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

Buel Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Buel township's limits: the township has its own zoning administrator and zoning approval is required before a building permit.

  • Zoning approval is required from the township zoning administrator before a building permit issues (county procedures page, item 2).
  • Dimensional and occupancy rules are in the township's own zoning ordinance, which was not retrieved from an official source in this run.

  “zoning approval is required from your city, village or township zoning administrator.”

Rules another office applies inside Buel Township

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

• Owner-builder exemptionConditional

  Homeowners doing their own electrical, plumbing or mechanical work on a single family home inside Buel township

  • A homeowner may not take out a permit if they hire a contractor.
  • The owner-builder allowance is stated for electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, not for the general building permit.
  • Applies only to the homeowner's own single family dwelling.

  “a homeowner that is going to do the work themselves on their own single family dwelling. a homeowner may not take out a permit if they hire a contractor.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction inside Buel township under the Sanilac County Construction and Land Use department

  • Permit holder must schedule all inspections.
  • If the project is not started and no inspection occurs within six months, the permit may be cancelled.
  • Plumbing and mechanical permits also require periodic inspections.

  inspection lapse before permit cancellation: 6 months (site inspection does not count toward the six months)

  “all building permits are required to have periodic inspections.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic systems serving homes inside Buel township

  • Review is triggered when bathrooms or bedrooms are added to a project.
  • Sanilac County Health Department handles the septic review; the county construction office refers applicants to it.

  “a review of your existing facilities or a septic and/or well permit are to be reviewed by the sanilac county health department.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Splitting a parcel inside Buel township before a building permit on a new split

  • Splits must be approved in advance by the Sanilac County Equalization Department.
  • A certified recorded boundary line survey and recorded deed or land contract may be required for a recent split.
  • Township subdivision or plat rules were not located on an official page.

  “all splits must be approved in advance by the sanilac county equalization department.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit application process for land inside Buel township

  • Zoning approval from the township zoning administrator is required first.
  • Septic/well review by the county health department is required when bathrooms or bedrooms are added.
  • A site inspection and building permit issuance follow posting a project sign and staking the building location.

  “the following information is required in writing at the time an application for a building permit is made”

Still unanswered

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

• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for permits inside Buel township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Buel township
• Zoning districts — Zoning district map and districts in Buel township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in Buel township's residential districts
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size for the main single-family residential district in Buel 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.