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

Belvidere Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction in Belvidere township: a zoning permit is required first, and a building permit is required where state law requires it.

  • The ordinance does not name the building inspector or building department that issues the building permit; the agency is unidentified.
  • Trigger is 'where required by state law', so the exact scope of building-permit coverage is conditional.

  “no driveway or any other grading, excavation, or construction shall be initiated prior to the issuance of a zoning permit and, where required by state law, the building inspector certifies proposed structures and buildings comply with the construction code through the issuance of a building permit.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Occupancy of any structure or use in Belvidere township.

  • Permit for occupancy is issued by the building inspector pursuant to the construction code.

  “no structure or use shall be occupied, in whole or in part, without first receiving a permit for occupancy from the building inspector pursuant to the construction code.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Belvidere township limits: the township administers its own zoning ordinance (Ordinance No. 18).

  • The township forms page states the zoning ordinance is under review and is not complete; the township zoning book dated 5-19-25 is linked from the zoning page but was not opened.
  • Ordinance adoption date 2010-06-10 is taken from the ordinance cover; revised 2016 per the same cover.

  “belvidere township zoning ordinance ordinance no. 18 adopted june 10, 2010 revised 2016 belvidere township montcalm county, michigan”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Belvidere township limits, zoned under the township ordinance.

  • Districts include AR agricultural-residential, R-1 through R-4, R-MF, R-MHC, C-1, C-2, I-1 and PUD; the official zoning map is a separate township document.

  “for the purpose of this ordinance, the township is hereby divided into the following zoning districts, which shall be known by the following respective symbols and names, and shall have boundaries as delineated on the official zoning map.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific

  Single-family dwelling lots in the R-1 residential district of Belvidere township.

  • Table 3-4 text extraction is garbled; confirm the R-1 figure visually against the ordinance PDF or the 2025 zoning book.
  • Lot configuration: depth of a lot shall not exceed four (4) times its width (table 3-4 footnote 2).
  • Two-family dwelling lot requirement in R-1 is separate and not recorded here.

  minimum lot area, single-family dwelling: >= 36000 sq ft (from garbled table 3-4 text; verify)

  “r-1: residential sfd: 2 36,000 sq. ft. sfd: 120 tfd: 2 72,000 sq. ft tfd: 160”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Occupying a recreational vehicle as a temporary dwelling on private land in an agricultural or residential district of Belvidere township.

  • Application to the zoning administrator is required if occupied more than thirty (30) days within any twelve month period, except farm labor housed on the farm.
  • RV must meet principal-structure setbacks and may not be parked in a front yard.
  • Written approval of owners of all dwellings within 300 feet of the lot lines is required.
  • Water and sewage must be approved by the county health department.
  • A temporary zoning permit is not granted unless the zoning administrator makes the findings in section 20.11(d).

  occupancy threshold requiring application: > 30 days (within any twelve month period; farm labor on the farm excepted)

  “a recreational vehicle may be used as a temporary dwelling in an agricultural or residential district and outside of a licensed mobile home or recreational vehicle park provided the following conditions are met.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary dwellings on private land in Belvidere township, including recreational vehicles.

  • Temporary dwellings are prohibited except as approved by the zoning administrator.
  • Commercial campgrounds are regulated under section 10.4 and must be licensed by the State of Michigan; tent camping on private land is not separately addressed.

  “temporary dwellings are prohibited except as approved by the zoning administrator according to this section.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured (mobile) homes outside a licensed mobile home park in Belvidere township.

  • Mobile homes in a licensed mobile home park are exempt from the section 20.9 single family standards except as state and federal law requires.
  • Mobile homes outside a park must be installed on a permanent foundation or with the skirting, anchoring and wheels-removed rules of section 20.9.
  • Mobile homes are allowed as temporary dwellings only in the circumstances in section 20.11(b).

  “provided that the foregoing standards shall not apply to temporary dwellings, or mobile homes located in a licensed mobile home park, except to the extent required by sate and federal law.”

• Accessory dwellingsProhibited

  Accessory buildings and structures in Belvidere township may not be used or occupied as a dwelling.

  • Detached or attached accessory dwelling units built as separate dwellings were not separately addressed; this claim covers accessory buildings only.

  “g. habitation of accessory structures: no accessory building or structure shall be used or occupied as a dwelling.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Private on-site sewage disposal for a dwelling in Belvidere township.

  • Private facilities must be approved by the Montcalm County health department.
  • Recreational vehicles used as temporary dwellings must also have a potable water and sewage disposal system approved by the county health department.

  “all dwellings shall be connected to a public sewer and water supply or to such private facilities approved by the montcalm county health department.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New dwellings inside Belvidere township.

  • Connection to public sewer and water is required, or private facilities approved by the Montcalm County health department.
  • No distance-to-main or availability rule was found in the section read.

  “all dwellings shall be connected to a public sewer and water supply or to such private facilities approved by the montcalm county health department.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions and lot adjustments in Belvidere township.

  • Township land division and lot adjustment applications carry a per-new-parcel fee; state Land Division Act requirements also apply but were not checked.

  land division or lot adjustment application fee: 75 USD (plus $25 per new parcel)

  “land division/lot adjustment $75 *$25 per new parcel”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveways and grading in Belvidere township.

  • A zoning permit must be issued before any driveway is started.
  • Road-access permits from the county road commission were not checked.

  “no driveway or any other grading, excavation, or construction shall be initiated prior to the issuance of a zoning permit”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rentals in Belvidere township.

  • A short term rental permit is required and renews each June 1.
  • Short-term rental standards in the ordinance were not read.

  short term rental permit fee: 100 USD (renews June 1 each year)

  “short term rentals $100 (renew on june 1st every year)”

• Permit feesPublished

  Zoning permit applications in Belvidere township.

  • Fees are as listed on the township zoning page; building-permit fees were not found.

  zoning permit application, dwelling or non-dwelling: 50 USD

  “zoning permit application dwelling/non-dwelling $50”

Rules another office applies inside Belvidere Township

Belvidere 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

  Dwellings in Belvidere township must be built on site in accordance with the state construction code.

  • The state construction code is state-level; the township ordinance refers to it rather than adopting its own code.

  “all dwellings shall be firmly attached to a permanent foundation constructed on the site in accordance with the state construction code”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Sewage disposal for buildings inside Belvidere township, as set by the Montcalm County health department (applies inside Belvidere township).

  • Ordinance names the Montcalm County health department; the Mid-Michigan District Health Department appeared in a search snippet only and was not verified on an official page.
  • Geography entered as countywide because the schema does not allow township-specific for county authority.

  “all sewage disposal and potable water facilities shall be constructed and maintained in accordance with the requirements and standards of the montcalm county health department”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a homeowner building their own home in Belvidere township.
• Inspections — Construction inspections for buildings in Belvidere township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings in Belvidere township.
• Setbacks — Yard setbacks for residential districts in Belvidere township.
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage for residential districts in Belvidere 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.