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

Raisinville Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Accessory buildings over 200 square feet in Raisinville township

  • The township ordinance requires a building permit under the state construction code for accessory buildings over 200 sq ft; permits for principal dwellings were not read.
  • Construction may proceed after the permit is issued.

  accessory building size triggering building permit: > 200 sq ft (accessory buildings only)

  “accessory buildings or structures greater than two hundred (200) square feet shall require a building permit as provided in the michigan state construction code. all accessory buildings shall require zoning compliance.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Raisinville township limits: the township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance

  • Zoning compliance is required for land use in the township; the ordinance states it is divided into zoning districts.

  “raisinville township is hereby divided into the following zoning districts to be known as, and having the following names and symbols”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Raisinville township limits

  • District list is in Article 3 section 3.00; the official zoning map is adopted by reference in section 3.01 and was not opened.

  “ag, agricultural district r-1, single-family rural residential district r-2, single-family urban residential district rm, multiple family residential district”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 district in Raisinville township

  • Read from the flattened schedule column labelled min floor area per dwelling unit; verify against page 12-1.

  minimum floor area per dwelling unit: >= 960 sq ft

  “30,000 sf 150 - 2 35 35 20 40 (e) 35 960 20 no public sewer or water”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 single-family rural residential district in Raisinville township (lots without public sewer or water)

  • Values come from a flattened PDF table; the row is matched to R-1 by its 'no public sewer or water' label and by the R-1 purpose statement. Verify column alignment against page 12-1.
  • Footnotes to the schedule of regulations in section 12.00 (including footnote (e)) modify these numbers and were not read.

  minimum lot area: >= 30000 sq ft (applies where no public sewer or water is provided) · minimum lot width: >= 150 ft

  “30,000 sf 150 - 2 35 35 20 40 (e) 35 960 20 no public sewer or water”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 single-family rural residential district in Raisinville township

  • Column alignment inferred from the flattened table header (front, sides least one / total two, rear). Verify against page 12-1 and footnote (e).
  • Accessory buildings have separate setback rules in Article 3.

  front yard setback: >= 35 ft · side yard setback (least one side): >= 20 ft · side yard setback (total of two sides): >= 40 ft (footnote (e) referenced) · rear yard setback: >= 35 ft

  “30,000 sf 150 - 2 35 35 20 40 (e) 35 960 20 no public sewer or water”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 single-family rural residential district in Raisinville township

  • Read as the last column of the flattened row (maximum lot coverage in percent); verify against page 12-1.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 20 percent

  “30,000 sf 150 - 2 35 35 20 40 (e) 35 960 20 no public sewer or water”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 single-family rural residential district in Raisinville township

  • Column alignment inferred from the flattened table header (stories, then feet). Verify against page 12-1.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft · maximum building height: <= 2 stories

  “30,000 sf 150 - 2 35 35 20 40 (e) 35 960 20 no public sewer or water”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Use of an RV or other vehicle for shelter of persons on a parcel in Raisinville township

  • Same accessory-buildings ban as the temporary camping claim; it covers vehicles used for shelter of persons.
  • Whether this bars long-term RV occupancy as a dwelling beyond the cited text was not confirmed.

  “such equipment shall not be used for living, sleeping, or housekeeping purposes when parked or stored on a residential lot”

• Camping on your landProhibited

  Use of tents or vehicles for shelter of persons on a parcel in Raisinville township

  • Stated in the accessory buildings provisions of Article 3 (item f); it is written as a general ban on tents, semi-trailers, or vehicles used for shelter of persons on a parcel.
  • Scope of 'vehicles' and any temporary-use exceptions were not confirmed beyond the cited text.

  “the use of tents, semi-trailers, or vehicles, situated on a parcel, for the support, shelter or enclosure of persons, animals, chattels, or property of any kind shall not be permitted”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Second dwelling units on a residential lot inside Raisinville township

  • Only one single-family dwelling unit may be on a lot, and it may not share the lot with another principal building except as allowed under section 3.04 temporary structures.
  • Section 3.04 was not read.

  “not more than one (1) single-family dwelling unit shall be located on a lot, nor shall a singlefamily dwelling unit be located on the same lot with any other principal building or structure use, except as permitted under section 3.04 temporary structures”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit contact and office hours for Raisinville township

  • The home page publishes department phone and hours and names a building inspector; it does not publish a step-by-step permit process.
  • Office hours on the home page: building department open Monday-Friday 8-10 am.

  “building department: 734-269-3114 (monday- friday 8-10 am)”

Rules another office applies inside Raisinville Township

Raisinville 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 code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Building construction inside Raisinville township, under the Michigan State Construction Code

  • The township ordinance refers to the Michigan state construction code; the township building department administers it, but the administering arrangement was not read.

  “shall require a building permit as provided in the michigan state construction code”

• Off-grid sanitationAllowed (with conditions)

  On-site sanitary treatment systems on rural residential lots inside Raisinville township

  • Allowed under the Monroe County Sanitary Code and the township R-1 district; systems must be approved under that code.
  • Lot size and well requirements in the schedule of regulations also apply.

  “to permit the use of approved on-site sanitary treatment systems (septic tanks and drain fields) and the use of on-site wells of safe water quality in accordance with the provisions of the monroe county sanitary code”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homeowners building in Raisinville township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Raisinville township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new homes inside Raisinville township
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy in Raisinville township
• Manufactured homes — Manufactured or mobile home occupancy on private land in Raisinville 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.