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

Greenwood Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Greenwood township, St. Clair County, Michigan. The ordinance is titled for the Township of Greenwood, St. Clair County.

  • The ordinance cites the 1943 Township Zoning Act, which the search notes say was largely replaced by the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act. The ordinance page itself does not say which act governs; the adoption and reprint dates are taken as stated.
  • The PDF is hosted on the township's greenwoodtownship.com site. The home page was captured but did not itself confirm the township identity; a different Greenwood Township (Clare County) appears on greenwoodtownship.org and was not used.

  “zoning ordinance greenwood township, michigan originally adopted: january 8, 2002 effective date: january 24, 2002 reprinted with amendments adopted june 13, 2023 effective july 21, 2023”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Greenwood township, St. Clair County, Michigan

  • Districts listed in Section 3.01: A/R agricultural/rural residential; R single-family residential; RM multiple-family residential; OS open space, conservation & recreation; I-A intensive agricultural; B-1 neighborhood business; B-2 general business; I-1 light industrial; I-U industrial utility.
  • District boundaries are shown on a zoning map that accompanies the ordinance; the map was not opened.

  “section 3.01 districts established for the purpose of this ordinance, the township of greenwood is hereby divided into the following districts:”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  One- and two-family dwellings in the A/R and R districts in Greenwood township (St. Clair County); footnote (18) is attached to both rows of Section 14.01

  • Footnote 18 sets minimum floor area per unit: one bedroom 750 sq. ft.; two bedroom 864 sq. ft.; three bedroom 1,000 sq. ft.; four bedroom 1,200 sq. ft.; plus 120 sq. ft. for each additional bedroom over four.
  • Multiple-family dwelling minimums (efficiency 500 sq. ft. to four bedroom 1,200 sq. ft.) are in footnote 10 and apply to RM projects only.

  minimum floor area, one bedroom unit: >= 750 sq. ft. (One- and two-family dwellings only) · minimum floor area, two bedroom unit: >= 864 sq. ft. (One- and two-family dwellings only) · minimum floor area, three bedroom unit: >= 1000 sq. ft. (One- and two-family dwellings only) · minimum floor area, four bedroom unit: >= 1200 sq. ft. (One- and two-family dwellings only; plus 120 sq. ft. per bedroom over four)

  “minimum floor areas per unit for one (1) and two (2) family dwellings are as follows: one bedroom unit......................750 sq. ft. two bedroom unit......................864 sq. ft. three bedroom unit..................1,000 sq. ft. four bedroom unit...................1,200 sq. ft. plus 120 sq. ft. for each additional bedroom over four (4).”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific

  One-family dwelling lots in the R single-family residential district in Greenwood township (St. Clair County)

  • Schedule row for R one-family dwellings: minimum lot size 1.25 acres; minimum lot width 165 feet (footnote 3).
  • Two-family dwellings in the same district have a separate row (102,300 sq. ft. lot area, 310 ft width).
  • The condominium section (Section 17.32, item 10) separately states that the conventional lot area and width do not apply to site condominiums and that a lot may not be less than 1.25 acres or 165 feet wide; not separately quoted here.

  minimum lot area, one-family dwelling: >= 1.25 acres (Footnotes (3) and (17) of the schedule not opened) · minimum lot width, one-family dwelling: >= 165 feet (Footnote (3) of the schedule not opened)

  “r, res.: (17) one-family dwellings: 1.25 acres 165(3) 40(3b) 15 30 50 2 25 30% (18)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific — Lots in the A/R agricultural/rural residential district in Greenwood township (St. Clair County)

    “a/r, agri. / rural res.: (17) 5 acres 330(3) 50(3b) 20 40 50 2 25 20% (18)”

• SetbacksDistrict specific

  Principal buildings in the A/R agricultural/rural residential district in Greenwood township (St. Clair County)

  • Schedule reads as front 50 feet; side 20 feet each (40 feet combined); rear 50 feet. Column mapping is inferred from the flattened table; footnotes (3b) and (6) were not opened, so confirm before relying on it.
  • The planning commission's rural open space retention option (Section 17.33) and other exceptions were not reviewed.

