Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Thompsonville, Michigan

Village of Thompsonville’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Village of Thompsonville limits, under the Greater Thompsonville Area Zoning Ordinance, a joint ordinance enacted by the village together with Colfax Township and Weldon Township.

  • The village is one of three enacting bodies; amendments require the township and village together (JPC page).
  • Village 1997 zoning ordinance was repealed by this ordinance (Section 2.4).
  • Ordinance shall be administered by the legislative bodies, the joint planning commission and the joint zoning board of appeals (Section 3.3).

  “an ordinance enacted by colfax township, weldon township and the village of thompsonville pursuant to public act 110 of 2006”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  All dwellings inside the Village of Thompsonville under the joint ordinance (Article 18 dwelling standards).

  • Dwelling must have a minimum width of 20 feet across at least 50% of its front, side and rear elevation (Article 18 item 3).
  • Dwelling must be attached to a permanent foundation, or for a mobile home, installed per manufacturer's setup instructions and anchored (Article 18 item 4).
  • Multiple-family unit minimums (efficiency 400 sq. ft. up to 1,050 sq. ft. plus 100 sq. ft. per bedroom) are in Section 8.17 and apply to multiple-family dwellings only.

  minimum floor area of a dwelling: >= 720 sq ft (multiple-family units are governed by a separate schedule in Section 8.17)

  “2. all dwellings shall have a minimum floor area of 720 sq. ft 3. the dwelling shall have a minimum width of twenty (20) feet across a minimum of fifty percent (50%) of its front, side and rear elevation.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Land inside the Village of Thompsonville under the joint ordinance, by district (RC-1, RC-2, RR-1, RR-2, R-1, R-2, R-3, C-1, C-2, I-1, AP, NR, MHC); waterfront lots carry an additional setback rule.

  • Waterfront setback from ordinary high water mark: 200 feet in AP and NR districts and 100 feet in all other districts (Table 4-4 footnote 2).
  • Setbacks in each district are set in Table 4-4 and are not restated here.
  • No part of a setback area may be counted for another use (Section 4.7(b)).

  waterfront setback from ordinary high water mark, AP and NR districts: 200 feet · waterfront setback from ordinary high water mark, other districts: 100 feet

  “in the case of a waterfront lot, the required minimum setback from the ordinary high water mark shall be 200' in the ap and nr districts and one-hundred (100) feet in all other districts.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Mobile homes used as dwellings inside the Village of Thompsonville; manufactured housing communities in the MHC district are also subject to Michigan Manufactured Housing Commission rules.

  • Mobile home must be installed per the manufacturer's setup instructions and secured by an anchoring system or device (Article 18 item 4).
  • Must meet the 720 sq. ft. minimum floor area and 20-foot minimum width (Article 18 items 2 and 3).
  • Manufactured housing community (MHC) district has its own site standards and minimum open space under Table 4-4.

  “in the case of a mobile home as defined herein, such dwelling shall be installed pursuant to the manufacturer's setup instructions and shall be secured to the premises by an anchoring system or device”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permit and application fees for land inside the Village of Thompsonville under the joint zoning ordinance.

  • Schedule is a joint Colfax Township and Village of Thompsonville schedule; the fee amounts were not opened.

  “zoning fee schedule (effective as of may 1, 2026)”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Thompsonville

Village of Thompsonville 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 (with conditions)

  Dwellings inside the Village of Thompsonville; the Michigan construction code applies, and the joint zoning ordinance requires dwellings to comply with it.

  • Local building codes of the respective municipality also referenced in the same sentence.
  • Where federal or state construction standards differ, the federal or state standard applies (Article 18).

  “in all respects with the michigan construction code and building codes of the respective municipality including minimum heights for habitable rooms. where a dwelling is required by law to comply with federal or state standards or regulations for construction and where such standards or regulations for construction are different than those imposed by such codes, then and in that event such federal or state standard or regulation shall apply.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Existing private well and septic systems on properties in Benzie County, which includes land inside the Village of Thompsonville; the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department evaluates them.

  • Evaluation applies at property transfer (time of transfer evaluation), not to new installation permits.
  • The health department's countywide service area is stated for Benzie County; a village-specific service-area line was not located.

  “if your home in benzie or leelanau county has a well or septic system, a time of transfer (tot) evaluation is required before the sale is final”

• Septic inspectionLimited

  Existing well and septic systems on properties in Benzie County, including inside the Village of Thompsonville, when the home is sold.

  • Required only at transfer of the home (time of transfer evaluation); no routine inspection rule was found.
  • Process takes 3 to 4 weeks according to the same notice.

  “if your home in benzie or leelanau county has a well or septic system, a time of transfer (tot) evaluation is required before the sale is final”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New construction inside the Village of Thompsonville.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside the Village of Thompsonville.
• Inspections — Construction inside the Village of Thompsonville.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new buildings inside the Village of Thompsonville.
• Living in an RV — Occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside the Village of Thompsonville.

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.