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

Grant Township’s own rules

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of parcels or tracts of land inside Grant township

  • Ordinance 97-02 was adopted September 8, 1997 and replaces ordinance 6 from 1982; the ordinance text was not opened.

  “to regulate division of parcels or tracts of land within grant township (in response to michigan public act 288 of 1967) was adopted september 8 th 1997, and replaces ordinance 6 from 1982.”

Rules another office applies inside Grant Township

Grant 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

  Construction in Grant township, through the Keweenaw County Zoning & Construction Codes Department

  • Building permits are not required for accessory structures of 200 sq ft or less, but a zoning permit is still required.
  • Certain small repairs and sheds of 200 sq ft or less are exempt from building permits per the department's list.

  “what types of work do not require a building permit? [...] construction of garden storage sheds 200 square feet or less”

• InspectionsRequired

  Building inspections for permitted construction inside Grant township, through the county department

  • Inspections require at least 72 hours notice.

  inspection notice: >= 72 hours (minimum notice)

  “step 3 - inspections requests for building inspections require at least 72 hours notice.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Occupancy certificates for buildings inside Grant township, through the county department

  • Certificate of occupancy inspections are required for occupancy of buildings other than single-family homes and individual units.
  • Single-family homes are not covered by the certificate requirement as stated.

  “certificate of occupancy inspections, related to the use of the building, is required for occupancy of all buildings except single-family homes”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts that apply to land inside Grant township under the Keweenaw County Zoning Ordinance, if Grant township has not adopted its own zoning

  • The county ordinance applies in unincorporated townships only while the township has not adopted its own zoning ordinance (section 1.1.4).
  • The district schedules and the official zoning map are in the county ordinance; Grant township's own map was not found.

  “this ordinance shall apply to all land and water within the unincorporated areas of the townships of keweenaw county [...] townships and villages are permitted to adopt independent zoning and if done, land within those jurisdictions is no longer subject to this ordinance”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1A single-family residential platted lots inside Grant township, under the county ordinance

  • Platted lots only, per the table row; nonplatted and sewer-served lots have separate rows in Table 5-1.

  platted lot size minimum: >= 5000 sq ft (platted lots) · minimum lot width: >= 40 ft (platted lots; measured along a street the lot fronts)

  “platted lot size not less than 5000 sq ft 40 ft. 25 ft 7.5 ft 20 ft. 75 ft.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Rural residential (RR) lots with onsite sewage disposal inside Grant township, under the county ordinance

    “onsite sewage disposal 20,000 sq ft. 80 ft. 25 ft. 10 ft 30 ft. 50 ft”

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-1B single-family residential platted lots inside Grant township, under the county ordinance

    “zoning district r-1b minimum lot area per dwelling unit, building or structure with: minimum lot width measured along a street upon which the lot principally fronts: platted lot size not less than 5000 sq ft 50 ft.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Rural residential lots with onsite sewage disposal inside Grant township, under the county ordinance

  • Column mapping of this row is not confirmed in the extracted table.

  front yard setback: >= 25 ft (onsite sewage row) · side yard setback: >= 10 ft (onsite sewage row) · rear yard setback: >= 30 ft (onsite sewage row) · setback from ordinary high-water mark, lake or stream: >= 50 ft (onsite sewage row; 75 ft in a second onsite row)

  “onsite sewage disposal 20,000 sq ft. 80 ft. 25 ft. 10 ft 30 ft. 50 ft onsite sewage disposal 20,000 sq ft. 80 ft. 25 ft. 10 ft. 30 ft. 75 ft.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicle occupancy on private land inside Grant township, under the county ordinance

  • Only one recreational vehicle is allowed on a parcel in residential districts.
  • No RV may be placed as a rental unit on a lot under five acres.
  • On parcels two acres or larger an RV may remain longer than 90 days (see section 10.12.28), and on parcels over ten acres in residential, agriculture, extraction and timber districts it may remain without a special use permit.
  • An RV may serve as a temporary dwelling after an approved building permit (sections 7.14 and 18.9).
  • RVs in bona fide campgrounds are exempt from section 7.12.

  maximum occupancy without approved principal-structure building permit: <= 90 days per calendar year (parcels under two acres)

  “a recreational vehicle is not allowed to occupy any parcel for more than ninety (90) days in a calendar year without an approved building permit for a principal structure.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Tent and RV camping on private land inside Grant township, under the county ordinance

  • Campgrounds and organized camps are permitted under section 10.12.4 and hunting camps under section 10.12.19.
  • Campground definition: parcel with established campsites for tents, camper trailers, travel trailers, recreational vehicles, motor homes or temporary sleeping quarters.

