Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Au Sable Township, Michigan

Au Sable Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Au Sable township, Roscommon County, Michigan

  • Ordinance administered by a zoning administrator appointed by the township board; appeals go to the zoning board of appeals.
  • The copy is a 2007 printing (originally 1975, updated 2005); later amendments were not checked.

  “this ordinance shall be known as the permanent zoning ordinance of the township of ausable, county of roscommon, michigan”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Au Sable township, Roscommon County

  • Districts: R-1 residential, C-1 neighborhood service, CONS conservancy, GB green belt (first tier of lots or 300 ft from water's edge), AG agriculture.
  • District boundaries are on a map attached to the ordinance.

  “ausable township shall be divided into the following districts: r-i c-i cons gb residential neighborhood service conservancy green belt ag agriculture”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwellings in the R-1 residential district, Au Sable township

  • Conservancy district also 936 sq ft; the ordinance has no stated minimum for the AG district.

  minimum first floor area: >= 936 square feet · minimum width: >= 24 feet

  “each dwelling unit in this area shall have a minimum first floor area of nine hundred thirty-six (936) square feet with a minimum width of twenty-four feet (24ft.).”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Dwellings in the CONS conservancy district, Au Sable township

    “floor area: minimum residence floor area for this zone shall be nine hundred thirty-six (936) square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 residential district, Au Sable township

  • Reduced lot area applies only where public water and sanitary sewage facilities are available.
  • Lot must be at least 65 ft wide at the building line.

  minimum lot area: >= 12000 square feet (9,000 sq ft where public water and sewer available) · minimum lot width: >= 65 feet

  “no lot shall have an area of less than twelve thousand (12.000) square feet, except that, where a public water system and sanitary sewage facilities are available, the lot area may be reduced to nine thousand (9,000) square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Dwelling lots in the CONS conservancy district, Au Sable township

    “no dwelling shall be built upon a lot with less than ten (10) acres in area, unless such lot was established prior to the enactment of this ordinance. in no case shall a dwelling be built upon a lot with less than 12,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Buildings in the R-1 residential district, Au Sable township

  • Front yard may equal the average of existing dwellings within 150 ft on either side where those are closer.
  • Corner lots: 25 ft side yard on the street side.
  • Conservancy district: 30 ft front, 25 ft side, 50 ft rear (Sec. 8.4); green belt: 50 ft from ordinary high water level (Sec. 9.3).

  front setback: >= 30 feet · side yard: >= 8 feet · rear yard: >= 40 feet

  “there shall be a side yard of not less than eight (8) feet on each side of any building. corner lots shall have a side yard of not less than twenty-five (25) feet on the street side.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in residential zoning districts, Au Sable township

  • Conservancy district: structures may not exceed 50 feet (Sec. 8.3).
  • Detached accessory buildings in R-1 and green belt limited to 12 feet or one story.

  maximum height: <= 35 feet (or 2.5 stories, whichever is lesser)

  “no building, tower, sign or any other structure shall exceed fifty (50) feet in height in this zoning district.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Occupancy of travel trailers and campers outside licensed trailer camps in Au Sable township

  • Visiting relatives or friends: up to 14 days on a residence.
  • Emergency or temporary street parking limited to 12 hours.
  • Temporary dwelling use during construction needs a temporary occupancy permit, not over six months plus one six-month extension (Sec. 4.9).
  • Unoccupied storage of one trailer allowed on a lot in R-1, conservancy and green belt districts.

  visitor occupancy limit: <= 14 days

  “no person shall park or occupy a trailer outside of a licensed trailer camp except as otherwise provided in this ordinance.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Tent camping in Au Sable township

  • Tents allowed only in conservancy districts and in licensed trailer coach parks and campgrounds, except children's play tents at the parent's dwelling.

  “no tents shall be erected except in the conservancy zoning districts and in parks and campgrounds so designated as trailer coach parks and campgrounds”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes on private lots in Au Sable township

  • Mobile home parks and subdivisions need a special exception use permit from the board of appeals (Secs. 4.25, 4.26).
  • Mobile home parks and subdivisions must connect to public water and sewer within one year after they become available.

  minimum floor area: >= 936 square feet · minimum width: >= 24 feet

  “all mobile homes shall be on a permanent foundation, wheels removed and skirted and have a minimum floor area of nine hundred thirty-six (936) square feet and a width of twenty-four feet (24ft.) exclusive of porches, garages and utility areas.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Uses requiring over 10,000 gallons of water per day, and mobile home parks/subdivisions, in Au Sable township

  • No general rule found requiring an ordinary new single-family home to connect to public water or sewer.
  • Mobile home parks and subdivisions must connect to public systems within one year after availability (Secs. 4.25(i), 4.26(f)).

  water use threshold: > 10000 gallons per day

  “any use requiring over 10,000 gallons of water per day shall not he allowed unless both a public water system and public sewers are available.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions creating more than four parcels in Au Sable township

  • Pre-ordinance lots must meet at least 75 percent of the lot size and width of their zone.
  • Plats and developments need a surface drainage and erosion control plan (Sec. 4.10).

  minimum parcel size when more than four parcels created: >= 10 acres

  “where more than four (4) parcels of land or lots are created after adoption of this ordinance, they shall be no smaller than ten (10) acres in size.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Disturbance of designated floodplains in Au Sable township

  • Permit is issued by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources under Act 346 of 1972, per the township ordinance.

  “any disturbance of designated floodplains shall not be undertaken without permit from the michigan department of natural resources under the inland lakes and streams act 346 of 1972.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning property use certificates in Au Sable township

  • Only the zoning-side process is published in the ordinance; building-code permit process was not found.
  • Application includes owner, intended use, estimated cost, and a sketch with lot dimensions, yards, well, septic tank and drain fields.

  “before any change to or in the use of any building or parcel of land is undertaken, the owner or his duly authorized agent shall apply to the zoning administrator for a property use certificate on forms provided by the township.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Au Sable township, Roscommon County
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Au Sable township
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Au Sable township, Roscommon County
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Au Sable township, Roscommon County
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Au Sable township, Roscommon County

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.