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

Nelson Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New dwelling units and dwelling-unit construction in Nelson township

  • Construction may proceed only after the building permit issues; the application must include a driveway permit, well and sewer permit, proof of property ownership, a zoning permit, construction plans, and a plot plan.
  • Pool installations of 24 inches in depth or greater also need a building permit (township zoning page, nelsontownship.org/1216/Zoning).

  “a driveway permit, well and sewer permit, proof of property ownership, zoning permit, construction plans, including a plot plan adequate to illustrate compliance with the requirements of this ordinance, shall be submitted to the building inspector.”

• Building code adoptedPartial

  Dwelling units located outside mobile home parks in Nelson township

  • The ordinance names the Building Officials Code of America (BOCA) for dwelling units; the BOCA reference is quoted as written and was not checked against the current Michigan construction codes.
  • Whether Michigan's state residential or building codes are also enforced by Nelson township was not established from an opened official page.

  “all dwelling units shall comply in all respects with the building officials code of america (boca) as promulgated by the michigan state construction code commission”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction in Nelson township, inspected by the township building inspector

  • The permit holder must call the inspectors for inspection; the building inspector contact is listed on the township Building & Construction page.
  • Inspection scope and stages are not stated on the opened pages.

  “it is the responsibility of the party obtaining a permit to call the inspectors for inspection.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Any building or dwelling covered by the Nelson Township Zoning Ordinance

  • Occupancy is barred until a certificate of occupancy is issued.
  • A temporary certificate of occupancy costs $250 and is fully refundable when code requirements are met and the final certificate of occupancy is issued within 60 days (township schedule of fees).

  temporary certificate of occupancy fee: 250 USD (fully refundable when all code requirements are met and final C.O. issued within 60 days)

  “no building or dwelling subject to the provisions of this ordinance shall be occupied, inhabited or used until a certificate of occupancy is issued.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Nelson township's limits, under the Nelson Township Zoning Ordinance

  • Use and dimensional rules vary by zoning district; the ordinance states its regulations are minimum regulations applied uniformly within each district.
  • Page headers in the PDF carry different amendment stamps (January 2021 on the general provisions pages, February 2023 on the district pages); the adoption date was not confirmed on an official page.

  “the regulations set by this ordinance throughout the township and within each district shall be minimum regulations and shall apply uniformly to each class or kind of structure or land.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Nelson township

  • Districts confirmed in the ordinance text: AG (agricultural), SFR-L (single family residential, low density) and R-M.
  • A zoning map is linked from the township Zoning page (ArcGIS viewer) and was not opened.

  “nelson township zoning ordinance amended february 2023 ag agricultural district page 5-2 5.5 height, area and access regulations.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling units outside mobile home parks in Nelson township

  • Each dwelling must also conform to the minimum floor area requirements for the district in which it is located.
  • Multi-story units: minimum 768 sq ft on the ground floor.
  • Minimum width of any single-family dwelling unit is 22 feet for at least 67 percent of its length.

  minimum finished living area, single-family dwelling: >= 900 sq ft (768 sq ft ground floor for units of more than one story)

  “(1) minimum floor area. each single family dwelling shall have a minimum finished living area of 900 square feet, with a minimum of 768 square feet on the ground floor for units of more than one story.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots in the AG (agricultural) district of Nelson township

  • Lot width of at least 150 feet at the road right-of-way line.
  • Lakes and streams frontage rule (section 3.13) adds a 9,500 sq ft minimum per dwelling where lake or stream frontage is used.

  minimum lot area: >= 2 acres

  “b. lot area. there shall be a minimum lot area of not less than two acres. c. lot width (road frontage). all lots shall have a minimum lot width of 150 feet as measured at the road right-of-way line.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family dwelling lots in the SFR-L (single family residential, low density) district of Nelson township

    “b. lot area. there shall be a minimum lot area of not less than two acres for each single family dwelling. c. lot width (road frontage). all lots shall have a minimum lot width of 150 feet as measured at the road right-of-way line.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal buildings in the SFR-L (single family residential, low density) district of Nelson township

  • Front, side and rear yards are measured from the road right-of-way line (front) and the side and rear lot lines; the ordinance defines required yards as measured to the closest point of the structure.
  • Accessory buildings follow section 3.2 and are not covered by these figures.

  front yard minimum: >= 50 ft · side yard minimum (each side): >= 15 ft · rear yard minimum: >= 25 ft

  “d. front yard. there shall be a front yard of at least 50 feet as measured from the road right-of-way line.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Principal buildings in the AG (agricultural) district of Nelson township

    “d. front yard. there shall be a front yard of at least 50 feet as measured from the road right-of-way line. e. side yard. there shall be two side yards, and no side yard shall be less than 15 feet. f. rear yard. there shall be a rear yard of at least 50 feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal buildings in the AG (agricultural) district of Nelson township

  • Height may be exceeded only where excepted by section 3.9 (exceptions to height regulations).

  maximum principal building height: <= 35 ft (unless excepted by section 3.9)

  “a. height. no principle building shall exceed a height of 35 feet unless excepted by section 3.9.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal buildings in the SFR-L (single family residential, low density) district of Nelson township

    “a. height. no principle building shall exceed a height of 35 feet unless excepted by section 3.9.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Campground use (tents, recreational vehicles and buildings) inside Nelson township, as a special use

  • A campground is a special use under chapter 19 and needs planning commission approval.
  • The campground must have direct access to a public street.
  • Sanitary facilities must comply fully with county health department regulations.
  • The planning commission sets the number of camp sites and spacing between them.
  • The ordinance gives no general camping allowance for private land outside a campground.

