Building permits, zoning and septic in Cannon Township, Michigan

At a glance

Building permits

Required for new construction; IMS processes building and trade applications¹²

Zoning

Township ordinance and parcel-specific zoning districts³⁶

Septic permits

Kent County Health Department; required for construction, repair, enlargement or relocation, subject to stated exceptions⁷⁴

RV living

Up to 48 hours with sleeping accommodations, on a residential-district lot, for the owner or guests⁵

Accessory dwelling

RR district only; minimum 4-acre parcel and 500-square-foot unit; other limits apply⁸

Owner-builder

State licensing exemption for own use and occupancy on own property; building permits still apply⁹

Wells

County Health Department permit required for on-site well installation¹⁰

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Cannon Township, MI?

New home construction in Cannon Township requires a written building-permit application to the appropriate enforcing agency under Michigan law, except where a code exemption applies.¹ Cannon Township identifies Imperial Municipal Services (IMS) as the processor for building and trade permits.²

Michigan’s owner-builder licensing exemption covers a person building for their own use and occupancy on their own property; the exemption does not remove building-permit, inspection or zoning requirements.⁹ Permitted construction must receive periodic inspections by the enforcing agency, so ask IMS for the inspection schedule for your proposed home before work begins.¹¹²

Who handles Cannon Township building permits and zoning review?

Start with Cannon Township Planning and Zoning for residential zoning compliance and stormwater review; IMS processes the building and trade permits.¹²² The township’s current instructions keep zoning, driveway, stormwater and sewer applications at the township office, with applicable approvals required before IMS releases the building permit.²

Use the township’s permit page for the building application and related local forms.² Ask the Planning and Zoning Department to identify the zoning district and dimensional requirements for the parcel before submitting a house design.¹² We could not confirm current building-permit fee amounts; ask IMS for the project’s fee schedule.²

Does Cannon Township have zoning, lot-size and setback rules?

Cannon Township has its own zoning ordinance and an interactive zoning map with district-specific requirements.³⁶ The township’s zoning map resource provides dimensional requirements, allowable uses and zoning districts, so use the parcel’s district when checking a proposed house, outbuilding or additional dwelling.¹²

Cannon Township allows accessory dwelling units only in the RR district, on parcels of at least 4 acres, with principal-dwelling setbacks and a minimum floor area of 500 square feet.⁸ The maximum accessory dwelling area is the lesser of 35% of the principal dwelling’s usable floor area or 1,500 square feet; county health approval of on-site septic and well systems, parking and restrictive-covenant requirements also apply.⁸ These accessory-dwelling limits do not establish the minimum size for every principal home; ask township Planning and Zoning about the proposed dwelling and its district.⁸¹²

How do septic and well permits work in Cannon Township?

Kent County Health Department administers on-site sewage disposal inside Cannon Township.⁴ A Health Officer permit is required before constructing, repairing, enlarging or relocating a sewage disposal facility, with exceptions for direct public-sewer discharge, certain state or federal jurisdiction, and work the Health Officer determines is minor.⁷ New-construction septic applications require a detailed site plan and floorplans.¹³

Cannon Township septic permits remain valid for 2 years unless the Health Officer approves an extension, and cannot transfer to a different holder or property.¹⁴ Permitted septic work requires final inspection before approval, unless the Health Officer can verify adequacy by other means.¹⁵ On-site well installation also requires a county health permit; arrange the county’s site evaluation before relying on a parcel for private water and wastewater service.¹⁰¹³

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Cannon Township?

Cannon Township prohibits using a mobile home or recreational vehicle as a dwelling under the cited provision, but allows temporary RV occupancy for up to 48 hours when the RV has sleeping accommodations, sits on a residential-district lot, and serves the lot owner or guests.⁵ That limited allowance does not authorize living in an RV throughout a home build.⁵

We could not confirm a separate Cannon Township tiny-home occupancy rule; ask township Planning and Zoning to classify the proposed unit and use before buying it.¹² A small accessory dwelling has a documented path in the RR district, but must meet the parcel, floor-area, setback, health, parking and covenant conditions.⁸ Off-grid sanitation still requires the applicable Health Officer approval for private sewage disposal.¹⁶

What are the steps to building a home in Cannon Township?

1. Identify the parcel’s zoning district and ask Cannon Township Planning and Zoning for allowable uses and dimensional requirements.¹²
2. For private utilities, arrange a Kent County Health Department site evaluation and submit the septic site plan, new-construction floorplans and well application as applicable.¹³¹⁰
3. Submit township zoning, driveway, stormwater and sewer applications as applicable; the township requires applicable approvals before IMS releases the building permit.²
4. Submit the written building-permit application and construction plans to the appropriate enforcing agency; IMS processes Cannon Township building and trade permits.¹²
5. Coordinate required building inspections with the enforcing agency and final septic inspection with the county Health Officer.¹¹¹⁵

What should you check before buying land in Cannon Township?

For a driveway involving work in a county-road right-of-way, Kent County Road Commission requires its own permit; Cannon Township also processes local driveway applications.¹⁷² Ask both offices which approvals apply to the proposed entrance.¹⁷² For floodplain land, Michigan’s Part 31 review applies to rivers, streams or drains with drainage areas of at least 2 square miles, and new residential construction is prohibited in the floodway.¹⁸

Kent County’s soil figures are county-wide: only 2% of soils rate “not limited” for conventional septic drain fields, which calls for a parcel-specific evaluation rather than assuming septic is impossible.¹⁹ For land outside Cannon Township, consult the Kent County guide; local zoning ordinances differ across the county’s jurisdictions.²⁰

Watch-outs

• Cannon Township’s permit page says online payments are no longer accepted; confirm payment arrangements before submitting building and related applications.²
• Cannon Township’s qualifying RV occupancy allowance is only up to 48 hours, so do not plan on an RV as housing throughout construction.⁵
• We could not confirm Cannon Township’s specific floodplain ordinance provisions or a general agricultural building-permit exemption; ask township Planning and Zoning and IMS before committing to those projects.¹²²

Sources

1. Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act, MCL 125.1510 (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
2. Imperial Municipal Services (IMS) — Cannon Township building and trade permits (cannontwp.gov)
3. Chapter 450: Zoning (Cannon Township), quoted and re-checked
4. Septic & Well (Cannon Township), quoted and re-checked
5. ecode360.com (Cannon Township), quoted and re-checked
6. Chapter 450: Zoning (Cannon Township), quoted and re-checked
7. Sewage Disposal Regulations for Kent County, MI (Cannon Township), quoted and re-checked
8. ecode360.com (Cannon Township), quoted and re-checked
9. Frequently Asked Questions – Residential Builder (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Septic & Well (Cannon Township), quoted and re-checked
11. courts.michigan.gov (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Cannon Township Planning and Zoning Department (cannontwp.gov)
13. Kent County Health Department -- Environmental Health Division (kentcountymi.gov)
14. Septic & Well (Cannon Township), quoted and re-checked
15. Sewage Disposal Regulations for Kent County, MI (Cannon Township), quoted and re-checked
16. Sewage Disposal Regulations for Kent County, MI (Cannon Township), quoted and re-checked
17. Kent County Road Commission (KCRC) (kentcountyroads.net)
18. Floodplains (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
20. 2025 Kent County Fair Housing Analysis & Equity Plan, quoted and re-checked

Written October 12, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.