Bolthole Index

Barry County, Michigan

Village of Middleville, Michigan: building permits, zoning and septic

Building a home in the Village of Middleville, Michigan requires a building permit under state law, subject to code exceptions; the village identifies PCI as the building-permit issuer.12 Middleville administers its own zoning, while Barry-Eaton District Health Department evaluates and permits onsite sewage systems in Barry County.34 Before planning septic, check sewer availability: the village application requires sewer connection for principal buildings within 200 feet of an existing sanitary sewer line.5

At a glance

Building permits
Required under Michigan law, subject to code exceptions; PCI issues village building permits.12
Zoning
Village zoning applies inside Middleville.3
Septic systems
Barry-Eaton District Health Department requires site evaluation, a sewage-system permit and final approval.4
Minimum home size
R-1: 1,040 square feet for a single-story dwelling; AG: 1,200 square feet for a single-story dwelling.67
Minimum lot size
R-1: 10,000 square feet with sewer; 20,000 square feet without sewer, with a recorded-lot exception for qualifying sewered lots.8
Owner-builder
Michigan exempts qualifying construction for your own use and occupancy on your own property from residential-builder licensing; building permits still apply.9
Private wells
Barry-Eaton District Health Department evaluates the site and issues a well permit before installation.10

Who to call

Building permits

Professional Code Inspectors, Inc. (PCI)

Building permits for new buildings and additions inside Middleville; ask PCI which construction and trade permits your project needs.

269-948-4088

Zoning

Village of Middleville Planning & Zoning Administrator

Village zoning-compliance applications, site plans, setbacks and water/sewer connection questions.

269-795-3385

[email protected]

100 E. Main St.

Septic permits

Barry-Eaton District Health Department, Environmental Health

Onsite sewage-system site evaluations, permits and final inspections; private-well questions.

269-945-9516

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Village of Middleville means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.

Do you need a building permit in the Village of Middleville, MI?

Michigan requires a building-permit application before construction of a building or structure, except where the construction code provides an exception.1 The Village of Middleville identifies Professional Code Inspectors, Inc. (PCI), in Hastings as the issuer of building permits for new buildings and additions; call 269-948-4088 to establish which building permits your project needs.2 Michigan’s owner-builder exemption concerns residential-builder licensing for your own use and occupancy on your own property, and does not remove building-permit, inspection or zoning requirements.9

Who handles zoning applications in the Village of Middleville?

Contact the Village of Middleville Planning & Zoning Administrator at 269-795-3385 or [email protected] for the zoning-compliance application.5 The village application asks for a site-plan drawing, applicable permit fees and sewer or water connection fees; all fees must be paid before a zoning-compliance permit can be issued.5 A new dwelling or residential addition also needs a copy of the house plans with the application.5 Allow up to five business days for village staff to review the application, rather than scheduling construction around immediate zoning approval.5

What lot sizes and setbacks apply in the Village of Middleville?

Middleville has its own zoning ordinance, so identify the parcel’s village district before choosing a house footprint.3 In R-1, sewered lots normally need at least 10,000 square feet and 85 feet of width; non-sewered lots need 20,000 square feet and 100 feet of width.8 Qualifying sewered lots of record can use the smaller minimums of 7,500 square feet and 60 feet of width.8 R-1 requires a 30-foot front yard, total side yards of 14 feet with neither side below 7 feet, and a 25-foot rear yard, increased to 75 feet on lakefront lots.11 AG lots need at least 20,000 square feet and 125 feet of width.12

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in the Village of Middleville?

We could not confirm permission to occupy an RV, camp temporarily on a private lot, or establish an accessory dwelling in Middleville; ask the village Planning & Zoning Administrator about the intended use before buying a unit.5 Middleville’s dwelling-size rules give a concrete constraint for small houses: R-1 requires 1,040 square feet of usable floor area for a single-story dwelling, or 1,200 total with at least 600 on the ground floor for a dwelling with more than one story.6 In AG, the corresponding minimums are 1,200 square feet for a single-story dwelling, or 1,600 total with at least 800 on the ground floor.7 These district standards do not establish approval for tiny-home occupancy; take the proposed design and use to the village zoning office.35

How do septic and well permits work inside the Village of Middleville?

