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

Taymouth Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Taymouth township limits: the township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance.

  • Ordinance text is the version posted on the township site with an effective date of March 6, 2019 and an amendment date of January 8, 2020; later amendments were not checked.

  “taymouth township zoning ordinance effective: march 6, 2019 amended: january 8, 2020”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Taymouth township limits.

  • Districts named in the ordinance: PA primary agricultural, MDR medium density residential, ERN existing residential neighborhood (ERN 1 and ERN 2 in the dimensional table), NC neighborhood commercial, GC general commercial, LI light industrial, PUD planned unit development. The official zoning map is incorporated by reference; the map itself was not opened.

  “the township is divided into the following zoning districts, which shall be known by the following respective symbols and names. pa: primary agricultural district mdr: medium density residential district ern: existing residential neighborhood district nc: neighborhood commercial district gc: general commercial district li: light industrial district pud: planned unit development”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  New lots and parcels in the PA primary agricultural district and the MDR medium density residential district inside Taymouth township.

  • Values come from the dimensional table of the zoning ordinance; the PDF text layer scrambles table columns, so the district-to-value mapping (PA first, MDR second) follows column order and should be checked against the printed table.
  • Nonconforming lots of record are exempt from area requirements; see the ordinance definition of nonconforming lot of record.
  • Other districts (ERN 1, ERN 2, NC, GC, LI, PUD) have their own values in the same table and are not stated here.

  minimum lot area, PA primary agricultural: >= 2 acres (PA district) · minimum lot width, PA primary agricultural: >= 220 ft (PA district) · minimum lot area, MDR medium density residential: >= 30000 sq ft (MDR district) · minimum lot width, MDR medium density residential: >= 100 ft (MDR district)

  “pa- primary agricultural mdr- medium density residential ern 1- existing residential neighborhoods ern 2- existing residential neighborhoods ncneighborhood commercial gc- general commercial li light industrial pud- planned unit development min lot area min lot width 2 acres 220 ft 30,000 sq ft 100 ft”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Front yards in the PA primary agricultural and MDR medium density residential districts inside Taymouth township.

  • Only the front yard column is stated here. Side and rear yards in the same table row are not reliably separable from the text layer and are not recorded as claims.
  • Footnotes in the same table: a rear yard abutting a residential district must be at least 40 feet; a corner lot needs at least 40 feet on the street-side yard; a yard abutting a residential district must be at least 60 feet from the property line in certain commercial uses.

  minimum front yard setback, PA: >= 50 ft (PA district) · minimum front yard setback, MDR: >= 40 ft (MDR district)

  “50 ft 35 ft1 15 ft1 50 ft 25% - 40 ft 30 ft2 10 ft 2 40 ft 35%”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Maximum lot coverage in the PA primary agricultural and MDR medium density residential districts inside Taymouth township.

  • Values come from the same dimensional table row; the district mapping follows column order and should be verified against the printed table.

  maximum lot coverage, PA: <= 25 % (PA district) · maximum lot coverage, MDR: <= 35 % (MDR district)

  “50 ft 35 ft1 15 ft1 50 ft 25% - 40 ft 30 ft2 10 ft 2 40 ft 35%”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal buildings in the PA primary agricultural and MDR medium density residential districts inside Taymouth township; commercial and industrial districts have a separate limit.

  • The table lists 2 1/2 stories or 35 ft for PA, MDR and the first ERN column; 3 stories or 40 ft for the later commercial and industrial columns. Column alignment comes from the text layer and should be checked.

  maximum building height, PA and MDR: <= 35 ft (2 1/2 stories or 35 ft, whichever the table states; PA and MDR districts)

  “maximum height 2 1/2 stories or 35 ft 2 1/2 stories or 35 ft 2 1/2 stories or 35 ft 2 1/2 stories or 35 ft 3 stories or 40 ft”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit applications for land inside Taymouth township.

  • Forms are listed on the township forms page; the step-by-step process, submittal requirements and review times were not found.

  “building permit soil erosion and sedimentation control permits electrical permit mechanical permit plumbing permit zoning permit”

Rules another office applies inside Taymouth Township

Taymouth Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite wastewater (septic) systems on land inside Taymouth township; the Saginaw County Health Department administers them, not the township.

  • Applies where the site is not served by a public water supply and sewage disposal system.
  • Saginaw County Environmental Health Code governs. The county page directs owners to check township regulations for the building permit and zoning, but the township page does not state a septic rule.

  “onsite wastewater treatment and disposal (septic) systems and onsite water wells are covered under the saginaw county environmental health code.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New onsite wastewater (septic) system on a site inside Taymouth township that is not served by a public water supply and sewage disposal system; issued by the Saginaw County Health Department.

  • Permit is valid for two years and states minimum construction standards; changes must be approved before installation.
  • Installers must be registered with the health department.
  • Preliminary soil evaluation is optional for undeveloped land.

  “you are required to obtain a well permit and/or a wastewater disposal permit from this office”

• Well permitRequired

  New or replacement private water well on a site inside Taymouth township not served by a public water supply; issued by the Saginaw County Health Department.

  • Applies where the site is not served by a public water supply.
  • Well must be installed by a well driller licensed under Act 368, P.A. of 1978, per the county page.

  “you are required to obtain a well permit and/or a wastewater disposal permit from this office”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development on land inside Taymouth township that is within or partly within a regulated floodplain or wetland; the state permit is issued by EGLE.

  • Statement comes from the county health page; the state permit itself was not opened.
  • Taymouth township's own 100-year floodplain treatment in the PA district is referenced in the zoning ordinance but not analyzed.

  “if your property is located within or partially in a regulated floodplain or wetland, a permit must be obtained from the michigan department of environmental quality before a permit will be issued by this department.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Taymouth township.
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for land inside Taymouth township.
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Taymouth township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new buildings inside Taymouth township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Taymouth 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.