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

London Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside London township limits; the township administers its own London Township Zoning Ordinance

  • Zoning-district rules govern use and dimensional standards; not verified for every district.

  “london township zoning ordinance page 4 - 1 article 4 dimensional standards district name agricultural-conservation”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of London Township: AG-1, AG-2, R-1, R-2, MHP, C-1, C-2, I-R, PSP, FP

  • Section 3.02 table of permitted uses is organized by district; permitted and special uses vary by district.

  “agricultural-conservation agricultural-reserve rural residential urban residential manufactured housing park convenience commercial special commercial industrial-research public/semi-public services flood plain symbol ag-1 ag-2 r-1 r-2 mhp c-1 c-2 i-r psp fp”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family detached dwellings inside London township; floor area set by each zoning district

  • Section 5.207 sets a fixed minimum width; the floor area figure is in each district's dimensional standards, which were not extracted.

  minimum width across all elevations: >= 24 feet (manufactured housing in licensed parks excluded)

  “all dwellings shall have a minimum width across all front, side, or rear elevations of 24 feet, and shall comply with the minimum floor area requirements of the zoning district in which they are located.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  AG-1 (agricultural-conservation) and AG-2 (agricultural-reserve) districts inside London township

  • Creating a new lot below the district's minimum land area per unit requires review under section 11.01 residential open space development option.
  • Numeric AG-1 and AG-2 lot areas were not extracted from the Article 4 table.

  “for the ag-1 (agricultural-conservation) and ag-2 (agricultural-reserve) districts, the separate minimum lot area and minimum land area per unit requirements are intended to protect prime farmlands and large parcels of land”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — New single-family detached dwellings in every London township zoning district where residential uses are permitted

    “in all zoning districts where residential uses are permitted, development of new single-family detached dwellings shall conform to both the minimum lot area and minimum land area per unit requirements specified in this article.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Existing lots of record for new dwellings in London township residential districts

  • The lot must meet the minimum setbacks of its zoning district; the numeric setback distances were not extracted from the Article 4 table.

  “b. minimum setback. the lot shall conform to the minimum setbacks requirements for the zoning district.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Commercial recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds inside London township; does not address personal camping on a private lot

  • Camping areas must be set back at least 100 feet from all lot boundaries (section 5.305 item 3).
  • Planning commission may require a fence up to six feet around the site (item 2).

  minimum site area: >= 5 acres

  “recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds shall be subject to the following: 1. lot area. minimum site area shall be five (5) acres.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured homes placed on an individual lot inside London township, outside licensed manufactured housing parks

  • Must be anchored to a foundation or installed per manufacturer setup instructions.
  • Wheels and towing mechanism removed and undercarriage screened with permanent skirting or similar measures.
  • Must meet the single-family dwelling standards of Section 5.207, including the minimum width and zoning-district floor area.

  “a manufactured home may be installed and anchored pursuant to the manufacturer’s setup instructions and the applicable michigan manufactured housing commission general rules, provided that its wheels and towing mechanism have been removed and the undercarriage has been secured and screened from view with permanent skirting or similar measures.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creation of new lots in London township residential districts (AG-1 and AG-2 named in the ordinance)

  • New lots below the district's minimum land area per unit go through review under section 11.01, the residential open space development option.
  • Platted-lot and land-division-act treatment is referenced in the ordinance but was not separately verified.

  “creation of new lots with less than the minimum required land area per unit for the zoning district shall be subject to review and approval in accordance with section 11.01 (residential open space development option).”

Rules another office applies inside London Township

London 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)

  Private wastewater disposal on lots inside London township; the Monroe County Health Department approves on-site systems

  • Stated for nonconforming lots of record; the ordinance treats county-approved systems as an alternative to public sewer.
  • Rule-maker is the county health department, not the township.

  “all dwellings shall be connected to a privately-owned and operated well and septic system approved by the monroe county health department, or to a publicly-owned and operated water supply and sanitary sewer system.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New construction inside London township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside London township
• Inspections — Inspections for new construction inside London township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside London township
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage for dwellings inside London 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.