Check sewer availability before commissioning a septic design in Middleville: the village application requires sewer connection for principal buildings and selected accessory buildings within 200 feet of an existing sanitary sewer line.5 Where onsite sewage disposal is applicable, Barry-Eaton District Health Department evaluates the site before issuing a sewage-system permit; application and fee acceptance precede construction authorization.413 The owner or contractor must request final inspection before the distribution system is covered or put into operation.14 Barry-Eaton also evaluates private-well sites and issues a well permit before installation, followed by final inspection after drilling and completion.10 Ask the village zoning office about utility connections and Barry-Eaton about onsite systems.515

Building a home in the Village of Middleville: what comes first?

  1. Ask the village Planning & Zoning Administrator to confirm the parcel’s district, proposed use and applicable dimensional standards before finalizing plans.35
  2. Establish sewer availability with the village; arrange Barry-Eaton site evaluation and sewage-system approval if onsite disposal is applicable.54
  3. Submit the village zoning-compliance application with the site drawing, house plans where required, and applicable fees; coordinate the building-permit application with PCI before construction.521
  4. Obtain the required public-right-of-way permit before work in a village street, sidewalk or easement, including a curb opening.16
  5. Arrange required construction inspections and obtain a certificate of occupancy before using a new or altered building subject to the state construction code.1718

What should you check before buying in the Village of Middleville?

For land beyond the village boundary, use the Barry County guide to investigate the county’s zoning framework; Middleville’s own zoning applies inside the village.193 For a Middleville parcel, ask the village zoning office to review the proposed use, house size, setbacks and utility connections together.5611 For floodplain land, Michigan’s EGLE review applies to regulated rivers, streams and drains with drainage areas of at least 2 square miles; new residential construction is prohibited in the floodway.20 We could not confirm Middleville’s additional floodplain-development requirements or agricultural building exemptions; ask the village zoning office and PCI before treating a parcel or farm building as exempt.52

Watch-outs

  • A non-sewered R-1 lot needs larger minimum area and width than a normally qualifying sewered R-1 lot in Middleville.8
  • An owner-builder licensing exemption does not remove Middleville building-permit, zoning or inspection requirements.9
  • We could not confirm RV occupancy or tiny-home occupancy approval in Middleville; ask the village Planning & Zoning Administrator before committing to either plan.5

Sources

  1. Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act, MCL 125.1510 (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  2. Professional Code Inspectors, Inc. (PCI) (villageofmiddleville.org)
  3. Sec. 78-83. Uses and dimensional standards (Village of Middleville), quoted and re-checked
  4. On-Site Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
  5. Village of Middleville Planning & Zoning Administrator (villageofmiddleville.org)
  6. Sec. 78-167. Minimum floor area (Village of Middleville), quoted and re-checked
  7. Sec. 78-107. Minimum floor area (Village of Middleville), quoted and re-checked
  8. Sec. 78-166. Area regulations (Village of Middleville), quoted and re-checked
  9. Frequently Asked Questions – Residential Builder (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  10. Onsite Drinking Water Wells, quoted and re-checked
  11. library.municode.com (Village of Middleville), quoted and re-checked
  12. Sec. 78-83. Uses and dimensional standards (Village of Middleville), quoted and re-checked
  13. On-Site Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
  14. barryeatonhealth.org, quoted and re-checked
  15. Barry-Eaton District Health Department, Environmental Health (barryeatonhealth.org)
  16. Sec. 58-51. Permit required (Village of Middleville), quoted and re-checked
  17. courts.michigan.gov (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. Certificate of Occupancy Request (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  19. Zoning Ordinance & Amendments, quoted and re-checked
  20. Floodplains (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Village of Middleville

Village of Middleville’s own rules

  • InspectionsLimited

    Housing-code inspections of dwellings, accessory buildings, and yards inside Middleville village.

