Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Mason, Michigan

Mason’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Mason city limits (City of Mason, Michigan). Does not apply to the unincorporated county area or to Mason Township.

  • The adopted zoning chapter (Chapter 94 Zoning) governs uses and dimensional rules for every zoning district in the city.
  • The AmLegal page is the code host for the Mason, MI code. The page identifies itself as 'mason, mi code of ordinances'; do not confuse with Mason, Ohio.
  • Article IV district regulation text (sec. 94-121 to 94-161) and Article III administrative text (sec. 94-95 to 94-97) were not fully captured in the research session; only section titles and the Article II district list were read.

  “the following zoning districts are hereby established for the city: ag district: single-family agriculture district”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts within Mason city limits

  • Districts listed in Sec. 94-61: AG, RS-1, RS-2, RS-3, R2F, RM, MH, O-1, O-2, C-1, C-2, C-3, M-1, M-2, PUD.
  • Sec. 94-62 refers to a zoning district map; the map itself was not opened.

  “the following zoning districts are hereby established for the city: ag district: single-family agriculture district rs-1 district: low density single-family residential district rs-2 district: medium density single-family residential district”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  RS-1 low density single-family residential district (Sec. 94-123) in Mason city

  • Footnote (6) to Table 100-2 governs this minimum and its text was not captured; the table value may be modified by that footnote.
  • Minimum width of principal structure 24 ft and minimum internal height 7.5 ft appear in the same row.

  minimum floor area per dwelling unit: >= 1200 sq ft (footnote (6) applies; text not captured)

  “rs-1 sec. 94-123 35 25 (5) 1,200 (6) 24 7.5”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — AG single-family agriculture district (Sec. 94-122) in Mason city

    “ag sec. 94-122 35 (4) 25 (5) 1,200 (6) 24 7.5”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  RS-1 low density single-family residential district (Sec. 94-123) in Mason city

  • Table 100-1 footnotes listed after Table 100-2 were not captured; they may modify this value.
  • Minimum lot area per principal structure is also 12,000 sq. feet in the same row.

  minimum lot size: >= 12000 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 90 ft

  “rs-1 sec. 94-123 12,000 90 12,000 30 15 40 30”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — AG single-family agriculture district (Sec. 94-122) in Mason city

    “ag sec. 94-122 30,000 225 30,000 30 15 40 15”

• SetbacksSpecified

  RS-1 low density single-family residential district (Sec. 94-123) in Mason city

  • Footnotes after Table 100-2 were not captured; they may modify these setbacks.
  • Accessory-structure setbacks are not stated in Table 100-1 and were not captured.

  minimum front yard setback: >= 30 ft · minimum side yard setback: >= 15 ft · minimum rear yard setback: >= 40 ft

  “rs-1 sec. 94-123 12,000 90 12,000 30 15 40 30”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — AG single-family agriculture district (Sec. 94-122) in Mason city

    “ag sec. 94-122 30,000 225 30,000 30 15 40 15”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  AG single-family agriculture district (Sec. 94-122) in Mason city

  • Maximum percentage of lot coverage by all structures; footnotes after Table 100-2 were not captured.

  maximum lot coverage by all structures: <= 15 percent of lot

  “ag sec. 94-122 30,000 225 30,000 30 15 40 15”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — RS-1 low density single-family residential district (Sec. 94-123) in Mason city

    “rs-1 sec. 94-123 12,000 90 12,000 30 15 40 30”

• Building heightSpecified

  RS-1 low density single-family residential district (Sec. 94-123) in Mason city

  • Footnote (5) applies to the accessory-structure height and footnote (6) to the floor-area column; the footnote text was not captured.
  • Table 100-2 is the source for these heights.

  maximum height principal structure: <= 35 ft · maximum height accessory structure: <= 25 ft (footnote (5) applies; text not captured)

  “rs-1 sec. 94-123 35 25 (5) 1,200 (6) 24 7.5”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — AG single-family agriculture district (Sec. 94-122) in Mason city

    “ag sec. 94-122 35 (4) 25 (5) 1,200 (6) 24 7.5”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permit requirement for new construction inside Mason city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Mason city
• Building code adopted — Building code administered for construction inside Mason city
• Inspections — Building inspection requirement inside Mason city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Mason 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.