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

Higgins Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Higgins township, Roscommon County, MI

  • Township homepage says the board approved the zoning ordinance with changes on July 7, 2025; the PDF I could open may be the older text (earlier version), so the current amended text needs checking.

  “the higgins township board approved the zoning ordinance with changes on july 7, 2025 meeting.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Higgins township (F&FR, RR, UR, MFR, MHR, commercial and others)

  • Ordinance text on the township site may predate the July 2025 amendments.

  “article vii-ur urban residential district 37 section 7.01-purpose”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  UR Urban Residential district, Higgins township

  • F&FR districts also require 960 sq ft first-floor/total minimums
  • Text may predate July 2025 amendments

  min first floor, one-story dwelling: >= 960 sq ft · min first floor, two-story dwelling: >= 700 sq ft (minimum total 960 sq ft for both stories)

  “e. floor area: the minimum first floor area ofa one (1) story dwelling 960 square feet, and for a two (2) story dwelling 700 square feet on the first floor and a minimum total of960 square feet for both stories”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  UR Urban Residential district (main single-family district), Higgins township

  • Larger lot where public sewer or water is not available
  • On-site water and wastewater must be approved by the county health department
  • Text may predate July 2025 amendments

  min lot area with public sewer and water: >= 10000 sq ft · min lot area without public sewer or water: >= 20000 sq ft

  “lot area: minimum of10,000 square feet with public or common sewer and water. b. lot area: minimum of20,000 square feet, iflot or parcel does not have public sewer or water available and on-site water supply and wastewater disposal systems are both permitted and approved by the county health department.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Forest & Forest Recreation district (Art. IV, resource development), Higgins township

    “section 4.06 - dimensional regulations: a. lot area: a permitted parcel shall have a minimum of ten (10) acres in area, except as otherwise may be provided in this ordinance.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Forest & Forest Recreation district (Art. IV), Higgins township

  • Text may predate July 2025 amendments

  max lot coverage: <= 20 percent

  “c. lot coverage: maximum of twenty (20) percent.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — UR Urban Residential district, Higgins township

    “lot coverage: maximum of30%. e. floor area: the minimum first floor area ofa one (1) story dwelling 960 square feet”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Occupancy of a motor home, RV or travel trailer on land inside Higgins township

  • Only during construction
  • Property owner must comply with sanitary facilities required by the Michigan state health department
  • Other temporary facilities not permissible
  • Text may predate July 2025 amendments

  max temporary occupancy: <= 6 months

  “temporary use of a motor home, recreational vehicle or travel trailer shall only be permissible by means of a temporary occupancy permit issued by the zoning administrator, during the course of construction, but not to exceed six (6) months.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Higgins township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Higgins township
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Higgins township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Higgins township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Higgins 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.