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

Gerrish Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction inside Gerrish Township

  • A zoning permit is required first; a building permit is required where state law requires it.
  • For single and two-family dwellings a building permit may simultaneously serve as a zoning permit.
  • Township building/zoning office issues building permits.

  “no driveway or any other grading, excavation, or construction shall be initiated prior to the issuance of a zoning permit and, where required by state law, the building inspector certifies proposed structures and buildings comply with the construction code through the issuance of a building permit.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Structures and uses inside Gerrish Township

  • Permit for occupancy issued by the building inspector pursuant to the construction code.

  “no structure or use shall be occupied, in whole or in part, without first receiving a permit for occupancy from the building inspector pursuant to the construction code.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Gerrish Township, Roscommon County, MI

  • Enacted under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act (PA 110 of 2006); administered by a zoning administrator appointed by the township board.

  “the zoning department is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the township zoning ordinances.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Gerrish Township

  • Districts include RC, RR, R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-MF, R-MHC, C-1, C-2 and I-1 plus a PUD district (Article 4).

  “conservation districts rc resource conservation district residential districts rr rural residential district r-1 existing lake neighborhoods district r-1a lake residential district r-2 low density residential district”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Conventional single-family dwellings inside Gerrish Township (all districts)

  • Applies to conventional dwellings; non-conventional standards not read.

  minimum residential floor area: >= 960 sq ft (two-story: 720 sq ft on first floor and 960 total)

  “the dwelling shall have a minimum residential floor area of 960 square feet, provided that a two-story dwelling shall have a minimum of 720 square feet of residential floor area on the first floor and a minimum of 960 square feet of total residential floor area.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  RR Rural Residential district, Gerrish Township

  • Other districts (RC 5 acres; R-1 12,000 sq ft) differ; R-2/R-3 rows not read.

  minimum lot area: >= 2.5 acres · minimum lot width and frontage: >= 200 ft

  “rr, rural residential 2.5 acres 200 ft.2 35 ft.9 10% 50 ft.3 25 ft.5 25 ft.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  RR Rural Residential district, Gerrish Township

  • Table footnotes 3 and 5 modify setbacks and were not read.
  • RC: front 50, side 25, rear 25 ft; R-1: front 50, rear 20 ft with side per footnotes.

  front setback: >= 50 ft (see footnote 3) · side setback: >= 25 ft (see footnote 5) · rear setback: >= 25 ft

  “rr, rural residential 2.5 acres 200 ft.2 35 ft.9 10% 50 ft.3 25 ft.5 25 ft.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  RR Rural Residential district, Gerrish Township

  • RC 5%; R-1 25%.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 10 percent

  “rr, rural residential 2.5 acres 200 ft.2 35 ft.9 10% 50 ft.3 25 ft.5 25 ft.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  RR Rural Residential district, Gerrish Township

  • 35 ft also applies in RC and R-1; footnote 9 not read.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (see footnote 9)

  “rr, rural residential 2.5 acres 200 ft.2 35 ft.9 10% 50 ft.3 25 ft.5 25 ft.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Additional dwellings on a lot inside Gerrish Township

  • Subsection (b) allows one additional single-family dwelling in R-1 and R-1A districts on stated conditions (text not fully read).

  “no more than one (1) single family dwelling unit shall be permanently established on a lot or parcel except as otherwise authorized by subsection (b) below or elsewhere in this ordinance”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Sewage disposal and potable water facilities for buildings inside Gerrish Township; the township ordinance defers to the Roscommon County Health Department

  • Also subject to other applicable local, county, state or federal agency standards.

  “all sewage disposal and potable water facilities shall be constructed and maintained in accordance with the requirements and standards of the roscommon county health department as well as those of other applicable local, county, state, or federal agencies.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Conventional single-family dwellings inside Gerrish Township

  • Public sewer and water, or private facilities approved by the Roscommon County Health Department.
  • No distance-to-main rule found.

  “the dwelling shall be connected to a public sewer and water supply or to such private facilities approved by the roscommon county health department.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Structures and premises inside Gerrish Township

  • Driveway plan is part of the plot/site plan; driveways must be within 10 degrees of perpendicular, serve no more than one single-family dwelling unless approved, and residential driveways need at least 10 ft clear width.

  “no such plan shall be approved unless driveway access is onto a public or approved private road.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permits for single-family and two-family dwellings inside Gerrish Township

  • Applicant submits three copies of the application and a plot plan; permit withholding until county/state permits are received; zoning permit expires after one year unless first building inspection passed (extension up to 180 days).

  decision deadline: <= 15 days (from receipt of a complete application)

  “the decision by the zoning administrator shall be made within fifteen (15) days of the receipt of a complete plot plan application including copies of all required county, state and federal applications and permits.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Gerrish Township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Gerrish Township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Gerrish Township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Gerrish Township
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Gerrish 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.