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

Bates Township’s own rules

• InspectionsLimited

  Inspections of new buildings inside Bates township under the township zoning ordinance

  • The township ordinance makes inspection discretionary and tied to foundation excavation, completion, or any other time the zoning administrator deems necessary.
  • Failure to give proper notice of inspections cancels the certificate and requires a new certificate before construction or occupancy may proceed.
  • Building-code inspections are performed by the agency that enforces the building code, not the township (Section 10.02b.4); the county inspector's schedule was not located.

  “the erection of every building or structure may be subject to inspections”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Bates township's unincorporated portions: Bates Township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Ordinance No. 11, June 2010) under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act.

  • The ordinance's stated scope is the unincorporated portions of Bates township; the township posts a disclaimer that its online ordinances may not reflect the most current adopted legislation.
  • The township's 2019-2039 master plan is under review and the zoning ordinance was described as subject to a planning commission audit in 2026; confirm the current adopted text with the township before relying on any single section.

  “an ordinance to establish zoning districts and regulations in the unincorporated portions of bates township, iron county, michigan”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Land in the unincorporated portions of Bates township, which the ordinance divides into the districts R-1, R-2, L-1/L-2, S-1, R-F, I and C.

  • The ordinance names the districts in Section 2.01 (a. R-1 suburban residential and restricted commercial; b. R-2 agricultural rural residential and restricted commercial; c. lake areas L-1 and L-2; d. river areas S-1; e. recreation and forestry R-F; f. industry I; g. commercial C).
  • The zoning map itself is kept for public inspection at the township hall and was not found posted online, so the map is only partially published.

  “the location of the areas included in each said zoning district are depicted upon the zoning map of bates township, iron county, state of michigan and are available for public inspection in the townsh”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Dwellings in the suburban residential and restricted commercial district (R-1) inside Bates township's unincorporated portions

  • Schedule 9.01a is the controlling chart; the extracted PDF table does not clearly show a lot width value for this row.
  • Lots of record that were smaller than the minimum when the ordinance was enacted may still take a one-family dwelling, with side yards reduced by no more than 50 percent but not less than 5 feet (Section 9.02b).
  • Lakefront L-1, L-2 and S-1 lots have separate frontage and depth minimums (150 or 200 lineal feet of frontage and 300 feet of depth, Article 5).

  minimum lot area (dwellings): >= 22500 sq ft (Schedule 9.01a; the extracted table row also reads 'sq. ft.' for non-dwellings, which may repeat this area)

  “suburban residential and restricted dwellings 25 feet 25 feet 25 feet 22,500”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Dwellings in the agricultural rural residential and restricted commercial district (R-2) inside Bates township's unincorporated portions

    “agricultural rural residential and dwellings 25 feet 25 feet 25 feet 22,500”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Dwellings in the R-1 district inside Bates township: front, side and rear setbacks

  • Non-dwelling structures in R-1 use a front setback of 25 feet, a side yard of 10 feet and a rear yard of 5 feet (Schedule 9.01a).
  • Accessory buildings must be at least the side setback from any side lot line and at least the main building's setback from the premises (Section 9.02e); buildings of 120 square feet or less are exempt if setbacks are observed (Section 1.04b).
  • No structure may be within 500 feet of a township water well or tank, or within 10 feet of a township water or sewer line, without special approval (Schedule 9.01a notes).
  • Roads: no building or planting may be less than 25 feet from a public road intersection (Section 9.02d).

  front setback (dwelling): >= 25 ft · side yard (dwelling): >= 25 ft · rear yard (dwelling): >= 25 ft

  “suburban residential and restricted dwellings 25 feet 25 feet 25 feet 22,500”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Dwellings in the agricultural rural residential (R-2) district inside Bates township: front, side and rear setbacks

    “agricultural rural residential and dwellings 25 feet 25 feet 25 feet 22,500”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 district inside Bates township: combined area of all structures

