Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Grant, Michigan

Grant’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Grant city limits (incorporated portions of the city of Grant, Newaygo County, Michigan)

  • The city's own zoning ordinance (Ordinance 27-2) governs use and dimensional rules inside the city; it does not apply to unincorporated Newaygo County land.
  • The copy checked is the version posted on the city site titled as amended October 2010; the city page links it as the current zoning ordinance, but a later amendment was not located.

  “an ordinance to establish zoning districts, provisions and regulations for the incorporated portions of the city of grant pursuant to the provisions of act 184 of the public acts of 1943, as amended”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Grant city limits

  • Table of contents lists R-R agricultural residential, R-MH mobile home park, R-80 single family, R-A apartment, B-C commercial and M-2 industrial districts.
  • Only the R-R, R-80 and R-MH districts were checked for dimensional rules.

  “14. article xiv - r-80 single family residence district 14-57 15. article xv - r-a apartment district 15-59”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family homes in the R-80 single family residence district inside Grant city

  • Dwellings with more than one story need a ground floor area of at least 500 square feet.

  minimum floor area: >= 800 square feet (dwellings with more than one story: ground floor at least 500 square feet)

  “8) floor area - there shall be a minimum floor area of 800 square feet. dwellings having more than one (1) story shall have a ground floor area of at least 500 square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Dwellings in the R-R agricultural residential district inside Grant city

    “8) floor area: there shall be a minimum floor area of 600 square feet. dwellings having more than one story shall have a ground floor area of at least 600 square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the R-80 single family residence district inside Grant city

  minimum lot area: >= 8712 square feet · minimum lot width at setback line: >= 66 feet

  “6) lot width - the minimum lot width at the setback line shall be 66 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in the R-R agricultural residential district inside Grant city

    “6) lot width: the minimum width at the front setback line shall be 198 feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal buildings in the R-80 single family residence district inside Grant city

  • Front setback line is set under ordinance section 4.8, which was not opened.
  • Where a side lot line adjoins a side street, a 15-foot minimum side yard applies.

  front yard: >= 30 feet · total of both side yards: >= 20 feet (no single side yard less than 8 feet; 15 feet where side lot line adjoins a side street) · rear yard: >= 25 feet

  “4) rear yard - there shall be a rear yard of at least twenty-five (25) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal buildings in the R-R agricultural residential district inside Grant city

    “4) rear yard: there shall be a rear yard of at least thirty (30) feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in the R-R agricultural residential district inside Grant city

  • Height exceptions in ordinance section 4.16 apply (not opened).

  maximum height: <= 35 feet (whichever is the lesser of 35 feet or two and one-half stories; section 4.16 height exceptions apply) · maximum stories: <= 2.5 stories (whichever is the lesser of 35 feet or two and one-half stories)

  “maximum of two and one-half (2 1/2) stories or 35 feet in height, whichever is the lesser; provided that the height exceptions of section 4.16 shall apply.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings in the R-80 single family residence district inside Grant city

    “1) height: no building shall exceed a minimum of two and one-half (2 1/2) stories or 35 feet in height, whichever is lesser.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  New buildings occupied by people inside Grant city where municipal utility services are available

  • Applies where municipal utility services are available; the ordinance does not define a distance threshold in the text opened.
  • Where no public system is available, the ordinance requires adequate provisions for a safe water supply and sewage disposal system.

  “where municipal utility services are available, no building permit shall be issued for any building to be occupied by human beings, in whole or in part, for commercial, residential or recreational purposes unless provisions have been made to install public sewer and water”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning compliance permits for work inside Grant city that requires zoning compliance

  • The city zoning administrator handles zoning applications; building permits follow through Newaygo County.
  • Special land uses require review and approval by the city planning commission and city commission (ordinance definition, not walked through here).

  “application for zoning compliance permit for proposed work that requires zoning compliance”

Rules another office applies inside Grant

Grant 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

  Work inside Grant city that does not need city zoning approval; Newaygo County Department of Building Safety & Permits issues the building permit there

  • For work that does need city zoning approval, the city page says building, mechanical, electrical and/or plumbing permits may be necessary after zoning approval.
  • The county building-permit statement is quoted from the city's own zoning and permitting page, which names the county department.

  “waiver required by county for proposed work that does not require zoning approval from the city, but does require a building permit from newaygo county”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite sewage disposal for buildings inside Grant city where no public sewer is available; the Newaygo County Health Department reviews the system

  • Evidence of compliance with the Newaygo County Health Department requirements must accompany the building permit application.
  • The county health department's septic permit process was not opened.

  “compliance with the requirements of the newaygo county health department shall accompany the application for a building permit”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for homes inside Grant city
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Grant city
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Grant city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new buildings inside Grant city
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage in Grant city residential districts

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.