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

Sidney Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Sidney township's limits: the township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Sidney Township Zoning Ordinance).

  • The PDF on sidneymi.gov is dated adopted July 9, 2001 and revised Oct. 1, 2011; the search results also mention Planning Commission and Board amendment actions in Aug. 2023, Dec. 2023 and Jan. 2024 that were not verified in the text and may not be reflected in this PDF.
  • Original ordinance effective date stated in the AP section as July 20, 2001.

  “adopted july 9, 2001 revised oct. 1, 2011”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Sidney township

  • Articles V (AP Agricultural Preservation), VI (R-1 Rural Residential), VII (R-2 Medium Density Residential), a waterfront district article, XIII (Industrial), and XIV (PD Planned Development) appear in the ordinance table of contents.
  • Ordinance text names the waterfront district as R-2 in one heading and R-3 in the table of contents; not resolved.

  “the rural residential district is established to provide for existing and future low density single family dwellings in a manner which preserves the natural rural character of the township”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single and two-family dwellings in Planned Development (PD) district, Article XIV, Sidney township

  • PD district only; main district minimum floor area (R-1, AP, R-2) is in Table 4.1, not captured.
  • Ground-floor GFA figure as stated in the source.

  minimum floor area, single and two-family dwellings: >= 1000 square feet GFA (ground floor; PD district only)

  “single and two family dwellings -1,000 square feet gfa on ground floor”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential cluster development under Article XIV (Planned Development District) in Sidney township

  • Minimum lot area is set by planning commission and township board, but not less than the stated figures.
  • Lot size is 20,000 sq ft without public sewer and 12,000 sq ft with public sewer.

  minimum lot size, no public sewer: >= 20000 square feet (residential cluster development only) · minimum lot size, public sewer: >= 12000 square feet (residential cluster development only)

  “lot size 20.000 s.f. if no public sewer 12.000 s.f. if public sewer”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Agricultural Preservation (AP) district: lots created under the community system bonus on parcels greater than forty acres

    “lots which are created under this provision may have a minimum lot size of 21,780 square feet (.50 acres), provided:”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Residential cluster development under Article XIV in Sidney township

  • Applies to cluster lots only; main district lot coverage is in Table 4.1, not captured.

  lot coverage maximum: <= 25 percent (residential cluster development only)

  “lot coverage 25% lot width 150 feet land not proposed for development”

• Building heightSpecified

  Planned Development (PD) district, Article XIV, Sidney township

  • Applies to PD district standards only; main district heights (R-1, AP, R-2) in Table 4.1 not captured.

  building height maximum: <= 25 feet (or 2 1/2 stories; PD district only)

  “building height 25 feet or 2 1/2 stories required open space”

• Accessory dwellingsProhibited

  Using any portion of a garage or accessory building as a dwelling or for sleeping purposes inside Sidney township, in any zoning district

  • Basements may not be used for sleeping unless adequate ingress and egress is provided under the township building code.
  • Basement living space does not count toward required floor area.
  • The section addresses garages and accessory buildings used for living; it does not address detached accessory dwelling units otherwise, which was not found.

  “the use of any portion of a garage or accessory building for dwelling or sleeping purposes in any zoning district is prohibited”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Outside (privy-type) toilets on land inside Sidney township

  • Outside toilets are allowed only as temporarily needed during construction on the premises and only with county health department approval.
  • Dwellings still must have a safe and effective means of collection, treatment, and disposal of waste (section 3.05.a).

  “no outside toilets shall hereafter be erected except as may be temporarily needed during construction on the premises, approved by the county health department”

Rules another office applies inside Sidney Township

Sidney 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 septicMixed (with conditions)

  Structures for human occupancy inside Sidney township that are not served by an approved public water or sewer system: the ordinance sends private water and waste disposal to state and county health standards, so the county health department role applies inside Sidney township.

  • The township ordinance says such facilities must conform to minimum requirements set by the state of Michigan health department and the county health department.
  • Outside toilets are permitted only temporarily during construction and must be approved by the county health department.
  • The AP section separately names the mid michigan health department as an approving agency for a community sanitary sewer system.
  • Schema limits county scope to district-specific here; the rule-maker is the county health department named in the ordinance.

  “such facilities, if not from an approved public system, shall conform with the minimum requirements for such facilities set forth by the state of michigan health department and the county health department”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new dwellings inside Sidney township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for homes inside Sidney township
• Building code adopted — Building code in force inside Sidney township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Sidney township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Sidney 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.