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

Green Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Dwelling construction subject to the township interim zoning ordinance inside Green Charter Township.

  • Construction required by the dwelling regulations may begin only after a building permit is obtained under applicable building-code requirements.

  “All construction required herein shall be commenced only after a building permit has been obtained in accordance with the applicable building code provisions and requirements.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Buildings, structures, or uses for which a certificate of occupancy is required inside Green Charter Township.

  • The final inspection precedes issuance of the certificate of occupancy.
  • The certificate does not waive applicable ordinances, laws, regulations, or codes.

  “CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY: A certificate issued by the Building Official after final inspections, indicating his or her opinion that all the ordinance, laws, regulations and codes are being complied with and met.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Land and buildings erected or altered inside Green Charter Township.

  • The Building Official must find compliance with approved plans and township ordinances.
  • Applicable special-land-use, variance, and site-plan-review conditions must be stated on the certificate.
  • No certificate may issue where the structure or lot violates township, state, or county law or regulation.

  “No land shall be used and no building hereafter erected or altered shall be occupied or used for any purpose until a Certificate of Occupancy shall have been issued by the Building Official stating that the premises or building complies with the provisions of approved plans and all Ordinances of the Township.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land-use decisions inside Green Charter Township.

  • The ordinance is described as an interim zoning ordinance.
  • Land-use decisions preempted by state law are excluded.

  “The township also adopted an Interim Zoning Ordinance that governs the siting of land uses throughout the township.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Green Charter Township.

  • The districts are illustrated on the official township zoning map.
  • District-specific regulations and the schedule of regulations apply.

  “Green Charter Township, Mecosta County, Michigan, is hereby divided into zoning districts, as named and described in the following sections and illustrated on the official zoning map of Green Charter Township.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles, travel trailers, motor homes, and fifth-wheel units on private property inside Green Charter Township.

  • Unpermitted occupancy is limited to up to seven days per calendar year, cannot be rented or leased to the public, must have no health or sanitary-code violations, and cannot be permanently connected to utilities or sewer/septic.
  • Occupancy over seven days requires a recreational permit valid for at most one year.
  • AF occupancy is capped at 30 continuous and 90 total days per calendar year; R-2, R-3, R-4, and LR are capped at 21 continuous and 45 total days per calendar year.
  • A County Health Department-approved water and waste system is required for the temporary-use permit.

  unpermitted occupancy: <= 7 days per calendar year (Not rented or leased; no health or sanitary-code violations; no permanent utility or sewer/septic connection.) · AF continuous occupancy: <= 30 days (Permit required for periods over seven days.) · AF total occupancy: <= 90 days per calendar year (Permit required for periods over seven days.)

  “In areas zoned AF: The unit will not be occupied for a continuous period of longer than thirty (30) days and exceed a total of ninety (90) days within any calendar year and the property owner signs a statement in agreement to that effect.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Accessory agricultural buildings inside Green Charter Township.

  • The exemption applies only to accessory structures qualifying as agricultural buildings under Public Act 230 of 1972, as amended.
  • Such buildings must still meet district setback requirements.

  “Accessory structures which qualify as an agricultural building under Public Act 230 of 1972, as amended (State Building Code), are exempt from size (square footage and height) and quantity (number of structures) restrictions. Agricultural buildings shall comply with the setback requirements for the district in which it is located.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Lot divisions inside Green Charter Township.

  • The ordinance identifies the Michigan Subdivision Control Act and Michigan Public Act 288 of 1967, as amended, as governing lot division.

  “The division of lots shall take place in accordance with the Subdivision Control Act and Michigan Public Act 288 of 1967, as amended.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Special-land-use sites inside Green Charter Township.

  • Each site must have at least one public-road access, with location approved by the Mecosta County Road Commission.
  • The cited provision is specific to the applicable special-land-use standard, not every residential driveway.

  “Access. Each site shall have at least one (1) access to a public road with the location approved by the Mecosta County Road Commission.”

• Permit processPartial

  Special-land-use applications inside Green Charter Township.

  • The application must be complete, pay the Township Board-established fee, include a detailed site plan, describe the proposed use, and provide other information the Planning Commission considers necessary.

  “An application for a special land use shall be accompanied by the following documents and information: A. An application form that has been completed in full by the applicant. B. The payment of an application fee as established by the Township Board. C. A detailed site plan which shall include all the information required by this Ordinance in Article IV.”

Rules another office applies inside Green Township

Green Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum dwelling sizeNone

  Minimum floor area for dwellings in the AF Agricultural/Forestry and R-2 Single Family Residential districts inside Green Charter Township.

  • This addresses scheduled minimum floor area; dwellings remain subject to other dwelling, width, foundation, code, and district requirements.

  “AF 1 acre 200 50 50 25 40% none 4:1 none R-2 20,000 (1, 2) 100 30 (3) 10 8 40% 30 4:1 none”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  AF Agricultural/Forestry and R-2 Single Family Residential districts inside Green Charter Township.

  • For R-2, 10,000 square feet and 75-foot width apply where either public sewer or public water is provided; 7,500 square feet and 60-foot width apply where both are provided.
  • The schedule includes separate requirements for duplexes.

  AF minimum lot size: 1 acre · R-2 minimum lot size: 20000 square feet (Subject to public utility reductions in schedule notes.) · AF minimum lot width: 200 feet · R-2 minimum lot width: 100 feet (Subject to public utility reductions in schedule notes.)

  “AF 1 acre 200 50 50 25 40% none 4:1 none R-2 20,000 (1, 2) 100 30 (3) 10 8 40% 30 4:1 none”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  AF Agricultural/Forestry and R-2 Single Family Residential districts inside Green Charter Township.

  • R-2 front setbacks are 50 feet adjacent to a state trunk line and 35 feet on a paved county primary road.
  • All lots abutting water have a 50-foot setback from ordinary high water mark, subject to the stated bank-elevation reduction to no less than 30 feet.

  AF front/rear/side setback: 50/50/25 feet · R-2 front/rear/side setback: 30/10/8 feet (Front-road exceptions apply.)

  “AF 1 acre 200 50 50 25 40% none 4:1 none R-2 20,000 (1, 2) 100 30 (3) 10 8 40% 30 4:1 none”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  AF Agricultural/Forestry and R-2 Single Family Residential districts inside Green Charter Township.

  maximum ground coverage: <= 40 percent (Applies in AF and R-2 under the schedule.)

  “AF 1 acre 200 50 50 25 40% none 4:1 none R-2 20,000 (1, 2) 100 30 (3) 10 8 40% 30 4:1 none”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  AF Agricultural/Forestry and R-2 Single Family Residential districts inside Green Charter Township.

  • The schedule lists no maximum building height for AF.
  • Specified structures are exempt from height limits under the general exceptions.

  AF maximum building height: none · R-2 maximum building height: <= 30 feet

  “AF 1 acre 200 50 50 25 40% none 4:1 none R-2 20,000 (1, 2) 100 30 (3) 10 8 40% 30 4:1 none”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Green Charter Township.
• Building code adopted — Residential construction inside Green Charter Township.
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes used as dwellings inside Green Charter Township.
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Green Charter Township.
• Septic permit — On-site septic systems inside Green Charter 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Green 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.

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