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

Macon Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Macon township limits (Lenawee County, MI) is governed by the Macon township zoning ordinance, which the township adopted and administers.

  • Source is a PDF copy hosted on energyzoning.org, not a township or county site; the township's own site was not opened within the research budget, so verify against the township's official copy.
  • Ordinance text shows amendments through August 2014 and a reprint in February 2015; later amendments were not checked.

  “the township of macon is hereby divided into zones or districts as shown on the official zoning map”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Districts for land inside Macon township limits

  • Districts listed are ag, r-1, r-2, rm, c and i; boundaries are on the official zoning map kept by the township clerk.

  “the township of macon is hereby divided into zones or districts as shown on the official zoning map and shall include the following: ag agriculture r-1 single-family residential r-2 single-family residential rm multiple-family and manufactured housing residential c commercial i industrial”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 single-family residential district, Macon township

  • Column mapping inferred from the schedule-of-regulations text extraction; the footnote (d) text on minimum floor area was cut off and was not read.
  • Lot area for R-1 is not visible in the extraction; see unknown claim for R-1 minimum lot size.

  minimum floor area per dwelling unit: >= 1000 sq ft (footnote (d) applies; text not fully read)

  “r-1, single- family residential 1 acre min. 150' 10% 50' 20' 40' total 20' 2-½ story or 1,000 sq' (d) 35'”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-2 single-family residential district (older developed area of the unincorporated village of Macon), Macon township

    “r-2, single-family residential 12,000 sq. ft. min. 100' 30% 40' 15' 30' total 20' 2-1/2 story 1,000 sq' (d) or 35'”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-2 single-family residential district, Macon township

  • Minimum lot width 100 ft per schedule; column mapping inferred from text extraction.

  minimum lot area: >= 12000 sq ft

  “r-2, single-family residential 12,000 sq. ft. min. 100' 30% 40' 15' 30' total 20' 2-1/2 story 1,000 sq' (d) or 35'”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 single-family residential district, Macon township

  • Column mapping inferred from text extraction (front, side, rear, total side order matches R-2 row); verify against the official table.

  front yard setback: 50 ft · side yard setback: 20 ft · rear yard setback: 40 ft · total side yards: 20 ft

  “r-1, single- family residential 1 acre min. 150' 10% 50' 20' 40' total 20' 2-½ story or 1,000 sq' (d) 35'”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-2 single-family residential district, Macon township

    “r-2, single-family residential 12,000 sq. ft. min. 100' 30% 40' 15' 30' total 20' 2-1/2 story 1,000 sq' (d) or 35'”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 single-family residential district, Macon township

  • Maximum lot coverage 10% per the R-1 schedule row; column mapping inferred from text extraction.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 10 percent

  “r-1, single- family residential 1 acre min. 150' 10% 50' 20' 40' total 20' 2-½ story or 1,000 sq' (d) 35'”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-2 single-family residential district, Macon township

    “r-2, single-family residential 12,000 sq. ft. min. 100' 30% 40' 15' 30' total 20' 2-1/2 story 1,000 sq' (d) or 35'”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district, Macon township

  • Schedule reads 2-1/2 stories or 35 ft; column mapping inferred from text extraction.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (or 2-1/2 stories)

  “r-1, single- family residential 1 acre min. 150' 10% 50' 20' 40' total 20' 2-½ story or 1,000 sq' (d) 35'”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Parking or storage of recreational vehicles, campers, travel trailers and motorized homes on residential lots in Macon township

  • Prohibited for more than 72 hours in all residential districts unless the listed minimum conditions are met (placement behind front face of principal building; storage limited to lots with an inhabited dwelling; the remaining conditions were not fully read).
  • Text addresses storage/parking; living in an RV on private land was not separately addressed.

  storage period limit: <= 72 hours (except where expressly permitted by other provisions, when minimum conditions are met)

  “shall be prohibited for a period greater than seventy-two (72) hours in all residential districts, except where expressly permitted by other provisions of this ordinance, unless the following minimum conditions are met”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured housing in the RM multiple family and manufactured housing residential district of Macon township

  • Permitted within the RM district; the ordinance's mobile home park footnote requires a minimum of 80 mobile home sites for that use.
  • Use in R-1, R-2, AG or C districts was not established.

  “the rm, multiple family and manufactured housing residential district is designed to permit a more intensive residential use of land with various types of attached single family houses, townhouses, and garden apartments and manufactured housing”

• Accessory dwellingsProhibited

  Garages and accessory buildings in Macon township, all zoning districts (Section 4.05)

  • Covers use of garages/accessory buildings as dwellings; does not address separately permitted second dwellings or ADUs attached to a main building.

  “buildings erected after the effective date of this ordinance as garages or accessory buildings, shall not be used or occupied for dwelling purposes at any time.”

Rules another office applies inside Macon Township

Macon 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 septicMixed (with conditions)

  On-site sewage disposal for land inside Macon township (Lenawee County)

  • Lenawee County Health Department (LCHD) handles systems up to 10,000 gallons per day; EGLE handles larger systems, per the same page.
  • The page covers all of Lenawee County, including Macon township; a township-specific administrator was not found.

  design flow threshold: <= 10000 gallons per day (larger systems handled by EGLE)

  “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 installed inside Macon township

  • Permit issuer is EGLE or LCHD depending on wastewater type and volume.
  • Site evaluation (soil permeability, seasonal high water table, land area, isolation) precedes the construction 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 in Macon township before it is placed into service

  • Approval by the health department is required before 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 Macon Township or Lenawee County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction in Macon township
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction in Macon township
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction in Macon township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new dwellings in Macon township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land in Macon 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.