  • The 50 percent limit is stated under Schedule 9.01a for each listed classification; it applies to R-1 as a listed classification.
  • The sentence refers to the combined total of structures in each classification, not to a single building.

  maximum combined structure coverage: <= 50 percent (of lot, per Schedule 9.01a note)

  “the combined total area of all above structures in each listed classification shall not exceed fifty percent (50%) of lot coverage”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in the R-2 district inside Bates township: combined area of all structures

    “the combined total area of all above structures in each listed classification shall not exceed fifty percent (50%) of lot coverage”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in the industry (I) district inside Bates township only

  • Applies only to the industry district; no residential height limit is stated in the same section.
  • Fire-protection and performance-standard conditions in Article 7 also apply.

  maximum building height: <= 40 ft

  “height: no building or structure shall exceed a maximum of 40 feet in height”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  A trailer coach used as a dwelling while the owner builds a home on the same premises inside Bates township

  • Only one trailer coach may be placed, and it may be occupied only while the dwelling is under construction.
  • Occupancy may not exceed twelve months from the date of issuance of a certificate of compliance for the construction.
  • Water supply and sewage disposal must be installed under Section 9.06 before the trailer is permitted, and the owner must sign the certificate acknowledging the limits and penalties.

  maximum occupancy period: <= 12 months (from date of issuance of certificate of compliance for construction)

  “a property owner in any district may be permitted to erect or move not more than one trailer coach upon any premises which qualifies for a dwelling”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Limited — Long-term occupancy of a trailer coach or RV as a dwelling on private land inside Bates township

    “the location and occupancy of trailer coaches and similar portable facilities shall be limited to licensed trailer courts and camping grounds, except that such facilities may be utilized for seasonal dwelling purposes without such limitations when located in district r-f (6.01), l-2 (5.01) and s-1 (5.01)”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping and temporary trailer or tent occupancy on private land inside Bates township

  • Trailer coaches and similar portable facilities are limited to licensed trailer courts and camping grounds, except seasonal dwelling in R-F, L-2 and S-1 and the construction-period trailer in Section 9.05b.
  • Public camping facilities owned by a government body are exempt from the article 5 waterfront standards if open to the general public (Section 5.02e).

  “the location and occupancy of trailer coaches and similar portable facilities shall be limited to licensed trailer courts and camping grounds”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Mobile home occupancy in the agricultural rural residential (R-2) district inside Bates township

  • Mobile homes are a primary use without special approval in R-2 only; the R-1 district lists single-family dwellings, not mobile homes.
  • Setbacks, lot size and water and septic rules in Sections 9.01 and 9.06 still apply.
  • The township's definitions of mobile home (Section 13.10) and the R-1 treatment were not opened.

  “4.02a primary uses (without special approval): 1. any use allowed in the r1 district 2. mobile homes”

• Accessory dwellingsProhibited

  A second dwelling or dwelling-purpose structure accessory to a home inside Bates township's R-2 district

  • Accessory buildings and uses in R-2 exclude any building or structure for dwelling purposes; similar exclusions appear in the lake, river and R-F accessory-use sections (5.02d, 6.02c).
  • Accessory buildings of 120 square feet or less are exempt from the ordinance if setbacks are observed (Section 1.04b); this does not authorize dwelling use.
  • The R-1 accessory-use text in the PDF is broken across lines; its exclusion of dwelling-purpose structures was read as similar but was not quoted.

  “accessory buildings, structures and uses customarily incidental to any permitted use or approved use, but not including any building or structure for dwelling purposes.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Non-connected buildings inside Bates township, sanitation other than a septic system

  • Outside privies are allowed only in the recreation and forestry (R-F) district and only under the health district's standards.
  • Septic tanks and disposal fields near a river must be at least 100 feet from the river's edge and the bottom of the field at least four feet above the high water table (Section 5.01b.6f).

