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

Hope Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Hope township limits, Barry County, Michigan, under the township's own zoning ordinance

  • The text reviewed is the ordinance as amended through February 2020. Search results showed a later amendment (March 2022) and a 2024 Planning Commission hearing on Section 10.8 that were not opened; current text must be confirmed.
  • Districts reviewed: AR (article XVII), RR (article XVIII), RL (article XIX), MHP (article XX).

  “hope township zoning ordinance adopted march 21, 2016; amended through february 2020”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Hope township, Barry County

  • Table of contents lists district articles: AR (XVII), RR (XVIII), RL (XIX), MHP (XX), CL (XXI), light industrial (XXVII) and others. District map was not checked.

  “section 16.4 the zoning districts of hope township the zoning districts of hope township are: ar rl rr mhc c-1 c-2 c-3 c-l s nr i”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwellings in the AR (agricultural/residential) zoning district inside Hope township

  • Minimum applies to any dwelling in the AR zone.
  • RR, RL and other district minimums were not confirmed in this pass.

  minimum floor area for any dwelling: >= 720 square feet

  “e. the minimum floor area for any dwelling shall be 720 square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the AR (agricultural/residential) zoning district inside Hope township

  • Yard and lot area requirements apply to buildings erected, altered or enlarged in the AR zone.
  • RR and RL minimum lot areas were not captured in the text read in this pass.

  minimum lot area: >= 1 acre · minimum lot width at building line: >= 200 feet · minimum lot width at road: >= 50 feet

  “d. the minimum lot area for use in this zone shall be one acre with a minimum lot width as measured at the building line of 200 feet and a minimum lot width as measured at the road of 50 feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Buildings in the AR (agricultural/residential) zoning district inside Hope township

  • Each yard is subject to 'except as regulated in section 8.5' (non-conforming lots and related provisions); section 8.5 was not read.
  • Flood hazard area setbacks under article XI were not read.

  front yard setback: >= 50 feet (except as regulated in section 8.5) · side yard setback: >= 20 feet (except as regulated in section 8.5) · rear yard setback: >= 20 feet (except as regulated in section 8.5)

  “a. front yard shall be a minimum of 50 feet except as regulated in section 8.5; b. side yard shall be a minimum of 20 feet except as regulated in section 8.5; c. rear yard shall be not less than 20 feet except as regulated in section 8.5;”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings in the RR (rural residential) zoning district inside Hope township

    “b. side yard of not less than 20' on each side of any dwelling or accessory building, except on the street side of a corner lot where a 25' side yard shall be provided and maintained, except as regulated by section 8.5.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  RV or camping sites inside a manufactured housing community in the MHP district of Hope township. General RV occupancy outside such communities was not established.

  • Stays limited to fourteen (14) days.
  • Temporary residential uses (section 10.25) were not read.

  maximum temporary stay: <= 14 days

  “g. sites for recreational vehicle or camping accommodations may be provided within a manufactured housing community for temporary stays not to exceed fourteen (14) days;”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes used as dwellings in Hope township under the general dwelling standards

  • Mobile home must meet the dwelling standards list (roof snow load, foundation or slab, connection to approved water and sewage facility, and the district's area regulations).
  • Mobile homes in the MHP district are governed separately (manufactured housing community regulations, 720 sq ft minimum floor area).

  “8. in the event it is a mobile home as defined herein, it shall be installed with the wheels removed. additionally, it shall not have any exposed towing mechanism, undercarriage or chassis.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwellings in the RR (rural residential) zoning district inside Hope township

  • Allowed only by special exception use permit under article IV.
  • RL (section 19.2) also lists accessory dwelling as a special exception use; AR list not confirmed.

  “special exception uses in the rr zone listed below may be authorized in this zone upon issuance of a special exception use permit in accordance with article iv: a. accessory dwelling”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Dwellings built or placed inside Hope township (general dwelling standards)

  • Requires connection to a water supply and sewage facility approved by the health department. The text does not say whether public water or sewer must be used when available, and no distance or availability rule was found in this pass.
  • Public water/sewer availability rule not confirmed.

  “5. dwellings must be connected to a water supply and sewage facility approved by the health department.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes in Hope township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for Hope township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for Hope township
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes in Hope township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes in Hope 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.