Zoning, building permits and septic rules in DeWitt, Michigan

DeWitt’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Building work inside DeWitt city limits

  • Permit is required before work begins, as implied by the investigation-fee clause, which penalizes work started without a permit.
  • The investigation fee is owing unless waived by the building official.
  • The same schedule's waiver paragraph refers to the DeWitt Charter Township board of trustees; this looks like carry-over from a shared township/city form and should be confirmed with the city.
  • Permit exemptions were not established from opened text.

  “an investigation fee in an amount equal to, and in addition to, the building permit fee shall be owing for work commenced without first obtaining a permit as required under the michigan building, electrical, mechanical, or plumbing code currently in effect, unless waived by the building official.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside DeWitt city limits (City of DeWitt, Clinton County, Michigan)

  • The city's own zoning ordinance (Chapter 78 of its Code of Ordinances) governs; the city contracts with Beckett & Raeder for planning and zoning administration.
  • The planning page directs readers to the complete zoning ordinance and city code, which were not opened in this run; dimensional standards were not verified.

  “the city is divided into the following ten districts: pq public and quasi-public district”

• Permit feesPublished

  Building permits for work inside DeWitt city limits

  • Plan review fee: 10% of building permit fee for one and two family residential (whole dollar, up to $70.00); 15% for all others.
  • Application fee $15.00 applies to all permit applications (non-refundable).
  • Re-inspection/other inspections $65.00 per hour, 1 hour minimum.
  • Fees may be waived per the schedule's exceptions clause, which refers to the DeWitt Charter Township board (wording flagged in the permit-requirement claim).

  building permit fee, first $1,000 of value: 65 USD (market value of project up to $1,000) · building permit fee per $1,000 of value after first $1,000: 8 USD (after $1,000 of value) · application fee: 15 USD (applies to all permit applications (non-refundable)) · re-inspection fee: 65 USD per hour (1 hour minimum)

  “building permit* $65.00 for market value of project up to $1,000. after $1,000 of value $8.00 per $1,000.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside DeWitt city limits
• Building code adopted — Building code applied to construction inside DeWitt city limits
• Inspections — Inspections for work inside DeWitt city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside DeWitt city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in the R-2 single-family, moderate-density residential district inside DeWitt city limits

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.