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

Lake Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Lake Township, Benzie County, MI

  • Ordinance effective date not confirmed from the opened pages; a replacement zoning ordinance is in draft (per township website).

  “for the purpose of this ordinance the township of lake is hereby divided into the following districts:”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Lake Township

  • Districts: L/R lakeshore residential, R-1 residential single family, R-2 residential rural, C/R commercial/resort, C-1 commercial general, G government, plus Crystal Lake watershed overlay.
  • Official zoning map is the final authority on boundaries.

  “l/r r-1 r-2 c/r c-1 g cl lakeshore residential residential, single family residential, rural commercial/resort commercial, general government crystal lake watershed overlay district”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwellings in all zoning districts inside Lake Township

  • Also minimum width of 20 feet over 50% of structure length (Sec. 3.16).

  minimum gross living area: >= 720 sq ft

  “the minimum gross living area of a dwelling, and the minimum size for the footprint of the living portion of a structure shall be seven hundred twenty (720) square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 Residential Single Family district, Lake Township

  • Smaller legal lots of record prior to the ordinance's adoption may still be used.
  • Minimum width 100 feet at the building line.

  minimum lot area: >= 15000 sq ft (legal lots of record)

  “contain an area of not less than fifteen thousand (15,000) square feet unbroken by a public road or right-of-way.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 Rural Residential district, Lake Township

    “contain not less then one acre (43,560 square feet) or area unbroken by a public road or right-of-way.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 Residential Single Family district, Lake Township

  • Rear setback 25 ft when abutting a lake or stream, 35 ft when abutting Crystal Lake.
  • Front: 40 ft from private road edge.
  • Environmentally sensitive area setbacks (Sec. 3.18, amended 2025) may add requirements.

  front yard: >= 40 ft (or 73 ft from road centerline, whichever is less) · side yard: >= 10 ft · rear yard: >= 15 ft (25 ft abutting lake/stream; 35 ft abutting Crystal Lake)

  “minimum rear yard setback shall be fifteen (15) feet from the rear property line or twenty-five (25) feet when the property abuts a lake or stream or thirty-five (35) feet when the property abuts crystal lake. minimum side yard setback shall be ten (10) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 Rural Residential district, Lake Township

    “minimum rear yard setback shall be fifteen (15) feet from the rear property line or twenty-five (25) feet when the property abuts a lake or stream. minimum side yard setback shall be ten (10) feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 Residential Single Family district, Lake Township

  maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent

  “no building or structure in this district shall be erected or altered or used so as to occupy more than thirty (30%) percent of the lot area, and maximum height is twenty-eight (28) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 Rural Residential district, Lake Township

    “no building or structure in this district shall be erected or altered or used so as to occupy more than thirty (30) percent of the lot area, and maximum building height is twentyeight (28) feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 Residential Single Family district, Lake Township

  maximum height: <= 28 ft

  “no building or structure in this district shall be erected or altered or used so as to occupy more than thirty (30%) percent of the lot area, and maximum height is twenty-eight (28) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 Rural Residential district, Lake Township

    “no building or structure in this district shall be erected or altered or used so as to occupy more than thirty (30) percent of the lot area, and maximum building height is twentyeight (28) feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile/manufactured homes on residential-zoned land inside Lake Township

  • Must bear HUD label and be installed per manufacturer instructions with an anchoring system.
  • Must meet minimum dimensions in Secs. 3.16 and 3.17 (20 ft width, 720 sq ft).
  • Towing mechanisms removed or concealed within 10 days of installation.

  “mobile homes shall be permitted in all residential zoning districts subject to the provisions and requirements hereafter set forth.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Second dwellings in accessory buildings inside Lake Township

  • Allowed only where the ordinance specifically permits; no ADU provision was located in the opened pages.

  “no building or structure on the same lot with a principal building shall be used for dwelling purposes, except as specifically permitted in this ordinance.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  R-1 district, Lake Township (R-2 lists the same use)

  • Requires site plan approval; see Sec. 3.27.
  • A separate township Short-Term Rental Ordinance 2023-001 and application exist (per township home page; not opened).

  “section 6.3 permitted uses with site plan approval group child care home home occupations (see section 3.27) home based business (see section 3.27) bed and breakfast establishment (see section 3.27) short term rental (see section 3.27)”

Rules another office applies inside Lake Township

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Lake Township, which lies in Benzie County; state codes enforced by the Benzie County building department

  • Page does not list Lake Township by name; applies because the township is in Benzie County.
  • Specific code editions not stated on the page.

  “this department is responsible for administration and enforcement of the state code or codes, in benzie county and springdale township in manistee county”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Lake Township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Lake Township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Lake Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Lake Township
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private lots inside Lake 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.