  “nor any tent, yurts, travel trailer, recreational vehicle, trailer coach, mobile home, or other structure not in compliance with p.a. 230 of 1972, or the previous sentence, shall be erected or moved onto a lot for more than ninety (90) days in one year, unless authorized by the zoning administrator by the issuance of a temporary zoning permit”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Tiny homes used as dwellings inside Grant township, under the county ordinance

  • Tiny homes must have a foundation, potable water and a health-department-approved sewage system.
  • Section 10.12 and other ordinance sections were not reviewed for tiny-home-specific size rules.

  “3. tiny homes must have a foundation, potable water and a health department approved sewage system.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Mobile or manufactured homes on individual lots inside Grant township, under the county ordinance

  • Permitted by right in the R-1, RR, RS-1, RS-2, AG and CE districts per the use table.
  • Mobile home parks and manufactured housing communities are governed by the Mobile Home Commission Act, not this use class.

  “single family dwelling, site condominium, mobile or manufactured home on an individual lot. [...] permitted districts “r” in r-1, rr, rs1, rs-2, ag, and ce”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Second dwelling units on a lot inside Grant township, under the county ordinance

  • A second dwelling on a lot is allowed only if the lot could be divided to conform with the ordinance, or as echo housing under section 10.12.11, or temporarily under section 7.15.
  • Existing nonconforming second dwellings may be occupied only seasonally, temporarily or as echo housing unless the lot is large enough.

  “second dwellings on lots at the time of the adoption of this ordinance are nonconforming and shall only be occupied seasonably, temporarily or as an echo housing unit unless the lot is large enough to permit splitting in conformance with this ordinance.”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  On-site sewage disposal serving land inside Grant township: the district health department sets the standards and the county zoning ordinance regulates the site

  • County zoning requires on-site sewage systems to meet district health department standards, alongside other applicable township, county, state or federal agencies.
  • The district health department's permit process was not opened.

  “all on site sewage disposal and potable water facilities shall be constructed and maintained in accordance with the requirements and standards of the district health department as well as those of other applicable township, county, state, or federal agencies.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Dwelling sanitation inside Grant township without public sewer, under the county ordinance

  • Structures used for dwelling must have a potable water supply and a waste water disposal system meeting the health department and ordinance standards.
  • On-site sewage must meet district health department standards.

  “unless that structure shall be provided with a potable water supply and waste water disposal system that ensures a safe and effective means of collection, treatment, and disposal of human, commercial, and industrial wastes.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development in mapped FEMA flood hazard areas inside Grant township

  • Applies only in flood hazard areas depicted on FEMA flood insurance rate maps.
  • The ordinance lists Houghton Township among townships with official FIRMs as of its effective date; Grant township was not seen in that list.

  “the provisions of section 6.2 apply in all flood hazard areas depicted on fiood insurance rate maps by fema. as of the effective date of this ordinance, the following townships had official flood insurance rate maps: 1. houghton township”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rental operation on private land inside Grant township, under the county ordinance

  • A zoning permit is required for a change of use such as short-term rental operation.
  • Short-term rentals and bed and breakfasts are permitted by right in R-1, R-2, RR, RS-1, RS-2, AG, CE and B-1 districts per the use table.
  • Resort lodging may include short-term rentals as regulated by the ordinance.

  “any change of land use. examples: changing a house to an office or gift shop, short-term rental operation”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permit fee for work inside Grant township, through the county department

  • Building permit and electrical, mechanical and plumbing fees were not captured.
  • Fees may change; confirm with the department.

  zoning permit application fee: 50 USD (zoning permit only)

  “step 1 - zoning permit application ($50 fee)”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning and building permit process for work inside Grant township, through the county department

  • Zoning permit comes first; building permit follows after zoning approval.
  • Building permits expire after six months if work has not commenced.
  • Permit review disciplines may put holds on applications.

  “an approved zoning permit must be issued prior to applying for a building permit.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for work inside Grant township
• Building code adopted — Which building codes the county applies inside Grant township
• Local zoning — Whether Grant township itself has adopted and administers a zoning ordinance for land inside Grant township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Grant township under the county ordinance
• Septic permit — Septic permit inside Grant 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.