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

Lexington Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Lexington Township, Sanilac County, Michigan (not the Village of Lexington, which has its own zoning ordinance).

  • The copy located is hosted on energyzoning.org and its cover states amendments through March 2018; the township's own host and any later amendments were not verified.
  • The village is a separate municipality and is out of scope.

  “section 4.1.0 — establishment of districts.01 the township of lexington is hereby divided into the following zoning districts, to be known as having the names and symbols shown:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  All land inside Lexington Township, Sanilac County, Michigan.

  • Districts named in Section 4.1.0: Agricultural Enterprise (A-1), Agricultural/Residential (A-2), Low Density Residential (R-1), Moderate Density Residential (R-2), Medium Density Residential (R-3), Office (O), Commercial (C), Industrial (I), and Lakefront Residential, Recreational, and Resort (LFRRR).
  • The official zoning map is adopted by reference in Section 4.2.0; the map itself was not opened.

  “• agricultural enterprise district (a-1) • agricultural/residential district (a-2) • low density residential district (r-1) • moderate density residential district (r-2) • medium density residential district (r-3) • office district (o) • commercial district (c) • industrial district (i) • lakefront residential, recreational, and resort district (lfrrr)”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the A-2 (Agricultural/Residential) district, Lexington Township.

  • Other story types in Schedule A: 1 1/2 story 1,000 sf at grade; 2 story 900 sf at grade; split and bi-level 1,000 sf at grade.
  • Minimum floor area is set in the schedule of regulations; the text of the ordinance controls over schedules where they conflict.

  minimum floor area, one-story single-family dwelling: >= 1280 sq ft at grade (other story types have lower minimums (see conditions))

  “single family 1,280 square feet at grade 1 story single family 1,000 square feet at grade 1 ½ story single family 900 square feet at grade 2 story single family 1,000 square feet at grade split & bi-level”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the R-1 (Low Density Residential) district, Lexington Township.

    “one story 1,280 square feet at grade 1 ½ story 1,000 square feet at grade 2 story 900 square feet at grade split/bi-level 1,000 square feet at grade”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Agricultural/Residential (A-2) district, Lexington Township. Schedule A gives the same figure for the Agricultural Enterprise (A-1) district.

  • Schedule A figure for principal uses; open space preservation (Section 3.52.0.08) can change lot-size rules.

  minimum lot area: 2 acres · minimum lot width: 165 feet

  “minimum lot area 2 acres 2 acres minimum lot width 165 feet 165 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the R-1 (Low Density Residential) district, Lexington Township.

    “single family 30,000 sf 20,000 sf 20,000 sf 20,000 sf two family n.a. 30,000 sf 30,000 sf 30,000 sf”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal buildings in the A-2 (Agricultural/Residential) district, Lexington Township.

  • Schedule A minimum setbacks for principal buildings; the A-1 district carries the same front, side and rear figures in Schedule A.
  • Schedule D (abutting-district setbacks), footnotes and the lakefront or private-road rules in Schedule B are not covered here; accessory building setbacks are governed separately.

  front setback: 50 feet · side setback: 25 feet · rear setback: 50 feet

  “front 50 feet 50 feet side 25 feet 25 feet rear 50 feet 50 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  All uses in the A-2 (Agricultural/Residential) district, Lexington Township.

  • Schedule A; the A-1 district carries the same 10 percent figure.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 10 percent

  “maximum lot coverage 10 percent 10 percent”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — All uses in the R-1 (Low Density Residential) district, Lexington Township.

    “ot coverage all uses minimum floor area per dwelling unit single family r-1 r-2 r-3 lfrrr 30% 30% 40% 30%”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal buildings in the A-2 (Agricultural/Residential) district, Lexington Township.

  • Schedule A; the A-1 district carries the same 35-foot figure. Accessory building heights are not covered here.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “maximum building height 35 feet 35 feet minimum required setbacks for principal buildings minimum floor area per dwelling unit”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — All uses in the R-1 (Low Density Residential) district, Lexington Township.

    “maximum building height all uses 40 feet”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Occupancy of a recreational vehicle parked on township land not approved as a campground (for example a residential lot).

  • A recreational vehicle on land not approved for campgrounds may not be connected to sanitary facilities or occupied, except the vacant-lot camping allowance below.
  • Owners of vacant residential lots may camp up to 14 days per calendar year (see temporary_camping claim).
  • Campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks are listed as special land uses in the A-2 district (Section 7.3.0) and the commercial district; the special-use standards were not opened.

  “any recreational vehicle parked on lands not approved for campgrounds shall not be connected to sanitary facilities, and shall not be occupied.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping by the owner of a vacant residential parcel or lot not approved for campgrounds, Lexington Township.

  • Camping limited to 14 days per calendar year.
  • The owner must provide their own fresh water and sanitary sewer disposal off site and must not create a nuisance (see off_grid_sanitation claim).
  • Non-occupant-owned recreational vehicles may be parked for more than 24 hours only with a zoning administrator temporary permit of up to two weeks in a rear yard (Section 3.50.0.09).

  camping allowance: <= 14 days per calendar year (vacant residential parcel or lot only)

  “the owner of a vacant residential parcel or lot that is not approved for campgrounds shall be limited to camping not more than 14 days within any calendar year.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Camping on a vacant residential parcel by its owner. This claim does not cover off-grid year-round dwellings, for which no township rule was found.

  • Owner must provide own fresh water and sanitary sewer disposal off site.
  • Camping is limited to 14 days per calendar year.

  “said owner shall not create a nuisance of any kind and shall provide for their own fresh water and sanitary sewer disposal off site.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permit for new residential construction in Lexington Township.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from licensing or permit requirements for work in Lexington Township.
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction in Lexington Township.
• Inspections — Building inspections for new construction in Lexington Township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy or zoning compliance before occupying a new home in Lexington 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.