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

Unadilla Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Unadilla Township limits (Gregory, Livingston County, MI); the township administers its own zoning ordinance through a zoning administrator.

  • The adopted text found is the 1999 ordinance as updated through November 19, 2011, hosted on energyzoning.org (a third-party host), not on the township site.
  • The township home page says a 'July 27 draft zoning ordinance for public review' is posted; whether it has been adopted was not confirmed.
  • Any amendments after 2011 were not checked against a township-hosted copy.

  “unadilla township zoning ordinance adopted: may 13, 1999 amended unadilla township livingston county, michigan as updated november 19th, 2011”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Unadilla Township

  • Districts listed in section 9.01 of the 2011 text: C-1, C-2, A-1, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-3A, R-4, R-5, B-1, B-2 and I-1.
  • Ordinance text is a third-party hosted copy; a July 27 draft replacement ordinance is posted on the township site.

  “the township is hereby divided into the following zoning districts, which shall be known by the following respective symbols and names.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single and two family dwellings in Unadilla Township (township-wide)

  • Mobile home estates exception applies as stated in section 18.21.
  • Sourced from the 2011 text; check the July 27 draft ordinance before relying on it.

  minimum floor area: >= 1000 sq ft (unadilla mobile home estates owners may waive) · minimum width and length: >= 24 ft (unadilla mobile home estates owners may waive)

  “all single and two family dwellings shall have a minimum width and length of twenty-four (24) feet, contain a minimum floor area of one thousand (1,000) square feet, and comply in all respects with the county building code”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  A-1 Farm Residential district in Unadilla Township, single-family dwellings

  • Two-family dwellings use 5 acres in this district per the schedule row.
  • Footnotes d, g, h and i of the schedule were not all read; footnotes h and i reduce the single-family minimum to one-quarter acre where public sewer is available, but the district to which those footnotes attach was not confirmed.
  • Read from the table text of the ordinance copy hosted on energyzoning.org.

  minimum lot area, single-family dwelling: >= 2 acres (footnotes d/h/i may alter where public sewer is available)

  “a-1: farm residential sfd: 2 acresd tfd: 5 acresd 150 2½ 35g 50 15c 15 10”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-1 Low Density Residential district in Unadilla Township, single-family dwellings

    “r-1: low density residential sfd: 2 acres tfd: 4 acres. 150 2½ 35g 50 15c 15 15”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  A-1 Farm Residential district in Unadilla Township

  • Side yard abutting a road is 50 feet (footnote c).
  • Schedule row values read as: front 50 ft, side 15 ft, rear 15 ft (column alignment inferred from OCR table).

  minimum front yard setback: >= 50 ft · minimum side yard setback: >= 15 ft (50 ft where side yard abuts a road (footnote c)) · minimum rear yard setback: >= 15 ft

  “a-1: farm residential sfd: 2 acresd tfd: 5 acresd 150 2½ 35g 50 15c 15 10”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-1 Low Density Residential district in Unadilla Township

    “r-1: low density residential sfd: 2 acres tfd: 4 acres. 150 2½ 35g 50 15c 15 15”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  A-1 Farm Residential district in Unadilla Township

  • Read from the last column of the schedule row; OCR alignment inferred.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 10 %

  “a-1: farm residential sfd: 2 acresd tfd: 5 acresd 150 2½ 35g 50 15c 15 10”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-1 Low Density Residential district in Unadilla Township

    “r-1: low density residential sfd: 2 acres tfd: 4 acres. 150 2½ 35g 50 15c 15 15”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  A-1 Farm Residential district in Unadilla Township

  • Farm buildings and structures may reach 100 feet (footnote g); those over 35 feet must be set back from a lot line by half their height.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (farm buildings and structures up to 100 ft (footnote g)) · maximum stories: <= 2.5 stories

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

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-1 Low Density Residential district in Unadilla Township

    “r-1: low density residential sfd: 2 acres tfd: 4 acres. 150 2½ 35g 50 15c 15 15”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicle occupancy on a residential lot in Unadilla Township

  • Travel trailers and motor homes may be occupied for no more than 15 days per year on a lot unless in an approved RV park or campground.
  • A recreational vehicle may be used as a temporary dwelling for no more than 14 consecutive days when connected to the permanent dwelling's utilities.
  • An RV cannot be used as a dwelling or as accessory living quarters.
  • Commercial and recreational vehicles parked on residential lots must sit behind the front building line or front setback.

  occupancy limit per year on a lot: <= 15 days (unless in an approved recreational vehicle park or campground) · temporary connected dwelling use: <= 14 consecutive days

  “(a travel trailer or motor home may be used for temporary dwelling purposes, connected to the permanent dwelling's utilities, for a maximum of fourteen (14) consecutive days.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping with travel trailers or motor homes on private land in Unadilla Township

