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

Trowbridge Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Trowbridge township limits; the township administers its own zoning ordinance (updated 05.19.2026 per the township forms page).

  • Zoning compliance permit, special use and variance requests go through the township; the zoning board of appeals is the only body that grants variances.
  • The ordinance's revision stamp is not treated as an effective date.

  “the zoning board of appeals is the only entity in the township to have the authority to grant or issue a variance.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Trowbridge township zoning districts inside township limits

  • The ordinance table of contents lists agricultural, R-1, R-2, RL, C-1 and industrial districts; a separate zoning map PDF (updated 09.08.2023) is linked from the forms page.

  “mapped districts zoning districts zoning map areas not included within a district”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwellings in the R-1 rural estate district of Trowbridge township

  • The R-1 table is flattened in the extracted text; the 900 sq ft figure is read from the table column order.

  minimum floor area per dwelling unit: 900 square feet

  “minimum floor area 900 square feet per dwelling unit minimum road frontage 150 feet 6- 2 35 feet five (5) acres 150 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Dwellings in the agricultural district of Trowbridge township

    “minimum road frontage 50ft minimum lot area ten (10) acres minimum lot width 150 feet minimum floor area 900 square feet of usable floor area per dwelling unit.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-2 low density residential district of Trowbridge township

  • Without public sewer and water: 15,000 sq ft. With public sewer and water: 8,500 sq ft.
  • The R-2 table is flattened in the extracted text; column pairing is read from order and should be checked against the ordinance.

  minimum lot area, single family without public sewer and water: >= 15000 square feet (without public sewer and water) · minimum lot area, single family with public sewer and water: >= 8500 square feet (with public sewer and water)

  “- 15,000 square feet - 8,500 square feet - 30,000 square feet - 15,000 square feet - 85 feet - 100 feet 900 square feet”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Dwellings in the R-1 rural estate district of Trowbridge township

    “minimum floor area 900 square feet per dwelling unit minimum road frontage 150 feet 6- 2 35 feet five (5) acres 150 feet”

  • Specified — Agricultural district of Trowbridge township

    “minimum road frontage 50ft minimum lot area ten (10) acres minimum lot width 150 feet minimum floor area 900 square feet of usable floor area per dwelling unit.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal buildings in the agricultural district of Trowbridge township

  • Residential buildings: side total 50 ft, not less than 20 ft on any side; other structures: 50 ft each side.

  minimum front yard setback from road right of way: >= 50 feet · minimum rear yard setback: >= 50 feet · minimum side yard total, residential: >= 50 feet (not less than 20 feet on any side)

  “minimum front yard set back 50 feet from road right of way minimum side yard set back - for residential buildings & structures - for all other structures -total of fifty (50) feet, not less than twenty (20) feet on any side - fifty (50) feet each side minimum rear yard set back fifty (50) feet”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Principal buildings in the R-2 low density residential district of Trowbridge township

    “minimum front yard depth minimum side yard depth 30 feet total of 20 feet, not less than 7 feet any side 25 feet minimum rear yard”

  • Specified — Principal buildings in the R-1 rural estate district of Trowbridge township

    “minimum front yard depth. depth 50 feet measured from road right of way to front of structure. minimum side yard width -total of 50 feet, not less than 20 feet any side”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in the RL residential lake district of Trowbridge township only

  • No lot coverage limit was seen in the R-2 or agricultural tables read.

  maximum lot coverage, lots over 15,000 sq ft: 30 percent (lots over 15,000 square feet) · maximum lot coverage, lots under 15,000 sq ft: 25 percent (lots less than 15,000 square feet)

  “maximum lot coverage 864 square feet 30% for lots over 15,000 square feet in area. 25% for lots less than 15,000 square feet in area.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal buildings in the agricultural district of Trowbridge township

  • Height exceptions are in sec. 11.03 and sections 15.06-15.26 of the ordinance.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (see exceptions sec. 11.03, 15.06-15.26)

  “maximum building height 35 feet see exceptions sec. 11.03, 15.06-15.26”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Dwellings in the R-2 low density residential district of Trowbridge township

    “7- 35 feet 50 feet - 15,000 square feet - 8,500 square feet”

Rules another office applies inside Trowbridge Township

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite septic and well systems inside Trowbridge township, administered by the Allegan County Health Department across the county (the county page does not name the township, so the countywide scope is the county's own service area).

  • Applies to residential septic and water systems under the Allegan County water and sewage regulations; the township permit page lists well and septic permits by phone only.

  “april 2018 update to the allegan county water and sewage regulations showing the isolation distance (from septic tanks and disposal areas) for residential water wells from 75' to 50'.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption in Trowbridge township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Trowbridge township
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land in Trowbridge township
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy in Trowbridge township
• Manufactured homes — Manufactured home occupancy in Trowbridge 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.