Building permits, zoning and land rules in Mason County, Michigan

Mason County, Michigan requires a written building-permit application before construction or a change in use or occupancy; ordinary repairs are exempt, subject to structural and safety limitations¹. The county Building Department serves Amber, Branch, Custer, Eden, Free Soil, Grant, Hamlin, Logan, Meade, Riverton, Sheridan, Sherman, Summit and Victory Townships, the Villages of Custer, Fountain and Free Soil, and the City of Scottville². Ludington issues its own building permits, and Pere Marquette Charter Township has its own building department; electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits go through Mason County^3,4. In Scottville, city zoning compliance, a special-use permit or a variance must precede the county building permit¹⁶. Septic and private-well permits remain with District Health Department No. 10 throughout Mason County⁶. Residential construction follows the Michigan Residential Code, with the 2015 edition remaining in effect under a court order¹⁷. Mason County’s agricultural exemption requires exclusively agricultural use on agricultural land, excludes residential storage and still requires zoning approval³.

The Mason County Building Department, at 5300 US 10 in Ludington, is the contact for county-issued building permits³. Permits must be mailed or dropped off at 5300 W. US 10 with an original signature; faxes and PDFs are not accepted, and after processing, the county mails the permit to the applicant¹⁸. Residential building and deck applications need a structural cross-section plan and a hand-drawn floor plan¹⁸. Call the Building Department for the project fee; a mailed building-permit application carries a $25 administrative fee, but mailed electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications do not¹⁸. Request inspections at least 2 business days before they are needed, post the address clearly and provide site access¹⁹. An owner building for personal use and occupancy may be exempt from builder licensing, but not from permits¹⁴.

Mason County’s county-administered zoning applies to unincorporated land in Amber, Branch, Eden, Riverton, Summit, Sherman, Meade, Victory, Custer and Logan Townships⁵. The county zoning-permit page also includes Sheridan, but the department’s administration list omits Sheridan; ask Mason County Planning and Zoning to confirm the parcel’s authority^5,20. Ludington administers its Unified Development Ordinance, and Scottville has city zoning; Free Soil, Grant and Hamlin Townships also have local zoning^7,8,9,10,11. Septic and private-well permits stay with District Health Department No. 10, including inside Ludington and Scottville^6,12. Airport-overlay height and land-use restrictions may apply within 10 miles of Mason County Airport, including parts of municipalities with local zoning²⁰. We could not confirm county-district setbacks, lot sizes, dwelling sizes or lot coverage; request the parcel’s standards from Mason County Planning and Zoning²¹.

District Health Department No. 10 requires a permit before a Mason County sewage-disposal system is built, repaired, altered or extended, except when the Health Officer waives it for a limited minor repair⁶. Where public sewer is unavailable, construction cannot begin until DHD#10 issues that permit⁶. DHD#10 evaluates the site, designs the system, locates the well area and inspects final work; a homeowner may self-install, while other installers must be DHD#10-licensed¹². Before cover or backfill, contact the sanitarian at least 24 hours ahead for final inspection¹². Only 3.9% of Mason County soils are free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, so complete the site evaluation before committing to a house location¹³. A new private well or extensive change to an existing well also needs a DHD#10 permit; routine maintenance and minor repairs are excluded⁶.

We could not confirm long-term RV occupancy or temporary camping rules for private land in unincorporated Mason County; ask Mason County Planning and Zoning in the county-administered townships before relying on an RV for housing²¹. Michigan requires a tiny house, including one on wheels, to obtain local zoning approval, building, electrical and plumbing permits, plus health-department approval for well and septic arrangements¹⁵. Ask the applicable township or city zoning office about dwelling eligibility; Ludington and Scottville administer city zoning, while Free Soil, Grant and Hamlin have township zoning^7,8,9,10,11. District Health Department No. 10 handles private-well and septic permits regardless of the zoning authority⁶.

1. Identify the building-permit and zoning authorities for the parcel; Mason County issues most building permits, while Ludington and Pere Marquette Charter Township issue their own³.
2. Obtain the applicable zoning approval and call for the project-specific fee^7,22.
3. Where public services are unavailable, obtain DHD#10 septic and private-well permits before construction, regardless of which office issues the building permit or zoning approval⁶.
4. If access is from a state trunkline, obtain the separate driveway permit through Michigan's Construction Permit System²³.
5. Submit the building-permit application to the correct enforcing agency; for county-issued building permits, use an original signature and call Mason County for the applicable fee^1,18.
6. For county-issued building permits, request building inspections at least 2 business days ahead and address any floodplain requirements^19,24.
7. Arrange the septic final inspection before cover, then obtain occupancy approval after permitted work is complete^12,25.

Only 3.9% of Mason County soils are free of severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, so get a Health Department site evaluation before counting on a standard system¹³. The terrain is generally gentle, with 94.3% of the county at 15% slope or less, while 63.7% is wooded¹³. For a subdivision plat, the Mason County Plat Board reviews documents before state submission; Road Commission, Drain Commissioner and Health Department approvals apply where public water and sewer will not serve the lots, and state review may apply beside highways, waterways or floodplains²⁶. A driveway onto a state trunkline needs a separate driveway permit in addition to local building approval²³. Property taxes average an effective 1.1%, with a median annual bill of $2,203¹³.