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

Ashland Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Ashland Township, Newaygo County, Michigan

  • Ordinance is administered by the township zoning administrator.
  • Zoning permit from the township is required before a building permit (sec. 3.14).

  “ashland township zoning ordinance adopted february 8, 2011 as amended through march 21, 2024”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  R-1 Rural Residential District, Ashland Township (same floor-area figures appear in R-2)

  minimum first floor, one-story dwelling: >= 1000 square feet · minimum first floor, two-story dwelling: >= 800 square feet (1,200 sq ft minimum total both stories)

  “the minimum first floor area of a one (1) story dwelling is 1,000 square feet, and for a two (2) story dwelling is 800 square feet on the first floor, and a minimum total of 1,200 square feet for both stories.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 Rural Residential District, Ashland Township

  • Except as otherwise required in the ordinance.
  • Minimum 330 ft road frontage; nonfarm single-family dwellings 200 ft.

  minimum lot area: >= 2 acres · minimum road frontage: >= 330 feet (nonfarm single-family dwellings 200 ft)

  “lot area: a permitted parcel shall have a minimum of two (2) acres in area, except as otherwise may be required in this ordinance. 2. lot width: minimum of 330 feet of road frontage, except that nonfarm single family dwellings shall have a minimum of 200 feet of road frontage.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 Lake Residential District, Ashland Township

    “lot area: a permitted parcel shall have a minimum of thirty thousand (30,000) square feet in area, except as otherwise may be required in this ordinance. 2. lot width: minimum of 100 feet of road frontage.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 Rural Residential District, Ashland Township

  • Side yard abutting a road right-of-way or waterfront line must equal the front yard minimum.
  • Rear yard abutting a road right-of-way must equal the front yard minimum.

  front yard: >= 50 feet (measured from planned road right-of-way, waterfront lines and shorelines) · side yard (one side): >= 10 feet (20 ft total both sides) · rear yard: >= 10 feet

  “b. side yards: minimum of ten (10) feet for one side yard, and a total of twenty (20) feet for both, except where a side yard abuts a road right-ofway or waterfront line, the minimum shall be the same as for front yard. c. rear yard: minimum of ten (10) feet, except where a rear yard abuts a road right-of-way line, the minimum shall be the same as for front yard.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 Rural Residential District, Ashland Township

  • R-2 and river residential districts also 20 percent; C-1 35 percent.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 20 percent

  “lot coverage: maximum of twenty (20) percent.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 Rural Residential District, Ashland Township

  • Agricultural buildings may go to 45 feet (text truncated in capture).

  maximum dwelling height: <= 35 feet (and 2.5 stories) · maximum accessory building height: <= 25 feet

  “height limitations: maximum of thirty-five (35) feet and two and one-half (2.5) stories for all dwellings, and a maximum of twenty-five (25) feet for all buildings accessory to dwellings; maximum of forty-five (45) feet for all agricultural buildings”

• Living in an RVLimited

  R-1 Rural Residential District, Ashland Township: RV or travel trailer as accessory to a principal structure

  • Not in front yard or within setbacks.
  • One RV per property at a time.
  • Must be state-licensed.
  • RV as primary or seasonal residence on a property without an occupied principal structure is prohibited.
  • Other districts (e.g. river residential) have separate seasonal-residence rules, not reviewed in full.

  camping use limit: <= 10 consecutive days per month (or 20 days per calendar year)

  “the use of a travel trailer or recreational vehicles as a primary or seasonal residence on any property without an occupied principal structure is prohibited.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  R-1 Rural Residential District, Ashland Township: camping in a travel trailer or RV

  • One RV at a time; not in front yard or setbacks; state-licensed.

  camping limit: <= 10 consecutive days per month (or 20 days per calendar year)

  “utilization for camping purposes shall not exceed ten (10) consecutive days per month or twenty (20) days per calendar year.”

• Permit processPartial

  Construction inside Ashland Township: township zoning permit step

  • Site plan accompanies the zoning permit application for single-family homes and farm buildings (sec. 3.13).
  • Building-permit step itself not documented from an official source in this research.

  “prior to the issuance of any building permit in the township, it shall be necessary for any applicant for construction under the provisions of the construction ordinance to first apply for, follow the necessary procedures and obtain a zoning permit from the zoning administrator of the township”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Ashland Township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Ashland Township
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Ashland Township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Ashland Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Ashland 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.