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

Quincy Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New structures, additions, moved structures and changes of use inside Quincy Township; this is the township zoning permit issued by the zoning administrator

  • The township zoning permit is separate from any construction-code building permit; whether a construction-code permit is also required is unknown (see building_code_adoption).
  • A structure moved into the township needs a zoning permit (section 1.09).
  • Construction may proceed only after the zoning permit is issued, so status is conditional.

  “a zoning permit is required to determine compliance with use, area, height and bulk regulations; setbacks; and other requirements and conditions of this ordinance.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Quincy Township limits, Branch County, Michigan. Does not cover the Village of Quincy, which is a separate municipality with its own zoning ordinance.

  • The township administers its own Quincy Township Zoning Ordinance through its zoning administrator, Andrew Craig, under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, P.A. 110 of 2006.
  • Zoning-only topics in this record are answered from the township ordinance, not from county zoning.

  “for questions on the quincy township zoning ordinance or to apply for a zoning permit (pdf) for quincy township, please contact andrew craig”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Quincy Township limits, Branch County, Michigan

  • Districts named in section 2.101: Agriculture (A), Lakeside Residential (R-1), Medium Density Residential (R-2), Manufactured Housing Park (MHP), Neighborhood Commercial (C-1), General Commercial (C-2), Industrial (I).
  • The official zoning map is adopted by reference under section 2.102 and kept by the township clerk; the map PDF was not opened, so district boundaries are not verified.

  “for the purpose of this ordinance, quincy township is hereby divided into districts known as”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Creation of new lots or parcels in the Agriculture (A) district inside Quincy Township (land divisions, not individual building-lot minimums)

  • Lots under 40 acres may be created only when the lot is an entire quarter-quarter section or a half of a half of a quarter section, or when the parent parcel is 74 to 80 acres, in which case a lot may be as small as 35 acres.
  • Section 5.302 separately says a new lot must meet the lot area and width of the district where it is located.

  minimum lot size for new lots in agriculture district: 40 acres (lots under 40 acres allowed only in listed instances; 35 acres where parent parcel is 74-80 acres)

  “creation of lots or parcels that are less than forty (40) acres may be permitted in the following instances”

• SetbacksSpecified

  New residential development with frontage on Marble Lake, First Lake, any other lake in the township, or any of their canals, inside Quincy Township

  • Waterfront yard setback may be modified to the average of existing primary-structure setbacks on lots within 200 feet on either side in the R-1 district.
  • Fences are not permitted in the waterfront yard; clear vision triangles must stay free of recreation vehicles, waterfront structures, accessory buildings and plant material over three feet.

  waterfront yard setback: >= 50 feet (modified to average of nearby lots in R-1 district when that average is smaller)

  “a fifty (50) feet minimum waterfront yard setback is required.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes in a manufactured housing park inside the Manufactured Housing Park (MHP) district of Quincy Township

  • Parks are governed by the state Mobile Home Commission Act (P.A. 96 of 1987) and Manufactured Housing Commission rules, which the ordinance says govern all parks.
  • Individual manufactured homes outside an MHP district were not addressed in the opened text.

  “is hereby established to provide for the location and regulation of manufactured housing parks”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  A second dwelling on a lot, parcel or building site inside Quincy Township

  • Only one dwelling per lot, parcel or building site unless otherwise permitted under the ordinance.
  • The land use table (Article 4) lists 'apartments, accessory', but its district symbols could not be read reliably from the extracted text, and the Article 6 supplemental standards (sections 6.201 to 6.213) and Article 7 were not opened.

  “no more than one dwelling shall be permitted per lot, parcel, or building site unless otherwise permitted under the provisions of this ordinance”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creation of new lots or parcels inside Quincy Township

  • Every new lot must meet the dimensional standards of its district (section 5.302); agricultural land divisions are limited by section 5.207.
  • The township home page lists a land split application (dated 10-17-25) and land split information, not opened.
  • Site condominium rules (Article 18) and planned developments (Article 19) were not opened; state Land Division Act was not checked.

  “no new lot shall be created unless said lot complies with all of the dimensional standards”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Lots created in Quincy Township after the ordinance's effective date that are used under a zoning permit

  • Lot must abut and have adequate frontage on and access to an approved Branch County Road Commission road.
  • A separate driveway permit from the road commission was not verified.

  “no zoning permit shall be issued for any use located on any lot or parcel of land in the township created after the effective date of this ordinance that does not abut and have adequate frontage on and access to an approved road of the branch county road commission”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit applications for projects inside Quincy Township, filed with the zoning administrator

  • Applications must include scaled plans showing lot shape, address and tax ID, structure locations and dimensions, and existing and proposed use (section 1.07 c).
  • Contact: zoning administrator Andrew Craig, 517.861.1843, [email protected]; township office 11 N. Main Street, Quincy, MI 49082, 517-639-4060.
  • The zoning permit application PDF and the full step-by-step process were not opened; the process is only partly published.

  “all applications for zoning permits shall be accompanied by plans and specifications drawn to scale and showing the following”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Quincy Township
• Building code adopted — Construction code for new homes inside Quincy Township
• Inspections — Construction inspections for new homes inside Quincy Township
• Living in an RV — Long-term occupancy of a recreational vehicle on private land inside Quincy Township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Quincy 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.