dwelling if not connected to water and sewer and not used for permanent or continuous dwelling purposes.
  • Overnight camping on private land without a dwelling is limited to 15 consecutive days and 90 days per calendar year, subject to yard setbacks.

  consecutive days: <= 15 days · calendar-year total: <= 90 days

  “overnight camping on private property without a dwelling unit shall be an allowable use in all districts provided the recreational vehicle shall occupy such a parcel for not longer than fifteen (15) consecutive days and not more than a total of ninety (90) days in a calendar year, subject to the following conditions:”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Overnight camping on private land without a dwelling inside Curtis township

  • Up to 15 consecutive days is allowed as a matter of right, subject to yard setbacks; longer stays require a renewable temporary camping permit from the zoning administrator.

  allowed consecutive days without permit: <= 15 days (renewable temporary camping permit needed beyond 15 days)

  “for camping beyond a 15 day period a renewable temporary camping permit must be obtained from the zoning administrator, and displayed on a post with a reflective property address at the road at the property access drive.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile or manufactured homes placed on individual lots inside Curtis township

  • Placement only after site preparation (electric, water, sewage disposal, foundation) meets the Alcona County construction code and HUD code compliance is shown.
  • Mobile homes may not be used as accessory buildings or stored on any lot.

  “no mobile home shall be located or placed in curtis township without prior completion of site preparation to include electric, water, sewage disposal and foundation to meet the current alcona county construction code.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permits for construction inside Curtis township

  • Fee schedule, application forms and inspection steps are in Sections 9.03 and 9.08, which were not opened; process is only partly documented.

  “prior to the issuance of any building permit in the county, it shall be necessary for any applicant to first apply for and obtain a zoning permit from the zoning administrator in accordance with the provisions of this zoning ordinance.”

Rules another office applies inside Curtis Township

Curtis Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  New homes and mobile homes placed inside Curtis township; the Alcona County construction code is the code the township ordinance points to.

  • The ordinance names the current Alcona County construction code without stating which agency enforces it or its edition; not verified against the county's own code page.

  “no mobile home shall be located or placed in curtis township without prior completion of site preparation to include electric, water, sewage disposal and foundation to meet the current alcona county construction code.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Septic and water systems for buildings inside Curtis township, before a zoning permit is issued

  • Plans must be approved and written health department approval must be filed with the zoning permit application. The health department's own permit steps and fees were not verified.

  “plans must be submitted to and approved by the responsible agencies. the written approval of such facilities by the district health department shall be filed with application for a zoning permit.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Curtis Township or Alcona County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for building in Curtis township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Curtis township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes in Curtis township
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy inside Curtis township
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Curtis township

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.