  “except that an outside privy may be erected and maintained in accordance with such health district standards in recreation and forestry district, r-f”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  A new home inside Bates township: whether it must connect to township water or sewer depends on whether the lot is served; the zoning ordinance accepts a septic and well system only where the building is not connected

  • The zoning ordinance's general standard makes a connection an alternative to on-site water and septic, not a mandate.
  • The township Public Water Service Ordinance No. 506 and Sewer Ordinance No. 507 are listed on the township ordinances page but their text was not opened, so any mandatory-connection distance rule is not verified.
  • The township master plan says water and sewer utilities sit mainly in the southern part of the township; properties elsewhere rely on wells and septic systems.

  “unless connected with the sanitary and/or water supply facilities, every building or structure hereafter erected on any premises”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Dwellings on lands subject to flooding or high groundwater, in the river (S-1) and L-2 lake and river areas inside Bates township

  • Land filling to meet minimum requirements needs all DNRE permits, must keep the 50-foot native strip, and must not let material enter the river.
  • Septic tanks and disposal fields must be at least 100 feet from the river's edge.
  • Flood-zone permitting beyond the township ordinance was not opened within the budget.

  minimum separation to high groundwater: >= 6 ft (between finished grade and high ground water table)

  “no dwelling may be constructed on lands which are subject to flooding or on land with less than 6 feet between the finished grade level of the ground surface and the high ground water table.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning certificate of approval before erecting, moving or using a building or premises inside Bates township

  • Application is made in duplicate on township forms with a location description, proof of ownership and a sketch showing setbacks, septic and water facilities.
  • Zoning permits run for 12 months and may be renewed at the zoning administrator's discretion at one-half the original fee.
  • Building permits are separate and handled by the county office (see the building permit claim).

  zoning permit validity: 12 months

  “all zoning permits shall be issued for a 12-month period. permits may be renewed after 12 months at the discretion of the zoning administrator. upon reapplication, the renewal cost shall be one-half the original fee”

Rules another office applies inside Bates Township

Bates Township 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

  Building permits for new construction inside Bates township, issued through the Iron County construction code office because the township does not enforce building codes itself

  • Bates township's ordinance states that building codes are enforced by agencies other than the township, so building permits are handled by the county office rather than the township.
  • The county office requires a zoning permit (land use permit) from the local zoning official before it issues a building permit, plus the plans, septic and well permits, a contractor's license information if not owner-built, and the permit fee.
  • The Iron County document is a county office instruction sheet; it does not itself name Bates township, so the link to Bates rests on the township ordinance sentence quoted here.

  permit fee: determined by building inspector (Fee amount not stated on the instruction sheet)

  “when coming to the construction code office to secure a building permit jt is required that you have a copy from all sources of the following information”

• Who permits septicLocal

  Septic systems for buildings inside Bates township are governed by the Dickinson-Iron health district standards, not by a township septic ordinance

  • The township ordinance requires septic and water systems to meet standards recommended by the Dickinson-Iron health district, and requires the district to approve special means where soils are inadequate.
  • Iron County build instructions say septic and well permits come from the Dickinson-Iron health department.

  “a system of waste disposal maintained in accordance with the standards of material and installation recommended by the dickinson-iron health district”

• Septic permitRequired

  Septic tank permit for a new home on a lot inside Bates township, issued by the Dickinson-Iron health department

  • Iron County's construction code office requires a copy of the septic permit before it issues a building permit.
  • Connected properties on the township sewer system would not need this septic permit; the connection rule was not verified.

  “septic tank and water well permits from the dickinson-iron health department.”

• Well permitRequired

  Water well for a new home inside Bates township, permitted by the Dickinson-Iron health department

  • Iron County's construction code office requires a copy of the well permit before it issues a building permit.
  • The township requires a safe water supply for buildings not connected to public water (Section 9.06a).

  “septic tank and water well permits from the dickinson-iron health department.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Whether an owner may build without a licensed contractor inside Bates township
• Building code adopted — Which construction code editions govern new homes inside Bates township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for a new home inside Bates township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area for a dwelling inside Bates township
• Tiny homes — Occupancy of a tiny home as a dwelling inside Bates 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.