  • Occupancy of a travel trailer or motor home on a lot is limited to 15 days in one year unless in an approved recreational vehicle park or campground.
  • Temporary emergency mobile home permits are issued by the Zoning Board of Appeals under section 18.07.

  occupancy limit per year: <= 15 days (unless in an approved recreational vehicle park or campground)

  “travel trailers or motor homes may be occupied for a period not to exceed fifteen (15) days in one year unless in an approved recreational vehicle park or campground.”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Small homes (including tiny homes) used as a single family dwelling in Unadilla Township

  • Single and two family dwellings must be at least 24 feet wide and long and have at least 1,000 square feet of floor area.
  • The mobile home estates exception allows owners in 'unadilla mobile home estates' to waive the width and square footage requirement when rebuilding or updating within the existing footprint.

  minimum floor area: >= 1000 sq ft (unadilla mobile home estates owners may waive) · minimum width and length: >= 24 ft (unadilla mobile home estates owners may waive)

  “all single and two family dwellings shall have a minimum width and length of twenty-four (24) feet, contain a minimum floor area of one thousand (1,000) square feet, and comply in all respects with the county building code”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured and mobile homes used as dwellings in Unadilla Township

  • A mobile home must meet federal or state construction standards where those differ from the county building code.
  • Mobile home parks are a separate use; temporary emergency mobile homes need a ZBA temporary land use permit (section 18.07).

  “where a dwelling is required by law to comply with a federal or state standards or regulations for construction (as in the case of mobile homes)”

• Accessory dwellingsProhibited

  Garages, barns, accessory buildings and basements on residential lots in Unadilla Township

  • Only one single-family dwelling unit may be established on a lot unless specifically provided for elsewhere in the ordinance (section 18.09).
  • Accessory structures on vacant land may not contain sleeping accommodations or sanitary facilities (section 18.08 e).

  “no garage, barn, or accessory buildings, or basement, whether fixed or portable, shall be used or occupied as a dwelling.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  A new home on a lot in Unadilla Township where public sanitary sewer service is available

  • Hook-up is required when public sanitary sewer is available AND required by local ordinance or state law; a hook-up fee receipt or notice of acceptance is then needed for the permit.
  • The schedule of regulations sets lower lot-area minimums where public sewer is available.
  • Public water connection rule was not found in the ordinance text read; water connection is therefore not stated.

  “or when public sanitary sewage service is available and required by local ordinance or state law, a written notice of acceptance or hook-up fee receipt shall be required.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permit fees in Unadilla Township

  • The fee schedule was linked from the township zoning page but its amounts were not opened.

  “unadilla township zoning map township fee schedule ordinance 01-2019”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning and land use permit process in Unadilla Township

  • Zoning administrator reviews applications for completeness and refers site plans and special land uses to the planning commission and township board.
  • Forms listed include land use / zoning permit and site plan requirements; the form and step text were not opened.

  “review and issue certificates of zoning compliance.”

Rules another office applies inside Unadilla Township

Unadilla Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building permitRequired

  Construction and structural additions inside Unadilla Township that need a township land use permit; the county building inspector issues the building permit.

  • The township land use permit comes first; the county building permit follows where required.
  • The county building department's exclusions named on its page are the City of Howell and Green Oak Township; Unadilla Township is not named as excluded.

  “initiated until a land use permit has been issued by the zoning administrator and, where required, a building permit has been issued by the county building inspector”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Single and two family dwellings built inside Unadilla Township must comply with the county building code.

  • Applies within Unadilla Township through the township ordinance, which refers to the Livingston County building code.
  • Mobile homes and other dwellings required by federal or state construction standards follow those standards where they differ from the county building code.

  “and comply in all respects with the county building code, including minimum heights for habitable rooms.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  On-site sanitary sewage disposal for buildings in Unadilla Township is approved by the Livingston County Health Department.

  • Applies where public sanitary sewage service is not available; where public sewer is available, the township's hook-up rule applies instead.

  “either a report from the livingston county health department certifying in writing the approval of a private sanitary sewage disposal system plan specific to a designated location on the subject property”

• Septic permitRequired

  Buildings for human occupancy in Unadilla Township that need an on-site septic system

  • Required before a township land use permit is issued, per the ordinance's item 2.
  • The health department report must be specific to a designated location on the lot.

  “either a report from the livingston county health department certifying in writing the approval of a private sanitary sewage disposal system plan specific to a designated location on the subject property”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for a home in Unadilla Township
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes in Unadilla Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for a new home in Unadilla Township
• Septic inspection — Septic system inspection in Unadilla Township
• Agricultural exemption — Agricultural exemption from township rules in Unadilla 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.