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

Blissfield Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New home construction and additions inside Blissfield township

  • Fee schedule lists permit fee line items for new homes and additions, which implies a township building permit before construction.
  • Village of Blissfield issues its own building permits inside village limits and is not covered by this claim.

  new home and additions permit fee (includes plan review, footing, foundation, rough, insulation, drywall and final inspections): 500 USD (Other fee lines apply to attached and detached garages, decks, roof-over and additional inspections; maximum permit fee $5,000.00 per fee schedule)

  “permit fees type fee new home and additions p. review, footing, foundation, rough, insul., drywall, final $500.00”

• InspectionsRequired

  New home construction and additions inside Blissfield township

  • Inspections listed in the fee schedule for new homes include footing, foundation, rough, insulation, drywall and final.
  • Township building inspectors page also lists state electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspectors; the division of inspection duties was not fully reviewed.

  additional inspections: 50 USD (per fee schedule)

  “permit fees type fee new home and additions p. review, footing, foundation, rough, insul., drywall, final $500.00”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Blissfield township's limits (Lenawee County). Does not cover the Village of Blissfield, which has its own separate zoning ordinance.

  • The township's 2022 amendment (S.O. 12-25-22) refers to the township zoning ordinance's Article 7 requirements and Article 8 special land use standards, so the township administers a zoning ordinance with special land use permits.
  • Solar-section text is an amendment, not the full ordinance; district-specific standards were not verified.

  “in addition to the requirements of article 7 of the zoning ordinance, all applications for a special land use permit for principal-use ground-mounted sess shall be subject to special land use standards in article 8 of the zoning ordinance”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land splits, lot combinations and plats inside Blissfield township

  • Fee schedule lists preliminary and final plat review charges, pre-application review and a per-lot land/lot split fee; the subdivision regulations text was not opened.

  land/lot split fee: 150 USD per resulting lot (plus $500.00 escrow and additional costs)

  “land/lot splits/combinations $150.00 per resulting lot + $500.00 escrow + additional costs”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Township building permit fees for residential construction inside Blissfield township

  • Base charges increase annually for inflation per the fee schedule; the schedule states this rule and the page reviewed is the current schedule.
  • Other fees include $150.00 plus $300.00 escrow for zoning compliance permits, $550.00 plus $1,150.00 escrow for special use permits, and $550.00 plus $1,150.00 escrow for rezonings.

  new home and additions permit fee: 500 USD (maximum permit fee $5,000.00; additional fees over $25,000 $100.00 apply)

  “all base charges shall increase annually to reflect inflation for the prior year as published by federal agencies.”

Rules another office applies inside Blissfield Township

Blissfield 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 systems on land inside Blissfield township. This is county health department jurisdiction that applies inside the township; it is not a township ordinance.

  • Per the page, Lenawee County Health Department jurisdiction covers on-site systems handling up to 10,000 gallons of wastewater per day; EGLE handles larger systems.

  “the lenawee county health department (lchd) has jurisdiction for public and private on-site sewage disposal systems in lenawee county that handle up to 10,000 gallons of wastewater per day”

• Septic permitRequired

  New on-site sewage disposal system for a home on land inside Blissfield township, permitted by the Lenawee County Health Department

  • Construction permit is issued by EGLE or the LCHD depending on the type and amount of wastewater.
  • Site evaluation (soil permeability, seasonal high water table, available land, isolation from water supplies) is required before a construction permit issues, and permit fees apply.

  “prior to installing a sewage disposal system, a construction permit must be obtained from either egle or the lchd, depending on the type and amount of wastewater generated.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  New on-site sewage disposal system on land inside Blissfield township, inspected by the Lenawee County Health Department

  • Approval is required before the system is placed into service.

  “each system is inspected and requires approval from the department before being placed into service.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Blissfield township
• Building code adopted — Construction code adopted for work inside Blissfield township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Blissfield township
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts inside Blissfield township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for the main single-family residential district inside Blissfield 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.