Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Mount Morris Township, Michigan

Mount Morris Township’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  New construction and alterations permitted by the township building department inside Mount Morris township

  • The page names the 2015 Michigan Residential Code, 2015 Michigan Building Code and 2018 Rehabilitation Code; the page may be out of date relative to later state code editions and was not checked against state adoption records.
  • Electrical, mechanical and plumbing work is inspected by state inspectors, not the township (see building inspection claim).

  “the purpose of the building inspector is to approve permits and conduct the inspection of permitted worked under the 2015 michigan residential code, 2015 michigan building code and 2018 rehabilitation code.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted building work inside Mount Morris township; trade inspections handled by state inspectors

  • Township building inspector conducts inspections of permitted work (building component).
  • Electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspections are done by state inspectors, per the same page.

  “all electrical, mechanical,and plumbing inspections are done by a state inspectors.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Mount Morris township limits, under the township's own Zoning Ordinance

  • The zoning ordinance copy located is hosted on energyzoning.org and is dated by its file name 2022-06-12; the township ZBA page links a 'zoning ordinance' but the township-hosted URL was not captured, and the current amendment status was not confirmed.
  • Township planning commission administers the ordinance with the Zoning Board of Appeals (per township ZBA page).

  “master plan zoning map zoning ordinance plan review procedures”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts within Mount Morris township

  • District list from the ordinance copy (2022 file); official zoning map is a separate document on the ZBA and planning pages, not opened.

  “section 3.00 district designations for the purpose of this ordinance, mt. morris township is hereby divided into the following zoning districts”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings inside Mount Morris township, by zoning district as listed in the schedule of regulations

  • Schedule of regulations lists minimum floor area per dwelling unit by one-story, one-and-one-half-story and two-story types; the numeric values per district could not be mapped reliably from the extracted table, so numbers are not stated here.
  • Footnote p: additional 150 sq. ft. for each bedroom above two.

  “the minimum floor areas required in the table are the minimum required for up to two (2) bedrooms in a dwelling.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 (single family residential) district inside Mount Morris township

  • Column alignment inferred from district header order (ra, re, r-1, r-2, r-3); confirm against the rendered table.
  • Minimum lot width for R-1 in the same table is 100 feet (inferred).

  minimum site and lot area: >= 15000 sq. ft.

  “minimum site and lot area 5 acres 1 acre 15,000 sq. ft. 11,000 sq. ft. 6,000 sq. ft.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in the RA (rural agricultural) district inside Mount Morris township

    “minimum site and lot area 5 acres 1 acre 15,000 sq. ft. 11,000 sq. ft. 6,000 sq. ft.”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Use of a recreational vehicle as a dwelling on land inside Mount Morris township

  • Applies to use as a dwelling under the zoning ordinance; separate storage rules apply (section 18.18, outdoor storage in residential districts, 48-hour limit unless conditions are met).
  • Recreational vehicle definition: a vehicle designed primarily for temporary living.

  “in no case shall a detached or attached garage, travel trailer, motor home, automobile, tent or other portable building defined as a recreational vehicle be considered a dwelling.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured home on a private parcel in the R-1 (single family residential) district inside Mount Morris township

  • Permitted principal use subject to conditions in section 18.24(i), not opened.
  • Manufactured homes in licensed manufactured housing communities are governed by article 7 instead (per section 18.24 wording).

  “f. manufactured homes on private parcels, subject to conditions outlined in section 18.24(i).”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Limited — Manufactured home on a private parcel in the RE (rural estate residential) district inside Mount Morris township

    “f. manufactured homes on private parcels, subject to conditions outlined in section 18.24(i).”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  A single-family dwelling unit on a lot inside Mount Morris township

  • The ordinance requires each dwelling unit to be connected to separate individual water and sewage facilities OR to available public sewer and/or water systems; it does not state a distance threshold.
  • Public water and sewer service availability in the township was not confirmed on a township page.

  “each dwelling unit shall be connected to separate individual water and sewage facilities, or available public sewer and or water systems.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Bed-and-breakfast and tourist-home style lodging inside Mount Morris township

  • Bed and breakfast operations are permitted in the RA and RE districts as a home occupation exception; non-bed-and-breakfast tourist homes are listed as prohibited home occupations.
  • Nightly or short-term rental of ordinary dwellings was not separately addressed.

  “5. tourist homes except bed and breakfast operations permitted in the ra rural agricultural and re rural estate districts.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Building permit fees for work inside Mount Morris township

  • Fee schedule document is listed but its amounts were not opened in this research.

  “permits & applications 10 documents mt. morris township schedule of fees document seq 0.00”

• Permit processPublished

  Building permit process inside Mount Morris township

  • Process documents (building permit requirements, building permit application, FAQs) are listed on the township document center but were not opened.
  • Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits follow state processes (linked from the building page).

  “building permit requirements document seq 0.00 building permit application document seq 0.00 demolition permit requirements document seq 0.00”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Mount Morris township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Mount Morris township
• Setbacks — Front, side and rear yard setbacks for RA and R-1 lots inside Mount Morris township
• Lot coverage — Maximum building coverage for RA and R-1 lots inside Mount Morris township
• Building height — Maximum building height for RA and R-1 inside Mount Morris 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.