  “campgrounds. (1) for purposes of this section, a campground shall refer to an area established for camping, and shall include the use of tents, recreational vehicles and buildings.”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Single-family dwellings (including small homes) in Nelson township outside mobile home parks

  • The single-family minimum finished living area of 900 square feet (768 square feet on the ground floor for multi-story units) effectively excludes small tiny homes.
  • Minimum width of 22 feet for at least 67 percent of length and the 7 ft 6 in floor-to-ceiling height also apply.

  minimum finished living area, single-family: >= 900 sq ft (768 sq ft ground floor for units of more than one story)

  “(1) minimum floor area. each single family dwelling shall have a minimum finished living area of 900 square feet, with a minimum of 768 square feet on the ground floor for units of more than one story.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes used as dwellings outside mobile home parks in Nelson township

  • The mobile home must meet the federal HUD Mobile Home Construction and Safety Standards.
  • The general dwelling requirements (900 sq ft minimum for single-family, 22 ft minimum width) also apply.
  • Mobile home parks are governed separately and were not reviewed.

  “if a mobile home, it shall meet the requirements of the united states department of housing and urban development regulations, entitled mobile home construction and safety standards, effective june 15, 1976, as amended.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New dwellings in Nelson township that use on-site sewage disposal

  • A well and sewer permit must be submitted with the building permit application. The issuing agency for that permit was not confirmed on an opened official page.

  “a driveway permit, well and sewer permit, proof of property ownership, zoning permit, construction plans, including a plot plan adequate to illustrate compliance with the requirements of this ordinance, shall be submitted to the building inspector.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Dwellings in Nelson township relying on on-site (non-sewer) sanitation

  • On-site sewage facilities must comply with the Kent County sanitary code.
  • Permit steps (well and sewer permit, building permit) apply first; the ordinance does not state a separate off-grid allowance.

  “each dwelling shall be equipped with adequate sewage disposal facilities to comply with the kent county sanitary code in effect at the time of the erection of said dwelling.”

• Well permitRequired

  Dwellings in Nelson township served by a private well

  • A well and sewer permit must be submitted with the building permit application.
  • The issuing agency and well standards were not verified on an opened official page.

  “a driveway permit, well and sewer permit, proof of property ownership, zoning permit, construction plans, including a plot plan adequate to illustrate compliance with the requirements of this ordinance, shall be submitted to the building inspector.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural storage and agricultural activities on bona fide farms inside Nelson township

  • The exemption is narrow: it lifts only the accessory-building ban on mobile homes, recreational vehicles and similar items used for agricultural storage on bona fide farms.
  • Agricultural structures and sheds still need a zoning permit and fee ($50 agriculture structure) per the township's schedule of fees and building page.

  “this requirement shall not apply to agricultural storage or other agricultural activities on bona fide farms, nor shall it apply to temporary tool sheds”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions of parcels inside Nelson township

  • A land division application is required and carries a $50 fee (township schedule of fees).
  • Michigan land division statute and the township's detailed land division approval standards were not opened.

  land division application fee: 50 USD

  “7 land division application $50.00 n/a 8 annual salvage license $150.00 n/a”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New dwellings in Nelson township

  • A driveway permit must accompany the building permit application.
  • The ordinance also requires lot access by a private driveway off a public road or a private road serving no more than four lots (AG district, 5.5 g).

  “g. access. access to all lots shall be by means of a private driveway extending either (i) directly off of a public road or (ii) off of a private road that serves not more than four lots and has direct access to a public road.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Building, zoning and related permit applications in Nelson township

  • Application fees and escrow deposits must be paid at the time of application; escrow top-ups are paid in $500 increments when the escrow account drops below $500.
  • Escrow fees may not be paid by credit card.
  • Schedule approved September 11, 2025.

  zoning permit fee: 50 USD

  “schedule of fees nelson township schedule of fees approved september 11,2025 # description fee escrows 1 planning commission meeting $500.00”

• Permit processPartial

  Building and zoning permit process in Nelson township

  • Application forms are posted (zoning permit, building permit forms, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, demolition), and the building inspector is the contact.
  • The step-by-step sequence, review timelines and approval stages were not stated on the opened pages.

  “it is the responsibility of the party obtaining a permit to call the inspectors for inspection.”

Rules another office applies inside Nelson Township

Nelson 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 for dwellings inside Nelson township (applies inside Nelson township)

  • The ordinance ties dwelling sewage disposal to the Kent County sanitary code, so the county rules govern on-site systems in the township.
  • The ordinance text is a township page quoting county code, not the county health department's own page; the county health department's service-area statement was not opened.
  • Scope is recorded as countywide because the county authority schema does not accept township-specific geography.

  “each dwelling shall be equipped with adequate sewage disposal facilities to comply with the kent county sanitary code in effect at the time of the erection of said dwelling.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Nelson township
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage for buildings on a lot inside Nelson township
• Living in an RV — Living in a recreational vehicle on private land inside Nelson township
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units on a lot inside Nelson township
• Septic inspection — On-site sewage system inspection for a home inside Nelson 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.