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

Day Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Day township's limits (Montcalm County, MI). The county's zoning sheet lists Day among the townships that have zoning administrators.

  • The county sheet lists 'Day' in the zoning-administrator group ahead of the 'non-zoned townships' heading. The township's own zoning ordinance was not located or opened, so the ordinance title and adoption date are not verified here.
  • Zoning approval is required for building projects in zoned townships, per the county sheet.

  “twp. zoning administrators - bushnell crystal day evergreen ferris 989-289-2268 non-zoned townships”

Rules another office applies inside Day Township

Day 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 permitRequired

  New construction, alterations and additions on land inside Day township (Montcalm County, MI), which the county building department permits

  • The county building department issues building permits for all of Montcalm County except the City of Greenville; Day township is not Greenville. Scope is recorded as countywide because the county contract scope has no township-specific option.
  • Required for all new construction, alterations, additions, change of use, demolitions, and mobile home installations and replacements. Accessory structures of 200 sq ft or less and some entryway additions are exempt.
  • Zoning approval is also required first in zoned townships.

  “the montcalm county building department requires a permit for the following work: all new construction, alterations, additions, change of use, demolitions, etc.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  New construction and alterations inside Day township (Montcalm County, MI), as enforced by the Montcalm County Building Department

  • The county building department enforces the state code through the county, not a township code; Greenville city issues its own building permits and is not part of this township.

  “the montcalm county building department enforces the state construction code act no. 230 of the public acts of 1972, which includes michigan building code 2015, michigan residential code 2015, and the state amendments as published in the building code rules, parts 1, 2, 3 & 4.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Sewage (septic) systems on land inside Day township (Montcalm County, MI)

  • Permit is issued by the Mid-Michigan District Health Department, Stanton office, per the county permit checklist. Whether Day township is inside that department's service area was confirmed only by a secondary job profile (Clinton, Gratiot and Montcalm counties), not by an official service-area page.
  • Percolation testing reportedly also goes through the health department; not verified on an official page.

  “sewage and well permit – mid michigan district health department, stanton, 989-831-5237”

• Septic permitRequired

  New septic systems for buildings inside Day township (Montcalm County, MI)

  • Listed as a required item for a building permit in the county sheet; the health department's own application terms and fees were not opened.
  • Health-department service-area coverage of Day township is unverified on an official page.

  “sewage and well permit – mid michigan district health department, stanton, 989-831-5237”

• Well permitRequired

  Private water wells for buildings inside Day township (Montcalm County, MI)

  • Listed with the sewage permit as one combined county checklist item; the health department's own well terms were not opened.

  “sewage and well permit – mid michigan district health department, stanton, 989-831-5237”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New driveway connections for buildings on land inside Day township (Montcalm County, MI)

  • Driveways on a state highway require an MDOT permit instead, per the same sheet.
  • Listed as a required item for a building permit.

  “driveway permit – montcalm county road commission, 989-831-5285 / driveways on a state highway shall obtain a permit from mdot”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  County building permits for work inside Day township (Montcalm County, MI)

  • Fees are set by project size and work performed. The county fee schedule was not opened, so no dollar amounts are recorded.

  “montcalm county building department permit fees are based on the size of the project and the actual work that is being performed.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit process for land inside Day township (Montcalm County, MI)

  • Steps are: zoning permit (zoned townships), sewage and well permit (health department), address (equalization), driveway permit (county road commission or MDOT), soil erosion permit if near water, location of property, residential energy check, and plans.
  • Township-level zoning steps are not published in the sources opened, so the process is only partly published.

  “_____address – equalization department, stanton, 989-831-7492”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Day township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for a new home inside Day township
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts published for Day township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for the main single-family residential district inside Day township
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size for the main single-family residential district inside Day 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.