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

Whiteford Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Whiteford township's zoning jurisdiction, which Ordinance 68 describes as its unincorporated portions; the township board adopted its own zoning ordinance on December 20, 2016

  • Ordinance 68 states its purposes for 'the unincorporated portions of whiteford township' and repeals Ordinance 44 (zoning ordinance adopted October 20, 1998).
  • Zoning-only dimensional and occupancy topics in this record are answered from the township ordinance rather than from county zoning.

  adoption date: 2016-12-20

  “this ordinance was adopted by the board of trustees of whiteford township, monroe county, michigan, at a meeting held on december 20, 2016”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Whiteford township's zoning jurisdiction; districts are AG, R-1 through R-5, TND, B-1, B-2, M-1, M-2, EX and PUD as listed in section 4.01

  • Map and district names are in the official zoning map adopted with Ordinance 68 (section 4.02); map boundaries were not opened for this record.

  “for the purpose of this ordinance, whiteford township is hereby divided into the following zoning districts to be known as, and having the following names and symbols”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Parcels in the R-1 single-family rural residential district in Whiteford township

  • The R-1 district is for rural non-farm development in areas not expected to have public facilities in the near future.
  • Section 4.01 lists R-1 as 2.00 to 4.99 acres with a minimum frontage of 200 feet and a maximum depth of 660 feet.

  minimum parcel area: >= 2 acres (upper bound 4.99 acres per district description; minimum frontage 200 feet; maximum depth 660 feet)

  “the district shall permit a dwelling on parcels between 2.00 and 4.99 acres with a minimum frontage of 200 feet and maximum depth of 660 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Parcels in the AG agricultural district in Whiteford township

    “all parcels in the agricultural district shall be at least 5 acres in size and have a minimum frontage of 250 feet.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles on private residential lots in Whiteford township

  • Under section 9.04, the outdoor storage of one unoccupied recreational vehicle is allowed on a residential lot, parked to the rear of the front building line of the dwelling.
  • Temporary parking of a recreational vehicle on a street is limited to two hours, and to 24 hours in a front yard (section 9.04).
  • The recreational vehicle definition excludes full-time residential occupancy; the ordinance does not state a separate occupancy limit for a visiting RV on private land.

  maximum units stored on residential lot: <= 1 vehicles (unoccupied; stored to rear of front building line)

  “the outdoor storage of not more than one unoccupied recreational vehicle shall be permitted on a residential lot, provided the entire vehicle shall be parked to the rear of the front building line of the dwelling house on said lot.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Land in Whiteford township within the flood plain overlay, in any zoning district

  • Flood plain overlay requirements are in section 5.02 of Ordinance 68; the overlay applies on top of the underlying district rules.
  • Only the overlay's cross-reference was verified in this record; the permit and elevation steps in section 5.02 were not reviewed.

  “all districts shall be subject to the flood plain overlay district requirements set forth in section 5.02.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes inside Whiteford township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for residential construction in Whiteford township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Whiteford township
• Inspections — Building inspections for work inside Whiteford township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Whiteford 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.