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

Manistee Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Manistee township's limits that is within the unincorporated portion of the township, which the ordinance governs.

  • Ordinance text states it applies to 'the unincorporated portion of the township of manistee' (Article 18, section 1801), so land inside the City of Manistee is not covered.
  • Cover date is 'Amended March 23, 2022'; that is an amendment date, not recorded as an effective date, so effective_at is null.
  • The file name says '2025 Revised' but the cover says Amended March 2022; which version is currently in force was not confirmed on the township site.

  “manistee township zoning ordinance amended march 2022”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land in the unincorporated portion of Manistee township

  • Section 1801 lists eight land use districts and one overlay zone: big manistee river corridor BM-1, wetlands W-1, ag-forest preservation AP-1, multiple use M-1, country residential R-2, high density residential R-1, commercial C-1, industrial I, and high risk erosion overlay OZ-1.
  • The official zoning map is incorporated by reference in section 1802; the map itself was not opened.

  “the unincorporated portion of the township of manistee is hereby divided into eight (8) land use districts and one (1) overlay zone, as follows:”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal dwellings in the AP-1 ag-forest preservation district inside Manistee township

  • Applies to all principal buildings in AP-1.

  minimum ground floor area, all principal buildings: >= 900 sq ft

  “minimum ground floor area, all principal buildings – 900 square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Principal dwellings in the R-2 country residential district inside Manistee township

    “minimum ground floor area, all principal buildings – 900 square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Parcels in the AP-1 ag-forest preservation district inside Manistee township

  • District minimum parcel size is 10 acres; a dwelling or other non-farm use must be on 1 to 5 acres with a minimum parcel width of 200 feet.
  • Use must meet special use criteria in section 3705 (less suitable land for agriculture or forestry).

  minimum parcel size (district): >= 10 acres · dwelling or non-farm parcel size: >= 1 acres (maximum 5 acres) · minimum parcel width for dwelling: >= 200 ft

  “1. minimum parcel size – 10 acres 2. minimum and maximum parcel size for a dwelling and other non-farm use: - 1 acre minimum; - 5 acres maximum, with a minimum parcel width of 200 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family lots in the R-2 country residential district inside Manistee township

    “minimum parcel size – 25,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal and accessory buildings in the R-2 country residential district inside Manistee township

  • Side yard 10 feet; rear 25 feet; water's edge 50 feet (except high risk erosion areas under article 73) (section 4004 item 5).
  • Setbacks include all accessory buildings and structures.

  front yard setback: >= 25 ft · side yard setback: >= 10 ft · rear yard setback: >= 25 ft · water's edge setback: >= 50 ft (high risk erosion areas follow article 73)

  “minimum setback or yard requirements, including all accessory buildings and structures. a. front - 25 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Principal and accessory buildings in the AP-1 ag-forest preservation district inside Manistee township

    “minimum setback or yard requirements included all accessory buildings and structures 1) front - 50 feet 2) rear - 25 feet 3) side - 25 feet 4) water's edge - 50 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Parcels in the R-2 country residential district inside Manistee township

  • Applies to area occupied by structures as a share of total parcel area.

  maximum parcel area occupied by structures: <= 40 percent

  “maximum usage of a parcel (area occupied by structures) shall not exceed forty (40) percent of the total parcel area.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal buildings in the AP-1 ag-forest preservation district inside Manistee township

  • Height in stories also specified as 2 1/2 stories maximum.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (or 2 1/2 stories)

  “maximum building height – 35 feet or 2 ½ stories.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Family quarters accessory to a single-family dwelling in the R-2 country residential district inside Manistee township

  • Allowed only as a special use after planning commission review and approval.
  • Family quarters must be located in a building or structure accessory to a permitted single-family dwelling.
  • Detached accessory buildings in residential districts with side walls over ten feet require a special use permit where they contain family quarters (section 1070 item 5).

  “family quarters located in a building or structure that is accessory to a permitted single family dwelling.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside the unincorporated portion of Manistee township

  • Water supply and sanitary sewer standards apply when a subdivision is served by public systems.
  • Individual wells in subdivisions are permitted only in accordance with District 10 Health Department requirements.
  • Michigan land division rules were not checked.

  “g. individual wells: individual wells may be permitted in accordance with the requirements of the district #10 health department.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit application process for projects inside Manistee township

  • Applications are fillable PDFs and are mailed or dropped off at the township hall; email submission not accepted at this time.
  • Hall hours for applications: Monday through Thursday 9am to 3pm per township permits page.
  • Review timelines and the full step-by-step process were not published on the pages opened.

  “permit applications are also available at the hall monday through thursday 9am &ndash; 3pm. at this time we are not accepting applications via email. applications must be mailed or dropped off at the manistee township hall.”

Rules another office applies inside Manistee Township

Manistee 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 septicLocal (with conditions)

  Septic systems on land inside Manistee township; District 10 Health Department issues well and septic health permits for the township

  • The county permits directory lists the township under the health department's well and septic permit line; the directory is a list, not a service-area statement.
  • Septic rules themselves (design, setbacks, inspection) were not opened and are not stated here.

  “health permits (well & septic): district 10 health dept. (231) 723-3595”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveway connections to roads inside Manistee township

  • Driveway permit is issued by the Manistee County Road Commission (231) 889-0000 per the county directory.
  • Which roads require a county road commission permit was not confirmed; township driveway rules not located.

  “driveway permit: manistee county road commission (231) 889-0000”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for homeowners in Manistee township
• Building code adopted — Building code applied to new construction inside Manistee township
• Inspections — Inspections for new construction inside Manistee township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Manistee township
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Manistee 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.