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

Bedford Township’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Accessory dwelling units inside Bedford Charter Township's RRAOS District.

  • The requirement applies before an ADU is occupied.
  • The ADU must meet the ordinance's other approval standards.

  “An ADU shall receive a certificate of occupancy from the building official prior to occupancy.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Bedford Charter Township, Calhoun County, Michigan.

  • The ordinance establishes districts shown on the Official Zoning Map.

  “For the purposes of this Ordinance, Bedford Township is hereby divided into the following Zoning Districts as shown on the Official Zoning Map:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Bedford Charter Township.

  • District boundaries are established on the Official Zoning Map.

  districts: RRAOS; NR; LR; MH; MU; E; I

  “For the purposes of this Ordinance, Bedford Township is hereby divided into the following Zoning Districts as shown on the Official Zoning Map:”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles parked or stored for more than 48 hours on residentially zoned property inside Bedford Charter Township.

  • The prohibition concerns permanent living or housekeeping use while parked or stored.
  • The section also bars connection to water, gas, or sanitary-sewer lines.

  parking or storage period: > 48 hours (Section applies to recreational vehicles parked or stored for more than 48 hours.)

  “At no time shall recreational vehicles, while parked or stored, be used for permanent living or housekeeping purposes.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  One manufactured home on a lot inside Bedford Charter Township.

  • The manufactured home is treated as a single-family home for ordinance purposes and remains subject to applicable district rules.

  “A single manufactured home on a lot shall be considered the same as a single-family home for the purposes of this Ordinance.”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Accessory dwelling units in Bedford Charter Township's RRAOS District.

  • An ADU is permitted only on property with a single detached principal dwelling unit.
  • Approval is by the Township and its designated reviewing agents.
  • Maximum one ADU on a residential property; either the principal dwelling or ADU must be owner-occupied.

  maximum ADUs: 1 ADU per residential property · minimum living space: >= 600 square feet

  “ADUs are permitted in the RRAOS District and shall meet the standards of this Section.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Accessory dwelling units in the RRAOS District inside Bedford Charter Township.

  • An on-site sewage disposal system and water well require approval by the applicable reviewing agency.

  “ADUs may be connected to onsite sewage disposal systems and water wells, subject to approval by the applicable reviewing agency for such systems.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Accessory farm buildings used on a farm or active agricultural production operation inside Bedford Charter Township.

  • The exemption does not apply to any structure containing a dwelling unit.

  “The requirements in this section shall not apply to accessory buildings (such as barns and silos) used on a farm or an active agricultural production operation, as defined in this ordinance. No structure that contains a dwelling unit shall be considered an accessory farm building.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division and consolidation of land inside Bedford Charter Township.

  • Each resulting zoning lot must conform to the regulations of its zoning district.
  • The Land Division Act and other applicable township regulations also apply.

  “No lot or parcel shall hereafter be divided into two or more lots and no portion of any lot shall be sold, unless all zoning lots resulting from each such division or sale conform to all regulations of the zoning district in which the property is located.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Exterior construction and site-plan activities inside Bedford Charter Township.

  • Interior construction does not require a township zoning permit.
  • For site-plan activities, site-plan approval is the zoning permit.
  • Exterior alterations not changing footprint or building height are exempt from the township zoning-permit requirement.

  “A Zoning Permit, approved by the Zoning Administrator, shall be required prior to the any application to the Calhoun County Building Department for a building permit for any exterior construction work in Bedford Township.”

Rules another office applies inside Bedford Township

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

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Accessory dwelling units in Bedford Charter Township's RRAOS District.

  • The ADU rule applies only to a detached dwelling unit on property with a single detached principal dwelling unit.

  minimum ADU living space: >= 600 square feet

  “A maximum of one (1) ADU shall be permitted on a residential property and shall have a minimum living space of six hundred (600) square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures in the RRAOS and NR zoning districts inside Bedford Charter Township.

  • Net lot area determines compliance.
  • No new parcel may be created unless it has adequate usable lot area and can be built upon in compliance with ordinance standards.

  RRAOS minimum lot area: >= 2 acres · NR minimum lot area: >= 0.25 acres

  “RRAOS 2 200 2.5 40 50 25 50 25% NR 0.25 60 2.5 30 30 10 30 30%”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures in the RRAOS and NR zoning districts inside Bedford Charter Township.

  • On corner lots, a front yard is required along each street frontage.
  • Setbacks are measured along the ground from the property line to the nearest load-bearing foundation of the principal building.

  RRAOS front-yard setback: >= 50 feet · RRAOS side-yard setback: >= 25 feet (each side yard) · RRAOS rear-yard setback: >= 50 feet · NR front-yard setback: >= 30 feet · NR side-yard setback: >= 10 feet (each side yard) · NR rear-yard setback: >= 30 feet

  “RRAOS 2 200 2.5 40 50 25 50 25% NR 0.25 60 2.5 30 30 10 30 30%”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures in the RRAOS and NR zoning districts inside Bedford Charter Township.

  RRAOS maximum building lot coverage: <= 25 percent · NR maximum building lot coverage: <= 30 percent

  “RRAOS 2 200 2.5 40 50 25 50 25% NR 0.25 60 2.5 30 30 10 30 30%”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures in the RRAOS and NR zoning districts inside Bedford Charter Township.

  • Height is measured from grade to the halfway point between the peak and eaves for peaked roofs, and from grade to roof for flat roofs.
  • Wind Energy Conversion Systems and wireless telecommunications are exempt from this maximum-height section.

  RRAOS maximum structure height: <= 40 feet · NR maximum structure height: <= 30 feet

  “RRAOS 2 200 2.5 40 50 25 50 25% NR 0.25 60 2.5 30 30 10 30 30%”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Bedford Charter Township.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Bedford Charter Township.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Bedford Charter Township.
• Inspections — Construction inspections inside Bedford Charter Township.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Bedford Charter 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.

Off-grid gear

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

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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