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

Marathon Township’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Dwellings and structures inside Marathon township's limits

  • The zoning ordinance refers to a 'township building code' for dwelling standards, fire safety, tower wind loading and swimming pools; the code edition and adopting ordinance were not identified.
  • Whether the township enforces the code with its own building official or through another agency was not confirmed.

  “single family dwellings shall comply in all respects with the township building code, including minimum heights for habitable rooms.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Marathon township's limits, Lapeer County, Michigan

  • Township-adopted zoning ordinance (Ordinance No. 200) with zoning districts in Article 10 and a zoning board of appeals.
  • Source is a PDF copy hosted on energyzoning.org; the township's own website was not opened within the research budget, so confirm this is the current adopted text and check for later amendments.

  “variances may be granted by the zoning board of appeals only upon a showing of practical difficulty”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Marathon township's limits

  • Article 10 establishes the districts and a zoning district map; the district list includes AR agricultural-residential, R-1 suburban residential, R-2 and R-3 urban residential, and R-4 multiple family residential.
  • The zoning district map itself was not opened, so parcel-level district assignment is not confirmed.

  “zoning district ar: agricultural - residential minimum lot area 2 acres”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in all districts inside Marathon township

  • Measured as ground floor area, exclusive of porches and attached garages.
  • Main floor must contain at least 650 square feet; minimum width 24 feet along 60% of length (Section 25.18).
  • Does not apply to temporary dwellings or mobile homes in a licensed mobile home park, except where state or federal law requires.

  minimum ground floor area, single family dwelling: >= 960 sq ft (exclusive of porches and attached garages)

  “single family dwellings shall have a minimum floor area of nine hundred sixty (960) square feet, exclusive of porches and attached garages.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling lots in the R-2 urban residential low density district inside Marathon township

  • Two-family dwellings are listed separately at 30,000 sq ft.
  • Lot size may be increased for county health department approval; lots not served by public sewer are at least one acre (footnote m).
  • R-1 suburban residential lot size was not confirmed and is left for follow-up.

  minimum lot area, single family dwelling: >= 20000 sq ft (may be increased for county health approval)

  “r-2: urban residential low density sfd: 20,000 sq. ft.m tfd: 30,000 sq. ft.m”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in the AR agricultural-residential district inside Marathon township

    “zoning district ar: agricultural - residential minimum lot area 2 acres”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings and structures in districts governed by the schedule of regulations inside Marathon township; farm buildings in the agricultural district

  • Farm buildings and structures are capped at 100 feet; farm structures over 35 feet must be set back from a lot line at least their height.
  • Ornamental structures and certain others are exempt from height limits under footnote n, if not used for human occupancy.
  • Per-district maximum height numbers were not cleanly extractable from the schedule table.

  maximum height, farm buildings and structures: <= 100 feet (farm buildings only)

  “the maximum height of farm buildings and structures shall be one hundred (100) feet.”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Occupying a recreational vehicle as a dwelling on private land inside Marathon township

  • Allowed as a temporary dwelling only in the agricultural (AR) district, outside licensed mobile home or RV parks.
  • Use for more than 30 days in any twelve-month period requires a zoning administrator temporary permit not exceeding four weeks, renewable once, except for farm labor housing on the farm.
  • Stored RVs may not be connected to water or sanitary facilities or otherwise occupied (Section 25.05).

  “a recreational vehicle may be used as a temporary dwelling only in an agricultural district, outside of a licensed mobile home or recreational vehicle park, provided the following conditions are met.”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Small single-family homes (tiny homes) used as a permanent dwelling inside Marathon township

  • Single family dwellings must meet the minimum floor area, so a tiny home below 960 square feet does not meet the standard.
  • Temporary dwellings and mobile homes in a licensed mobile home park are exempt from the single-family standards, except as required by state and federal law.

  minimum ground floor area, single family dwelling: >= 960 sq ft (exclusive of porches and attached garages)

  “single family dwellings shall have a minimum floor area of nine hundred sixty (960) square feet, exclusive of porches and attached garages.”

• Accessory dwellingsProhibited

  A second dwelling unit on a lot inside Marathon township, including a dwelling in an accessory building

  • Only one dwelling unit may be permanently established per lot unless the ordinance specifically provides otherwise elsewhere.
  • No accessory building or structure may be used or occupied as a dwelling.

  “no accessory building or structure shall be used or occupied as a dwelling.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Homes on lots inside Marathon township that are not served by public sewer

  • Lots not served by public sewer must be at least one acre, and the minimum may be raised for county health approval of sewage disposal and water.
  • Temporary mobile homes must have a potable water and sewage disposal system approved by the county health department.
  • Onsite sanitation is permitted through the Lapeer County Health Department permit process.

  minimum lot size without public sewer: >= 1 acre (may be increased for county health department approval)

  “the minimum lot size shall be increased as necessary for approval by the lapeer county health department for sewage disposal and potable water, but in no case shall a lot not served by public sewer be less than one (1) acre.”

Rules another office applies inside Marathon Township

Marathon 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)

  Onsite sewage disposal (septic) for residential and small commercial lots inside Marathon township, which lies within Lapeer County; the Lapeer County Health Department acts for the whole county

  • The county health department is the local permitting agency for residential and small commercial onsite systems.
  • The zoning ordinance requires lot sewage approvals from the Lapeer County Health Department (see off-grid sanitation claim).

  “lchd acts as the local permitting agency for all residential and small commercial onsite sewage treatment systems.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Residential onsite sewage (septic) systems on lots inside Marathon township, administered by the Lapeer County Health Department

  • Permit is issued by the Lapeer County Health Department; the page lists a site evaluation application (vacant land), septic permit application forms, site plan requirements and a construction/change-of-use evaluation.
  • Fees and processing times were not on the page opened.

  “lchd acts as the local permitting agency for all residential and small commercial onsite sewage treatment systems.”

• Well permitRequired

  Residential private water wells on lots inside Marathon township, issued by the Lapeer County Health Department

  • Negative bacteria samples are required for all new wells.
  • The county does not operate a lab; samples must be tested by a state-certified lab.
  • Well permit forms and site plan requirements are listed on the county page.

  “lapeer county health department inspects, and issues permits for residential, type ii, and type iii water wells.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New dwelling construction inside Marathon township's limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Marathon township's limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new dwellings inside Marathon township's limits
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage by buildings in districts inside Marathon township
• Septic inspection — Septic system installation inspection for homes inside Marathon 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.