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

Greenwood Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Greenwood Township, Oscoda County, Michigan.

  • The ordinance applies regulations according to the zoning district in which the use, building, or structure is located.

  “For the purpose of this Ordinance, the Township is hereby divided into the following zoning districts, which shall be known by the following respective symbols and names.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Greenwood Township.

  • District boundaries are depicted on the official zoning map, maintained in the Township Clerk’s office and Zoning Administrator’s office.
  • Exact parcel classification must be confirmed against the official zoning map.

  “The boundaries of the respective districts enumerated in Section 2.01 are defined and established as depicted on the Official Zoning Map entitled GREENWOOD TOWNSHIP ZONING MAP which is an integral part of this Ordinance.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Travel trailers and motor homes outside an approved travel-trailer park or campground in Greenwood Township.

  • Alternative waste disposal must be approved by the Health Department.
  • The rule applies outside an approved travel-trailer park or campground.

  “The travel trailer or motor home shall be attached to a septic system as approved by the Health Department, or alternately, shall have alternative means of disposing of waste that is approved by the Health Department”

Rules another office applies inside Greenwood Township

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

• Building permitRequired

  Construction of a building or structure inside Greenwood Township, through the appropriate enforcing agency.

  • A permit is also required when the use or occupancy of a structure or portion thereof changes.
  • Ordinary repairs are exempt only within the detailed limitations stated by the state.
  • The application must be submitted to the appropriate enforcing agency.

  “Before construction of a building or structure, an owner, or the owner's builder, architect, engineer, or agent, shall submit an application in writing to the appropriate enforcing agency for a building permit.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Building construction inside Greenwood Township, subject to the appropriate enforcing agency.

  • One- and two-family dwellings are addressed in the Michigan Residential Code.
  • The state page directs applicants to the appropriate enforcing agency because enforcement can be by state, county, or local unit of government.

  “The Michigan Building Code controls all matters concerning the construction, alteration, addition, repair, removal, demolition, use, location, occupancy, and maintenance of all buildings and structures and their service equipment.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Primary buildings in zoning districts of Greenwood Township.

  • LDR has a five-acre exception for lots not fronting on a major/minor thoroughfare that are located on a private or public road in a platted or condominium subdivision.
  • MDR has distinct standards depending on public sewer and dwelling type.

  RC minimum lot size: >= 20 acres · LDR minimum lot size: >= 10 acres (Five acres for the stated subdivision-road exception.) · MDR minimum lot size without public sewer: >= 30000 square feet · MDR minimum lot size with public sewer for single-family dwelling: >= 20000 square feet · MDR minimum lot size with public sewer for two-family dwelling: >= 25000 square feet

  “Minimum lot size 20 acres 10 acres (see below) 5,000 sq. ft. 5,000 sq. ft. 5,000 sq. ft. 1 acre”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Primary buildings in Greenwood Township zoning districts.

  • Residential front setbacks may be reduced based on the average existing principal-building setback within 200 feet.
  • For properties fronting on a private road, the front yard setback increases by 30 feet as measured parallel to the road centerline.
  • All districts have a 50-foot waterside setback measured to the ordinary high-water mark.

  RC primary-building front setback: >= 50 feet (Subject to table note.) · LDR primary-building front setback: >= 50 feet (Subject to table note.) · MDR primary-building front setback: >= 30 feet (Subject to table note.)

  “Front (see note 1) 50 feet 50 feet 30 feet 15 feet 20 feet 50 feet 30 feet”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders constructing a residential structure inside Greenwood Township.
• Inspections — Building-code inspections for construction inside Greenwood Township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for buildings inside Greenwood Township.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Greenwood Township.
• Septic permit — On-site septic systems inside Greenwood 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.