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

Holland Township’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Construction regulated by Holland Charter Township Building.

  • The township Building Official issues Certificates of Use and Occupancy; the webpage does not state every project category or issuance threshold.

  “The Building Official manages the day-to-day operations for Building, including signing building permits, issuing Certificates of Use and Occupancy and investigating citizen complaints.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Lots, buildings, structures, and uses inside Holland Charter Township.

  • The ordinance states that its provisions are not applicable to or enforceable against Holland Charter Township itself.

  “zoning applies to all lots of record and to every building, structure, and use.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes used as single-family or two-family dwellings inside Holland Charter Township.

  • A manufactured home must have wheels removed and may not have an exposed towing mechanism, undercarriage, or chassis; that requirement does not apply to manufactured homes in manufactured-home communities within the township.

  “A manufactured home shall be installed with the wheels removed. No manufactured home dwelling shall have any exposed towing mechanism, undercarriage, or chassis. However, this requirement does not apply to manufactured homes located in manufactured home communities within the township.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Buildings with drinking-water and/or sanitary facilities on lots inside Holland Charter Township that are not served by both public water and sewer.

  • No construction permit may issue if the applicable water-supply or sewage-disposal facility does not comply with Ottawa County waste and sewage-disposal rules.

  “No permit shall be issued for the construction of a building or structure which is to have drinking water and/or sanitary facilities located therein and which is to be located on a lot of record which is not served by both public water and sewer facilities if its water supply and/or sewage disposal facilities, as the case may be, do not comply with the Rules and Regulations Governing Waste and Sewage Disposal of Ottawa County.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  A building or structure with drinking-water or sanitary facilities inside Holland Charter Township.

  • For a lot not served by both public water and sewer, the water supply and/or sewage-disposal facilities must comply with Ottawa County waste and sewage-disposal rules. The cited provision does not impose a stated distance-based public-utility connection trigger.

  “No permit shall be issued for the construction of a building or structure which is to have drinking water and/or sanitary facilities located therein and which is to be located on a lot of record which is not served by both public water and sewer facilities if its water supply and/or sewage disposal facilities, as the case may be, do not comply with the Rules and Regulations Governing Waste and Sewage Disposal of Ottawa County.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Site-condominium divisions of real property inside Holland Charter Township.

  • The cited page specifically addresses site condominiums and also requires adherence to the State of Michigan Condominium Act.

  “Site Condominium – A request for division of real property under a contractual arrangement known as a site condominium, which is required to adhere to Township requirements and the State of Michigan’s Condominium Act.”

• Permit processPartial

  Township building inspections following permit issuance.

  • Inspection scheduling is by telephone; the page does not provide a complete building-permit application process.

  “To schedule an inspection, please call (616) 395-0196.”

Rules another office applies inside Holland Township

Holland 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

  Residential and non-residential buildings, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work inside Holland Charter Township.

  • The page lists examples that may not require a permit: zoning-compliant fences six feet or less, new residential siding, replacement same-size windows, and replacement roof shingles only with no structural work.

  “Building permits and inspections are required in the Township by the Michigan Building and Residential Codes for residential and non-residential buildings, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction code enforcement inside Holland Charter Township.

  • The township page identifies the building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, energy-conservation, and property-maintenance codes as codes adopted by Michigan.

  “Building is responsible for the administration, enforcement and interpretation of the building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, energy conservation, and property maintenance codes adopted by Michigan.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work inside Holland Charter Township.

  • Inspections are scheduled through the township Building department.

  “Building permits and inspections are required in the Township by the Michigan Building and Residential Codes for residential and non-residential buildings, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the AG Agricultural District inside Holland Charter Township.

  minimum total floor area: >= 1000 square feet · minimum first-floor area: >= 750 square feet

  “min. floor area (s.f.) single-family total 1,000 single-family first floor 750”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family lots in the AG Agricultural District inside Holland Charter Township.

  • New lots of record may not be created except in conformance with the table requirements.

  minimum lot area: >= 5 acres · minimum lot width: >= 325 feet

  “Table 3.3A Lot Requirements: Agricultural District Requirement AG Min. Area (acres) Single-Family 5 Non-Residential1 5 Min. Width (ft.) Single-Family 325”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family lots in the R-1 Low Density Residential District inside Holland Charter Township.

    “all lots of record shall meet the minimum area and width requirements of table 4.3a. new lots of record shall not be created, except in conformance with these requirements.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Single-family principal buildings in the AG Agricultural District inside Holland Charter Township.

  minimum front setback: >= 50 feet · minimum side setback: >= 25 feet · minimum rear setback: >= 50 feet

  “min. front setback (ft.) single-family 50 non-residential2 100 min. side setback (ft.) single-family 25 non-residential2 60 min. rear setback (ft.) single-family 50”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Holland Charter Township.
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land inside Holland Charter Township.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Holland Charter Township.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Holland Charter Township.
• Septic inspection — Septic-system inspections for property inside Holland Charter 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Holland Township means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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