Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Byron, Michigan

Village of Byron’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Building construction in the village's multi-family (m) district and apartment buildings, per zoning ordinance section 5.7.2

  • Requirement stated for building plans submitted under section 5.7.2; general single-family permit requirement not established here.
  • Building permits are issued through the county building department under the county-designated building inspector (see building-inspector definition).

  “building construction plans must be submitted to the building department and approved prior to issuance of a building permit.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Apartment buildings and multi-family district uses in Byron village under zoning section 5.7; general certificate requirement for single-family homes not established

  • Certificate issued only after the building inspector confirms zoning ordinance and approved plan compliance.

  “the building inspector shall not issue a certificate of occupancy and compliance until he or she has ascertained that all the requirements of this ordinance and the approved plans have been met”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Byron village limits (Shiawassee County, Michigan)

  • Source is a 2022-dated copy hosted by energyzoning.org, not a village-hosted page; the village's own site was not located, so currency must be confirmed.
  • Ordinance refers to zoning district map and amendments; rezoning hearings are reported in local notices (e.g., 305 and 307 W. Maple Street, Nov. 2025).

  “section 1.1 title. this ordinance shall be known and cited as the zoning ordinance of the village of byron.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Byron village

  • Zoning district map referenced at page 4-1 of the ordinance; the map itself was not opened.

  “r, residential district 4-4 m. multiple-family district 4-6 gc, general commercial district 4-8”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family residential (R) district in Byron village

  • Figure read from PDF table text extraction; column alignment and footnotes (a) through (f) not verified against the original table.

  minimum floor area per unit: >= 1000 sq ft (R district, per table column read from PDF text)

  “66 ft. (a) 2.5 35 ft. 14 ft. 25 ft. 30 ft. 10 ft. (b,c,e) 35% 1,000 sq. ft.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R, residential district in Byron village (M district listed separately: 3,500 sq ft)

  • Minimum lot frontage (width) for R is 66 ft per table read; footnote (a) not opened.

  minimum lot area: >= 8500 sq ft (R, residential district) · minimum lot frontage: >= 66 ft (R district; footnote (a) applies)

  “r, residential 8,500 sq. ft. m, multi-family 3,500 sq. ft. cbd, central business district none”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R, residential district in Byron village

  • Read from flattened table; footnotes (b,c,e) not opened.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 35 percent (R district)

  “66 ft. (a) 2.5 35 ft. 14 ft. 25 ft. 30 ft. 10 ft. (b,c,e) 35% 1,000 sq. ft.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal buildings in the R, residential district in Byron village

  • Read from flattened table; footnotes not opened.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (R district) · maximum stories: <= 2.5 stories (R district)

  “66 ft. (a) 2.5 35 ft. 14 ft. 25 ft. 30 ft. 10 ft. (b,c,e) 35% 1,000 sq. ft.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles on residential land in Byron village

  • Living, sleeping or housekeeping use allowed only for occasional visitors, up to two consecutive weeks.
  • Storage of RVs in residential districts governed separately by section 10.8.

  maximum consecutive visitor stay: <= 2 weeks (occasional living purposes to accommodate visitors only)

  “no recreational vehicle shall be used for living, sleeping, or housekeeping purposes on the premises, except for occasional living purposes to accommodate visitors, not to exceed a maximum period of two consecutive (2) weeks.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile or manufactured homes used as dwellings outside mobile home parks in Byron village

  • Permit for placement must be obtained from the village council.
  • Home, placement and premises must meet zoning requirements for uses, size of premises, floor area and setbacks.
  • Non-refundable fee applies to the permit.

  “a permit for the placement thereof has been obtained from the village council.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Residential use of a building in the rear of a principal building on the same lot in Byron village

  • Only watchmen, caretakers and domestic employees tied to the principal building may live there.
  • Other ordinance requirements must be satisfied.

  “no building in the rear of, and on the same lot with a principal building shall be used for residential purposes except for watchmen, caretakers and domestic employees whose employment functions are related to the functions of the principal building, provided that all other requirements of this ordinance are satisfied.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Premises in Byron village where public sewer or public water is not available

  • Septic system and well must be approved by the appropriate health department.
  • Allowed only when public sewer or water is not available.

  “in the event public sewer or water is not available, said premises shall be served by a septic system and a well approved by the appropriate health department.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Any premises occupied by people in Byron village where public sewer and public water are available

  • Applies where an available public sewer and public water system exists; where unavailable, septic and well are allowed (see off-grid claim).
  • Availability is measured under the Michigan Public Health Code definition, which the ordinance incorporates by reference.

  “no building or occupancy permit shall be issued for any premises to be occupied by human beings unless the building is served by an available public sewer and public water system and meets the michigan building and michigan plumbing code.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Buildings set back more than 150 feet from a street in Byron village

  • Driveway must meet county road commission local-road standards.

  distance from street triggering driveway standard: > 150 ft (buildings further than this distance from a street)

  “a building constructed further than one hundred fifty (150) feet from a street shall be served by a driveway constructed to the standards for a local road as currently adopted by the shiawassee county road commission.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Byron or Shiawassee County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homes inside Byron village
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Byron village
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land in Byron village
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy in Byron village
• Septic inspection — Septic system inspection for homes inside Byron village

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.