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

Howell Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Howell township's limits (Livingston County, Michigan), which is governed by the township's own zoning ordinance

  • Zoning ordinance text was read only from its table of contents and the Section 3.17 introduction; use rules, district standards and special-use conditions were not read.
  • The PDF is stamped 'Updated: November 2025' per the search index; that stamp is a revision date, not an effective date, so effective_at is null.
  • The township's ordinances index also lists a Zoning Map revised 05-18-2026, which was not opened.

  “section 3.17 schedule of area, height, and setback regulations the following regulations regarding lot sizes, yards, setbacks, lot coverage, building size, and densities apply within the zoning districts as indicated.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Howell township, Livingston County, Michigan

  • The table of contents names at least an AR Agricultural-Residential district (Article IV) and an RT Research and Technology district (Article V), plus other districts; the full district list was not read.
  • District uses and standards were not read in full text.

  “article iv. ar agricultural-residential district”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Minimum lot size for land inside Howell township, by zoning district (main single-family and AR Agricultural-Residential districts)

  • Section 3.17 sets lot sizes by district in a schedule; the numeric values were not reliably extracted from the PDF text (the table text is garbled by the PDF conversion), so no numbers are recorded here.
  • Sewer and water availability changes the lot size in the schedule (the table distinguishes lots with public sewer from lots with public sewer or water).

  “the following regulations regarding lot sizes, yards, setbacks, lot coverage, building size, and densities apply within the zoning districts as indicated.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Front, side and rear yard setbacks for land inside Howell township, by zoning district

  • Setbacks are set by district in the Section 3.17 schedule; numeric values were not reliably extracted from the garbled table text.
  • The schedule shows front, side and rear yard columns, with some rows noting different side-yard totals.

  “the following regulations regarding lot sizes, yards, setbacks, lot coverage, building size, and densities apply within the zoning districts as indicated.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Maximum lot coverage for land inside Howell township, by zoning district

  • Maximum lot coverage (percent of lot area) is set by district in the Section 3.17 schedule; numeric values were not reliably extracted.

  “the following regulations regarding lot sizes, yards, setbacks, lot coverage, building size, and densities apply within the zoning districts as indicated.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Maximum building height for land inside Howell township, by zoning district

  • Height is set by district in the Section 3.17 schedule, given in both stories and feet; numeric values were not reliably extracted.

  “section 3.17 schedule of area, height, and setback regulations”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creation of lots and parcels inside Howell township

  • Lots and parcels must conform to the subdivision control / Land Division Act (PA 591 of 1996) as the zoning ordinance states.
  • The township's Land Division Ordinance No. 59-A is listed on the township ordinances index (not opened).

  “conformance of lots and parcels to the subdivision control/public act 591 of 1996 land division act, as amended.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homeowners building inside Howell township
• Building code adopted — Building code in force for construction inside Howell township
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Howell township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Howell township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Howell 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.