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

Baraga Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Baraga township, Baraga County, MI

  • Zoning text amendments were adopted by the township board on June 11, 2026 per the township home page.

  “in 2008, the township of baraga updated the previous zoning ordinance to establish zoning districts and regulations governing the development and use of land within baraga township, michigan.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Baraga township

  • Districts listed in the ordinance table of contents: R-1, MFR, LR, C, Mixed Use, AR, FR, PUD, Industrial.
  • A zoning ordinance map PDF is also linked from the zoning page.

  “schedule of regulations district r-1 mfr lr mu ar c i fr pud”

• Minimum dwelling sizeNone (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings in all zoning districts inside Baraga township

  • No minimum floor area provided the dwelling complies with the state building code including minimum habitable room heights, and is firmly attached to a permanent foundation built per the state building code.
  • Federal or state construction standards apply where they differ.

  “section 5.3: minimum floor area for dwelling units every single-family dwelling shall have no minimum floor area, provided: a. it complies in all respects with the state building code, including minimum heights for habitable rooms.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 Single Family Residential district (first column of schedule) inside Baraga township

  • Schedule lists other districts (AR, FR etc.) with different sizes; the AR column mapping is ambiguous in the extracted text so AR is left to follow-up.
  • Minimum lot width in R-1 is 150 ft.

  minimum lot size R-1: >= 1 acre · minimum lot width R-1: >= 150 feet

  “minimum lot size (a) 1 acre 20 acres 1 acre 1 acre 1 acre 1 acre 2.5 acres 40 acres 5 acres rear setback 35' 30' 30' 20' 30' 20' 20' 25' 35' (d) maximum height 40' 40' 40' 40' 40' 40' 45' 40' 40' minimum lot width 150' none 150' 150' 150' 150' 200' 600' 300'”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 Single Family Residential district inside Baraga township

  • Distances measured from drip lines; front and side yard setbacks measured from road right-of-way line.
  • Footnotes allow small detached accessory buildings closer to lot lines.

  front setback R-1: >= 25 feet · side setback R-1: >= 10 feet · rear setback R-1: >= 35 feet

  “all distances are measured in feet from the drip lines of said structures. all front yard setbacks and applicable side yard setbacks shall be measured from the right-of-way line of a public and/or private road. schedule of regulations district r-1 mfr lr mu ar c i fr pud district r-1 mfr lr mu c i ar fr pud front setback 25' 35' 25' 25' 35' 25' 25' 50' 25' (d) side setback 10' 30' 10' 5' 30' 5' 5' 15' 10' (d)”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 Single Family Residential district inside Baraga township

  • Footnote a: height at any point shall not exceed the horizontal distance to any lot line.

  maximum height R-1: <= 40 feet

  “maximum height 40' 40' 40' 40' 40' 40' 45' 40' 40' minimum lot width 150'”

• Living in an RVLimited

  RV used as a dwelling unit inside Baraga township

  • Only in AR, LR and MU districts.
  • Up to 180 days per year.
  • Only if connected to an approved well and septic tank system.

  max days per year: <= 180 days

  “recreational vehicles (rv) including camping trailers and motorized camping vehicles may be used a dwelling unit for up to 180 days per year in only the agricultural/residential (ar), lakeshore residential/recreational (lr) and mixed use (mu) districts. an rv may only be used for up to 180 days per year if is connected to an approved well and septic tank system.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rentals in the LR district inside Baraga township

  • Requires a special land use permit and planning commission public hearing (ordinance article 15, section 15.06(j)); based on an October 2026 hearing notice.

  “special land use permit application for a proposed short-term rental to be located on a property located within the zoned lakeshore residential/recreation (lr) district, per the baraga township zoning ordinance (article 15, section 15.06 (j)).”

• Permit feesPublished

  Zoning permits and planning applications inside Baraga township

  • Fees are for zoning compliance permits, not state building-code permits.
  • Enforcement surcharge $50 plus attorney/court costs for work without a zoning permit.

  zoning compliance permit: new structure over 200 sq ft: 50 USD · special use permit: 400 USD

  “planning / zoning application fees planning commission special use permit $400 [...] zoning compliance permits view zoning compliance permit (pdf) additions/alterations $50 deck/porch $50 new structure (over 200 square feet) $50”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Baraga township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Baraga township
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Baraga township
• Inspections — Building inspection inside Baraga township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Baraga 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.