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

Lincoln Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Lincoln township limits, Midland County, Michigan; Lincoln township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance

  • The ordinance cover states a December 2018 revision and the tables say November 2018; these are revision stamps, not effective dates, so effective_at is null.
  • The text was read from a copy hosted on energyzoning.org. The township's own Documents page lists a zoning ordinance under Ordinances; verify this copy against the township's official version and any amendments after 2018.

  “lincoln township zoning ordinance lincoln township, midland county, michigan township hall address 1882 n. hope road midland, mi 48642”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Lincoln township

  • Districts described in the ordinance are R-1, R-2, B-1, B-2, M-1 and M-2; the zoning map is listed on the township site and in the ordinance as Map 1.

  “zoning maps existing land use map future land use map school district map zoning map”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 (low density residential) district inside Lincoln township

  • The table lists the dwelling minimum for multistory houses as 600 sq ft on the ground floor.
  • The table's minimum housing unit dimension is 16 ft, shown as 16 ft in the R-1 and R-2 columns.

  minimum housing unit floor area: >= 900 sq ft (600 sq ft on ground floor for multistory) · minimum housing unit dimension: >= 16 ft

  “housing unit., min. sq. ft. 900 sq ft; 600 sq ft on ground floor for multistory 900 sq ft; 600 sq ft on ground floor for multistory n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. housing unit, min. dim. 16’ 16’ na na na na”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the R-2 (medium density residential) district inside Lincoln township

    “housing unit., min. sq. ft. 900 sq ft; 600 sq ft on ground floor for multistory 900 sq ft; 600 sq ft on ground floor for multistory n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 (low density residential) district inside Lincoln township

  • The lot width row in the extracted table reads '132 ft corner lot 165 ft frontage'; the flattened text does not show clearly whether 132 ft is the interior-lot width and 165 ft the corner-lot width. Confirm against the printed table.

  minimum lot area: >= 1 acre · minimum lot width: >= 132 ft (165 ft for corner lot or frontage as shown in table)

  “lot area, min. sq. ft. 1 acre 1 acre none none 25,000 sq ft 25,000 sq ft”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in the R-2 (medium density residential) district inside Lincoln township

    “lot area, min. sq. ft. 1 acre 1 acre none none 25,000 sq ft 25,000 sq ft”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 (low density residential) district inside Lincoln township

  • Table 5 coverage row is flattened; the R-1 column is the first value of the row.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 35 percent

  “coverage, max. percent 35% 35% 50% 50% 50% 75%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in the R-2 (medium density residential) district inside Lincoln township

    “coverage, max. percent 35% 35% 50% 50% 50% 75%”

• Building heightSpecified

  Structures in the R-1 (low density residential) district inside Lincoln township

  • Height is stated as 2½ stories or 35 ft; the limit is per the flattened Table 5 row.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (2½ stories)

  “height, max. feet 2½ stories or 35 ft 2½ stories or 35 ft 2½ stories or 35 ft 2½ stories or 35 ft 3½ stories or 45 ft 3½ stories or 45 ft”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Structures in the R-2 (medium density residential) district inside Lincoln township

    “height, max. feet 2½ stories or 35 ft 2½ stories or 35 ft 2½ stories or 35 ft 2½ stories or 35 ft 3½ stories or 45 ft 3½ stories or 45 ft”

• Off-grid sanitationProhibited

  Alternate sewage disposal methods for buildings used for dwelling, business, commercial or recreational purposes inside Lincoln township, specifically lagoon systems

  • Septic systems with tanks and municipal sewage systems are the only allowed systems, except in municipal parks, municipal buildings and seasonal temporary uses when approved by the zoning administrator.
  • Sanitary sewer and connected toilet facilities inside the building are required for dwelling, business, commercial or recreational buildings.

  “alternate methods of sewage disposal are not allowed, specifically lagoons systems.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Divisions of land and private roads inside Lincoln township

  • The ordinance requires compliance with the state Land Division Act (Act 288 of 1967) for divisions of land.
  • The township's Documents page lists a Land Division Ordinance and a Land Division application, which were not opened.

  “all divisions of land shall be in compliance with the land division act, act 288, of 1967, as amended.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Buildings and dwellings for human occupancy inside the 100-year floodplain of the Tittabawassee River and its tributaries in Lincoln township

  • Applies only to the 100-year floodplain of the Tittabawassee River and its tributaries; other floodplain areas were not checked.
  • Stated in the general requirements that precede Section 3.9 (subsection g, floodplain management).

  “no building, structure, or dwelling designed, constructed, intended, or used for human occupancy shall be moved on, constructed, erected, or occupied, in the one hundred (100) year floodplain of the tittabawassee river and its tributaries.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and water service permits for work inside Lincoln township

  • The page lists the permit forms and applications but the steps, reviews and inspections were not opened.

  “permits building permit burning permits electrical permit mechanical permit mechanical permit application plumbing permit water service permit”

Rules another office applies inside Lincoln Township

Lincoln 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 septicCounty (with conditions)

  Wastewater disposal systems for buildings inside Lincoln township; the Midland County Health Department approves the disposal system

  • Only septic systems with tanks or municipal sewage disposal systems are allowed, except in municipal parks, municipal buildings and seasonal temporary uses when approved by the zoning administrator.
  • Lincoln township's own zoning ordinance sets the requirement; the county health department approves the system it requires.

  “these facilities must be connected to a sanitary sewer disposal system approved by the midland county health department.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New dwellings inside Lincoln township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Lincoln township
• Building code adopted — Inside Lincoln township
• Inspections — Inside Lincoln township
• Certificate of occupancy — Inside Lincoln 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.