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

Royal Oak’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Royal Oak city limits (City of Royal Oak, MI, Oakland County). Not the Charter Township of Royal Oak, which is a separate jurisdiction.

  • The city administers its own Zoning Ordinance, Code Chapter 770 (Zoning), on ecode360 (city's official code host).
  • Uses in each zone are permitted by right or through special land use approval, and the zoning administrator and plan commission apply the chapter.
  • The zoning map is kept by the City Clerk, whose copy is the final authority (§ 770-20b).

  “for the purpose of this chapter, the city of royal oak is hereby divided into the following zones:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zones inside Royal Oak city limits

  • Zone list per § 770-19; boundaries are on the zoning map kept by the City Clerk (§ 770-20).
  • Zones include one-family residential, one-family large lot residential, two-family residential, multiple-family residential, office service, neighborhood business, neighborhood business II, central business district, regional business, general business, general industrial, mixed use 1, mixed use 2, planned unit development, and special redevelopment.

  “the city of royal oak is hereby divided into the following zones: one-family residential one-family large lot residential two-family residential multiple-family residential office service neighborhood business neighborhood business ii central business district regional business general business general industrial mixed use 1 mixed use 2 planned unit development special redevelopment”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in One-Family Residential and One-Family Large Lot Residential zones inside Royal Oak city

  • The floor area is set by adjacent single-family dwellings (smallest adjacent usable floor area governs) but never less than the stated minimums.
  • Two-family and multiple-family zones use separate rules in § 770-23(b)-(c).

  minimum usable floor area, one-family dwelling: >= 1000 square feet (1,300 sq ft applies in one-family large lot zone) · minimum usable floor area, one-family large lot dwelling: >= 1300 square feet

  “in no case shall the minimum usable floor area as contained in the records of the city assessor's office be less than 1,000 square feet for a one-family dwelling or 1,300 square feet for a one-family large lot dwelling.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  One-Family Large Lot Residential (§ 770-35) district inside Royal Oak city

  • Applies unless modified by § 770-21b. Section was amended 5-18-2026 by ord. no. 2026-05 per the code page; current text as shown on ecode360.

  minimum lot area: >= 13000 square feet (unless modified by § 770-21b)

  “no lot shall be less than 13,000 square feet in area, unless otherwise modified by § 770-21b, application of area, width and frontage regulations.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Main single-family district: One-Family Residential (§ 770-34) inside Royal Oak city

    “no lot shall be less than 6,000 square feet in area, unless otherwise modified by § 770-21b, application of area, width and frontage regulations.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  One-Family Residential district (§ 770-34), principal buildings, inside Royal Oak city

  • Front setback is the greater of 25 feet or the average setback of adjacent dwellings, capped at 50 feet from the front property line.
  • Side setback is 5 feet for lots 45 feet or wider at the building line (15 feet total if no attached accessory building); 4 feet for narrower lots (12 feet total).
  • Corner-lot street-side yards and driveway open-area rules apply (§ 770-34(d)(5)(b), (d)(6)).

  front yard setback (minimum): >= 25 feet (or average setback of adjacent dwellings, whichever is greater; max 50 ft) · rear yard setback (minimum): >= 35 feet · side yard setback (minimum, lots 45 ft+ wide): >= 5 feet (total of two sides 15 ft if no attached accessory building)

  “for lots equal to or greater than 45 feet in width at the building line, all principal buildings shall be set back no less than five feet from the side property line.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — One-Family Large Lot Residential district (§ 770-35), principal buildings, inside Royal Oak city

    “all principal buildings shall be set back no less than five feet from the side property line. the total of the two side yard setbacks shall equal no less than 15 feet if no attached accessory building is provided in the side yard.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  One-Family Residential district (§ 770-34), all buildings, inside Royal Oak city

  • Lots under 6,000 sq ft: coverage capped at 35% and total ground floor area of all buildings capped at 1,800 sq ft.
  • Lots of 6,000 sq ft or more: coverage capped at 30%.

  lot coverage (lots under 6,000 sq ft): <= 35 percent (total ground floor area not to exceed 1,800 sq ft) · lot coverage (lots 6,000 sq ft or more): <= 30 percent

  “on lots less than 6,000 square feet, the lot coverage of all buildings shall not exceed 35% of the site, provided that in no instance shall the total ground floor area of all buildings exceed 1,800 square feet. on lots equal to or larger than 6,000 square feet, the lot coverage of all buildings shall not exceed 30% of the site.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — One-Family Large Lot Residential district (§ 770-35), all buildings, inside Royal Oak city

    “the lot coverage of all buildings shall not exceed 30%.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal buildings in One-Family Residential (§ 770-34) and One-Family Large Lot Residential (§ 770-35) districts inside Royal Oak city

  • Same 30-foot limit appears in both districts; accessory buildings follow the height requirement of the zone (§ 770-22b).

  maximum principal building height: <= 30 feet

  “no principal building shall exceed a height of 30 feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile, modular or prefabricated homes located outside a mobile home park inside Royal Oak city

  • Permitted only if the unit meets § 770-24 standards: minimum width 20 ft across any elevation, firm attachment to a permanent foundation built to the building code, anchored against windstorm, no attached wheels, no exposed towing mechanism or chassis.
  • Mobile home parks are regulated separately; § 770-24 does not address them.

  minimum dwelling width across any front, side or rear elevation: >= 20 feet

  “no site built, mobile homes, modular housing, or prefabricated housing located outside a mobile home park shall be permitted unless said dwelling unit conforms to the following standards:”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Senior accessory housing in One-Family Residential and One-Family Large Lot Residential zones inside Royal Oak city

  • In One-Family Residential, senior accessory housing is a special land use subject to § 770-71 (full § 770-71 text not yet opened).
  • In One-Family Large Lot Residential, an existing single-family dwelling may be expanded to add a senior accessory dwelling of up to 600 sq ft, exempt from the single-family floor area cap in § 770-35(d)(9), subject to § 770-71.

  senior accessory dwelling maximum usable floor area (large lot zone): <= 600 square feet (subject to § 770-71)

  “any existing single-family dwelling in this zone may be expanded to add a senior accessory dwelling not to exceed 600 square feet of usable floor area without regard to the single-family usable floor area restriction set forth in § 770-35(d)(9).”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions into subdivided lots inside Royal Oak city

  • City Code Chapter 658 (Subdivision Regulations) governs subdivisions; only the title/purpose article heading was confirmed in this run, not the approval steps or lot standards.
  • Chapter 770 § 770-21b(2) also restricts dividing a lot of record in one-family zones for a single dwelling unless the zoning administrator finds compatibility with developed lots.

  “this chapter shall be known as the "subdivision regulation ordinance of the city of royal oak."”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit fees for construction in Royal Oak city

  • The city posts a residential building permit fee schedule (PDF) on its Building Inspection page; the PDF itself was not opened, so amounts are not recorded here.

  “useful documents building permit fees (residential) (pdf) commercial industrial plan review submittal requirements (pdf) construction code board of appeals application form fees (pdf)”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit and inspection requests for construction in Royal Oak city

  • Online permits and inspections are handled through accessmygov.com; an account is needed to apply, pay fees and schedule inspections.
  • Pin requests and in-person questions: 203 S. Troy Street, 248-246-3210.

  “online permits and inspections new! visit www.accessmygov.com for online permitting and inspection requests. create an account to apply for permits, pay fees, and schedule inspections.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New construction inside Royal Oak city limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of own home inside Royal Oak city
• Building code adopted — Construction code used for permits inside Royal Oak city
• Inspections — Construction inspections inside Royal Oak city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Royal Oak city

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.