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

Felch Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Felch township's limits. The township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Felch Township Zoning Ordinance, rev. 9-11-2024).

  • Zoning must be completed by the township before a building permit application (township building page).
  • Zoning compliance permit and plot plan requirements apply under Article IV section 404 (not extracted in full).

  “district r/ls: residential/lake shore a. intent: the r/ls, residential/lake shore district, is established to preserve for residential and recreational uses”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Felch township, including R/LS residential/lake shore, RP exclusive resource/agriculture, T town, B commercial and I industrial (B and I reserved for future use)

  • Official zoning map is referenced in section 302 of the ordinance and was not opened.
  • Section 310 (B) and 311 (I) are marked reserved for future use.

  “district td: town development a. intent: the td, town development district, is established to preserve a district for residential, retail, and service establishments”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Every dwelling unit inside Felch township, other than seasonal dwellings in the RP district

  • Not more than 120 square feet of the floor area may be storage space.
  • Tiny homes are exempt from this section (see tiny home definition).
  • No crawl space or area under a manufactured home may be used for storage, and crawl spaces under 5 feet high must be fully enclosed.

  minimum dwelling floor area: >= 600 sq ft (seasonal dwellings in the RP district excepted; up to 120 sq ft storage may not be counted)

  “every dwelling unit, other than seasonal dwellings in the rp district, shall have a floor area of not less than 600 square feet, provided, however, that not more than 120 square feet thereof may consist of storage space.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Main residential district R/LS (residential/lake shore, section 307) inside Felch township

  • Figure is the minimum lot area without sanitary sewer; the lot-area value for lots served by sanitary sewer is not shown in the extracted table text.
  • Water-fronting lots also require a 100-foot yard from the normal high water mark.

  minimum lot area without sanitary sewer: >= 43560 sq ft (without sanitary sewer; table column r/ls) · minimum lot width: >= 100 ft (district r/ls)

  “minimum/maximum dimensional requirements r/ls rp td b i minimum lot area without sanitary sewer 43,560 sq. ft. 43,560 sq. ft. 43,560 sq. ft. 43,560 sq. ft. 43,560 sq. ft. minimum lot width 100 150 100 100 150”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — RP district (exclusive resource/agriculture, section 308) inside Felch township

    “minimum/maximum dimensional requirements r/ls rp td b i minimum lot area without sanitary sewer 43,560 sq. ft. 43,560 sq. ft. 43,560 sq. ft. 43,560 sq. ft. 43,560 sq. ft. minimum lot width 100 150 100 100 150”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R/LS residential/lake shore district inside Felch township

  • On-site sewage disposal systems must be 20 feet from the planned road right-of-way or any side or rear lot line (section 415).
  • Water-fronting lots need a 100-foot yard from the normal high water mark.

  minimum front yard: >= 30 ft (table column r/ls) · minimum side yard: >= 10 ft (table column r/ls) · minimum rear yard: >= 30 ft (table column r/ls)

  “minimum front yard 30 40 30 30 40 minimum side yard 10 25 10 10 20 minimum rear yard 30 30 30 30 30”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — RP exclusive resource/agriculture district inside Felch township

    “minimum front yard 30 40 30 30 40 minimum side yard 10 25 10 10 20 minimum rear yard 30 30 30 30 30”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R/LS residential/lake shore district inside Felch township

  • Maximum lot coverage per section 401 table column r/ls; see ordinance definitions of lot coverage and the accessory-building rules for the swimming pool treatment.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 35 percent (district r/ls)

  “maximum building height (a) 30 30 30 30 a maximum lot 35% 30% 35% 35% 30% coverage”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — RP exclusive resource/agriculture district inside Felch township

    “maximum building height (a) 30 30 30 30 a maximum lot 35% 30% 35% 35% 30% coverage”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R/LS residential/lake shore district inside Felch township

  • Footnote (a) of the section 401 table: height at any point on a structure shall not exceed the horizontal distance to any lot line.

  maximum building height: <= 30 ft (district r/ls; subject to footnote (a))

  “maximum building height (a) 30 30 30 30 a maximum lot 35% 30% 35% 35% 30% coverage (a) height at any point on a structure shall not exceed the horizontal distance to any lot line.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — RP exclusive resource/agriculture district inside Felch township

    “maximum building height (a) 30 30 30 30 a maximum lot 35% 30% 35% 35% 30% coverage (a) height at any point on a structure shall not exceed the horizontal distance to any lot line.”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Tiny homes (dwelling units on a permanent foundation up to 600 square feet) inside Felch township