  front yard setback: >= 50 feet (Footnote (3b) not opened) · side yard setback, each side: >= 20 feet (Footnote (3b) not opened) · rear yard setback: >= 50 feet (Footnote (3b) not opened)

  “a/r, agri. / rural res.: (17) 5 acres 330(3) 50(3b) 20 40 50 2 25 20% (18)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific — One-family dwellings in the R single-family residential district in Greenwood township (St. Clair County)

    “r, res.: (17) one-family dwellings: 1.25 acres 165(3) 40(3b) 15 30 50 2 25 30% (18)”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific

  Lots in the A/R agricultural/rural residential district in Greenwood township (St. Clair County)

  • Maximum lot coverage 20 percent per the schedule; footnote (18) on the row was not opened.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 20 percent (Footnote (18) not opened)

  “a/r, agri. / rural res.: (17) 5 acres 330(3) 50(3b) 20 40 50 2 25 20% (18)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific — Lots in the R single-family residential district in Greenwood township (St. Clair County)

    “r, res.: (17) one-family dwellings: 1.25 acres 165(3) 40(3b) 15 30 50 2 25 30% (18)”

• Building heightDistrict specific

  Structures in the A/R agricultural/rural residential district in Greenwood township (St. Clair County)

  • Schedule reads as maximum 2 stories or 25 feet. Footnote (7) (cited on the I-A row) was not opened.

  maximum height: <= 25 feet (Maximum 2 stories; footnotes not opened) · maximum stories: <= 2 stories (Footnotes not opened)

  “a/r, agri. / rural res.: (17) 5 acres 330(3) 50(3b) 20 40 50 2 25 20% (18)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific — One-family dwellings in the R single-family residential district in Greenwood township (St. Clair County)

    “r, res.: (17) one-family dwellings: 1.25 acres 165(3) 40(3b) 15 30 50 2 25 30% (18)”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions and site condominium developments inside Greenwood township

  • The ordinance refers to township subdivision regulations and township site condominium requirements; the subdivision regulations document was not located or opened.
  • Site condominium projects require site plan review and must meet county road commission standards for internal roads.

  “as set forth in the township subdivision regulations or the township site condominium requirements”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Zoning compliance permits issued by the Greenwood township zoning administrator

  • Fee is set by a schedule the township board adopts from time to time; the schedule itself was not located.
  • Section 19.05 (permit fees) is listed in the table of contents but its text was not opened.

  “payment of a permit fee in accordance with a fee schedule as may be set forth from time to time by the township board.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning compliance permits for uses, structures and additions in Greenwood township

  • Process described in Section 19.02 requires a written application signed by the applicant with the information needed to show full compliance, and a fee; building permits, inspections and certificates of occupancy are not covered by the text opened.

  “the zoning administrator shall issue such permit upon the furnishing in writing, over the signature of the applicant”

Rules another office applies inside Greenwood Township

Greenwood 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

  Onsite sewage disposal (septic) for land inside Greenwood township, St. Clair County, Michigan

  • The St. Clair County Health Department page is countywide; it does not name Greenwood township.
  • The township ordinance (Section 17.33, item 10 and 18) refers to county health department on-site sewage requirements for rural lots and community systems approved by the county and/or state health department.

  “prior to installing or repairing a septic system&comma; a sewage permit must be obtained from the health department.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installing or repairing an onsite septic system on land inside Greenwood township, St. Clair County, Michigan

  • Applies to residential and commercial buildings generating less than 10,000 gallons of sewage per day, per the health department page.
  • Applications are issued by the St. Clair County Health Department, not by the township.

  “instructions and applications are available for both residential and commercial buildings that generate less than 10&comma;000 gallons of sewage per day.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes in Greenwood township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction in Greenwood township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for Greenwood township
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes in Greenwood township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for dwellings in Greenwood 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.