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

Highland Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Projects inside Highland charter township such as sheds, decks, accessory structures, pole barns, garages, pools, additions and demolition (demolition needs its own permit)

  • Construction may proceed only after the permit issues.
  • Permit applications are not accepted by mail, fax or electronic mail.
  • Fees for permits are doubled if work has started before the permit is obtained.
  • The booklet states it is only an easy reference aid and is not officially part of the building code or zoning ordinance; the adopted code controls.

  “highland township building department permits are required for the following:”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction inside Highland charter township

  • A set of approved prints must be on site for all inspections.
  • Final building inspection is required before a certificate of occupancy and bond release (booklet, final inspection list).
  • Proof of final septic and well approval from Oakland County Health Division must be given to the building department before the final building inspection.

  “a set of approved prints must be on site for all inspections”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Residential building projects inside Highland charter township that reach final building inspection

  • Booklet lists the final residential building inspection as the step for a certificate of occupancy (C of O) and bond release.
  • Commercial projects instead need a temporary certificate of occupancy (TCO) or C of O after the engineer's site work and a planning and zoning memo (not analyzed here).

  “final building / residential – for a certificate of occupancy (c of o) and bond release”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Highland charter township limits: the township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance

  • Ordinance Z-032 is an amendment to the township zoning ordinance, which the text identifies as Chapter 25 of the General Code of Ordinances.
  • Township building booklet says applicants must have planning and zoning review and approval of placement before a permit issues.

  “the charter township of highland zoning ordinance (chapter 25 of the general code of ordinances)”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  HUD-approved (manufactured) homes placed inside Highland charter township

  • Home must go to the zoning administrator for review before permit issuance.
  • Booklet lists these requirements alongside its modular-home requirements.

  “hud approved homes are required to go to the zoning administrator for review.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit application to Highland charter township building department

  • Booklet lists required paperwork, but the full process and office workflow were not verified.
  • Applications are not accepted by mail, fax or electronic mail.
  • If the zoning board of appeals granted a variance, the approved minutes must accompany the application.

  “the following list includes the required paperwork that must be submitted at the time of application or the application will not be accepted”

Rules another office applies inside Highland Township

Highland 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 septicCounty

  Onsite sewage disposal (septic) on land inside Highland charter township, administered by the Oakland County Health Division

  • Scope is recorded as district-specific because the county health division's service area covers the township; the township itself does not administer septic.
  • Based on the township booklet's directions to the county health division, not the county's own service-area map.

  “issues permits and conducts construction and final inspections for the installation of residential and non residential on-site sewage disposal systems”

• Septic permitRequired

  New, replacement or repaired septic systems on land inside Highland charter township

  • Permit is issued by the Oakland County Health Division, not the township.
  • Construction may proceed only after the county permit issues.
  • Booklet's plot plan must show location of the well and septic field and tank.

  “a new onsite sewage disposal system permit application is required for construction or installation of a new onsite sewage disposal system”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Septic systems installed inside Highland charter township

  • County conducts construction and final inspections.
  • Final septic approval must be shown to the township building department before the final building inspection.

  “issues permits and conducts construction and final inspections for the installation of residential and non residential on-site sewage disposal systems”

• Well permitRequired

  Private water wells on land inside Highland charter township

  • Booklet directs well and perc-test permits to the Oakland County Health Division.
  • Final well approval must be given to the township building department before the final building inspection.
  • County well-permit page itself was not opened.

  “perk test and well permits: contact oakland county health division”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption in Highland charter township
• Building code adopted — Which building code Highland charter township enforces
• Zoning districts — Zoning district map and list for Highland charter township
• Minimum dwelling size — Site-built single-family dwellings inside Highland charter township
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size for single-family residential (R-1 and agricultural/rural districts) inside Highland charter 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Highland Township means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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