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

Village of Colon’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction of new buildings, additions and renovations inside Village of Colon limits; building permits are handled through the village building official.

  • Construction may not start until permits are received.
  • Building permit applications require floor plans with elevations and wall cross sections; new home construction requires energy compliance calculations.

  zoning application with building permit: 50 USD (fee schedule line; the zoning-only application is $25)

  “commencement of your project may not start until you have received your permits.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Required — Plumbing work inside Village of Colon boundaries (trade permit separate from the zoning and building permit).

    “plumbing permit needed in order to change or add plumbing to any building within the village boundaries.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Village of Colon limits (St. Joseph County, MI): the village administers a zoning ordinance through its zoning administrator.

  • The packet headed 'village of colon st. joseph county, mi.' refers to 'the zoning ordinance' and to a zoning permit issued by the village. The ordinance text itself (districts and dimensional standards) was not opened in this research.
  • Zoning permit must be issued before excavation or erection of a building or structure.

  “the excavation for or erection of a building or structure prior to the issuance of a zoning permit is a violation of the zoning ordinance.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New home construction inside Village of Colon where municipal water or sewer is available.

  • Where municipal water or sewer is available, a water and sewer approval from the municipality must be issued and submitted with the application.
  • No mandatory-connection rule with a distance threshold was located.

  “(water and sewer permit if such property is located where municipal water or sewer is available, approval from the municipality must be issued and submitted with application).”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Village of Colon zoning and building application fees

  • Building permit trade fees (plumbing, mechanical, electrical) not included in this schedule.

  zoning application (no building permit required): 25 USD · zoning application (building permit required): 50 USD

  “zoning application (no building permit required) $25.00 zoning application (building permit required) $50.00”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning and building permit application process in Village of Colon

  • Incomplete applications, including fees, are not processed and close after 45 days.
  • Permit cannot be issued until the application is approved.

  “a minimum of 1 copy of this completed application, along with the same number of copies of supporting documents described below, must be submitted to the zoning administrator.”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Colon

Village of Colon 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 (with conditions)

  Private on-site sewage disposal (septic) inside Village of Colon, administered by the St. Joseph County health department under the county environmental health code.

  • The village packet states that the applicant is responsible for the septic system and should contact the local district health department for change-in-use determinations.
  • Village packet cites the St. Joseph County environmental health code.

  “well and septic permits obtained from the st. joseph county health department, 269-273-2161.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Septic system installation or change in use for a parcel inside Village of Colon.

  • Permit issued by St. Joseph County health department, not by the village.
  • Zoning/building applications require septic approval documentation.

  “well and septic permits obtained from the st. joseph county health department, 269-273-2161.”

• Well permitRequired

  Private water well for a parcel inside Village of Colon, permitted by St. Joseph County health department.

  • Village packet states well and septic permits are obtained from county health department; municipal water connection rules are a separate question.

  “well and septic permits obtained from the st. joseph county health department, 269-273-2161.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Village of Colon
• Building code adopted — Construction code in force inside Village of Colon
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Village of Colon
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Village of Colon
• Zoning districts — Zoning district map and list for Village of Colon

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.