Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Royal Oak Township, Michigan

Royal Oak Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Building work inside Royal Oak Charter Township.

  • No work may begin before permit approval.
  • Work done before a permit is issued incurs a doubled permit fee.

  “No work may be started before the approval of this permit.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Building work inside Royal Oak Charter Township.

  • The Township states that it adopts and enforces the most current building, electrical, plumbing, and other codes.

  “adoption and enforcement of the most current building, electrical, plumbing and other codes”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted building work inside Royal Oak Charter Township.

  • The permit application requires 24-hour notice for inspections.

  inspection notice: 24 hours

  “24 Hour notice is required for inspections”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Commercial businesses seeking re-use or re-occupancy inside Royal Oak Charter Township.

  • Both the certificate of occupancy and business license must be issued before occupancy or opening for business.
  • The Township document states that operating without the approvals is an ordinance violation, criminal misdemeanor, and punishable by fine and/or jail.

  “DO NOT OCCUPY THE BUILDING OR OPEN FOR BUSINESS UNTIL BOTH THE CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY AND THE BUSINESS LICENSE HAVE BEEN ISSUED.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Royal Oak Charter Township.

  • The Planning Department reviews and administers the Township Zoning Ordinance.

  “The Planning Department is responsible for reviewing and administering Zoning Ordinance. Our department also helps residents, business owners, developers, and City officials understand the Zoning Ordinance and how it affects them.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Detached accessory buildings inside Royal Oak Charter Township.

  • The total of accessory buildings related to a principal structure may not exceed 625 square feet of coverage.

  required or nonrequired rear-yard coverage: <= 40 percent (Detached accessory buildings) · total accessory-building coverage: <= 625 square feet (All accessory buildings relating to a principal structure)

  “Detached accessory buildings may occupy up to 40 percent of any required or nonrequired rear yard, provided that the total of all accessory buildings that relate to a principal structure shall not exceed a coverage of 625 square feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Detached accessory buildings in residential districts inside Royal Oak Charter Township.

  • The limit applies to detached accessory buildings in residential districts.

  maximum stories: <= 1 story (Detached accessory buildings in residential districts) · maximum height: <= 14 feet (Detached accessory buildings in residential districts)

  “Detached accessory buildings in residential districts shall not exceed one story and 14 feet in height (as defined in this chapter).”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured dwellings not located in licensed mobile home parks inside Royal Oak Charter Township.

  • The dwelling must comply with the residential design standards.
  • It must meet the same regulations normally required for site-built housing in its zoning district unless the ordinance specifically provides otherwise.

  “Residential structures. Any residential structure, including manufactured dwellings not located in licensed mobile home parks, shall be erected or constructed only in compliance with the residential design standards contained in this section.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division or sale of zoning lots inside Royal Oak Charter Township.

  • Every zoning lot resulting from a division or sale must conform to all regulations of the zoning district where it is located.

  “No zoning lot shall hereafter be divided into two or more zoning lots and no portion of any zoning lot shall be sold, unless all zoning lots resulting from each such division or sale conform with all regulations of the zoning district in which the property is located.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Planning and zoning applications inside Royal Oak Charter Township.

  • The schedule is titled 2023 and states it was adopted October 9, 2023.
  • Applicants bear necessary Township engineering/consulting costs for rezoning and/or site-plan processing in addition to stated fees.

  subdivision preliminary plat review base fee: 850 USD (Plus $10 per lot plus 10% administrative fee) · residential variance request base fee: per 200 USD (Per variance plus 10% administrative fee)

  “$850.00 plus $10.00 per lot plus 10% admin fee”

Rules another office applies inside Royal Oak Township

Royal Oak Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  New residential structures in the applicable Township zoning district.

  • The applicable district's minimum floor-area requirement applies.
  • The exact numeric requirement was not obtained from the schedule of regulations.

  “Area and bulk regulations. A residential structure shall comply with the height, setback, and minimum floor area requirements specified for the zoning district in which the structure is located and as follows:”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots for new residential structures in the applicable Township zoning district.

  • New residential structures must be on lots complying with § 32-599 for the zoning district.
  • Lots may not be combined or subdivided to obtain a width greater than 60 feet for a new residential structure.

  maximum lot width created through combination or subdivision: <= 60 feet (For construction of a new residential structure)

  “New residential structures shall be constructed on lots which comply with the requirements of section 32-599, schedule of regulations, for the zoning district within which they are constructed. However, in no case shall lots be combined and/or subdivided to achieve a lot width of greater than 60 feet for construction of a new residential structure.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential work inside Royal Oak Charter Township.
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Royal Oak Charter Township.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Royal Oak Charter Township.
• Who permits septic — On-site sewage disposal systems inside Royal Oak Charter Township.
• Septic permit — On-site sewage disposal systems inside Royal Oak 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 Royal Oak 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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