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

Vevay Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New residential construction and most building work inside Vevay township; the township processes the building permit.

  • Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are obtained through the State of Michigan.
  • Sheds of 200 square feet or smaller do not require a building permit but do require zoning approval.
  • No permit is required for re-shingling (two layers or less, no roof boards or rafters replaced), re-siding with no physical change other than siding, or same-size window replacements not requiring new headers.
  • Township approval is required before payment, and the permit is not issued until payment is received.

  shed size exempt from building permit: <= 200 sq ft (shed still requires zoning approval)

  “vevay township processes the building permit for your project. the electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are obtained through the state of michigan at this link.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Vevay township limits: Vevay township administers its own zoning ordinance (Ordinance 68, adopted 2008, amended through 68.56).

  • Zoning map is a separate document (zoning map 68.38, 4-16-17) and was not opened.
  • Amendments after the 68.56 text were not located.

  “the vevay township zoning ordinance of 2008 is based upon the vevay township master plan and provides for the establishment of zoning districts and district uses”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts and district map for Vevay township

  • Ordinance chapters 5 (agricultural), 6 (residential), 7 (manufactured home community), 8 (business), 9 (M-1 industrial), 10 (flood plain overlay) and 11 (planned unit development) are listed in the table of contents.
  • Zoning map is a separate document (68.38, 4-16-17).

  “the vevay township zoning ordinance of 2008 is based upon the vevay township master plan and provides for the establishment of zoning districts and district uses”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling in the A-1 agricultural district (Chapter 5, section 5.03) inside Vevay township

  • Table extraction places this value in the A-1 row; confirm column alignment against the ordinance page image.

  minimum dwelling unit floor area: >= 960 sq ft

  “maximum building height minimum dwelling unit floor area the lesser of 35 ft. or (2 ½) stories 960 sq. ft.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1a residential district (Chapter 6, section 6.03) inside Vevay township

  • Table flattened in extraction; this value is directly labeled r-1a.

  minimum lot area: >= 30000 sq ft

  “requirement r-1a minimum lot area 30,000 sq. ft.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A-1 agricultural district (Chapter 5, section 5.03) inside Vevay township

    “lot, yard, and building requirements requirement a-1 minimum 2 acres”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  A-1 agricultural district (Chapter 5, section 5.03) inside Vevay township

  • Label order in the flattened table matches the values: lot width 200 ft., front 60 ft., coverage 15%, rear 50 ft., ratio 1:4.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 15 percent

  “minimum front setback maximum lot coverage minimum rear setback lot width to depth ratio 200 ft. 60 ft. 15% 50 ft. 1:4”

• Building heightSpecified

  A-1 agricultural district (Chapter 5, section 5.03) inside Vevay township

  • Farm buildings or structures may be up to 120 feet in the A-1 district if set back at least 50 feet from the lot line.
  • Source text: farm buildings or structures may be up to one hundred and twenty (120) feet in height in the a-1 district, provided they are set back from the lot line by a minimum of fifty (50) feet.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (or 2.5 stories, whichever is lesser)

  “farm buildings or structures may be up to one hundred and twenty (120) feet in height in the a-1 district, provided they are set back from the lot line by a minimum of fifty (50) feet.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Occupying a recreational vehicle on residential land inside Vevay township

  • Only non-paying guests at a residence may occupy one recreational vehicle, for sleeping purposes only.
  • Maximum 21 days total in any calendar year.
  • Vehicle must be parked behind the required front setback.
  • Parking or storage is limited to the lot where the vehicle owner has primary residence.

  guest RV occupancy period: <= 7 consecutive days (total of 21 days in any calendar year)

  “it shall be lawful for only non-paying guests at a residence to occupy one (1) recreational vehicle, parked subject to the provisions of this ordinance, for sleeping purposes only, for a period not exceeding seven (7) consecutive days. the total number of days during which a recreational vehicle may be occupied under this sub-section shall not exceed twenty one (21) in any calendar year.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Land and buildings inside the regulatory flood plain overlay district (Chapter 10) in Vevay township

  • Planning commission approval is required before any building or land use in the regulatory flood plain.
  • Permitted uses are limited to farming, open recreation, and open space; no building may be placed within the overlay.

  “no building or structure shall be erected, converted or structurally altered, and no land and/or structure shall be used in the regulatory flood plain unless approved by the planning commission”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Township permit fees for work inside Vevay township

  • The fee schedule is posted as an image; individual fee amounts were not extracted.

  “fee schedule 2025-2026 click document to enlarge”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Residential building permit application process inside Vevay township

  • Submit completed application with building and site plans by email to the township supervisor.
  • Township approval is required before payment; permit is not issued until payment is received.

  “email completed application along with building and site plans to [email protected]”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homeowners building in Vevay township
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Vevay township
• Inspections — Building inspections for work inside Vevay township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Vevay township
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy inside Vevay 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.