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

Marlette Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Marlette township limits (Sanilac County, MI), administered by the township zoning administrator

  • Zoning permit and other listed approvals are required before construction (see permit_process claim)
  • Copy found is Ordinance No. 200 dated 2013 on energyzoning.org; the township's current text and later amendments were not verified

  “a zoning permit shall be acquired from the zoning administrator before any construction is undertaken”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  All land inside Marlette township limits

  • Zoning map is incorporated by reference as the Marlette Township zoning map (map not retrieved)
  • Districts: AR agricultural-residential, SFR single family residential, RM medium density residential, MHP manufactured housing park, C commercial, I industrial

  “the township is hereby djvided into the following zoning dishicts: ar sfr rm mhp c i”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  SFR single family residential district of Marlette township

  • Footnote (3) reduces the minimum to 20,000 square feet and 75 feet width if served by central sewer or located in a platted or condominium subdivision, provided health department sewage requirements are met

  minimum lot area: >= 1 acres (reduced to 20,000 sq ft where footnote (3) applies) · minimum lot width: >= 100 feet (reduced to 75 feet where footnote (3) applies)

  “(3) the minimums are reduced to 20,000 squarefeet lot area and 75 feet lot width if served by a central sewer system or iflocated within a platted subdivision or a condominium subdivision”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  SFR single family residential district of Marlette township

  • Front setback is measured from the center of the road right of way
  • Side and rear setbacks are reduced to 10 feet on lots that qualify under footnote (3)
  • Side and rear setback base values for SFR were not reliably read from the garbled table

  minimum front yard setback: >= 100 feet (measured from center of road right of way) · minimum side and rear yard setback on reduced lots: 10 feet (only lots reduced under footnote (3))

  “(2) measured from tbe center of the road right of way.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Occupying a recreational vehicle on private land inside Marlette township

  • Up to two RVs may be stored outside on a parcel with an occupied single-family dwelling
  • Without an occupied single-family dwelling, up to two RVs may be stored or used, for no more than 180 days per calendar year
  • Ordinance defines recreational vehicles to include motor homes, camping trailers, pickup campers, vans, buses, cargo trailers, or other units designed or used for human occupancy that do not meet single-family dwelling standards

  RVs stored outside per parcel: <= 2 units (on parcel with occupied single-family dwelling or otherwise stored or used) · days occupied per calendar year: <= 180 days

  “c. on properties which do not have an occupied single family dwelling, a maximum of two (2) recreational vehicles may be stored or used. such storage or use shall not exceed one hundred eighty (180) days during any calendar year.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Campgrounds as a special land use in the AR agricultural-residential district of Marlette township

  • Campgrounds are a special land use in the AR district, requiring planning commission approval
  • Ordinance also states a minimum setback of one hundred (100) feet from property lines for these uses

  minimum site size for campgrounds: >= 10 acres (special land use in AR district)

  “private parks, recreation facilities and activities, campgrounds, shooting ranges, and golf courses.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes used as dwellings inside Marlette township

  • Manufactured homes are permitted as single-family dwellings only if they comply with Section 13.05 or 13.09
  • Manufactured housing park is a separate MHP district
  • Mobile homes and campers may not be used as storage structures or other building purposes

  “this section shall not apply to manufactured homes which comply with sections 13.05 or 13.09 and are used as single-family dwellings.”

• Subdividing landRegulated

  Land divisions and site condominiums inside Marlette township

  • Land divisions must comply with the state Land Division Act and the township land division ordinance
  • Site condominium projects must conform to Sanilac County road commission standards for subdivision streets

  “4. streets. all streets for a site condominium project shall conform to the sanilac county road commission standards for subdivision streets and shall be dedicated as a public road.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit application process for work inside Marlette township

  • Zoning permit not required for accessory structures under 200 square feet
  • Zoning permit expires one year after issuance unless the use has commenced
  • Building, septic, driveway, floodplain and other listed approvals must be submitted with zoning application

  “a zoning permit shall expire one (1) year after the date of issuance unless the proposed use has been commenced within that year.”

Rules another office applies inside Marlette Township

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

• Building permitRequired

  New construction in Marlette township, handled by the Sanilac County Construction Code Department; the page does not name Marlette specifically but says applications take township zoning approval

  • Construction may proceed only after the building permit is issued
  • Application must include zoning approval from the township zoning administrator
  • Page lists the Construction Code Department at Courthouse Annex Room 210, Sandusky, MI

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction in Marlette township under the Michigan construction code, administered locally by the Sanilac County Construction Code Department

  • Marlette ordinance refers building permits to the state construction code (ordinance Section 3.03(i))

  “the michigan construction code requires that this department keep a copy of all inspection records with the permit file”

• InspectionsRequired

  Inspections on permitted construction in Marlette township, by the Sanilac County Construction Code Department

  • Inspections must be scheduled by the permit holder with permit number and township identified
  • Corrections found at inspection must be completed and re-inspected by the permit holder
  • Re-inspection fee applies if charged

  “the construction code department requires all inspections to be scheduled by the permit holder”

• Septic permitRequired

  Parcels inside Marlette township that need a septic system before a zoning or building permit

  • Septic permit must be approved before the zoning administrator issues permits, where the permit applies
  • Exact trigger for new septic installation not confirmed beyond the ordinance list

  “b. septic system permit approved by the county health department.”

• Well permitLimited

  Well approvals for projects inside Marlette township; the county health department reviews wells when sanitary facilities or bedrooms are added, and for lots of record under the ordinance

  • Review is triggered by added bathrooms or bedrooms in county procedures
  • Non-conforming lot of record may be built only if septic and well approvals are granted by the county health department (ordinance Section 14.01)

  “3. if sanitary facilities (bathroom/s) are being included or bedrooms are being added in the construction project, a review of your existing facilities or a septic and/or well permit are to be reviewed by the sanilac county health department.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New driveways or culverts on Marlette township parcels that connect to county roads

  • Approval from county road commission or Michigan Department of Transportation, as applicable
  • Culvert approval only where necessary

  “a. drivewaypennit including approved culverts, where necessary, as approved by the county road commission or the michigan department of transportation, as applicable.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in mapped floodplain inside Marlette township

  • Floodplain permit must be submitted to the zoning administrator before any zoning or building permit where applicable

  “d. floodplain pennit from the county depattment of public works.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for residential construction in Marlette township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new construction in Marlette township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area per dwelling in the single-family residential and agricultural-residential districts of Marlette township
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage in Marlette township districts
• Building height — Maximum building height in Marlette township districts

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.