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

Rules another office applies inside Allouez Township

Allouez Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building permitRequired

  Residential construction and improvements on land inside Allouez township, permitted through the county Zoning and Construction Codes Department.

  • County-administered permits; the county page lists building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and soil erosion permits.
  • Specific permit scope thresholds were not extracted.

  “permits are required for many improvement and construction projects for commercial and residential properties.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Allouez township. The county zoning ordinance applies because the county page lists Allouez township among the places it regulates and names only Eagle Harbor township as having its own zoning regulations. This aggregates county-administered zoning; it is not an Allouez township ordinance.

  • Allouez township is not named as having its own zoning regulations on the county page.
  • Zoning is administered by the county zoning administrator, who is appointed by the county board of commissioners.
  • The county page directs users to planning commission minutes for pending ordinance amendments.

  “the keweenaw county zoning ordinance regulates zoning in grant, sherman, houghton, allouez townships and ahmeek village. eagle harbor township has its own zoning regulations.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts for land inside Allouez township under the county zoning ordinance.

  • Districts named on the county page: agricultural; timber resource extraction; conservation; environmental protection; country estate; single family residential; two-family & multi-family residential; resort residential; resort service; business; light manufacturing; general manufacturing; planned development.
  • Parcel district is determined from the county zoning map (certified map kept at the zoning office).

  “the following zoning districts are explained in section iv of the keweenaw county zoning ordinance. agricultural timber resource extraction conservation environmental protection country estate single family residential two-family & multi-family residential resort residential resort service business light manufacturing general manufacturing planned development”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural (AG) zoning district parcels inside Allouez township, where the county zoning map places them.

  • Figure is the county page's summary statement; the Article V schedule table gives the by-right AG minimum area (5 acres) in Table 5-3.
  • Single-family (R-1) lot minimums are in Article V Tables 5-1 and 5-2 and were not readable in the extracted text; see the separate unknown claim.

  minimum lot size, agricultural district: >= 5 acres

  “a minimum lot size for agricultural zoning district is five (5) acres.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures on lake or river frontage inside Allouez township, in every zoning district except RS-1.

  • Exception: zoning district RS-1 is excluded from this rule.
  • Front, side and rear yard setbacks are in Article V Tables 5-1 to 5-3 and were not readable in the extracted text.

  setback from high water mark, lake or river frontage: >= 75 feet (does not apply in zoning district RS-1)

  “all structures are required to be 75 feet from high water mark on any lake front or river front, except for zoning district rs-1.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  On-site sewage systems on land inside Allouez township.

  • County page lists the health district as the contact for on-site sewage systems; the district is a health-district body, not the county zoning office.

  “on-site sewage and/or water supply systems western u.p. district health department wupdhd 540 depot street hancock, mi 49930 906 482-7382 [phone] www.westernuphealth.org”

• Septic permitRequired

  New construction on land inside Allouez township that needs a county zoning permit.

  • A valid well and septic permit, or existing well and septic, must be in place before the county grants a zoning permit.
  • The county page lists the Western U.P. District Health Department for on-site sewage systems.

  “note: all new construction requires a valid well and septic permit or existing well and septic prior to granting a zoning permit.”

• Well permitRequired

  New construction on land inside Allouez township that needs a county zoning permit.

  • A valid well and septic permit, or existing well and septic, must be in place before the county grants a zoning permit.
  • Issuing agency is the health department; the county page lists the Western U.P. District Health Department for on-site water supply systems.

  “note: all new construction requires a valid well and septic permit or existing well and septic prior to granting a zoning permit.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveway or culvert connections to Keweenaw County roads inside Allouez township.

  • Driveway and culvert permits for county roads go through the Keweenaw County Road Commission; state and federal roads go through MDOT.
  • Requirements and fees were not read.

  “driveway/culvert for keweenaw county roads keweenaw county road commission 120 shop street mohawk, mi 49950 906 337-1610 [phone]”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit intake and processing days for county-administered permits serving Allouez township.

  • Applications accepted Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; zoning permit processing and appointments on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and soil erosion permits processed Tuesday and Thursday.
  • Application process steps beyond scheduling were not extracted.

  “combined office hours are m-f 9:00am - 4:00pm. all permit applications will be accepted during above office hours. zoning permit processing and zoning appointments will be made on monday, wednesday, and friday. building, electical, mecanical, plumbing, and soil erosion permits will be processed tuesday and thursday.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for work on a home inside Allouez township.
• Building code adopted — Building code in force for construction inside Allouez township.
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Allouez township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Allouez township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Allouez 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.