Zoning, building permits and septic rules in South Arm Township, Michigan

South Arm Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside South Arm township limits, Charlevoix County, Michigan. The township administers its own zoning ordinance (Zoning Ordinance adopted October 8, 2014, per the township PDF title as shown in search metadata).

  • Zoning districts, dimensional rules and general provisions apply inside township limits only; the county does not apply its zoning here.
  • The official PDF was opened and cited for the zoning-district and schedule text; the adoption date comes from search-result metadata, not an opened page.

  “structures and uses in the single family residential district are subject to the area, height, bulk and placement requirements in section 4.14 schedule of regulations.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside South Arm township limits (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, C-1, C-2, I-1, A-1, NR, CR per the ordinance table of contents)

  • Zoning map is listed in section 4.02 of the ordinance and is posted on the township planning page as a separate PDF (township-zoning-map.pdf) that was not opened.

  “for the purpose of this ordinance, all of the unincorporated area of south arm township is hereby divided into the following zoning districts.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Structures and uses in the R-1 single family residential district inside South Arm township

  • Minimum floor area is listed in the section 4.14 schedule column 'min. floor area (sq ft)'; the extracted table is garbled, so confirm the R-1 cell against the PDF.
  • Multiple-family R-3 and other districts show a different floor-area figure in the same table and are not covered by this claim.

  minimum floor area: >= 740 sq ft

  “section 4.14 – schedule of dimensions, area and bulk requirements lot size r-1 zoning district min lot area (sq ft) min width (ft) single family residential ½ acre(a) 100 yard setbacks min front (ft) (k) 25 building size min side (ft) min rear (ft) min. width (ft) 10 (b) 25 20 min. floor area (sq ft) 740 max. lot coverage (%) max. ht (ft) or stories (n) 30 or 2 ½ none stories (whichever is less)”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 single family residential district inside South Arm township

  • Minimum lot area of one-half acre and minimum lot width of 100 feet as shown in the section 4.14 schedule, row r-1.
  • The schedule carries an '(a)' footnote that was not opened; confirm any footnote exception in the PDF.
  • Other districts (R-2 waterfront single family, 30,000 sq ft in the same table) are separate claims or not yet covered.

  minimum lot area: >= 0.5 acre (footnote (a) in section 4.14 not reviewed) · minimum lot width: >= 100 ft

  “section 4.14 – schedule of dimensions, area and bulk requirements lot size r-1 zoning district min lot area (sq ft) min width (ft) single family residential ½ acre(a) 100 yard setbacks min front (ft) (k) 25 building size min side (ft) min rear (ft) min. width (ft) 10 (b) 25 20 min. floor area (sq ft) 740 max. lot coverage (%) max. ht (ft) or stories (n) 30 or 2 ½ none stories (whichever is less)”

• Building heightSpecified

  Structures in the R-1 single family residential district inside South Arm township

  • Maximum height 30 feet or 2½ stories, whichever is less, as read from the section 4.14 schedule (row r-1).

  maximum building height: <= 30 ft (or 2 1/2 stories, whichever is less)

  “30 or 2 ½ none stories (whichever is less)”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Tent or RV camping on private parcels inside South Arm township

  • Camping is allowed without a temporary zoning permit only if the listed conditions are met.
  • Only one recreational vehicle is permitted.
  • The tent or RV must meet principal-structure setbacks and may not be used for commercial or business purposes.
  • Exception: parcels of two acres or greater in the agricultural district are not subject to the 14-day/28-day limit.

  camping period per stay: <= 14 consecutive days (not applicable to parcels of two acres or greater in the agricultural district) · camping total per calendar year: <= 28 days (not applicable to parcels of two acres or greater in the agricultural district)

  “on parcels in all zoning districts, except parcels of two (2) acres or greater in the agricultural zoning district, camping shall be limited to a period of not more than 14 consecutive days and a total of 28 days in a calendar year.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile and manufactured homes sited inside South Arm township

  • Mobile or manufactured homes must be installed according to the ordinance requirements (section 3.06 and 3.10).
  • Three or more mobile homes on one parcel make it a state-licensed mobile home park.
  • Mobile or manufactured homes may not be used as an accessory building (section 3.10 a.).

  mobile homes per parcel before mobile home park status: >= 3 homes

  “where three (3) or more mobile homes are sited on the same parcel, the development shall be considered a mobile home park, and shall be licensed by the state of michigan and shall be subject to the applicable state regulations for such developments.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory buildings on the same lot as a principal dwelling inside South Arm township

  • Accessory buildings may be used for dwelling purposes only for family members or domestic employees whose work is directly related to the principal building.
  • All other applicable requirements of the ordinance must be satisfied.

