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

Pleasanton Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Pleasanton township's unincorporated area (the ordinance applies to the unincorporated portion of the township; it does not regulate incorporated areas or the rest of Manistee County).

  • Adopted under Michigan's Township Rural Zoning Act (Act 184 of 1943), per the ordinance's legal basis section.
  • Document is the county-hosted copy of the ordinance; it carries 2018 township board annotations on some sections. Current amendments not verified.

  “the township board of the township of pleasanton, manistee county, michigan, adopted this ordinance at the meeting held on july 10,2003”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land use districts for the unincorporated portion of Pleasanton township

  • Ordinance Article 18 lists the districts (WR-1, RA-1, RA-2, LS-1, LBR, RA-3) and says the district boundaries are on an official zoning map incorporated by reference.
  • The article says five districts but lists six (a-f); the official zoning map was not opened.

  “1801. - land use district: the unincorporated portion of the township of pleasanton is hereby divided into five (5) land use districts, as follows:”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Main dwelling in the RA-1 residential-agricultural district inside Pleasanton township

  • Figure is the district minimum floor area for permitted uses in RA-1.

  minimum floor area: >= 840 square feet

  “3504.-minimums: a. minimum parcel area: 10 acres with minimum road frontage of 200 feet, except for flag lots (see d). b. minimum setback, including all accessory buildings: 1. front - 83 feet. measured from centerline of road, as determined by the manistee county road commission or zoning administrator. 2. rear: 20 feet. 3. side: 10 feet. 4. minimum setback from the water's edge of any lake, stream, creek, river or wetland area: 100 feet. c. minimum floor area: 840 square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Dwellings in the RA-2 residential-agricultural-commercial by special use permit district inside Pleasanton township

    “e. minimum floor area – 840 square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Parcels in the RA-1 residential-agricultural district inside Pleasanton township

  • Flag lots have a separate rule: minimum 66 feet of road frontage, and no structure over 50 square feet allowed in the pole area.
  • The pole area may access only one parcel unless a private road and proper approval exist.

  minimum parcel area: >= 10 acres (flag lots have separate minimums) · minimum road frontage: >= 200 feet (flag lots: 66 feet)

  “a. minimum parcel area: 10 acres with minimum road frontage of 200 feet, except for flag lots (see d).”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Parcels in the RA-2 residential-agricultural-commercial by special use permit district inside Pleasanton township

    “a. minimum parcel area – 2 acres b. minimum parcel width throughout – 200 feet c. minimum highway frontage – 200 feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Buildings and accessory buildings in the RA-1 residential-agricultural district inside Pleasanton township

  • Front setback is measured from the centerline of the road, as determined by the Manistee County Road Commission or zoning administrator.
  • Setbacks apply to all accessory buildings.

  front setback: >= 83 feet from road centerline · rear setback: >= 20 feet · side setback: >= 10 feet · water setback: >= 100 feet from water's edge of lake, stream, creek, river or wetland

  “b. minimum setback, including all accessory buildings: 1. front - 83 feet. measured from centerline of road, as determined by the manistee county road commission or zoning administrator. 2. rear: 20 feet. 3. side: 10 feet. 4. minimum setback from the water's edge of any lake, stream, creek, river or wetland area: 100 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings and accessory buildings in the RA-2 residential-agricultural-commercial by special use permit district inside Pleasanton township

    “d. minimum setbacks, including all accessory buildings: 1. front – 83 feet. measured from centerline of road, as determined by the manistee county road commission or zoning administrator. 2. rear-20 feet. 3. side-20 feet. 4. minimum setback from the water’s edge of any lake, stream, creek, river or wetland area – 300 feet.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Commercial campgrounds (public camping grounds) inside Pleasanton township's unincorporated area, where the district lists them as a special use. Covers commercial campgrounds only, not temporary camping on private land.

  • Campgrounds are a special use requiring a special use permit.
  • Minimum parcel area scales with the number of campsites.
  • Spaces may be rented only on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
  • The district listing and full special-use criteria were read only in part, and the campground licensing requirement from the health department was not verified.

  minimum parcel area: >= 2000 square feet per proposed campsite

  “5. the minimum parcel area shall not be less than x square feet, where x equals 2,000 times the number of proposed campsites.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory apartments on a lot with a principal single-family dwelling inside Pleasanton township's unincorporated area

  • The owner of the lot must occupy either the principal dwelling or the accessory apartment.
  • The accessory apartment must comply with the state construction code and the district 10 health department sanitation code.
  • The accessory apartment must be at least 450 square feet of floor area or no more than 35% of the principal dwelling's total square footage, whichever is greater.
  • A minimum of three parking spaces must be provided on the premises.
  • The building must keep the appearance of a single-family residence.
  • A site plan must accompany the permit application.
  • The accessory apartment may be on an adjacent lot in common ownership if both lots are tied by a deed restriction against separate sale.

  minimum floor area of accessory apartment: >= 450 square feet (or no more than 35% of principal dwelling total square footage, whichever is greater) · minimum parking spaces: >= 3 spaces

  “6. the entire accessory apartment shall consist of a minimum of 450 square feet of floor area or no more than 35% of the total square footage of the principal single-family dwelling, whichever is greater.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for construction inside Pleasanton township
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Pleasanton township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Pleasanton township
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage in Pleasanton township districts
• Building height — Maximum building height in Pleasanton township districts

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.