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

Lake Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erecting or altering structures, or starting excavation, inside Lake Township

  • Land use permit from the township ordinance enforcement officer plus building permit from the Houghton Lake Building Agency
  • Ordinance 58 fee list says no permit required for utility or accessory buildings under 200 square feet and for structures under 150 square feet
  • Exterior must be completed within one year of land use permit, with extensions of 12 months each, up to two

  land use permit issue time: <= 5 business days

  “no structure shall be erected, altered, or excavation started until a land use permit is issued by the ordinance enforcement officer and a building permit is issued by the houghton lake building agency.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Lake Township; state construction code enforced through the Houghton Lake Building Agency

  • Enforcement delegated to the five-township Houghton Lake Building Agency (Denton, Lake, Markey, Backus, Roscommon)
  • Codes: Michigan building, residential, uniform energy, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes as amended

  “lake township hereby assumes responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the state construction code within the township pursuant to the act”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Use of new, changed, converted or enlarged buildings inside Lake Township

  • Occupancy permit granted or denied within 30 days of written application
  • Fees set by township board resolution

  occupancy permit decision time: <= 30 days

  “such occupancy permits shall be granted or denied within thirty (30) days from the date that a written application is filed with the building inspector or ordinance enforcement officer.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Lake Township, Roscommon County, MI

  • Zoning Ordinance No. 9 with chapters per district; amended by Ordinance 55C

  “the township of lake shall be divided into zoning districts, as hereafter described”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-2 district in Lake Township

  • R-1 and AGB lot areas not extracted reliably from the flattened schedule

  single-family lot area, R-2: >= 7200 sq ft · two-family lot area, R-2: >= 12000 sq ft

  “single-family dwellings in the r-2 district shall have a minimum lot area of 7,200 square feet. minimum lot area for two-family dwellings in the r-2 district is 12,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 single-family residential district in Lake Township

  • Side yard 10 ft where abutting canal/river
  • Waterfront parcels: front yard is the waterfront side and follows the established setback line (default 50 ft lakefront, 25 ft canal/river)
  • Setbacks measured from edge of roof overhang
  • Corner lots 20 ft side yard on road side in all districts

  R-1 side yard: >= 5 ft (10 ft where abutting canal/river)

  “in the r-1 district, the side yard setback for dwellings and structures, including patios, decks and sheds, shall be five (5) feet from adjacent lot lines. if the side yard abuts a canal/river, the setback shall be ten (10) feet.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  C-W, C-1 and C-2 commercial districts in Lake Township

  • Residential district heights appear in the schedule but column alignment is unreliable (many show 32 ft)

  max height with special land use permit: <= 55 ft (requires special land use permit)

  “for structures in the c-w, c-1 and c-2 districts, maximum building height can be increased to fifty five (55) feet with a special land use permit.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Structures where sanitary sewer originates inside Lake Township

  • Only the ordinance purpose statement was quoted; the specific distance/availability trigger in Ordinance 38 was not located
  • Public water connection rule not found

  “to require structures in which sanitary sewer originates and which are in the township to connect to the public sewer system”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Land use permits, building permits and certificates of occupancy in Lake Township

  • Building permit fees follow a schedule approved by the Houghton Lake Building Agency board (Ordinance 58 sec. 5); the schedule was not located

  “as shall be determined by resolution of the township board.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Land use permits in Lake Township

  • Building permit separately from the Houghton Lake Building Agency
  • Failure to obtain a land use permit results in a red tag and fines

  land use permit issue time after satisfactory application: <= 5 business days

  “within five (5) business days, upon receipt of an application for a land use permit, which is in satisfactory form, the ordinance enforcement officer shall issue such permit”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Lake Township
• Inspections — Inspections inside Lake Township
• Lot coverage — Inside Lake Township
• Living in an RV — Inside Lake Township
• Camping on your land — Inside Lake 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.