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

Sims Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Sims Township, Arenac County, Michigan

  • Adopted under Public Act 110 of 2006; the document header reads 'final, adopted september 8, 2010 restructured 2023'; amendments listed 9/29/12, 5/7/2015, 4/16/2019, 8/18/2020.

  “this ordinance shall be known, cited and referred to as the "sims township zoning ordinance".”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Sims Township zoning districts: AG, LDR, RE, RM, C, I

  • Official zoning map referenced in Section 3.2.

  districts: AG, LDR, RE, RM, C, I

  “table 3. uses: agricultural (ag) district 56 table 4. uses: low density residential (ldr) district 57 table 5. uses: rural estate (re) district 57 table 6. uses: multiple-family residential (rm) district 58 table 7. uses: commercial (c) district 58 table 8. uses: industrial (i) district 59”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Low density residential (LDR) district inside Sims Township

  • Table lists '>6,500 sq.ft.' for LDR; column order AG, LDR, RE, RM, C, I.
  • Rural estate (RE) district lists 32,000 sq.ft. in the same table.

  minimum lot area: > 6,500 sq ft · minimum lot width: 60 feet

  “table 9. dimensions ag low density residential ldr re rm c i lot area, minimum 5 acres >6,500 sq.ft. 32,000 sq.ft. none none 20,000 sq.ft. lot width, minimum 240' 60' 80' 80' none 100'”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Agricultural (AG) district inside Sims Township

    “table 9. dimensions ag low density residential ldr re rm c i lot area, minimum 5 acres >6,500 sq.ft. 32,000 sq.ft. none none 20,000 sq.ft. lot width, minimum 240' 60' 80' 80' none 100'”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  AG, LDR, RE, RM and I districts inside Sims Township (35 ft); C district (30 ft)

  • Column order AG, LDR, RE, RM, C, I.

  maximum height AG/LDR/RE/RM/I: 35 feet (commercial district 30 feet) · maximum stories: 2-1/2 stories (commercial district 2 stories)

  “height, stories, maximum 2-1/2 2-1/2 2-1/2 2-1/2 2 2-1/2 height, maximum 35' 35' 35' 35' 30' 35'”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Travel trailer occupancy on a single-family residential lot inside Sims Township

  • Limited to 30 days per calendar year, with utility connection allowed for those 30 days.
  • RVs/campers may be occupied in RV parks and campgrounds, which require a special use permit (Section 7.5).
  • Parking or storing a non-owned RV over 72 hours on lands not approved for it is barred (Section 4.5.a).

  occupancy limit: <= 30 days per calendar year

  “5) travel trailers may be occupied on a single-family residential lot for a period of time not to exceed thirty (30) days during a calendar year and may be connected to utility services for said thirty (30) day period.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping inside Sims Township

  • Camping in tents, campers and travel trailers is provided for in campgrounds/RV parks, which need a special use permit and must comply with county health department and DNR rules.
  • Private-lot travel trailer occupancy limited to 30 days per year (Section 4.5).

  “spaces in rv parks or campgrounds may be used by motor homes, travel trailers, campers, tents or other short-term housing or shelter arrangements.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes as a second dwelling in AG, RE and RM districts inside Sims Township

  • Only by zoning board of appeals permission, for a dependent parent, removed within six months after need ends.
  • Must comply with Chapter 7 special use permits.
  • Manufactured housing parks are a special use (Section 7.16). Rules for a mobile home as the primary dwelling were not reviewed.

  “the zoning board of appeals may permit one mobile home per lot in addition to an existing single family residence in the ag, re, and rm districts for the exclusive use by a dependent parent of the owner of the lot.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Toilets and sewage disposal for occupied buildings inside Sims Township

  • Portable toilets only for special events (10 days per location) or construction sites, pumped and sanitized at least weekly.
  • Seasonal business use of a portable toilet needs zoning administrator approval.
  • Permanent portable toilet use is prohibited.

  portable toilet special event limit: <= 10 days per location (construction sites allowed)

  “the use of privies and other outside toilet facilities is prohibited. portable toilets may be permitted for a period of time not to exceed (10) ten days per location for special events.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Sims Township land use permit (zoning)

  • Fee is for the township land use permit only, not county or state building permits.
  • $100 fine for beginning construction without a valid land use permit; permit period 6 months instead of 1 year.

  land use permit fee: 35 USD (new and renewed) · fine for construction without permit: 100 USD

  “implement a $35 charge for new and renewed lup (land use permit)”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Sims Township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Sims Township
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Sims Township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Sims Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Sims 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.