  “no accessory building on the same lot as a principal building shall be used for dwelling purposes except for family members or domestic employees whose employment functions are directly related to the function of the principal building”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Buildings in the multiple family residential district (R-3) inside South Arm township, once public sewer and water are available

  • Applies only to the R-3 district. Single-family R-1 and R-2 connection rules were not found in the opened text (see the separate utility_connection unknown claim).
  • Connection is required within two (2) years of public service being available.

  connection deadline after service available: 2 years

  “all buildings within the zoning district shall be served by a public sanitary sewage disposal system and public water supply system within two (2) years of being available.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Parcel divisions and transfers of land inside South Arm township under Michigan Public Act 591 (Land Division Act)

  • The township charges a fee for a parcel division application; the division approval rules were not opened.
  • Subdivision plat rules, if any, were not located.

  parcel division application fee: 125 USD

  “public act 591 property (division/transfer): $125.00 – parcel division application”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Dwellings on flood-prone land in the R-2 single family waterfront residential district inside South Arm township

  • Dwellings may not be built on flood-prone land or on land where the finished grade requirement is not met; the rest of that sentence was cut off in the extracted text and is not quoted.
  • Applies to the R-2 district text in section 4.05; the rule's application elsewhere was not checked.
  • Natural rivers zone (section 4.12) and any state floodplain permit were not opened.

  “no dwelling shall be constructed on lands, which are subject to flooding, or on land where a minimum of four (4) feet between finished grade level and high ground water cannot be met.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Zoning and land-use permit fees charged by South Arm township

  • Fees take effect as of 5-13-21 per the township planning page, approved by the township board.
  • Listed fees: land use permit $50.00; ZBA appeal or zoning variance $350.00; special use permit $250.00; PA 591 parcel division $125.00; planning commission special meeting $450.00; township board special meeting $400.00.
  • Checks payable to South Arm Township.

  land use permit application fee: 50 USD · special use permit application fee: 250 USD · zoning variance (ZBA appeal) application fee: 350 USD (includes special meeting)

  “fees new fees go into effect as of 5-13-21 (approved by twp. board) land use permit application: $50.00 zba appeals application (includes special meeting): $350.00 – zoning variance application specical use permit application: $250.00”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit process inside South Arm township

  • Applications are submitted with a site plan and the zoning administrator may require other agency permits or waivers.
  • The township planning page lists a land use permit application and a mailing address for fees; the full step-by-step process and forms were not opened.

  “copies of permits or waivers of permits by other agencies as may be required by statute and/or by the zoning administrator of this ordinance.”

Rules another office applies inside South Arm Township

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

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Septic and sanitary sewage disposal systems for buildings erected or altered inside South Arm township; the local health department (named in the ordinance as the Health Department of Northwest Michigan) approves them

  • The ordinance refers to the 'local health department' in section 3.08 and names the 'health department of northwest michigan' in section 8.05 (planned unit development density bonuses). The township's service-area statement for that department was not opened, so the identity of the local health department is taken from the ordinance text.
  • Private systems are allowed only with health-department compliance and approval (see septic_permit and off_grid_sanitation claims).

  “all water supply and sanitary sewage disposal systems either public or private, for any building hereafter erected, altered or moved upon any premises shall be subject to compliance with the local health department sanitary code requirements.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New or altered buildings with on-site sewage disposal inside South Arm township

  • Plans for water supply and sewage disposal must be submitted to and approved by the responsible agencies before a zoning permit is issued.
  • The ordinance does not use the words 'septic permit'; the requirement is stated as written health-department approval filed with the zoning permit application.

  “the written approval of such facilities by local health department shall be filed with application for a zoning permit.”

• Off-grid sanitationAllowed (with conditions)

  Private on-site water and sanitary sewage systems for buildings inside South Arm township

  • Allowed only with health-department compliance and approval under section 3.08 (see septic_permit claim).

  “all water supply and sanitary sewage disposal systems either public or private, for any building hereafter erected, altered or moved upon any premises shall be subject to compliance with the local health department sanitary code requirements.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for construction inside South Arm township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside South Arm township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside South Arm township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside South Arm township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside South Arm 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.