Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Whitehall, Michigan

Whitehall’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction of buildings or structures inside Whitehall city, as conditioned by the zoning ordinance

  • The site plan requirement applies before a building permit is issued for construction, reconstruction, erection or expansion in any zoning district (section 15-4-16 and matching section 15-12-15).
  • Single-family detached dwellings and accessory structures may be approved by the zoning administrator instead of the planning commission (section 15-4-16).

  “site plan review and approval by the planning commission shall be required prior to the issuance of a building permit for the construction, reconstruction, erection or expansion of any building or structure in any zoning district”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Whitehall city limits, under the City of Whitehall Zoning Ordinance adopted by the city

  • The zoning map is kept by the city clerk and is the final authority on zoning status (section 15-3-2).
  • Some zoning approvals are issued by the zoning administrator; others require planning commission action (city planning page).
  • The PDF is a December 2022 upload; no adoption or effective date for the current text was stated, so effective_at is null.

  “pursuant to the authority conferred by the michigan zoning enabling act (p.a. 110 of 2006 as amended) and the michigan planning enabling act (p.a. 33 of 2008 as amended), this ordinance has been established”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Whitehall city

  • The district list is in the ordinance (R-1, R-2, R-3, RC-1, B-1, B-2, M-1, M-2, MC-1, LR, AG, OS, plus overlay and PUD articles).
  • The zoning map is kept by the city clerk; the map itself was not opened.

  “for the purpose of this ordinance, the city of whitehall is hereby divided into the following zoning districts, which shall be known by the following symbols and names.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the single-family residential (R-1) district inside Whitehall city

  • Minimum gross living space excludes basements, garages, porches and breezeways.
  • Dwellings outside a mobile home park or apartment complex must also meet section 15-4-13 (minimum 20 feet exterior wall width and aesthetic compatibility).

  minimum gross living space: >= 800 square feet (excludes basements, garages, porches, and breezeways)

  “f. every single-family dwelling shall have a minimum gross living space of not less than 800 square feet exclusive of basements, garages, porches, and breezeways.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family residential (R-1) district inside Whitehall city

  • Minimum lot width is 60 feet (section 15-4-5 b).
  • The same subsection also bars subdividing a lot below 6,000 square feet.

  minimum lot area: >= 6000 square feet · minimum lot width: >= 60 feet

  “a. no structure shall be established on any parcel, nor shall any lot be subdivided, providing less than 6,000 square feet of lot area. b. the minimum lot width shall be 60 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Agricultural (AG) district inside Whitehall city

    “a. no structure shall be established on any parcel providing less than one acre of lot area. b. the minimum lot width shall be 200 feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal buildings in the single-family residential (R-1) district inside Whitehall city

  • Front setback is 30 feet or the established setback, whichever the ordinance requires.
  • Accessory buildings: at least 10 feet from other structures and 3 feet from interior side or rear lot lines (section 15-4-10).

  front yard setback: >= 30 feet (or equal to the established setback) · side yard setback: >= 8 feet (corner lot side yard at least 30 feet) · rear yard setback: >= 30 feet

  “1. the front yard setback shall not be less than 30 feet or equal to the established setback.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal buildings in the agricultural (AG) district inside Whitehall city

    “d. the required front, side, and rear yard setbacks shall be as needed to preserve existing rural character and environmental features.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Single-family residential (R-1) district inside Whitehall city

  • Coverage includes accessory buildings.

  maximum lot coverage by all buildings: <= 35 percent

  “c. the maximum lot coverage by all buildings including accessory buildings shall not exceed 35%.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Agricultural (AG) district inside Whitehall city

    “c. the maximum lot coverage by all buildings shall not exceed 20%.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential structures in the agricultural (AG) district inside Whitehall city

  • Measured from the average existing grade at the front setback line.
  • Agricultural accessory buildings such as silos and barns may exceed the residential limit as needed for the use (section 15-12-10 c).

  maximum height, residential structures: <= 35 feet (listed appurtenances exempt if not used for human occupancy)

  “e. residential structures shall not exceed 35 feet in height as measured from the average existing grade at the front setback line.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Residential structures in the single-family residential (R-1) district inside Whitehall city

    “e. residential structures shall not exceed 35 feet in height as measured from the average existing grade at the front setback line.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Campgrounds and RV parks inside Whitehall city, in the Lakefront Recreation (LR) district by special use permit only

  • Requires a special use permit in the LR district.
  • Must meet the listed campground standards (at least 10 sites, electric and water service at each site, auxiliary generators prohibited, on-site office, sanitary sewer hookups).

  “recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds providing they comply with the following specific standards - no less than 10 sites shall be provided”

• Accessory dwellingsProhibited

  Accessory buildings and structures in the agricultural (AG) district inside Whitehall city. The rule does not address the principal dwelling.

  • Applies to accessory buildings and structures only.

  “e. accessory buildings and structures may not be used as living quarters.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Prohibited — Accessory buildings and structures on lots in the single-family residential (R-1) district inside Whitehall city. The rule does not address the principal dwelling.

    “e. accessory buildings and structures may not be used as living quarters.”

• Well permitLimited

  New private drinking-water or irrigation wells inside the ten-year time-of-travel capture zone of Whitehall city's wellhead protection overlay

  • Limited to the ten-year time-of-travel capture zone (section 15-14-7).
  • Where public water is reasonably available, new private wells are not permitted for the building's water supply; the well permit process itself was not verified.
  • Wells outside the overlay zone were not addressed.

  “no new private wells shall be drilled to provide such water supply”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New building inside the ten-year time-of-travel capture zone of Whitehall city's wellhead protection overlay, where public water is reasonably available. This is not a citywide water-connection rule.

  • Applies only inside the ten-year time-of-travel capture zone (section 15-14-7).
  • Triggered only where the DPW or the Muskegon County Health Department determines public water service is reasonably available to the building.

  “no new private wells shall be drilled to provide such water supply and such building shall be connected to the public water supply system, either at the time of construction”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Lots in the agricultural (AG) district inside Whitehall city. The rule is street access, not a driveway permit.

  • Access must be by street, easement or right of way, at least 20 feet wide (section 15-12-6).

  minimum access width: >= 20 feet (provided by an easement or other right of way)

  “buildings shall not be occupied nor lots used without access to a street, no less than 20 feet wide, provided by an easement or other right of way.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Required — Lots in the single-family residential (R-1) district inside Whitehall city. The rule is street access, not a driveway permit.

    “buildings shall not be occupied nor lots used without access to a street, no less than 10 feet wide, provided by an easement or other right of way.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning approval steps before a building permit in Whitehall city

  • The planning page says a pre-application conference is strongly encouraged.
  • Site plan or special use permit may be required; the building permit steps themselves were not published on the opened pages.

  “before you can obtain a building permit you must verify if zoning approval is required.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from building permits or licensing inside Whitehall city
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for construction inside Whitehall city
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Whitehall city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for buildings inside Whitehall city
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy inside Whitehall city

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.