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

Rives Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, removal, moving, alteration or use of a building inside Rives township, under the zoning ordinance definition.

  • The definition ties the permit to conformity with the zoning ordinance. Fees, application steps and any exemptions are not confirmed in the Chapter 17 text.
  • The Chapter 17 definition is the only permit language checked; the township building department forms page was not opened.

  “building permit: a building permit is a written authority issued by the building inspector permitting the construction, removal, moving, alteration or use of a building in conformity to the provisions of this ordinance.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Rives township limits. Rives township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Chapter 17), so county zoning does not govern land inside the township.

  • The adopted Chapter 17 text (ord. no. 2021-1, amended 6-15-21) was used. The township homepage shows a 9th draft of a replacement Chapter 17 that was not confirmed as adopted; check before relying on draft text.
  • Chapter 17 says it is adopted under Acts 184 of 1943 and 168 of 1959.

  “an ordinance to establish zoning districts and provisions governing the use of the land, natural resources and structures in rives township, jackson county, michigan”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Rives township limits: the zoning districts established by Chapter 17 section 17.20.

  • Districts named in section 17.20: AG agricultural, R residential, MHR mobile home residential, C commercial, and I industrial (I-1 dimensional table at section 17.57a).

  “agricultural district residential district mobile home residential district commercial district”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings inside Rives township

  • Applies to single-family dwellings and two-family units (750 sq ft per unit), which must also meet the building code's habitable room height rules.
  • Mobile homes used as single-family dwellings are subject to the same size standard.

  minimum living area: >= 750 square feet (plus 150 square feet for each bedroom beyond two)

  “the dwelling shall contain a minimum of seven hundred fifty (750) square feet of living area with one hundred fifty (150) square feet for each additional bedroom beyond two (2).”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential (R) district without sewer inside Rives township

  • Applies to lots not served by public sewer.
  • Open-space development option text was not fully captured.

  minimum lot area: >= 2 acres (residential district without sewer) · minimum lot width: >= 200 feet · minimum lot depth: >= 250 feet

  “2 acres 200 ft. 25% 50 ft. 25 ft. 50 ft. depth 250 ft.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Agricultural (AG) district inside Rives township

    “minimum lot area 2 acres minimum minimum lot lot width coverage front side rear 200 ft. 25% 50 ft. 25 ft. 50 ft. depth 250 ft.”

  • District specific (with conditions) — Residential (R) district with sewer inside Rives township

    “1.5 acres 200 ft. 25% 50 ft. 25 ft. 50 ft. depth 250 ft.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural (AG) district inside Rives township

  • Front yard setbacks are measured from the edge of the applicable road easement or right-of-way.
  • Accessory buildings under 865 sq ft may be built as close as 10 feet to the rear lot line in residential and agricultural zoning if no taller than 10 feet.

  front yard setback: >= 50 feet (measured from road easement or right-of-way edge) · side yard setback: >= 25 feet · rear yard setback: >= 50 feet

  “c. one accessory building or structure of less than 865 (eight hundred sixty five) square feet may be built as close as ten (10) feet to the rear lot line in residential and agricultural zoning providing such building is no taller than ten (10) feet tall at its tallest point.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Residential (R) district without sewer inside Rives township

    “2 acres 200 ft. 25% 50 ft. 25 ft. 50 ft. depth 250 ft.”

  • District specific (with conditions) — Residential (R) district with sewer inside Rives township

    “1.5 acres 200 ft. 25% 50 ft. 25 ft. 50 ft. depth 250 ft.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Agricultural (AG) district inside Rives township

  • Lot coverage is the percentage of the lot covered by buildings, as read from the section 17.58 table column heading 'lot coverage'.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 25 percent

  “minimum lot area 2 acres minimum minimum lot lot width coverage front side rear 200 ft. 25% 50 ft. 25 ft. 50 ft. depth 250 ft.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Residential (R) district without sewer inside Rives township

    “2 acres 200 ft. 25% 50 ft. 25 ft. 50 ft. depth 250 ft.”

  • Specified — Residential (R) district with sewer inside Rives township

    “1.5 acres 200 ft. 25% 50 ft. 25 ft. 50 ft. depth 250 ft.”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Travel trailers and motor homes used as a permanent residence inside Rives township

  • Travel trailers and motor homes may be used only in duly licensed travel trailer parks.
  • The same subsection allows a travel trailer or motor home to be occupied as a temporary dwelling for a period not to exceed one week on certain parcels. That sentence was cut off in the captured text, so its conditions were not verified.

  “no travel trailer or motor home shall be used as a permanent residence. travel trailers and motor homes shall be used only in duly licensed travel trailer parks.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Travel trailers and motor homes used for camping or temporary occupancy inside Rives township

  • Use outside a duly licensed travel trailer park is limited.
  • A one-week temporary occupancy allowance on certain parcels exists in the same subsection, but its full text and conditions were not captured.

  temporary occupancy period: <= 1 week (on a parcel meeting conditions in the cut-off sentence of Chapter 17 section 17.32(d))

  “a travel trailer or motor home may be permitted to be occupied as a temporary dwelling for a period not to exceed one week provided such travel trailer or motor home is situated on a parcel of land upon which is located a dwelling with water and sanitary facilities accessible to the travel trailer or mobile home occupants and certified by the zoning inspector.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile and manufactured homes used as single-family dwellings inside Rives township

  • Replacement or newly moved mobile homes must be no more than five years old.
  • Mobile homes must meet HUD construction standards, be anchored under Michigan Mobile Home Commission rules, and meet the perimeter-wall and roof-overhang requirements of the single-family definition.
  • Replacing a mobile home requires removal of the existing one first (section 17.10 subsection k).

  maximum age of mobile home moved in or used as replacement: <= 5 years

  “mobile homes moved into rives township henceforth and replacement mobile homes shall not be more than five (5) years old and must comply with hud mobile home construction and safety standards effective june 15, 1976 (24cfr 3280).”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Limited — One mobile home for the owner during construction of a new permanent dwelling on the same premises inside Rives township

    “no temporary mobile home permit shall be issued until a foundation and water for a permanent dwelling has been completed and ready for framing, inspected and approved.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Land zoned mobile home residential (MHR) inside Rives township

  • Applies only to the MHR district; the ordinance does not state a general public water or sewer connection rule for single-family homes in the AG or R districts.
  • The dimensional table lists separate R districts 'without sewer' and 'with sewer'.

  “mhr zoning requires public sanitary waste disposal and public water supply.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New curb cuts and driveways on lots inside Rives township

  • Approval by the zoning inspector and any other county and state authority required by law is needed.
  • Approval may not be given where the curb cut or driveway would unnecessarily increase traffic hazards.

  “curb cuts and driveways may be located only upon approval by the zoning inspector and such other county and state authorities as required by law; provided however, such approval shall not be given where such curb cuts and driveways shall unnecessarily increase traffic hazards.”

Rules another office applies inside Rives Township

Rives Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite septic systems serving land inside Rives township. The Jackson County Health Department approves the septic tank system, per the township ordinance, so the county health department applies inside Rives township.

  • Shown only in the mobile home temporary-occupancy rule; the full septic permit authority chain was not verified.
  • The EGLE page says local health departments handle onsite wastewater review and approval under state law.

  “approved by the jackson county health department for the permanent dwelling to be constructed thereat.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Rives township
• Building code adopted — Construction codes used inside Rives township
• Certificate of occupancy — New dwellings inside Rives township
• Building height — Principal dwellings in the AG and R districts inside Rives township
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Rives 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.