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

Blendon Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Storage sheds, carports and garages in manufactured home parks in Blendon township; general residential building permit scope not confirmed

  • Construction may proceed after the township building permit is issued.
  • The township forms page lists building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit forms, but the opened page does not state the projects covered, the issuing office, or any thresholds.

  “storage sheds, carports and garages shall require a building permit from the township prior to construction.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Swimming pools requiring a fence in manufactured home parks in Blendon township; no general residential inspection rule located

  • A final inspection and approval from the township building inspector must be obtained prior to use of the swimming pool.
  • The permit also requires state health department involvement per the same ordinance text.

  “a final inspection and approval from the township building inspector must be obtained prior to use of the swimming pool.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Blendon township's limits (Ottawa County, Michigan); the township's own zoning ordinance governs land use there

  • Uses and dimensional standards apply only as set by the district tables and special land use or site plan approvals in the ordinance.
  • Zoning board of appeals decides variances; appeals from ZBA decisions go to Ottawa County circuit court per the township planning page.
  • The ordinance PDF is filename-dated 02-16-2021; later amendments were not checked.

  “the provisions of this ordinance, along with subsequent amendments, are the provisions that govern land use and developmental procedure”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts and map for land inside Blendon township

  • The zoning map PDF is listed on the township forms page but was not opened; its currency was not verified.

  “table 03.03 agricultural preservation district schedule of area and bulk requirements”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Dwellings in the R-1 low density residential district in Blendon township

  • Same floor-area figures as the R-2 table in the extracted text; the R-1 table was read from the same chapter 03 schedule.

  minimum floor area, total: >= 1040 sq ft · minimum ground floor area: >= 780 sq ft

  “minimum floor area (sq. ft.) 1,040 total, 780 ground floor maximum lot coverage (e) 15%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family and two-family dwellings in the R-2 medium density residential district in Blendon township

    “minimum floor area (sq. ft.) 1,040 total, 780 ground floor”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family and two-family lots in the R-2 medium density residential district in Blendon township (main single-family district)

  • The minimum depends on whether public water and public sanitary sewer serve the lot.
  • Multiple-family and non-residential uses in R-2 use a separate schedule (table 03.06).

  minimum lot area with public water and public sanitary sewer: >= 18000 sq ft · minimum lot area with either public water or public sanitary sewer: >= 23000 sq ft (only one utility available) · minimum lot area with neither public water nor sanitary sewer: >= 1 acre (no public water or sewer) · minimum lot width with public water and public sanitary sewer: >= 90 ft

  “minimum lot area (g) with public water and public sanitary sewer 18,000 sq. ft. with either public water or public sanitary sewer 23,000 sq. ft with neither public water nor sanitary sewer 1 acre minimum lot width (g) with public water and public sanitary sewer 90 feet”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Lots in the R-1 low density residential district in Blendon township (rural-residential district)

    “table 03.04 low density residential district schedule of area and bulk requirements minimum lot area 20 acres minimum lot width 165 feet”

  • District specific (with conditions) — Lots in the AG agricultural preservation district in Blendon township

    “table 03.03 agricultural preservation district schedule of area and bulk requirements minimum lot area 40 acres minimum lot width 165 feet”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family and two-family lots in the R-2 medium density residential district in Blendon township

  • Setbacks are from the R-2 schedule; footnotes (a)-(d) in the ordinance apply and were not fully extracted.

  front yard setback: 30 ft · side yard setback: 7 ft (each side; total both sides 15 ft) · total both side yards: 15 ft · rear yard setback: 25 ft · natural feature setback: 25 ft

  “front yard setback (a)(b)(c) 30 feet side yard setback (a) 7 feet total both side yards (a) 15 feet rear yard setback (a) 25 feet natural feature setback (a)(d) 25 feet”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots in the R-1 low density residential district in Blendon township

  • Maximum lot coverage per the R-1 schedule footnote (e).

  maximum lot coverage: <= 15 %

  “minimum floor area (sq. ft.) 1,040 total, 780 ground floor maximum lot coverage (e) 15%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family and two-family lots in the R-2 medium density residential district in Blendon township

