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

Comins Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erection, moving, or use of a building, structure, or premises subject to the Comins Township Zoning Ordinance.

  • The owner must first apply to the Zoning Administrator; application is in duplicate on Township forms and must include the location, ownership evidence, a sketch or blueprint, and sewage-disposal and water-supply information.
  • The zoning certificate expires if no work is done within one year, unless renewed upon reapplication and payment of the original fee, subject to then-effective ordinance or law.

  certificate expiration if no work is done: 1 year (Renewable upon reapplication and payment of the original fee, subject to then-effective ordinance or law.)

  “the owner shall first apply for a certificate of approval from the Zoning Administrator”

• InspectionsRequired

  Every building or structure subject to the Comins Township Zoning Ordinance.

  • One inspection is required when excavation for the foundation is complete and building lines are established.
  • The property owner must notify the Oscoda County building inspector.

  required inspections: 1 inspection (When excavation for foundation is complete and building lines are established.)

  “shall be subject to one (1) inspection when excavation for foundation is complete and building lines are established.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Comins Township, Oscoda County, Michigan.

  • Ordinance No. 4 was adopted by the Comins Township Board and became effective October 13, 2005.

  “That Ordinance No. 4, being Comins Township Zoning Ordinance be adopted and becomes effective from and after October 13, 2005.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Travel-trailer, motor-coach, camper, and utility-trailer occupancy inside Comins Township.

  • Dwelling occupancy outside a travel-trailer park is allowed only while occupants build a permanent residence, for no more than six months, unless extended for good reason by the Zoning Administrator before the trailer is on the property.
  • Campers or travel trailers visiting relatives or friends at a residence may be parked and occupied for no more than 30 days.

  temporary dwelling occupancy while building residence: <= 6 months (May be extended for good reasons shown by the Zoning Administrator before the trailer is on the property.) · visitor camper or trailer occupancy: <= 30 days (At a residence in all zones where occupants are visiting relatives or friends.)

  “except while such occupant or occupants thereof are building a permanent residence, and for not longer than a period of six (6) months”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Tiny homes used as dwellings inside Comins Township.

  • Applicable zoning district minimum dwelling-floor-area requirements apply; the ordinance provides a 720-square-foot minimum in multiple residential districts.

  minimum dwelling living area: >= 720 square feet (District-specific dwelling standards and measurement exclusions apply.)

  “Each single-family dwelling shall contain a minimum living area of seven hundred twenty (720) square feet.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Buildings or structures used wholly or partly for human occupancy inside Comins Township.

  • Human-occupancy buildings must have safe sanitary water supply and septic-tank sewage disposal maintained to Michigan Department of Health material and installation standards.
  • Drainage or throwing sewage onto land, yards, or other spaces is unlawful, except agricultural operations governed by state and federal regulations.

  “shall be provided with safe and sanitary water supply and a septic tank sewage disposal”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Zoning certificates, permits, fines, variances, appeals, and conditional-use applications inside Comins Township.

  • Fees and zoning fines are established by the Township Board.
  • A certificate or permit paid by check is invalid until the check clears the bank.

  “All fees and zoning fines as established by the Township Board shall; be paid to the Township Clerk”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Township zoning certificate-of-approval applications inside Comins Township.

  • Application is in duplicate on Township forms and includes a premises description, ownership evidence, and a scale blueprint or sketch showing the intended use, building details, and sewage/water facilities.

  “application shall be made in duplicate upon forms provided by the Township”

Rules another office applies inside Comins Township

Comins 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 sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the Agricultural Zone.

  • Floor-space measurement excludes breezeway and garage and has below-grade qualifications.

  minimum living area: >= 720 square feet (Measurement qualifications in Article VI, Section F apply.)

  “A single-family dwelling shall contain a minimum living area of seven hundred twenty (720) square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the Single-Family Residential Zone.

    “Each single-family dwelling shall contain a minimum living area of seven hundred twenty (720) square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the Single-Family Residential Zone.

  • Minimum frontage is 100 feet.

  minimum lot size: >= 21780 square feet · minimum frontage: >= 100 feet

  “the minimum lot size shall be twenty one thousand seven hundred eighty (21,780) square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Parcels for buildings or structures under Article VI, Sections B and C in the Agricultural Zone.

    “shall be located on a parcel of land not less than five (5) acres in area.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Buildings and enlargements in the Single-Family Residential Zone.

  • Corner lots require a 25-foot side yard on the street side.

  front setback: >= 30 feet · side yard: >= 10 feet (Each side; 25 feet on the street side of a corner lot.) · rear yard: >= 50 feet

  “There shall be a front setback of not less than thirty (30) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings or structures erected under Article VI, Sections B and C in the Agricultural Zone.

    “shall be set back not less than forty (40) feet from the front lot line, or highway right-of-way”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in the Single-Family Residential Zone.

  • The lower of the height and story limits controls.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (Or two and one-half stories, whichever is lesser.)

  “No building shall exceed thirty- five (35) feet or two and one-half (2-1/2) stories in height, whichever is lesser.”

• Camping on your landAllowed

  Camping in Comins Township's Forest-Recreational Zone.

  • Camping remains subject to other provisions of the zoning ordinance or subsequent amendments.

  “parks, playgrounds, camping, hunting and fishing, summer cottages and permanent dwellings.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Individual manufactured homes in Comins Township's Resort-Residential Zone.

  • Manufactured homes are a Planning Commission special use and must meet the applicable single-family-home lot requirements, minimum gross floor area, and compatible design and materials requirement.

  minimum manufactured-home gross floor area: >= 720 square feet (Exclusive of attachable or expandable sections.)

  “provided that each Manufactured Home contains no less than seven hundred twenty (720) square feet of gross floor area”

• Well permitRequired

  Well drilling inside Comins Township, Michigan.

  • The permit is obtained from, or the local health department is notified before, drilling; county ordinances may differ in their precise requirements.

  “All Michigan counties have ordinances requiring that a well permit be obtained from the local health department (or the local health department be notified) before the well is drilled.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Dwelling development on flood-susceptible land in the Green Zone.

  • A dwelling cannot be constructed on flood-susceptible land or land without four feet between finished grade and high groundwater.
  • Fill may meet the four-foot standard only if the native protection strip is maintained, material cannot enter water, and fill is pervious gravel or sand.

  minimum finished-grade to high-groundwater separation: >= 4 feet (Fill allowed only under stated conditions.)

  “No dwelling shall be constructed on lands, which are subject to flooding”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Comins Township.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Comins Township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings inside Comins Township.
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Comins Township.
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Comins 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.