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

Orion Township’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction inside Orion charter township limits

  • The mobile-home provision refers to the adopted building code of the township; the edition and the enforcing office are not stated in the page read.
  • The township ordinance index lists a Construction Code ordinance (no. 130, adopted 07/16/01, amended 06/04/07); that index entry was not used as the quoted basis.

  “The foundation and/or basement shall be constructed in accordance with the adopted building code of Orion Township.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Orion charter township limits, which the township zones under its own Zoning Ordinance 78

  • The township's own zoning ordinance governs land inside its limits; county zoning does not apply there.
  • The revision stamp (revised 11/06/25) is not an effective date and is not recorded as one.

  “Charter Township of Orion Zoning Ordinance 78”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 district inside Orion charter township

  • Table value read from a PDF schedule; confirm against the printed Article VI.

  minimum floor area per unit (R-1): >= 1320 sq ft

  “Minimum Floor Area/Unit 1,320 sq. ft. 1,080 sq. ft. 960 sq. ft.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the R-2 district inside Orion charter township

    “Minimum Floor Area/Unit 1,320 sq. ft. 1,080 sq. ft. 960 sq. ft.”

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the R-3 district inside Orion charter township

    “Minimum Floor Area/Unit 1,320 sq. ft. 1,080 sq. ft. 960 sq. ft.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-2 single-family district inside Orion charter township

  • Footnote * applies: where public sewers are not provided, 12,500 sq. ft. minimum applies, subject to the health department 1-acre rule unless written approval is received.

  minimum lot area (R-2): >= 10800 sq ft (footnote * with public sewer exception)

  “Minimum Lot Area 14,000 sq. ft. 10,800 sq. ft.* 8,400 sq. ft.*”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-3 single-family district inside Orion charter township

    “Minimum Lot Area 14,000 sq. ft. 10,800 sq. ft.* 8,400 sq. ft.*”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1, R-2 and R-3 single-family districts inside Orion charter township (one 25% figure in the schedule)

  • Accessory building floor area is governed separately under section 27.02 (cross-referenced in the same table).

  maximum lot coverage: <= 25 percent

  “minimum floor area/unit 1,320 sq. ft. 1,080 sq. ft. 960 sq. ft. maximum lot coverage 25% total”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1, R-2 and R-3 single-family districts inside Orion charter township

  • The schedule gives 30 ft for each of the three districts.

  maximum height of structures: <= 30 ft

  “Height of Structures 30 ft. 30 ft. 30 ft.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Travel trailers and motor homes on residential lots inside Orion charter township

  • Not allowed as a temporary dwelling unless approved by the zoning board of appeals or as allowed in other sections of the ordinance.
  • Not allowed to be connected to sanitary facilities under the same sentence.

  “A travel trailer or motor home parked or stored on a residential lot shall not be connected to sanitary facilities and shall not be used as a temporary dwelling unit, building, or structure, unless approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals, or as allowed in previous sections”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes in the single-family districts (R-1, R-2, R-3) inside Orion charter township

  • Must meet the township's exterior design and appearance standards for single-family districts.
  • Must be connected to public water and sewer if available, or to health-department-approved private facilities.

  “A mobile home may be used as a single-family dwelling on a lot outside of a mobile home park, if the following standards and requirements are met.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Mobile homes in the single-family districts (R-1, R-2, R-3) inside Orion charter township

  • Connection is required to public water and sewer if available; otherwise to private facilities approved by the Oakland County Health Department.
  • This rule covers mobile homes only; the general rule for site-built homes was not located.

  “Mobile homes in single family districts shall be connected to public water and sewer facilities, if available, or to private facilities approved by the Oakland County Health Department.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit fees for work inside Orion charter township

  • The township index links a building fee schedule page; the schedule amounts were not opened, so no amounts are recorded here.

  “building fee schedule code enforcement permits & inspections”

Rules another office applies inside Orion Township

Orion 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 (with conditions)

  On-site sewage disposal systems on land inside Orion charter township where municipal sewers are not available; administered by Oakland County Health Division

  • The county page states that on-site sewage disposal is the only viable alternative in areas not serviced by municipal sewers.
  • Zoning footnote (Article VI, R-1 to R-3 minimum lot area) says a 1-acre minimum from health department regulations supersedes the 12,500 sq ft lot size unless written health department approval is received.

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

• Septic permitRequired

  New residential onsite sewage disposal system on land inside Orion charter township (vacant land, burned, demolished or extensively remodeled property); Oakland County Health Division issues the permit

  • Replacement and repair systems follow separate permit categories on the county page.
  • The county page lists a new residential septic permit (vacant land) fee of $325, with a 3.5% card transaction fee; fee schedules can change.

  new residential septic permit (vacant land) fee: 325 USD (county card transaction fee of 3.5% added)

  “A New Onsite Sewage Disposal System Permit Application is required for construction or installation of a new onsite sewage disposal system.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Onsite sewage disposal systems on land inside Orion charter township; Oakland County Health Division inspections

  • Inspections needed are listed on each permit.
  • If special inspections are not listed, a final inspection before covering is the only one required.

  “Yes, inspections needed are noted on the permit. If special inspections are not noted, then a final "before covering" inspection is the only one needed.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New residential construction inside Orion charter township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Orion charter township
• Inspections — Building inspections for new residential construction inside Orion charter township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for a new home inside Orion charter township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Orion 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 Orion 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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