Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Potterville, Michigan

Potterville’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Potterville city

  • Only a reference to city zoning regulations was located; the zoning ordinance itself was not in the provided sections.

  “B-3 commercial district means the corresponding district established by city zoning regulations.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts inside Potterville city

  • Only the B-3 commercial district is named in the code sections reviewed; the district list and map were not opened.

  “B-3 commercial district means the corresponding district established by city zoning regulations.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping inside Potterville city parks only

  • Rule covers city parks only; camping on private land not addressed in sections reviewed.

  “No person shall camp within any city park.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Privies, septic tanks, cesspools inside Potterville city

  • Unlawful except as provided in the sewer article; subdivision septic allowed only where sewer is not feasible and zoning allows.

  “Except as provided in this article, it is unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool or other facility intended or used for the disposal of wastewater.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Houses and buildings for human occupancy abutting a street with a public sewer inside Potterville city

  • Connection required within 90 days after official notice.
  • Applies only if the public sewer is within 200 feet of the structure and capacity exists.
  • Owner pays; water connection requirement not found.

  maximum distance to sewer: <= 200 feet · time to connect after notice: 90 days

  “within 90 days after the date of official notice to do so, provided that the public sewer is within 200 feet (61.0 meters) of the structure in which sewage originates and there is sufficient capacity in collection and treatment systems.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions inside Potterville city (Chapter 32, Article III)

  • Design standards include block length limits, street, sidewalk, sewer and utility requirements; planning commission approval.

  maximum residential block length: <= 1320 feet · minimum block length: >= 500 feet

  “the maximum length allowed for residential blocks shall be 1,320 feet long from center of street to center of street.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveway openings in curbs within subdivisions in Potterville city

  • Applies to subdivisions; general driveway permit rules not found.

  “All driveway openings in curbs shall be subject to approval of the planning commission and shall conform to the requirements of the zoning ordinance.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Sewer connection and benefit charges inside Potterville city

  • Charged per residential equivalent unit; single-family residence is 1.00 REU.
  • Paid at time of application for the zoning permit unless the city manager arranges otherwise for undue hardship.
  • Exclusive of engineering or inspection charges; building permit fees not found.

  single-family residence: 1 REU

  “rates shall be set by resolution of the city council and changed as necessary from time to time.”

Rules another office applies inside Potterville

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Applies inside Potterville city: state construction code enforced by the Eaton County building department

  • County has administered and enforced the Act within the city since December 1, 1989.
  • Flood-Resistant Construction (Appendix G) is specifically included.

  “the city hereby designates the county building department as the enforcing agency to discharge the responsibilities of the city under such act”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private septic systems in Potterville city subdivisions, where allowed

  • Septic systems for subdivisions must comply with county health department requirements.
  • Allowed only where public sewer cannot economically serve the subdivision and the zoning ordinance allows it.
  • Sec. 38-113 otherwise makes private wastewater facilities unlawful except as provided in the article.

  “then approved septic tanks and disposal fields may be approved, which shall comply with the requirements of the county health department, provided such decision is allowed under the zoning ordinance.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Potterville city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Potterville city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Potterville city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Potterville city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in Potterville residential districts

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.