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

Grattan Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Grattan township's limits: the township's official site lists a zoning department and zoning board of appeals, indicating the township administers its own zoning (Grattan Township Zoning Ordinance, first adopted effective June 20, 1990 per search snippet, compiled through Dec 31, 2019).

  • The township's zoning ordinance PDF (GT FULL Zoning Ordinance (Updated 01 2020)) redirects to the township homepage and could not be text-extracted, so the ordinance text itself was not read.
  • Amendments after 2019 (2023 rezoning and solar amendments listed on the Document Center) are not verified.

  “zoning department zoning board of appeals assessing department board of review”

Rules another office applies inside Grattan Township

Grattan 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)

  On-site sewage disposal (septic) for land inside Grattan township, administered by the Kent County Health Department Environmental Health program (Kent County, MI)

  • The Kent County page does not name Grattan township; it states its septic program countywide. Grattan-specific confirmation (township zoning application says septic permits come from Kent County Health Department Environmental Health Division) came only from a search snippet and was not opened.
  • Kent County page lists the Michigan Criteria for Subsurface Sewage Disposal and Kent County sewage disposal regulations as governing documents (not opened).

  “septic services site evaluation program to determine if the property is suitable for a particular type of development and suitable for on-site well and septic systems.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installing an on-site septic system on land inside Grattan township (Kent County Health Department permit)

  • Application must include a detailed site plan and floorplans if new construction.
  • Kent County Health Department card payments carry a convenience fee effective October 1, 2026 (per the Permits & Evaluations page).
  • Septic permit fee amount was not confirmed on an opened page (a search snippet cites $400 for a new septic permit on the non-residential form; not verified).

  “required permit for installation of on-site sewage disposal (septic) systems. the application must include a detailed site plan and floorplans if new construction.”

• Well permitRequired

  Installing an on-site water supply (well) system on land inside Grattan township (Kent County Health Department permit)

  • Well construction must follow Part 127 of Act 368 (Well Construction Code) as listed on the Kent County well services page (rules not opened).
  • Card payments carry a convenience fee effective October 1, 2026 (per the Permits & Evaluations page).

  “required permit for installation of on-site water supply (well) systems.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions under one acre, subdivisions and site condominiums inside Grattan township, reviewed by the Kent County Health Department (local health department) for on-site water and sewage

  • Review is a health-department evaluation under the Michigan Land Division Act; the township's own subdivision ordinance was not opened.

  “the michigan land division act (public act 288 of 1967) requires that all divisions of land under one acre, subdivisions, and site condominiums be reviewed by the local health department.”

• Permit processPartial

  Septic and well permit process for land inside Grattan township (Kent County Health Department)

  • Residential and non-residential well and septic application forms are published as PDFs; the full process and timelines were not opened.
  • Septic and well site evaluation is a separate step from the permit.

  “the application must include a detailed site plan and floorplans if new construction.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New construction inside Grattan township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Grattan township
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Grattan township
• Inspections — Construction inside Grattan township
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new homes inside Grattan 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.