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

Village of Caledonia’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Caledonia village limits, under the village's own zoning ordinance (chapters IV through XV, including AG, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, C-1, C-2, I-1 and PUD districts)

  • The zoning ordinance is the village's own compiled ordinance hosted on villageofcaledonia.org.
  • The village Planning & Zoning page was not opened; a search summary said it still links a February 15, 2024 zoning ordinance, so the current version should be confirmed with the village.
  • The compiled PDF does not itself name Kent County in the text reviewed; the village's 49316 ZIP and office address came from a search summary only and were not verified on an official page.

  “chapter vi r-1 low density single family district 6-1 section 6.1 description and purpose”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Caledonia village limits

  • Table of contents lists Chapter IV Zoning Districts with a zoning map (section 4.2) and areas not included within a district (section 4.3), then Chapter V AG Agricultural-Residential, Chapter VI R-1, Chapter VII R-2, Chapter VIII R-3, Chapter VIIIa R-4, Chapter IX C-1, Chapter X C-2, Chapter XI I-1 Light Industrial and Chapter XII PUD.
  • The zoning map is listed in the table of contents; this claim does not verify the map's current contents.

  “chapter v ag agricultural-residential district 5-1 section 5.1 description and purpose”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwelling units in the AG agricultural-residential district inside Caledonia village

  • Floor area measured as usable floor area above basement level; floor levels separated by five feet or less count as one floor level.

  minimum usable floor area above basement level: >= 1000 square feet · minimum floor area on floor nearest ground level at front of building: >= 700 square feet

  “section 5.6 minimum floor area. each dwelling unit shall have a minimum of one thousand (1,000) square feet of usable floor area above basement level, of which seven hundred (700) square feet shall be located on the floor nearest to ground level at the front of the building.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Dwelling units in the R-1 low density single family district inside Caledonia village

    “section 6.6 minimum floor area. each dwelling unit shall have a minimum of one thousand (1,000) square feet of usable floor area above basement level, of which seven hundred (700) square feet shall be located on the floor nearest to ground level at the front of the building.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-2 medium density single family district inside Caledonia village

  • Lots not served with public sewer require 12,000 square feet and 100 feet.
  • Pre-existing platted or of-record lots that do not meet the minimum may be used for single-family dwelling only if permitted under section 3.3(b) of the ordinance.

  minimum lot area (public sewer): >= 10000 square feet (Lots not served with public sewer: 12,000 square feet) · minimum lot width (public sewer): >= 80 feet (Lots not served with public sewer: 100 feet)

  “the minimum lot area and width for a single family dwelling shall be ten thousand (10,000) square feet and eighty (80) feet, respectively; provided, however, that the minimum lot area and width for lots not served with public sewer shall be twelve thousand (12,000) square feet and one hundred (100) feet, respectively”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family lots in the AG agricultural-residential district inside Caledonia village

    “(d) lot area and width. the minimum lot area and lot width shall be one (1) acre and two hundred (200) feet, respectively”

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the R-1 low density single family district inside Caledonia village

    “(d) lot area and width (single family). the minimum lot area and width for a single family dwelling shall be twenty thousand (20,000) square feet and one hundred (100) feet, respectively”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal buildings in the AG agricultural-residential district inside Caledonia village

  • Side-yard requirement applies to residential buildings and structures; other buildings have separate two-side-yard rules in the same section.
  • Accessory buildings are regulated under section 3.9 and were not reviewed.

  front yard minimum: >= 50 feet · total side yards minimum (residential): >= 50 feet (no side yard less than 20 feet) · minimum single side yard (residential): >= 20 feet · rear yard minimum: >= 75 feet

  “(a) front yard. there shall be a front yard of not less than fifty (50) feet.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Principal buildings in the R-1 low density single family district inside Caledonia village

    “(c) rear yard. there shall be a rear yard of not less than twenty-five (25) feet; provided, however, that, in the case of lakefront lots, the rear yards shall be not less than seventy-five (75) feet.”

  • Specified — Principal buildings in the R-2 medium density single family district inside Caledonia village

    “(b) side yard. there shall be total side yards of not less than twenty (20) feet; provided, however, that no side yard shall be less than seven (7) feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings and structures in the AG agricultural-residential district inside Caledonia village

  • Exceptions to the height limit elsewhere in the ordinance were not reviewed.

  maximum building or structure height: <= 35 feet

  “section 5.7 height. height regulation. no building or structure shall exceed thirty-five (35) feet in”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings and structures in the R-1 low density single family district inside Caledonia village

    “section 6.7 height. height regulation. no building or structure shall exceed thirty-five (35) feet in”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for construction inside Caledonia village
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for work inside Caledonia village
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Caledonia village
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Caledonia village
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Caledonia 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.