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

Chester Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Chester township limits (Ottawa County, MI). The township adopts and administers its own Chester Township Zoning Ordinance and zone district map.

  • The only copy located is a PDF hosted on energyzoning.org (not a township or government host). Its text says it includes all amendments through April 2022. It was not confirmed against the township's own website, which was not located.
  • The text states the ordinance was amended effective October 10, 2002.
  • Zoning applies to uses according to the zone district in which land is located.

  ordinance adoption date (resolution 2002-04-01): 2002-04-05 date

  “chester township zoning ordinance at a special meeting of the chester township board held on the 5th day of april, 2002”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Multi-family housing (special use) in Chester township only; not single-family lots

  • Per dwelling unit minimum, with a total lot minimum floor.
  • Single-family district lot size was not captured.

  minimum lot area per dwelling unit: >= 3500 sq ft (total lot area must be at least 84,000 sq ft) · minimum total lot area, multi-family: >= 84000 sq ft

  “minimum lot area per dwelling unit - 3500 square feet but in no case shall total lot area be less than 84,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Multi-family housing (special use) in Chester township; setbacks follow the district where it is located

  • Parking areas and driveways must have a 5-foot setback from all property lines (section 314 parking text).
  • Single-family and agricultural setbacks were not captured; the yard requirements in section 904 were not opened.

  off-street parking setback from property lines (multi-family): >= 5 feet

  “setbacks to conform to those required for the district in which said multi-family housing is to be located.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Multi-family housing (special use) in Chester township only

  • Single-family and agricultural height limits are in section 903 (height regulations), which was not opened.

  maximum building height, multi-family: <= 2 ½ stories or 35 feet text

  “maximum building height - 2 ½ stories or 35 feet.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Multi-family housing, including duplexes, in Chester township (special use); not single-family homes

  • Applies only to multi-family housing and duplexes, which must be served by a public sewer system.
  • Single-family connection rules were not located; see the separate unknown claim.

  “all multi-family housing, including duplexes, shall be required to be served by a public sewer system.”

• Permit processPartial

  Temporary dwelling permit process in Chester township; general zoning and building permit process not located

  • Zoning administrator decides whether to grant the temporary dwelling permit.
  • Irrevocable letter of credit or cash equal to 1.25 times removal cost, and a written agreement with the township, must be filed before a permit is issued.
  • Permit valid up to 18 months.

  “whether or not to grant such a permit is the responsibility of the zoning administrator.”

Rules another office applies inside Chester Township

Chester 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 accessLimited

  Multi-family housing (special use) driveway access to public streets in Chester township

  • Access must conform to Ottawa County Road Commission requirements, so the road commission is the rule-maker for this access.
  • Single-family driveway rules not located.

  “driveway access to public streets shall conform to the requirements of the ottawa county road commission.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permit for new home construction in Chester township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for residential construction in Chester township
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction in Chester township
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage for residential or agricultural lots in Chester township
• Camping on your land — Camping on private land in Chester township outside a licensed campground

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.