  • Tiny homes must meet the Michigan Building Code and obtain a Dickinson County certificate of occupancy.
  • Tiny homes are exempt from the 600 sq ft minimum floor area, but up to 120 sq ft of storage does not count toward the minimum.
  • Tiny homes on wheels or non-permanent foundations may be treated as recreational vehicles or recreational structures at the zoning administrator's discretion.

  maximum tiny home floor area: <= 600 sq ft (on a permanent foundation, between the minimum occupancy square footage under the Michigan Building Code and 600 sq ft)

  “a dwelling unit on a permanent foundation between the minimum square footage for occupancy as required by the michigan building code up to 600 square feet.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Mobile homes used as single-family dwellings inside Felch township

  • Mobile homes used as dwellings must meet the HUD Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards for construction, plumbing, electrical and insulation.
  • Crawl space or area under a manufactured home that is less than five feet high must be enclosed and ventilators screened (section 403).

  “if the dwelling is a mobile home, all construction, plumbing, electrical apparatus and insulation within and connected to said mobile home shall comply with the "mobile home construction and safety standards" as promulgated by the united states department of housing and urban development, being 24 cfr 3280, as amended.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Condominium units in Felch township developed under the condominium development section (section 420)

  • Applies to condominium units; the condition 'if available' ties connection to availability of public water and sanitary sewer.
  • Not a general rule for single-family homes on individual lots.

  “each condominium unit shall be connected to a public water supply and to sanitary sewer facilities, if available.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Condominium developments (site condominiums) inside Felch township; general platting or land division rules were not located

  • Each condominium unit must be connected to public water and sanitary sewer if available.
  • Required setbacks are measured from the boundaries of the individual site condominium.

  “each condominium unit shall be connected to a public water supply and to sanitary sewer facilities, if available.”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit sequence for construction inside Felch township: township zoning first, then county building permit, then health department permits for septic and well

  • Zoning compliance must be completed by the township before the building permit application.
  • Township offices are by appointment only, per the township page.
  • Septic and well permits go through the health department; the building permit goes through the county construction codes commission.

  “zoning is required to be completed by the township prior to applying for a building permit.”

Rules another office applies inside Felch Township

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

• Building permitRequired

  New construction and building, plumbing or heating work inside Felch township; permit is issued by Dickinson County Construction Codes Commission.

  • Zoning must be completed by the township before applying for a building permit.
  • Construction may proceed only after the permit is issued.

  “zoning is required to be completed by the township prior to applying for a building permit.”

• Building code adoptedPartial

  New construction inside Felch township. The township does not adopt or run its own building department; the Dickinson County Construction Codes Commission issues building, plumbing and heating permits there.

  • The township does not maintain a building codes department, so code administration is by Dickinson County for land inside Felch township.
  • Zoning ordinance requires single-family dwellings to comply with the pertinent building code and tiny homes to meet the Michigan Building Code (section 148 definition).

  “all required building, plumbing, and heating permits are issued by the dickinson county construction codes commission. the township does not maintain a building codes department.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Tiny homes inside Felch township only; certificate of occupancy issued by the Dickinson County building inspector.

  • Applies to tiny homes only; no general certificate of occupancy rule for other dwellings was located in the township materials reviewed.

  “tiny homes must be built to all requirements of the michigan building code and obtain a certificate of occupancy from the dickinson county building inspector.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  On-site sewage disposal (septic) systems on land inside Felch township

  • The zoning ordinance section 415 says septic permits come from 'the county or state health department, as applicable'; the township page names the Dickinson Iron District Health Department as the authority.

  “the dickinson iron district health department is the authority for septic and well permits.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation of on-site sewage disposal systems inside Felch township

  • Installation requires a health department permit before construction; setbacks in zoning section 415 also apply.
  • Zoning section 415(c): where a township placement requirement differs from the state or county, the greater setback or more stringent requirement applies.

  “permits for installation of on‐site sewage disposal systems shall be obtained from the county or state health department, as applicable.”

• Well permitRequired

  Private water wells inside Felch township

  • Permit is issued through the health department environmental health program, per the township page.

  “the dickinson iron district health department is the authority for septic and well permits.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits or licensing inside Felch township
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Felch township
• Living in an RV — Long-term or full-time RV occupancy on private land inside Felch township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Felch township
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units on lots inside Felch 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.