Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Eastlake, Michigan

Village of Eastlake’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Land use, occupancy, and building or structure erection, alteration or relocation inside Eastlake village. This is the village zoning administrator land-use permit, not a state construction-code building permit.

  • Plans, specifications and drawings showing location, design and size must be filed with the application.
  • The state construction-code building permit and any county building-department role were not established.

  “no land shall be occupied or used and no building or structure shall hereafter be erected, altered or relocated under the provisions of this section until a permit authorizing the same shall be issued by the zoning administrator.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the limits of Eastlake village, Manistee County, Michigan

  • The ordinance was adopted by the Eastlake Village Council and took effect December 24, 2013; amendments after that date were not reviewed.
  • Use of land requires a zoning administrator permit under article 84 (see eastlake-zoning-permit-required).

  “the village of eastlake is hereby divided into six (6) land use districts, as follows:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Eastlake village

  • Six districts: R-1, R-2, Rural Residential (RR), C-1, S-1 shoreline, PR public/recreational. The official zoning map is incorporated by reference (article 18).

  “the village of eastlake is hereby divided into six (6) land use districts, as follows:”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the Residential-1 (R-1) district inside Eastlake village

  • The quick-reference table column for minimum floor area was read from a garbled extraction; verify the column mapping in the ordinance.

  minimum floor area: >= 800 sq ft

  “no structure shall be constructed in this district which contains less than eight-hundred (800 ft2) square feet of floor area.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Dwellings in the Rural Residential (RR) district inside Eastlake village

    “no structure shall be constructed in this district which contains less than eight-hundred (800 ft2) square feet of floor area.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Parcels in the Residential-1 (R-1) district inside Eastlake village

  • Applies to every permitted and special use in the R-1 district.
  • Accessory-structure rear-yard requirements differ (section 2504.8.b).

  minimum parcel area: >= 5000 sq ft

  “no dwelling or accessory structure shall be established on any parcel less than five-thousand (5,000 ft2) square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Parcels in the Rural Residential (RR) district inside Eastlake village

    “no dwelling or accessory structure shall be established on any parcel less than eighty-five thousand (85,000 ft2) square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Buildings in the Rural Residential (RR) district inside Eastlake village

  • Setback values were read from a garbled quick-reference table; verify column mapping.
  • Water yard of 50 ft is stated in the same row.

  front yard setback: 25 ft · side yard setback: 10 ft · rear yard setback: 25 ft · water yard setback: 50 ft

  “the minimum rear setback shall not be less than twenty-five (25') feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings in the Residential-1 (R-1) district inside Eastlake village

    “the minimum rear setback shall not be less than fifteen (15') feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lot coverage in the Residential-1 (R-1) district inside Eastlake village

  • Column headers in the extracted table are garbled; the 50% figure is read as lot coverage and needs verification.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 50 percent

  “5,000 50 ft 35 ft 800 ft2 50% 15 ft 5 ft *15 ft ft2 water yard 50 ft”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lot coverage in the Rural Residential (RR) district inside Eastlake village

    “the total allowance for impervious surfaces for an individual lot shall not exceed twenty (20%) percent for all uses.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in the Residential-1 (R-1) district inside Eastlake village

  • Read from the quick-reference table; verify column mapping.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft

  “no building or structure shall be taller than thirty-five (35') feet in height measured from the peak of the roof to the average grade.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings in the Rural Residential (RR) district inside Eastlake village

    “no building or structure shall be taller than thirty-five (35') feet in height measured from the peak of the roof to the average grade.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Living in a travel trailer or recreational vehicle on land inside Eastlake village

  • A travel trailer or RV is not a dwelling under the definition, so it does not count as a legal residence under the dwelling rules.
  • Campgrounds allow temporary placement of RVs only and no year-round residency, except within a dwelling unit (section 1610, paragraph 2).
  • Other sections on RV storage do not authorize occupancy.

  “in no case shall a travel trailer, recreational vehicle, vehicle chassis or tent be considered a dwelling.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary camping in campgrounds inside Eastlake village

  • Campgrounds must be developed under Act 368 of 1978 (Public Health Code) and its rules.
  • No year-round residency is allowed except in a dwelling unit.
  • Common use area of 500 sq ft per campsite, a picnic table and fire area at each site, and a central water supply are required (section 1610 paragraphs 5 to 7).

  minimum campground area: >= 20 acres

  “all campgrounds shall be used solely for the temporary placement of tents, travel trailers, and recreational vehicles and shall be developed in accordance with act 368 of 1978 (public health code)”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Bed and breakfast operations, the only overnight-rental use the opened text covers, inside Eastlake village

  • Bed and breakfast is a special use; the parcel must meet the district minimum lot area.
  • Operator must live in the dwelling; up to eight guest rooms; at least one extra full bathroom per two guest rooms; two exits to the outdoors; smoke detectors approved by the fire department.
  • Vacation-rental (non-owner-occupied) use is not addressed in the opened text.

  maximum guest sleeping rooms: <= 8 rooms

  “bed and breakfast operations may have up to eight (8) guest sleeping rooms, and shall have at least one additional full bathroom facility for every two (2) guest sleeping rooms.”

• Permit processPartial

  Land use permit process in Eastlake village

  • Only the zoning administrator land-use permit step is documented; building-code and septic steps are not.

  “the zoning administrator shall require in all cases that plans, specifications and drawings showing the location, design and size of the proposed land use and the buildings and structures to be located thereon shall be filed with the application for permit.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Eastlake or Manistee County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for building in Eastlake village
• Building code adopted — Construction code adopted for Eastlake village
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Eastlake village
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Eastlake village
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy inside Eastlake village

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.