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

Ridgeway Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Ridgeway township's limits; Ridgeway township's own planning commission drafts zoning and submits it to the township board.

  • The ordinance text itself was not opened; the claim rests on the township's statement that its planning commission drafts and adopts zoning, and on the township's zoning map PDF link.
  • Planning Commission meets quarterly (second Wednesday of January, April, July and October at 7:30 pm at township hall).

  “this board drafts all zoning and ordinances and submits them to the township board for their approval.”

Rules another office applies inside Ridgeway Township

Ridgeway 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)

  Private on-site sewage disposal systems for homes and other uses inside Ridgeway township, which lies in Lenawee County; the Lenawee County Health Department has jurisdiction.

  • Applies to systems that handle up to 10,000 gallons of wastewater per day.
  • Larger systems are handled under the EGLE construction-permit route (the county page says EGLE regulates large municipal wastewater systems and that the construction permit comes from EGLE or the LCHD depending on type and amount of wastewater).

  system wastewater flow threshold for county jurisdiction: <= 10000 gallons per day (systems above this flow are not under county jurisdiction)

  “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

  Construction permit for a new on-site sewage disposal system inside Ridgeway township (Lenawee County Health Department, or EGLE depending on system type and flow)

  • Permit comes from EGLE or the Lenawee County Health Department depending on type and amount of wastewater.
  • Site evaluation is required before a construction permit issues; soil permeability, seasonal high water table, available land area and isolation from water supplies are evaluated; 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 systems inside Ridgeway 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.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit fees for work in Ridgeway township, issued through Raisin Charter Township's building department

  • Fee schedules are published as PDFs linked from the Raisin building dept page; amounts were not opened within the research budget.
  • Ridgeway-specific fee PDF is labeled 'ridgeway building dept fees (pdf)'.

  “ridgeway building dept fees (pdf) download”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for homes inside Ridgeway township
• Building code adopted — Building code applicable to construction inside Ridgeway township
• Inspections — Inspections for new construction inside Ridgeway township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Ridgeway township
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts of Ridgeway 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.