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

Secord Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, alteration or use of land inside Secord township. This is the township zoning permit, not a county building-code permit.

  • Construction may proceed after the zoning permit is obtained.
  • Exception: lawful nonconforming uses.

  “and a zoning permit has been obtained, except in the case of lawful nonconforming uses.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Secord township's limits. Secord township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, so the district and dimensional rules come from the township ordinance rather than county zoning.

  • Zoning permit required before construction or use (see the building_permit_requirement claim).
  • Dimensional limits apply per the schedule of district regulations (section 5.6).

  “secord township zoning ordinance 2-33 adopted: 12-17-14 effective 1-8-15”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Secord township's limits. The ordinance's schedule of district regulations lists the township's zoning districts: R-1 recreational residential, R-2 mixed residential, C-1 commercial, C-2 mixed use commercial, and A-1 agricultural.

  • The table text is garbled in the extracted PDF; district-to-column mapping was read from the header order and should be checked against the printed schedule.

  “r-2 c-1 c-2 a-1 mixed residential commercial mixed use commercial agricultural recreational”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Land inside Secord township's limits, R-1 recreational residential district.

  • Minimum floor area for other districts was not read from the garbled table.

  minimum floor area: >= 1200 sq ft

  “12,000 sq.ft. 65’ 35’ 40’ 10’ 40’ 40’ minimum floor area 2 maximum % of lot coverage 3 1,200 sq.ft. 50% 8”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Land inside Secord township's limits, R-1 recreational residential district.

  • Lot depth-to-width ratio limit of 4:1 applies except as allowed by Act 288 of 1967 (footnote 1, partly read).
  • Manufactured homes on individual lots must also meet this district's lot standard (section 3.15).

  minimum lot area: >= 12000 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 65 ft

  “12,000 sq.ft. 65’ 35’ 40’ 10’ 40’ 40’ minimum floor area 2 maximum % of lot coverage 3 1,200 sq.ft. 50% 8”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Land inside Secord township's limits, R-1 recreational residential district.

  • Setback values read from the garbled table row; verify against the printed schedule. The waterfront setback (section 3.18) was not read.

  minimum front setback: >= 40 ft · minimum interior side setback: >= 10 ft · minimum corner side setback: >= 40 ft · minimum rear setback: >= 40 ft

  “12,000 sq.ft. 65’ 35’ 40’ 10’ 40’ 40’ minimum floor area 2 maximum % of lot coverage 3 1,200 sq.ft. 50% 8”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Land inside Secord township's limits, R-1 recreational residential district.

  • Lot coverage read from the garbled table; verify against the printed schedule and footnote 3.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 50 percent

  “12,000 sq.ft. 65’ 35’ 40’ 10’ 40’ 40’ minimum floor area 2 maximum % of lot coverage 3 1,200 sq.ft. 50% 8”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Land inside Secord township's limits, R-1 recreational residential district.

  • Height is read from the garbled table; verify against the printed schedule.

  maximum height of structure: <= 35 ft

  “12,000 sq.ft. 65’ 35’ 40’ 10’ 40’ 40’ minimum floor area 2 maximum % of lot coverage 3 1,200 sq.ft. 50% 8”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  A manufactured home newly sited on an individual lot inside Secord township.

  • Must meet the minimum lot size, yard setbacks and minimum floor area for the district.
  • Must be attached to an approved permanent foundation or basement and anchored to MMC requirements (section 3.15 a).

  “a manufactured home newly sited on an individual lot shall meet the standards for minimum lot size, yard set-backs, and minimum floor area for the district in which it is located”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home inside Secord township.
• Building code adopted — State or local building code adoption for Secord township.
• Inspections — Building inspection for construction inside Secord township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for a new home inside Secord township.
• Living in an RV — Long-term or temporary RV occupancy on private land inside Secord 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.