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

Lee Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Lee township's limits: the township's own Lee Township Zoning Ordinance (effective May 23, 2018) regulates use, parcel dimensions and structures.

  • Section 3.4(a) of the ordinance: no building or structure may be erected, moved, constructed or altered, and no new use or change in use of a parcel may be made, unless it conforms to the ordinance and the regulations for the district in which it is located.
  • A comprehensive replacement zoning ordinance was approved by the Planning Commission for submission to the Township Board on February 19, 2025; its adoption and effective date lines are blank on the cover page, so it is not confirmed adopted and the 2018 ordinance is recorded here.

  “a. no building or structure or part thereof shall be erected, moved, constructed, or altered, and no new use or change in use of a parcel shall be made unless it conforms to the provisions of this ordinance, including the regulations for the zoning district in which it is located.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts and district use and dimension tables for land inside Lee township

  • The 2018 ordinance publishes district tables (Table 1 to Table 9) and an official zoning map (section 3.2); the 2025 replacement draft is not adopted per its cover page.

  “table 4 uses/dimensions: single-family residential district”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Residential farming/agriculture (AG) district in Lee township

  • Dimensional values from Table 9 'Dimensions by District' of the 2018 ordinance (page 52 in the document); column alignment in the extracted text is not fully clean, so the setback values are treated in the setbacks claim rather than here.
  • Ordinance effective May 23, 2018.

  minimum lot area: >= 1 acre · minimum lot width: >= 132 ft

  “ag 1 acre 132 ft r-a 1 acre 132 ft 50 ft (50ft) 50 ft (50ft) 20 ft (20ft) 20 ft. (20ft)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family residential (R-A) district in Lee township

    “ag 1 acre 132 ft r-a 1 acre 132 ft 50 ft (50ft) 50 ft (50ft) 20 ft (20ft) 20 ft. (20ft)”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Occupying a mobile home on a parcel in Lee township; the temporary allowance applies only while a single-family home is being repaired or built on the same parcel.

  • One mobile home may be placed temporarily on a parcel and may house only the owner(s) and immediate family during repair or construction of a single-family home.
  • The temporary permit is valid for up to six months and may be issued by the code authority or designee under emergency conditions.
  • The temporary building must be removed on expiration of the permit.
  • Permanent manufactured-home occupancy outside an approved manufactured home park was not located in the sections read.

  temporary permit validity: <= 6 months (may be issued by the code authority or designee under emergency conditions)

  “a. one (1) mobile home may be placed temporarily on a parcel. the mobile home may house only the owner(s) of the parcel and immediate family members during the repair or construction of a single family home. the temporary permit shall be valid for up to six (6) months and may be issued by the code authority or designee under emergency conditions. the temporary building must be removed upon expiration of the temporary permit.”

• Permit processPartial

  Residential projects in Lee township that need a site plan in addition to a building permit

  • Building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits go through the township code authority; residential site plan applications go to the zoning administrator at the township hall.
  • The newsletter says there is no fee for residential site plan applications; the fee sentence is cut off, so no fee is recorded here.

  “both applications are to be submitted to the township zoning administrator at the township hall.”

Rules another office applies inside Lee Township

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

• Building permitRequired

  Residential building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work inside Lee township; the permit is issued by the township code authority, not the zoning administrator or planning commission.

  • The newsletter says the code authority is located at the Midland County Services Building, 220 West Ellsworth, Midland, MI 48640.
  • The newsletter states that the zoning administrator and planning commission do not handle building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits.
  • Residential projects also need a residential site plan application, submitted to the zoning administrator (see permit_process claim).

  “residents are reminded that the township code authority handles all building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits and inspections.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspections for work inside Lee township

  • The inspections are handled by the township code authority, per the November 2023 newsletter.

  “residents are reminded that the township code authority handles all building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits and inspections.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite septic systems on land inside Lee township (Midland County Department of Public Health's environmental health sanitarians handle soil evaluation and permitting countywide, including Lee township)

  • The county page describes soil evaluations, inspection and permitting for septic systems; it does not name Lee township specifically, so the county service area is the basis.

  “our environmental health sanitarians conduct soil evaluations (percolation "perc" test), inspection, and permitting for septic systems.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for residential construction inside Lee township
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for new construction inside Lee township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Lee township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for a single-family home in Lee township
• Lot coverage — Maximum share of a parcel covered by structures in Lee 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.