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

Garfield Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Garfield township's unincorporated area, Bay County, Michigan: the township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance

  • Ordinance title as stated on the cover: Garfield Township (Bay County, Michigan) Zoning Ordinance, adopted April 9, 2012, effective May 18, 2012.
  • Section 1.01 says the ordinance may be cited as the zoning ordinance of garfield township, and the purposes clause refers to the unincorporated portions of garfield township.
  • Text reviewed is the 2012 adopted version; later amendments were not checked (the search also surfaced a 2024 'garfield twp zo complete' PDF on another host that was not opened).

  “garfield township bay county, michigan zoning ordinance adopted april 9, 2012 effective may 18, 2012”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts of Garfield township (Bay County) in the unincorporated area

  • Ordinance lists five districts by name: AR agricultural/rural residential, R1 medium density residential, R2 high density residential, C commercial, I industrial.
  • The district boundaries are shown on a zoning districts map referenced in section 2.02; that map was not opened, so parcel-level district assignment is not established here.

  “section 2.01 districts established for the purpose of this ordinance, garfield township is hereby divided into the following districts: ar ar, agricultural/rural residential district r1 r1, medium density residential district r2 r2, high density residential district c c, commercial district i i, industrial district”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles used for living or housekeeping in Garfield township's unincorporated area

  • Not allowed for living or housekeeping when parked or stored in a location not approved for that use.
  • Living or housekeeping use in an unapproved location is allowed only if the planning commission grants approval.
  • The passage's section number was not captured in the text reviewed.

  “recreational vehicles shall not be used for living or for housekeeping purposes when parked or stored in any location not approved for such use, unless approval is granted by the planning commission.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Living in recreational vehicles parked or stored on land in Garfield township's unincorporated area (recreational camping)

  • Only the recreational-vehicle living rule was found; tent camping and other temporary camping were not addressed in the text reviewed.
  • Living use is restricted to locations approved for that use, or with planning commission approval.

  “recreational vehicles shall not be used for living or for housekeeping purposes when parked or stored in any location not approved for such use, unless approval is granted by the planning commission.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile home placed as a temporary replacement dwelling on a lot in Garfield township's unincorporated area after the permanent dwelling is destroyed or made uninhabitable

  • Requires zoning administrator approval and a permit; the mobile home is a temporary dwelling only, during replacement or repair of the permanent dwelling.
  • Must conform to all yard requirements of the district and be connected to water supply and sewage disposal systems approved by the Bay County Health Department.
  • Planning commission may set a removal date not exceeding one year from permit issuance; the permit is not subject to renewal.
  • General placement of a manufactured home as a permanent dwelling was not addressed in the text reviewed.

  “a mobile home approved by the zoning administrator may be moved onto the lot after obtaining a permit for use as a temporary dwelling during replacement or repair of the permanent dwelling”

Rules another office applies inside Garfield Township

Garfield Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Sewage disposal for temporary replacement dwellings inside Garfield township; the Bay County Health Department approves the system

  • Covers only temporary replacement dwellings; general septic permitting for permanent homes was not established from the text reviewed.
  • The Bay County Health Department's own OSDS permit page returned HTTP 404 and could not be opened.

  “shall be connected to water supply and sewage disposal systems approved by the bay county health department.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes in Garfield township (Bay County)
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for Garfield township (Bay County)
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for Garfield township (Bay County)
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction in Garfield township (Bay County)
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes in Garfield township (Bay County)

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.