    “minimum floor area (sq. ft.) 1,040 total, 780 ground floor maximum lot coverage (e) 30%”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential buildings and manufactured homes inside manufactured home parks in Blendon township

  • Stated as two and one-half stories in the source (the source text reads '(22) stories', a typographical error).
  • The R-1, R-2 and AG district tables as extracted did not show a building height row; a general district height limit was not located.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (manufactured home parks) · maximum stories: <= 2.5 stories (manufactured home parks)

  “(e) no manufactured home or other building or structure for residential purposes shall be in excess of two and one-half (22) stories, or in excess of a maximum height of thirty five (35) feet.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured homes inside the manufactured home park (MHP) district in Blendon township

  • Manufactured homes must meet the chapter 07 standards, including a permanent concrete pad or foundation and skirting.
  • A manufactured home placed outside a licensed park on a residential lot is treated as a nonconforming use and that status is extinguished if the home is moved to another lot outside a licensed park (section 14.05.06).
  • Other residential districts do not list manufactured homes as a permitted housing type in the opened text.

  “section 07.09 manufactured home standards 07.09.01 every manufactured home shall be supported on a permanent concrete manufactured home pad or foundation at least twelve (12) feet in width”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New single-family and two-family lots in the R-2 medium density residential district in Blendon township

  • The ordinance does not contain a general mandatory-connection-when-available rule in the opened text.
  • Lot size minimums depend on whether public water and public sanitary sewer serve the lot, so connection status changes the required lot area and width.
  • Distance-to-main rule not located.

  minimum lot area with public water and public sanitary sewer: >= 18000 sq ft · minimum lot area with either public water or public sanitary sewer: >= 23000 sq ft (only one utility available) · minimum lot area with neither public water nor sanitary sewer: >= 1 acre (no public water or sewer)

  “minimum lot area (g) with public water and public sanitary sewer 18,000 sq. ft. with either public water or public sanitary sewer 23,000 sq. ft with neither public water nor sanitary sewer 1 acre”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Conditional — Lots inside manufactured home parks in Blendon township

    “all lots shall be provided with a public water and sanitary sewer service, or such water and sanitary services that may be approved by the ottawa county health department and other applicable agencies”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions and lot splits in the R-1 and agricultural districts, plus site condominium and open space cluster developments, in Blendon township

  • Lot splits must meet county health department requirements for well and sanitary septic systems.
  • Lot splits must not be located within 300 feet of the EAG district boundary, and new utility lines must be installed underground.
  • Township land division application and planning commission review apply (forms page lists a land division application).

  “smaller lot splits in the r-1 district shall be permitted where the requirements of one (1) of the selected options are met”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Lot-split parcels under the agricultural and residential split options in chapter 03 of the Blendon zoning ordinance

  • Applies to lot splits under those options, not to every driveway in the township.
  • The referenced section 09.04.07 (shared residential driveways) was not opened.

  “the parent parcel and the parcel split(s) shall have access limited to a shared driveway complying with the requirements of section 09.04.07, shared residential driveways”

Rules another office applies inside Blendon Township

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private on-site septic systems on land inside Blendon township, Ottawa County, Michigan, administered by the Ottawa County Department of Public Health

  • The zoning ordinance refers lot splits and cluster developments to county health department requirements for septic systems; it does not set septic standards itself.
  • The county environmental health code and its sewage disposal construction standards govern; the code text itself was not opened.

  “since 1984, the ottawa county environmental health code has required sellers to evaluate the condition of private well and septic systems before transferring property ownership”

• Septic inspectionLimited

  Sale or transfer of property with a private septic system inside Blendon township (county transfer evaluation)

  • The evaluation is triggered by a property transfer, not by new construction.
  • The county also inspects septic systems for child-care licensing, adoption studies and short-term rentals where local rules require it; those are separate triggers.

  “since 1984, the ottawa county environmental health code has required sellers to evaluate the condition of private well and septic systems before transferring property ownership”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit eligibility for dwellings inside Blendon township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Blendon township
• Living in an RV — Occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside Blendon township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Blendon township
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy inside Blendon 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.