Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Ashley, Michigan

Village of Ashley’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Ashley village limits (Village of Ashley, Gratiot County, MI); village zoning ordinance with districts RA, R4, C, D, DTB, PUD, MF, TH and SC

  • Enforced by the gratiot county zoning officer and/or any ashley village official designated by village council resolution (Article 1, Section 3).

  “the provisions of this ordinance shall be enforced by the gratiot county zoning officer and/ or any ashley village official as may from time to time be designated by resolution of the ashley village council.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Ashley village

  • District boundaries are shown on the zoning map (updated July 2023) kept in the village office; the map itself was not opened.
  • Districts: RA residential and agricultural; R4 residential; C commercial; D industrial; DTB downtown business; PUD; MF multi-family; TH tiny house; SC site condominium.

  “residential and agricultural district residential district commercial district industrial district downtown business district planned unit development area multi family dwelling district tiny house district site condominium district”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the RA (residential and agricultural) district inside Ashley village

  • Porches, garages, breezeways and carports are not counted toward the square footage.
  • Duplex units: same minimum 990 sq ft each.

  minimum dwelling floor area: >= 990 sq ft · minimum street-facing width: >= 24 ft

  “ra- in ra and commercial zone districts, the minimum square footage of a dwelling is 990 square feet per dwelling with a street facing width of not less than 24 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the R4 (residential) district inside Ashley village

    “r4- in r4 zone districts, the minimum square footage of a dwelling is reduced to 840 square feet with a structure width of not less than 14 feet for all structures including manufactured homes and duplex dwellings.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the R4 (residential) district inside Ashley village

  • Table of height and area regulations (Article 2, Section 12).

  minimum lot area: >= 8000 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 66 ft

  “minimum lot area, lot width district ra 8,000 square feet, 66 feet width district r4 8,000 square feet, 66 feet width”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in the RA (residential and agricultural) district inside Ashley village

    “minimum lot area, lot width district ra 8,000 square feet, 66 feet width district r4 8,000 square feet, 66 feet width”

  • Specified — Lots in the TH (tiny house) district inside Ashley village

    “district mf 2 acres, 209 feet width district th 5,000 square feet, 50 feet width”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal buildings in the R4 (residential) district inside Ashley village

  • Accessory buildings are not nearer than 5 ft to a side or rear lot line without neighbor consent, per the accessory building section.

  minimum front yard: >= 25 ft · minimum rear yard: >= 25 ft · minimum side yard: >= 10 ft

  “minimum side yard district ra 6 feet district r4 10 feet district c 20 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal buildings in the RA (residential and agricultural) district inside Ashley village

    “minimum side yard district ra 6 feet district r4 10 feet district c 20 feet”

• Lot coverageNone

  RA and R4 districts inside Ashley village

  • The table lists maximum coverage after setbacks as 'no regulation' for RA and R4; the 70% limit applies to the D district.

  “maximum coverage after setbacks district ra no regulation district r4 no regulation”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in the R4 (residential) district inside Ashley village

  • Table of height and area regulations (Article 2, Section 12).

  maximum building height: <= 30 ft

  “maximum height district ra 30 feet district r4 30 feet district c 30 feet and 2 stories”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings in the RA (residential and agricultural) district inside Ashley village

    “maximum height district ra 30 feet district r4 30 feet district c 30 feet and 2 stories”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Tiny house dwellings inside Ashley village under the village zoning ordinance section 'th district- tiny house -adu'

  • Up to two tiny house dwellings may be on the same lot as detached single-family dwellings.
  • Planning commission reviews proximity, setbacks and surrounding residential structures (special land use review).

  maximum tiny house dwellings per lot: <= 2 dwellings

  “tiny house up to two (2) tiny house dwellings, separate from each one from the other can be located on the same lot as detached single-family dwellings.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes used as single-family dwellings inside Ashley village, including the R4 district

  • Structure must be firmly attached to a permanent foundation built on site under the Gratiot County building code.
  • The ordinance cites the HUD manufactured home standard (24 CFR 3280) for compliance.
  • R4 minimum size is reduced to 840 sq ft for manufactured homes and duplex dwellings.

  “5. the structure must be firmly attached to a permanent foundation constructed on the site in accordance with the gratiot county building code.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units (ADU) inside Ashley village, under the TH (tiny house) district regulation

  • One ADU per lot, subject to planning commission special land use review.
  • Minimum lot area 5,000 sq ft with an existing detached single-family dwelling.
  • ADU may not be located within the front yard.
  • Deed restriction enforceable by the village must be recorded before a building permit; ADU may not be mortgaged, sold or conveyed separately from the primary dwelling.

  minimum lot area for ADU: >= 5000 sq ft

  “i. front yard prohibited. the adu may not be located within the front yard.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Single-family and other dwellings inside Ashley village

  • Applies if public water and sewer are available.
  • Where the public system is not made available, a private system approved by the Gratiot County Health Department is required.

  “8. the dwelling must be connected to the village public water and sewer system if available.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Site condominium projects inside Ashley village (SC district)

  • Master deed must incorporate the approved final plan and be recorded with the Gratiot County Register of Deeds (Article 2, site condominium section 9).
  • The ordinance addresses site condominiums only; conventional plats under the Michigan land division rules were not opened.

  “no buildings or structures shall be constructed nor shall any other site improvements or changes be made on the property in connection with a proposed site condominium project except in compliance with a final site condominium project plan as approved by the village council”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Review fees for projects under the village zoning ordinance inside Ashley village

  • Fee amounts are set by village council resolution and amended from time to time; the ordinance itself publishes no fee amounts.
  • Fee schedule resolutions were not located.

  “the schedule of fees for the review of projects under this ordinance shall be as required by village council resolution as amended from time to time.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit process for construction inside Ashley village

  • Enforcement is by the Gratiot County zoning officer and/or village officials designated by council resolution.
  • The ordinance states a zoning permit is required before construction but does not describe application steps; the village office procedure was not located.

  “the provisions of this ordinance shall be enforced by the gratiot county zoning officer and/ or any ashley village official as may from time to time be designated by resolution of the ashley village council.”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Ashley

Village of Ashley 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

  Construction or alteration of dwellings inside Ashley village (district of Gratiot County)

  • A village zoning permit is required before construction (Article 1 definitions, dwelling-single family, item 11).
  • The zoning ordinance does not waive the duty to obtain a county or state building permit under applicable county or state building codes.
  • Permit fees and issuing office were not stated in the ordinance.

  “nothing in this ordinance shall be construed to waive the duty to obtain a building permit the county or state in accordance with all applicable county or state building codes, provisions and requirements.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private sewage systems for dwellings inside Ashley village where public sewer is not made available

  • Applies only where the public system is not made available for connection.
  • The county health department service area was not confirmed on a county page; the authority is taken from the village ordinance text.

  “in the event that the public system not made available for connection, the dwelling must be connected to a private water and sewer system approved by the gratiot county health department.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Dwellings inside Ashley village without access to the public water and sewer system

  • Private water and sewer system must be approved by the Gratiot County Health Department.
  • Health department rules were not opened.

  “in the event that the public system not made available for connection, the dwelling must be connected to a private water and sewer system approved by the gratiot county health department.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Ashley or Gratiot County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for dwellings inside Ashley village
• Inspections — Building inspections for dwellings inside Ashley village
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for dwellings inside Ashley village
• Living in an RV — Occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside Ashley village
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Ashley village

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.