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

Casnovia Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New permanent structures, and enlargements or alterations of them, inside Casnovia township

  • Requires a zoning compliance permit from the township zoning administrator and a building permit from the building inspector as required by the state construction code.
  • Application must show the proposed construction complies with applicable state and local codes and the township zoning ordinance before permits are issued.
  • Zoning certificate fee shown on the township 2026 application form is $15.00 (not opened; from search snippet only, not relied on here).

  “erected, enlarged or altered without first obtaining a zoning compliance permit from the administrator of this ordinance and a building permit from the building inspector as required by the state construction code.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Casnovia township limits (Muskegon County, MI); township zoning ordinance administered by the township zoning administrator

  • Township zoning ordinance book includes Article 3 General Provisions, Article 5 zoning districts and map, Article 6 single family residential district (R-1), Article 7 residential/agricultural district (R-2), Article 7A residential-estate district (R-3), and Article 16 table of district standards.
  • Township page states a 2024 zoning map is published.
  • The Village of Casnovia is a separate municipality with its own zoning ordinance and does not govern land inside the township.

  “no building, structure or property located within the township shall be used or occupied, and no building or part thereof or other structure shall be erected, raised, moved, placed, reconstructed, extended, enlarged or structurally altered except in conformity with all of the regulations of this ordinance.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts and map for land inside Casnovia township

  • Ordinance Article 5 lists zoning districts and a zoning district map; districts named in the table of contents include R-1, R-2, R-3, PUD (Article 8) and others.
  • The township's zoning map is published as a PDF; the page links the 2024 map.

  “2024 zoning map click here for a printable.pdf of the zoning map”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Dwellings inside Casnovia township; the minimum floor area is set by each zoning district

  • Specific district minimum floor areas were not all located; the R-3 residential-estate district minimum is recorded separately.
  • Section 3.10 requires single-family dwellings in agricultural and residential districts to conform to the district minimum floor area.

  “no building to be used as a dwelling shall hereafter be erected or altered having a floor area of less than that required by the zoning district standards.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the residential-estate district (R-3) inside Casnovia township

    “(e) minimum floor area – one thousand (1,000) square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the residential-estate district (R-3) inside Casnovia township

  • Minimum lot width 220 feet and minimum lot depth 250 feet also apply.
  • Lots of record below the minimum may be used under section 3.06 (60% of the district minimum or one acre or greater).
  • No animals except common household pets; no more than four such animals.

  minimum lot size: >= 50000 square feet

  “(a) minimum lot size – fifty thousand (50,000) square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Structures in the residential-estate district (R-3) inside Casnovia township

  • Front setback measured from the established center of a dedicated right-of-way.
  • Corner lot side yards abutting a street follow section 16.01(a) (front setback; not less than 20 feet where an adjoining dwelling exists).

  front yard setback: >= 100 feet (measured from the established center of a dedicated right-of-way) · side yard setback, one side: >= 20 feet · side yard setbacks, total: >= 40 feet · rear yard setback: >= 20 feet

  “(f) minimum yard setback – one hundred (100) feet from the established center of a dedicated right-of –way, twenty (20) feet at least one (1) side, forty (40) feet total, twenty (20) feet from back lot line.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in the residential-estate district (R-3) inside Casnovia township

  • Height is also governed by the building height definition in section 2.14.

  maximum building height: <= 2 stories or 40 feet text

  “(d) maximum height of buildings – two (2) stories or forty (40) feet.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Using a travel trailer or recreational vehicle for camping or occupancy on private land inside Casnovia township, outside a licensed trailer coach park

  • Residential districts: 30 days cumulative use per calendar year.
  • Agricultural district: 105 days cumulative use per calendar year, only on a lot with a permanent occupied dwelling.
  • Removal requirements in section 3.09(b) were not opened.

  cumulative use limit, residential districts: 30 days per calendar year (outside licensed trailer coach parks) · cumulative use limit, agricultural district: 105 days per calendar year (only where the lot has a permanent occupied dwelling)

  “such uses shall be limited to thirty (30) days cumulative use in a calendar year in residential districts or one hundred five (105) days cumulative use in a calendar year on lots located in an agricultural district where such use is on a lot on which there is located a permanent occupied dwelling.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping with a travel trailer or recreational vehicle on private land inside Casnovia township, outside a licensed recreational vehicle/trailer coach park

  • Camping outside a licensed recreational vehicle/trailer coach park is allowed only as provided in the ordinance, and only up to the cumulative day limits in section 3.09(a).
  • Residential districts: 30 days cumulative per calendar year. Agricultural district: 105 days cumulative per calendar year with a permanent occupied dwelling on the lot.

  cumulative camping days, residential districts: 30 days per calendar year (outside licensed trailer coach parks)

  “no person shall use any travel trailer or recreational vehicle outside of a licensed recreational vehicle/trailer coach park for camping purposes except as provided in this ordinance.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured dwellings placed on private lots (not in a manufactured home park) inside Casnovia township, in agricultural and residential districts

  • Must conform to the minimum floor area, yard and lot area requirements of the district.
  • Minimum width of 24 feet for at least 67% of its length.
  • Manufactured home must be new and certified to HUD standards, or otherwise meet the ordinance's alternative proof requirement (subsection (c)(2) not opened).

  minimum width: >= 24 feet (for at least 67% of length)

  “any single-family dwelling erected on site, or a manufactured dwelling constructed at an offsite location which is not located within a manufactured home park, shall be permitted in the agricultural and residential zoning districts only if in conformance with all of the following requirements:”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  General farming operations on land inside Casnovia township

  • No zoning compliance permit for general farming operations, but agricultural buildings or structures require approval before construction (text cut off in the opened excerpt; not fully verified).
  • This is a zoning-permit exemption only; building permit and state construction code rules were not checked for farm structures.

  “no zoning compliance permit shall be required for general farming operations with the exception that no person shall commence construction or alteration of any agricultural building or structure without first obtaining a zoning compliance permit.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Dividing a recorded lot of record into two or more lots inside Casnovia township

  • Each resulting lot must conform to the site development standards of its zoning district.
  • Zoning administrator reviews and may approve; the township permits page also lists land division and combination procedures and applications.

  “whenever a lot of record within the township is intended to be divided to create two (2) or more lots, the owner or owner’s agent shall provide to the zoning administrator an application for the lot split authorization”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Lots needing access for a building permit inside Casnovia township

  • A permit is denied unless the applicant shows adequate access.
  • Access must front or abut a public or private street within a recorded 66-foot easement or right-of-way.

  access easement width: >= 66 feet (permanent, recorded, non-obstructed easement of access or right-of-way)

  “adequate access, for purposes of this ordinance, shall mean property that fronts or abuts a public or private street within a permanent, recorded, non-obstructed, 66-foot easement of access or right-of-way.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning and building permit steps for land inside Casnovia township

  • Zoning application is filed with the township first; building permits and inspections follow through IMS after zoning approval.
  • Forms are listed on the township permits page (zoning application, land division, sign, home occupation, variance, special use, site plan review, private road review).

  “once your zoning application has been approved, please give ims a call.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Casnovia township
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for new dwellings inside Casnovia township
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage inside Casnovia township
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy inside Casnovia township
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units on lots inside Casnovia 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.