Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Omer, Michigan

Omer’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Omer city limits (City of Omer, Arenac County); not the unincorporated area or Arenac Township

  • Adopted under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act (PA 110 of 2006), as the ordinance states
  • Ordinance adopted June 11, 2024 and amended March 25, 2025 per the ordinance cover page

  “an ordinance to establish zoning districts and to enact provisions regulating the uses of land and natural resources in the city of omer, arenac county, michigan in accordance with public act 110 of 2006, the michigan zoning enabling act, as amended.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Omer city limits

  • Table of contents lists the city zoning map and the district regulations in Chapter 5 (agricultural/residential, river residential, mixed use)
  • Zoning map is referenced in the table of contents as 'city zoning map' and was not separately opened

  “chapter 5 district regulations 22 section 5.5 - agricultural / residential district 22 section 5.6 - river residential district 26 section 5.7 - mixed use district 28”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential district (Omer zoning ordinance Section 5.8 table row 'residential') inside Omer city limits

  • Parcel size variations may be granted by city council as part of a special use permit (table footnote 1)

  minimum lot area: >= 1 acre (parcel size variations may be granted by city council as part of a special use permit) · minimum frontage: >= 100 feet

  “residential 1 acre 100 50 10 10 35 rv river-residential ½ acre 66 35 10 25 3 2½ stories or 35 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Agricultural / residential district (Section 5.5, 'farm' row) inside Omer city limits

    “minimum farm parcel size: ten (10) acres, or as specified in a project for which a special use permit has been secured.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential district (Section 5.8 table row 'residential') inside Omer city limits

  • Front setback is measured from the road right-of-way (table footnote 3)
  • Corner lots: all yards with street frontage are front yards (Section 4.17)

  minimum front yard setback: >= 50 feet · minimum side yard setback: >= 10 feet · minimum rear yard setback: >= 10 feet

  “residential 1 acre 100 50 10 10 35 rv river-residential ½ acre 66 35 10 25 3 2½ stories or 35 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Agricultural / residential district (Section 5.5, 'farm' row; Section 5.5.3) inside Omer city limits

    “minimum farm parcel size: ten (10) acres, or as specified in a project for which a special use permit has been secured. commercial or other farm buildings non-farm structures minimum frontage 330 feet 330 feet minimum front setback 50 feet 50 feet from road r.o.w. minimum side setback 50 feet 50 feet minimum rear setback 50 feet 50 feet maximum height 95 feet 40 feet”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural / residential district (Section 5.5, 'farm' row) inside Omer city limits; 95 feet applies to commercial or other farm buildings, 40 feet to non-farm structures

  • Height limit differs by structure type: 95 feet for commercial or other farm buildings and 40 feet for non-farm structures

  maximum height, commercial or other farm buildings: <= 95 feet · maximum height, non-farm structures: <= 40 feet

  “minimum farm parcel size: ten (10) acres, or as specified in a project for which a special use permit has been secured. commercial or other farm buildings non-farm structures minimum frontage 330 feet 330 feet minimum front setback 50 feet 50 feet from road r.o.w. minimum side setback 50 feet 50 feet minimum rear setback 50 feet 50 feet maximum height 95 feet 40 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Residential district (Section 5.8 table row 'residential') inside Omer city limits

    “residential 1 acre 100 50 10 10 35 rv river-residential ½ acre 66 35 10 25 3 2½ stories or 35 feet”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Recreational vehicles used as living quarters inside Omer city limits: parked or stored RVs cannot be occupied as a permanent dwelling; temporary living use is allowed under a zoning-administrator permit during construction of a permanent dwelling on the same lot

  • Temporary permit for 180 days by the zoning administrator for occupancy during construction of a permanent dwelling on the same lot
  • Trailer or RV must be removed within 180 days or when an occupancy permit is issued, whichever comes first; one-year extension possible in extraordinary circumstances
  • Must be connected to a water and septic system approved by the county health department
  • Section 4.25 parked or stored RVs may not be connected to sanitary facilities or water and may not be occupied as a permanent dwelling; this applies in any residential district

  temporary permit duration: 180 days (may be extended to one year in extraordinary circumstances)

  “5. a temporary permit for 180 days may be granted by the zoning administrator for the location and occupancy of a temporary house trailer or recreational vehicle for living purposes during the construction of a permanent dwelling on the same lot provided that: 1) the house trailer or recreational vehicle will be removed within 180 days or as soon as an occupancy permit is issued, whichever comes first.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New dwellings and other zoning permits inside Omer city limits

  • Applicant must show availability of potable water and public sewer connections, or adequate space for septic fields with reserve areas and setbacks
  • No mandatory connection-distance rule was located in the parts reviewed

  “the owner or applicant for any zoning permit shall demonstrate the availability of potable water and public sewer connections or adequate space for septic fields with appropriate reserve areas and setbacks specific to site conditions.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Flag lots in the river residential district (Section 5.6.3) inside Omer city limits

  • Flag lots may be created only by city council action
  • Driveway leg must have a minimum access of 33 feet frontage on a public road

  minimum driveway leg frontage on public road: >= 33 feet (flag lots created by city council action)

  “flag lots may be created by city council action: driveway leg must have a minimum access of thirty-three (33) foot frontage on a public road.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rentals inside Omer city limits, as listed among special uses in the river residential district (Section 5.6)

  • Listed as a special use, which requires a special use permit and development site plan review under chapters 8 and 9 of the ordinance
  • Other districts' special-use lists were not checked

  “section 5.6.2 conditional uses a. the following uses are permitted upon securing a special use permit and upon development site plan review approval in accordance with chapters 8 and 9. also see section 4.17 for landscaping standards. lodges and clubs. bed and breakfast establishments. outdoor recreation establishments; parks. adult foster care homes. short term rentals.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Omer or Arenac County directly.

• Building permit — New construction inside Omer city limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Omer city limits
• Building code adopted — Construction in Omer city limits
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Omer city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new homes inside Omer city limits

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.