Zoning, building permits and septic rules in St. Clair Township, Michigan

St. Clair Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Attached and detached accessory structures on land inside St. Clair township

  • One-story detached accessory structures of 200 sq ft or less for residential uses need a zoning permit but not a building permit (Section 6.2.1.a).
  • Detached accessory structures must also meet the separation and other conditions in Section 6.2.1.c.

  residential detached accessory structure floor area without building permit: <= 200 sq ft (one-story, zoning permit still required)

  “an accessory structure shall not be constructed without the issuance of a valid building or zoning permit as required elsewhere in the ordinance. one story detached accessory structures, whether temporary or permanent, having a floor area that does not exceed 200 square feet for residential uses or 120 square feet for all other uses shall not require the issuance of a building permit but shall require the issuance of a zoning permit”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Required — Mobile homes located or relocated in a mobile home park, subdivision, condominium project or on an individual lot in St. Clair township

    “a building permit shall be required for each mobile home that shall hereafter be located or relocated in a mobile home park, subdivision or condominium project, or on an individual lot.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Mobile homes in mobile home parks or condominium projects in St. Clair township; no general certificate of occupancy for other dwellings was found

  • The occupancy permit is issued for each mobile home on its stand; the mobile home may not be occupied until it is issued.

  “there shall be an occupancy permit obtained for each mobile home located on a mobile home stand, and no mobile home shall be occupied until this permit has been issued.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside St. Clair township's limits, under the township's own zoning ordinance (not the county's unincorporated area)

  • The township zoning ordinance is posted on the township site in articles; Article 4 and Article 6 were opened and carry revision stamps of 09/24/05 and 3/21/2016, which are not treated as effective dates.

  “for the purpose of this ordinance, st. clair township is hereby divided into the following districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  All districts of St. Clair township's zoning ordinance

  • The zoning district map is a separate document that the ordinance says is kept by the clerk and supervisor; it was not opened for this record.

  “for the purpose of this ordinance, st. clair township is hereby divided into the following districts: ru rs-1 rs-2 rm mh pud cr b-1 b-2 i-l i-h”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings outside mobile home parks inside St. Clair township

  • The square footage minimum is set by zone in the township schedule of regulations, which was not located; the 20 ft width is the only numeric minimum found in Article 6.

  minimum width across any front, side, or rear elevation: >= 20 ft (Section 6.8.2)

  “each such dwelling unit shall comply with the minimum square footage requirements of this ordinance for the zone in which it is located.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Accessory buildings on land inside St. Clair township (principal-building setbacks by district not verified)

  • Accessory buildings may not be placed in a dedicated easement, right-of-way or front yard setback except under listed exceptions (for example simultaneous construction in RU and waterfront lots).
  • Principal-building front, side and rear setbacks by district are in the schedule of regulations, which was not located.

  “in no instance shall an accessory building be located within a dedicated easement, right of way or front yard setback unless exempted under the exceptions listed below.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings on any lot inside St. Clair township, by district

  • The percentage of lot area is set by district in the schedule of regulations, which was not located; no numeric percentage was found in the pages read.

  “b. occupy a greater percentage of lot area than is specified for the district in which such building is located.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings on any lot inside St. Clair township, by district

  • The height limit for each district is in the schedule of regulations, which was not located; no numeric height limit was found in the pages read.

  “a. exceed the height limit specified for the district in which such building is located.”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Trailers and other temporary or portable structures used as a dwelling on a lot inside St. Clair township

  • A variance granted by the zoning board of appeals may allow the use.
  • Accommodation of a dwelling in a trailer is treated in the ordinance the same as in a temporary structure.

  “no garage or other accessory building, trailer, cabin, basement, partial structure, or other temporary structure, whether of a fixed or portable construction, shall be erected or moved onto a lot and used for any dwelling purposes for any length of time unless a variance is granted by the zoning board of appeals.”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Small dwellings (including tiny homes) used as a residence inside St. Clair township

  • The structure must be a standard dwelling structure under the ordinance and the township building code.
  • Each dwelling must meet the minimum square footage for its zone (Section 6.8.1), a 20 ft minimum width (Section 6.8.2), and the permanent foundation rule (Section 6.8.3).

