Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Sand Lake, Michigan

Village of Sand Lake’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Sand Lake village limits, Kent County, Michigan

  • Adoption date is the date printed on the ordinance title page; no separate effective date was located.
  • The posted PDF was uploaded in 2022 and is the 1998 text; village minutes from 2022 mention later amendments that were not reviewed, so this text may not be current.
  • Section 1.02 names it the village of sand lake zoning ordinance.

  “zoning ordinance village of sand lake kentcounty, michigan adopted may 18, 1998”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  All land inside Sand Lake village limits

  • Ordinance chapters include R-1 single family (agricultural and low density), R-2 single family, R-3 single family, MFR multi-family, MH mobile home park, B-1 business, I industrial, and PUD planned unit development.
  • Section 4.03: land not included within a district on the zoning map is placed in the R-1 district.
  • Zoning map is referenced as section 4.02 but was not reviewed.

  “this zoning district is intended primarily for agricultural uses and low density one family residences.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 single family / agricultural district inside Sand Lake village

  • Section 3.08 dwelling minimum requirements also apply; not read in full.

  minimum floor area: >= 1200 sq ft

  “floor area • there shall be a minimum floor area of one thousand two hundred (1,200) square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the R-2 single family residential district inside Sand Lake village

    “floor area • there shall be a minimum floor area of one thousand two hundred (1,200) square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 single family / agricultural district inside Sand Lake village

  • All other uses in R-1 require a lot of at least two (2) acres.
  • No public-sewer lot reduction is stated in R-1.

  minimum lot area: >= 50000 sq ft (single family dwellings; all other uses 2 acres)

  “lot area • there shall be a lot area of at least fifty thousand (50,000) square feet for single family dwellings. all other use shall have a lot area of at least two (2) acres.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the R-2 single family residential district inside Sand Lake village

    “lot area • there shall be a lot area of at least forty three thousand five hundred and sixty (43,560) square feet; provided that where a public sewer is installed, the lot area may be reduced to fifteen thousand (15,000) square feet.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal buildings in the R-1 single family / agricultural district inside Sand Lake village (front yard)

  • Side yards: at least two totaling 50 ft, none less than 20 ft; 25 ft where side lot line adjoins a street.
  • Rear yard at least 30 ft.
  • Other principal building types: side yards of 30 ft on either side unless stated elsewhere.

  front yard minimum: >= 35 ft

  “there shall be a front yard no less than thirty five (35) feet.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Principal buildings in the R-2 single family residential district inside Sand Lake village (rear yard)

    “rear yard ·there shall be a rear yard of at least thirty (30) feet.”

  • Specified — Detached garages and accessory buildings in all zoning districts inside Sand Lake village

    “detached garages and other accessory buildings shall not be erected in any required front or side yard.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal buildings and structures in the R-1 single family / agricultural district inside Sand Lake village

  • Limit is the lesser of 35 ft or two and one-half stories.

  maximum height: <= 35 ft (or two and one-half stories, whichever is less)

  “no building or structure shall exceed thirty-five (35) feet in height or two and one-half (2 liz) stories, whichever is less.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Accessory buildings in all residential districts inside Sand Lake village

    “in all residential districts, accessory buildings shall not exceed a height of twelve (12) feet and seven hundred sixty-eight (768) square feet in size.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Farms in the R-1 district inside Sand Lake village

  • Allowed as part of a farm use in R-1; one one-family accessory dwelling.
  • Accessory dwellings in other districts were not reviewed.

  accessory dwellings per farm: 1 dwellings

  “farms for both generalized and specialized agricultural activities, including one (1) one family accessory dwelling”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Homes inside Sand Lake village without a public sewer

  • Outside the R-1 district, occupied buildings need a public sewer system for a building permit.
  • Where no public sewer or water is available, the ordinance allows an alternative only if it is safe and sanitary and meets Kent County Health Department, state and federal requirements.
  • R-1 district is exempt from the public sewer requirement in section 3.23.

  “in the absence of public sewer and/or water, a safe and sanitary means of collection and disposal of sewage, and safe and sanitary water supply system in accordance with the requirements of the kent county health department, the state of michigan, and the federal government.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New occupied buildings inside Sand Lake village

  • Outside the R-1 district, a building permit for occupied buildings requires a public sewer system.
  • In R-1, no public sewer requirement is stated in section 3.23.
  • No public water connection requirement or distance-to-main rule was located in the ordinance.

  “in all districts other than the r1 district no building permit shall be issued for any building to be occupied by human beings unless such building is served by a public sewer system.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Temporary special use permits inside Sand Lake village

  • Fee amount is set by village council; no published fee schedule was found in the ordinance text read.
  • Fee schedule for building or zoning permits not located.

  “(g) a fee shall be paid as determined by the village council.”

• Permit processPartial

  Unclassified uses and temporary special use permits inside Sand Lake village

  • Zoning administrator refers unclassified uses to the planning commission.
  • No full permit application or inspection procedure was found in the portions read.

  “the zoning administrator shall request a determination by the planning commission.”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Sand Lake

Village of Sand Lake 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)

  Sewage disposal and water supply for buildings inside Sand Lake village where no public sewer serves them (outside the R-1 district)

  • Village ordinance defers to Kent County Health Department requirements, the State of Michigan, and federal rules.
  • Kent County Health Department service-area page was not opened; the authority rests on the village ordinance cross-reference.

  “in the absence of public sewer and/or water, a safe and sanitary means of collection and disposal of sewage, and safe and sanitary water supply system in accordance with the requirements of the kent county health department, the state of michigan, and the federal government.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Sand Lake village
• Building code adopted — Construction code adopted for buildings inside Sand Lake village
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Sand Lake village
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Sand Lake village
• Lot coverage — Building coverage limits inside Sand Lake 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.