    • Inspections may be based on a complaint, village observation, an unoccupied or fire-damaged dwelling, rental registration and certification, compliance with a notice or order, village-council designation, an emergency, an owner's request, or legal requirements related to demolition or transfer to the village.
    “Inspections will be made to obtain and maintain compliance with the standards of this article”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Middleville village; the village adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance.

    “Regulations affecting the use of buildings and land”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Dwelling in the AG agricultural zoning district inside Middleville village.

    • A dwelling of more than one story must meet both the total usable-floor-area minimum and the ground-floor minimum.

    one-story usable floor area: >= 1200 square feet · more-than-one-story usable floor area: >= 1600 square feet · ground-floor usable floor area: >= 800 square feet (more-than-one-story dwelling)

    “minimum of 1,200 square feet of usable floor area”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family dwelling in the R-1 low-density single-family zoning district inside Middleville village.
      “minimum of 1,040 square feet of usable floor area”
  • Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Single-family dwelling in the R-1 low-density single-family zoning district inside Middleville village.

    • Non-sewered lots have larger minimums.
    • A lot or parcel of record as of the effective date of the ordinance from which the subsection was derived, and served by public sanitary sewer, may use the stated smaller minimums for one single-family dwelling.

    sewered minimum lot area: >= 10000 square feet · sewered minimum lot width: >= 85 feet · non-sewered minimum lot area: >= 20000 square feet (lot not served with public sewer) · non-sewered minimum lot width: >= 100 feet (lot not served with public sewer) · recorded sewered-lot minimum area: >= 7500 square feet (lot or parcel of record as of the effective date of the ordinance from which this subsection was derived) · recorded sewered-lot minimum width: >= 60 feet (same recorded-lot exception)

    “The minimum lot area and lot width shall be 10,000 square feet and 85 feet, respectively.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Single-family dwelling in the R-1 low-density single-family zoning district inside Middleville village.

    • Total side yards must be at least 14 feet and no individual side yard may be less than 7 feet.
    • Lakefront lots require a rear yard of at least 75 feet.

    front yard: >= 30 feet · total side yards: >= 14 feet · individual side yard: >= 7 feet · rear yard: >= 25 feet (lakefront lot, where rear yard must be at least 75 feet)

    “There shall be a front yard of not less than 30 feet.”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    R-3 multiple-family residential district inside Middleville village.

    maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent

    “Not more than 30 percent of each R-3 area may be occupied by dwellings or structures.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Buildings in Middleville village zoning districts, subject to district-specific exceptions.

    • The general maximum is 35 feet or two and one-half stories, whichever is lesser.
    • The code states an exception for I-1, which has no maximum building or structure height limit in the cited table.

    maximum height: <= 35 feet (or two and one-half stories, whichever is lesser; I-1 exception stated in the source)

    “The maximum building height in all districts is 35 feet”
  • Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

    Mobile homes and manufactured housing units in an R-4 mobile home park inside Middleville village.

    • Public sanitary sewer and water must be connected if available.
    • The park itself must be metered, but individual homes need not be separately metered.
    • Utilities must comply with mobile home commission regulations and state department of public health requirements.
    “public sanitary sewer and water shall be connected”
  • Driveway accessRequired

    Work in a village street, alley, sidewalk, public right-of-way, public easement, or other public place inside Middleville village, including making an opening through a curb.

    • A permit is required before excavation, operation, improvement, obstruction, occupancy for adjacent construction/maintenance/repair, or making an opening through a curb.
    • The provision does not establish a permit requirement for a private driveway wholly outside the listed public places.
    “Make or cause to be made any opening in or through any curb”

Still unanswered

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

  • Building permit — General building permits for construction inside Middleville village.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions from building permits or contractor licensing inside Middleville village.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on land inside Middleville village.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Middleville village.
  • Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Middleville village.
5 more unanswered
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Village of Middleville publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Barry County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Barry County: county rules, score and offices