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

Dallas Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Dallas Township limits, Clinton County, Michigan; the township administers its own zoning ordinance

  • Zoning Ordinance No. 10 (effective August 1, 2017) was amended by Amendment No. 16, adopted October 13, 2025 and effective on publication in the Lansing State Journal (published October 17, 2025).
  • Zoning compliance is a precondition for development under the township ordinance; the zoning compliance application itself was not opened.

  “an ordinance to amend the dallas township zoning ordinance regarding the zoning map under article 3, section 3.02; site development requirements under article 3, section 3.04;”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts of Dallas Township, including R-1 Residential and A Agricultural

  • Table 1 of the amended ordinance names district R-1 Residential and district A Agricultural; the zoning map was amended in Amendment No. 16 but the map itself was not opened.
  • Ordinance No. 10 also contains overlay and planned-unit-development articles (Articles 6 and 7); only the two base districts were verified.

  “section 3.04 – table 1. site development requirements district r-1 residential district a agricultural”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Any dwelling or dwelling unit inside Dallas Township

  • The 1,200 sq ft minimum applies unless the district requires a larger area; the district-specific figures were not verified.
  • The rule is stated in the definition of dwelling in Article 2 of Ordinance No. 10.

  minimum habitable floor area: >= 1200 sq ft (or such greater area as may be required in the district where it is located)

  “it contains a minimum area of 1,200 square feet of habitable floor area or such greater area as may be required in the district where it is located.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots in the R-1 Residential district of Dallas Township

  • Lot size is 15,000 sq ft if public water and sewer are used and/or available at the property; 2 acres if no public water and sewer is available.
  • Table 1 also sets minimum lot width at 60 ft and minimum road frontage at 60 ft for R-1.

  minimum lot area, R-1, with public water and sewer: >= 15000 sq ft (if public water and sewer are used and/or available at the property) · minimum lot area, R-1, without public water and sewer: >= 2 acres (if no public water and sewer is available to serve the property)

  “the minimum lot area in the r-1 district shall be 15,000- sq. ft. if public water and sewer are used and/or available at the property. if no public water and sewer is available to serve the property, the minimum lot area shall be 2-acres.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Lots in the A Agricultural district of Dallas Township

    “minimum lot area (sf or acres) 15,000 sf or 2 acres 2 acres minimum lot width (feet) 60 ft. 150 ft. minimum road frontage (feet) 60 ft. 150 ft.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures on lots in the A Agricultural district of Dallas Township

  • Amendment No. 16 increased the district A rear and side yard setbacks to 20 ft.
  • Pole barns and similar accessory structures must have a front yard setback at least equal to the principal building's (Amendment No. 16, Section 10.08).

  minimum front yard setback from road right-of-way: >= 50 ft · minimum rear yard setback: >= 20 ft · minimum side yard setback: >= 20 ft

  “increase the district a agricultural minimum rear yard setback (feet) to 20 ft., increase the district a agricultural minimum side yard setback (feet) to 20 ft.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Principal structures on lots in the R-1 Residential district of Dallas Township

    “minimum front yard setback from road r/w (feet) 50 ft. 50 ft. minimum rear yard setback (feet) 10 ft. 20 ft. minimum side yard setback (feet) 10 ft. 20 ft.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile or premanufactured homes used as dwellings inside Dallas Township

  • A mobile home or premanufactured structure counts as a dwelling only if it meets the 1,200 sq ft minimum habitable area or the greater district requirement.
  • It must also comply in all respects with the Michigan construction code.
  • Placement districts and any mobile-home-park rules were not verified.

  “dwelling or dwelling unit: any structure erected on site, a mobile home, or a premanufactured or pre-cut structure, designed or used exclusively for residential purposes that has sleeping, living, cooking and sanitary facilities and can accommodate one (1) family, either permanently or transiently, and complying with the standards set forth in this ordinance: a. it contains a minimum area of 1,200 square feet of habitable floor area or such greater area as may be required in the district where it is located. b. it complies in all respects with the michigan construction code, as amended, including minimum height for habitable rooms.”

Rules another office applies inside Dallas Township

Dallas 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 septicMixed (with conditions)

  Onsite water supply and sanitary sewage facilities serving land inside Dallas Township; the township ordinance defers to the Mid-Michigan District Health Department

  • Section 10.13 of the township zoning ordinance makes the township's requirement depend on the health department's standards, so the township sets no separate septic standard.
  • The ordinance does not state which office issues each septic permit; the health department's service area over Dallas Township was not confirmed on an official page before the budget ran out.

  “section 10.13 — water supply and sanitary sewage facilities: required water supply and sanitary sewage facilities shall conform to the standards, regulations and requirements of the midmichigan district health department.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes inside Dallas Township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Dallas Township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for new construction inside Dallas Township
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Dallas Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Dallas 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.