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

Shelby Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Shelby charter township's limits. The township's own zoning ordinance (Municode code, Zoning chapter) divides the township into land use districts; this is not a countywide rule.

  • Use is governed by the district regulations in the ordinance; a use not permitted in a district is prohibited there (Section 8.03.a).
  • The ordinance text as hosted on Municode was not checked against a current amendment list; amendment dates were not stated on the opened page.

  “section 8.01. - zoning districts. the charter township of shelby shall be and is hereby divided into the following classifications of land use districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Shelby charter township's limits: the district list in the township zoning ordinance.

  • The district list is published in text (Section 8.01). The zoning map is referenced in Article 8 but its content was not opened, so the map itself is not confirmed as published.

  “section 8.01. - zoning districts. the charter township of shelby shall be and is hereby divided into the following classifications of land use districts”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Land inside Shelby charter township's limits: minimum lot size is set per zoning district (the main single-family district R-1 and R-1-A, R-1-B, R-1-C are each governed by their own detailed provisions). Numeric R-1 values not yet extracted.

  • Numeric minimum lot size for R-1 and the other one-family districts is in each district's detailed provision, which was not opened (see followups).
  • Section 8.03.b says the regulations are set out in the district provisions, not in Article 8 itself.

  “b. except as otherwise provided, regulations governing land and building use, minimum lot size, lot area per dwelling unit, building height, building placement, required yards and other pertinent factors are hereby established as stated in the detailed provisions for each of the zoning districts.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Land inside Shelby charter township's limits: required yards and building placement are set per zoning district.

  • Front, side and rear yard numbers for each district are in the detailed district provisions, which were not opened (see followups).

  “b. except as otherwise provided, regulations governing land and building use, minimum lot size, lot area per dwelling unit, building height, building placement, required yards and other pertinent factors are hereby established as stated in the detailed provisions for each of the zoning districts.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Land inside Shelby charter township's limits: building height is set per zoning district.

  • Numeric height limits for R-1 and the other districts are in the detailed district provisions, which were not opened (see followups).

  “b. except as otherwise provided, regulations governing land and building use, minimum lot size, lot area per dwelling unit, building height, building placement, required yards and other pertinent factors are hereby established as stated in the detailed provisions for each of the zoning districts.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New construction inside Shelby charter township's limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permits inside Shelby charter township's limits
• Building code adopted — Construction codes applied inside Shelby charter township's limits
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Shelby charter township's limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Shelby charter township's limits

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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Shelby Township means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.