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

Mason Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Residential, agricultural, commercial and light industrial construction inside Mason township

  • Penalties apply for failure to secure building and demolition permits.
  • A zoning permit is required for all businesses.

  “residential, agricultural, commercial, and light industrial zoning and building permits are required before construction begins.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building construction inside Mason township; township building inspector administers the state building code

  • Specific code edition not stated in cited text.

  “building inspector: an individual hired by mason township to administer the state building code.”

• InspectionsRequired

  New construction inside Mason township

  • Final inspection precedes issuance of occupancy permits.

  “upon proper completion of construction and final inspection, the required occupancy permits will be issued.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New construction inside Mason township

  • Issued after proper completion and final inspection.

  “upon proper completion of construction and final inspection, the required occupancy permits will be issued.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Mason township, Cass County, Michigan

  • Township page names a zoning administrator and a 150-page zoning ordinance and zoning map.

  “an ordinance enacted by the township under public act 184 of 1943, as amended, to provide for the establishment of zoning districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Mason township

  • Districts: A-1, A-2, R-1 to R-4, C-1, C-2, I-1; zoning map published on the township site.

  “r-2: medium density residential r-3: lake residential c-1: general commercial 1-1: light industrial r-4 mobile home park”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  A-1 agricultural, A-2 rural residential and R-1 low density residential districts inside Mason township

  • Table text is jumbled in extraction; column order is A-1, A-2, R-1 (A-1 10 acres, A-2 2 acres, R-1 30,000 sq. ft.).
  • Where the schedule conflicts with ordinance text, the text governs.
  • R-2, R-3 lots vary with public sewer presence (footnote o).

  A-1 min lot area: 10 acres · A-2 min lot area: 2 acres · R-1 min lot area: 30000 sq ft

  “minimum lot area: thirty thousand (30,000) square feet”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  A-1, A-2 and R-1 districts inside Mason township

  • Footnote d: twenty percent maximum lot coverage for all lots (A-1).

  max lot coverage A-1/A-2/R-1: 20/25/35 percent

  “maximum lot coverage: thirty-five (35) percent.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  A-1, A-2 and R-1 districts inside Mason township

  • Footnote c: maximum height for farm buildings is 100 feet.

  max height A-1/A-2/R-1: 2.5 stories / 35 feet (farm buildings up to 100 feet)

  “maximum height: two and a half (2 1/2) stories or thirty-five (35) feet, except that the maximum height of farm buildings and structures shall be one-hundred (1 00) feet”

• Permit feesPublished

  Zoning permits inside Mason township

  • Fee effective as of 01/01/2025 per township page; building permit fees not seen.

  zoning permit fee: 50 USD

  “*as of 01/01/2025 the zoning permit fee is $50.00”

• Permit processPublished

  Zoning and building permits inside Mason township

  • Zoning administrator available Tuesdays 6-8 pm and by appointment; building department Thursday evenings.

  “applications for permits can also be downloaded and printed from the permits page on the website.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Mason township
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Mason township
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Mason township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Mason township
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Mason 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.