  “no structure shall be used for dwelling purposes that is not considered a standard dwelling structure as defined by this ordinance and in the building code of the township.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Mobile homes on individually owned parcels in the RS-2 suburban residential district (medium density) inside St. Clair township

  • Must be placed on permanent perimeter wall foundations extending below frost line.
  • Mobile home parks are excluded from this permission.
  • Section 6.8 applies to mobile homes outside mobile home parks (anchoring, wheels removed, storage area, compatibility).

  “mobile homes on individually owned parcels of land when placed on permanent perimeter wall foundations extending below frost line, but not including mobile home parks.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Living quarters inside a detached accessory structure on land inside St. Clair township

  • Allowed only where the zoning ordinance specifically permits it.
  • Attached accessory structures must meet all main-building rules (Section 6.2.1.b).

  “no living quarters may be constructed or exist in any part of an existing or proposed detached accessory structure unless specifically permitted otherwise by the zoning ordinance.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Single-family dwellings outside a mobile home park inside St. Clair township that are not connected to public sewer

  • Private sanitary facilities must be approved by the local health department (St. Clair County Health Department), per the township's own forms page.
  • Detached accessory structures may not be connected to sanitary sewage or septic facilities unless the zoning ordinance permits it (Section 6.2.1.c.3).

  “no sanitary sewage or septic facilities shall be provided or allowed to be connected to a detached accessory structure unless specifically listed in the zoning ordinance as permitted in the district under site plan review or special use approval regulations and has received approval by the planning commission.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Single-family dwellings located outside a mobile home park or mobile home subdivision inside St. Clair township

  • Connection is required to public sewer and water where it is available, or the dwelling uses private facilities approved by the local health department.
  • No distance-to-main or availability rule was found in Articles 4, 6 or 7.

  “each such dwelling unit shall be connected to a public sewer and water supply or to such private facilities approved by the local health department.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Permits for construction on land inside St. Clair township, including land in a mapped floodplain

  • The building official must confirm National Flood Insurance Program compliance before a permit is issued; floodplain boundaries are taken from the flood insurance maps and the St. Clair County soil survey profiles.

  “prior to the issuance of a permit a determination shall be made by the building official that all aspects of the permit are in compliance with the requirements of the national flood insurance program”

Rules another office applies inside St. Clair Township

St. Clair 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 code adoptedAdopted

  Single-family dwellings inside St. Clair township, under the Michigan state construction code that the township ordinance cross-references

  • The township ordinance also refers to a 'township building code' for single-family dwellings (Article 4, Section 4.5.5); that township code was not located.

  “shall comply in all respects with the michigan state construction code commission requirements, including minimum heights for habitable rooms”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic systems on land inside St. Clair township; the St. Clair County Health Department issues the permit for the township, per the township's own forms page

  • Scope is recorded as countywide because the schema does not allow a township-specific geography for a county authority; the township page is the source that places the service inside the township.

  “well & septic permits are issued by the st clair county health dept”

• Septic permitRequired

  New septic systems on land inside St. Clair township, permitted by the St. Clair County Health Department

  • Permit issuance and fees are set by the county health department; its application process was not opened.

  “well & septic permits are issued by the st clair county health dept”

• Well permitRequired

  Private water wells on land inside St. Clair township, permitted by the St. Clair County Health Department

  • Permit issuance is by the county health department; well construction details were not opened.

  “well & septic permits are issued by the st clair county health dept”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for a home inside St. Clair township
• Inspections — Inspections for new homes and other construction inside St. Clair township
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot area for the RU, RS-1, RS-2 and RM districts of St. Clair township
• Camping on your land — Camping on private land inside St. Clair township without a dwelling
• Septic inspection — Septic inspection for land inside St. Clair 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.