Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Davison, Michigan

Davison’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Davison city limits. The city's own Title Six - Zoning (chapters 1260-1292) applies inside the city; county zoning does not govern city land.

  • Code is current through December 31, 2024 per the American Legal Publishing overview; supplement 2025 s-22 is shown as current.
  • Zoning districts and dimensional figures were not all opened; see the other claims for what remains unverified.

  “the following regulations shall apply to all ra residential agricultural districts.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Davison city (inside city limits only)

  • Table of contents lists RA, A-1, A-2, A-3, B-1, B-2, C-1, C-2, C-3, I, CO, FP, T and other districts in chapters 1268-1287; per-district text for chapters 1270-1287 was not opened.

  “chapter 1266 zoning districts chapter 1268 ra residential agricultural districts”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots created by subdivision inside Davison city that are approved without connection to the public sanitary sewer and will use septic or other approved individual sewage systems

  • Applies only where the lot is required to be approved without sewer connection; does not state the minimum for sewered lots.
  • Subdivision regulations, Title Four, chapter 1248.

  minimum lot area (septic lot): 25000 square feet (applies only to subdivided lots approved without public sanitary sewer connection)

  “if a lot is required to be approved without connections to the public sanitary sewerage system, so that septic or other approved individual sanitary sewage treatment systems are to be utilized, the minimum area of such lot shall be 25,000 square feet.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Temporary accessory apartment within a single-family detached dwelling in the RA residential agricultural district inside Davison city

  • Planning commission approval is required; the commission may require additional conditions.
  • Apartment must be clearly subordinate: not more than 30 percent of building floor area, not more than 800 square feet, not more than two bedrooms, unless the planning commission allows otherwise.
  • At least one occupant must be 55 years or older or permanently and totally handicapped.
  • Three off-street parking spaces (including garages) must be available for owner and apartment resident.
  • Any new entrance must be on the side or rear unless the planning commission authorizes otherwise; additions may not increase home square footage by more than 10 percent.
  • Building official reviews each approved temporary accessory apartment every two years.
  • Temporary accessory apartments are listed under chapter 1268 section (q), which was not fully captured in the opened text.

  maximum share of building floor area: <= 30 percent (unless the planning commission allows a greater or lesser amount) · maximum apartment area: <= 800 square feet (unless the planning commission allows a greater or lesser amount) · off-street parking spaces available: >= 3 spaces

  “in no case shall it exceed thirty (30) percent of the building's total floor area, nor have a total area greater than eight hundred (800) square feet, nor have more than two (2) bedrooms, unless, in the opinion of the planning commission, a greater or lesser amount of floor area is warranted by the circumstances of the particular building.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Farming and related agricultural uses in the RA residential agricultural district inside Davison city; this is a zoning use rule, not a state tax or right-to-farm exemption

  • Farming uses listed in section 1268.02(a) require a minimum land area of ten acres.
  • Barns, pens and corrals on farms housing cattle, sheep or goats have setback limits under 1268.02(a)(1).
  • Horse keeping for recreation is a separate permitted use under 1268.02(b) with one acre per horse.

  minimum land area for farming uses: >= 10 acres

  “(4) the minimum land area required for the above purposes shall be ten (10) acres.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Davison city

  • Title Four - Subdivision Regulations (chapters 1240-1250) applies; street access, lot dimensions and sewer-less lot area are set there.

  “the subdividing of land shall be such as to provide, by means of a public street, each lot with satisfactory access to an existing public street.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Subdivision of land inside Davison city that is subject to flooding

  • Lots subject to flooding shall not be platted for residential occupancy.
  • The FP floodplain protection overlay district (chapter 1286) exists; its permit rules were not opened.
  • Floodplain development permit requirements and any elevation standards were not retrieved.

  “lots subject to flooding and lots deemed by the planning commission, with concurrence by council, to be uninhabitable shall not be platted for residential occupancy”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permit requirement for new homes inside Davison city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Davison city
• Building code adopted — Building codes adopted for construction inside Davison city
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Davison city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Davison city

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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Davison means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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