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

Midland Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Charter Township of Midland limits: the township adopts and administers its own zoning chapter (Chapter 300 Zoning) with its own zone districts.

  • Use and structure must conform to the regulations for the district in which the land is located (Chapter 300, Article VI, section 300-36).

  “for the purpose of this chapter, the charter township of midland, excepting streets and alleys, is divided into the following zone districts.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zone districts of Charter Township of Midland (R-1, R-2, B-1, B-2, M-1).

  • The district list is published on eCode360, but the official zoning district map is kept in township offices and was not located online.
  • The eCode360 text lists the district classes; the map itself and any amendments were not verified.

  “the zoning district map is on file in the township offices.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Each dwelling unit in the R-1 One-Family Residential district of Charter Township of Midland (section 300-42 dimensional requirements).

  • Measured as finished living area.

  minimum finished living area per dwelling unit: >= 1200 sq ft

  “each dwelling unit shall have a minimum finished living area of 1,200 square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family lots in the R-1 One-Family Residential district of Charter Township of Midland (section 300-42 dimensional requirements).

  • Corner lot minimum lot area is 22,000 square feet.
  • Lot width minimum 100 feet.

  minimum lot area per dwelling unit: >= 20000 sq ft (corner lot: 22,000 sq ft) · minimum lot width: >= 100 ft

  “each lot shall contain a minimum of 20,000 square feet per dwelling unit, and in the case of a corner lot, it shall be 22,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal buildings on lots in the R-1 One-Family Residential district of Charter Township of Midland (section 300-42 dimensional requirements).

  • Corner lot street-side yard is at least 45 feet but may not reduce the buildable width of any lot below 50 feet.

  minimum front yard depth: >= 45 ft (measured from road right-of-way) · minimum side yard depth: >= 15 ft (corner lot street-side yard not less than 45 ft) · minimum rear yard: >= 25 ft

  “each lot shall have a minimum front yard depth of 45 feet from the road right-of-way.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 One-Family Residential district of Charter Township of Midland (section 300-42 dimensional requirements).

  maximum lot coverage by all buildings: <= 25 % of lot

  “a maximum of 25% of the lot may be covered by all buildings.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal buildings in the R-1 One-Family Residential district of Charter Township of Midland (section 300-42 dimensional requirements).

  • Exceptions are listed in Article III, section 300-10, which was not opened.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (alternative limit is two and one-half stories; exceptions refer to article III, section 300-10) · maximum building height: <= 2.5 stories

  “d. maximum building height. (1) two and one-half stories or 35 feet. (2) exceptions (refer to article iii, § 300-10).”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Dwellings inside Charter Township of Midland that are furnished township water (Chapter 283 Water, Article I).

  • Each dwelling furnished township water must have its own water connection.
  • The township water service area map is on file in township offices and was not located online, so whether a new home is inside the service area is unknown.
  • No township rule requiring connection to public sewer when available was located in the sources opened; sewer connection is unknown.

  “every dwelling, building or structure furnished township water shall have its own water connection.”

Rules another office applies inside Midland Township

Midland 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)

  Septic systems on land inside Charter Township of Midland, administered by the Midland County Department of Public Health (county environmental health), which the county page describes as serving Midland County.

  • No township septic ordinance was located in the sources opened.
  • Recorded at county scope because the schema does not allow municipality-specific geography for a county authority; the county rule applies inside the township.

  “septic systems 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 Midland Township or Midland County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits for construction inside Charter Township of Midland.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home in Charter Township of Midland.
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Charter Township of Midland.
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Charter Township of Midland.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings in Charter Township of Midland.

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 Midland 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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