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

Burdell Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Burdell Township, Osceola County, MI

  • Osceola County has no countywide zoning; Burdell administers its own ordinance through a township zoning administrator.
  • Ordinance text itself was not retrieved; the ordinances page lists a zoning ordinance with dates (Aug 25, 2025 and Feb 12, 2019 appear on the list) so the current effective date is unconfirmed.

  “osceola county does not have countywide zoning; however, some of the communities within the county have implemented their own zoning ordinances.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts in Burdell Township (A/R agriculture-rural residential and R1 named in the township land use plan)

  • Only district names are confirmed via the township land use plan; the ordinance itself and district map were not retrieved.

  “lots of less than one acre that existed before the zoning ordinance was approved are now legal, non-conforming lots in the r1 zoning district.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  A/R (agricultural and residential) district in Burdell Township

  • Taken from the township's 2020 land use plan describing the existing zoning ordinance, not the ordinance text; verify against the current ordinance.
  • R1 district minimum not found; pre-ordinance lots under one acre are legal nonconforming in R1.

  minimum lot size A/R: >= 5 acres (pre-existing nonconforming lots)

  “application of the five acre minimum required for a/r district by the existing zoning ordinance to projected housing needs”

Rules another office applies inside Burdell Township

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

• Driveway accessRequired

  New or existing driveways onto county roads in Osceola County (county road commission), including Burdell Township

  • State highways go through MDOT.
  • County page does not name townships specifically.

  “new driveways need a permit, existing driveways need a permit or waiver. contact osceola county road commission”

• Permit processPartial

  Osceola County building permit process; zoned areas such as Burdell Township require zoning administrator approval first

  • Burdell zoning administrator listed as Marty Dahlstrom, P.O. Box 144, Tustin, MI 49688, 878-1683 (may be dated).
  • Two sets of approved plans required for buildings 3,500 sq ft or larger.

  “to ensure prompt processing of your building permit application please follow the diagram below.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Inside Burdell Township
• Owner-builder exemption — Inside Burdell Township
• Building code adopted — Inside Burdell Township
• Inspections — Inside Burdell Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Inside Burdell 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.