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

Antwerp Township’s own rules

• InspectionsRequired

  Building inspections for permitted construction inside Antwerp township

  • Inspections are requested by phone and performed Monday through Thursday.
  • Inspection scope beyond the building inspector visit was not stated on the page.

  “antwerp township building inspections need to be requested by calling 269.668.2615 x210. building inspections are performed monday through thursday.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Antwerp township's limits, under the township's own zoning ordinance

  • The township zoning ordinance is posted as a PDF on the township site and was amended through 12-9-25; its adoption and effective dates were seen only in a search snippet and are not recorded here.
  • Zoning-only topics for this township come from this ordinance, not from county zoning.

  “agricultural and residential districts chapter 5 section 5.3 agricultural and residential districts b. lot, yard and building requirements: table 5-3 zoning district regulations, ag, r-1, r-2, and r-3 residential districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts in Antwerp township

  • Table 5-3 covers the AG, R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts; other districts were not checked against the ordinance.

  “table 5-3 zoning district regulations, ag, r-1, r-2, and r-3 residential districts”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Manufactured homes in a mobile home park inside Antwerp township

  • Applies only to mobile home park development requirements, not to individual lots.

  minimum floor area per dwelling unit: >= 980 sq ft (mobile home park sites)

  “minimum floor area per dwelling unit 980 sq. ft.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured homes placed on individual lots inside Antwerp township

  • The dwelling must meet the ordinance's manufactured-home standards (including minimum horizontal dimension, roof pitch and overhang, storage area, and foundation rules as listed in the same subsection).
  • Standards do not apply to a manufactured home in a licensed manufactured home community; those sites follow the mobile home park rules.
  • Some listed standards were not fully read; the full subsection should be checked before relying on this claim.

  “a manufactured home that is in existence at the time of the adoption of this ordinance that does not meet the dimensional requirements of this subsection may be replaced with a similar manufactured home”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units (attached or detached) on a lot with a principal single-family dwelling inside Antwerp township

  • Only one attached or detached accessory dwelling unit per lot or parcel.
  • Occupancy restricted to family members of the principal dwelling's occupants; separate rental to a different party is prohibited; a restrictive covenant must be recorded with the Van Buren County Register of Deeds before zoning and building permits.
  • Must meet principal-dwelling setbacks; one additional off-street parking space; no additional driveway to the street; no separate utility meter or mailing address; well and septic approval by the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department required.

  accessory dwelling units per lot: 1 unit

  “g. accessory dwelling square footage shall not exceed 800 square feet, or 50 percent of the total square footage of the accessory and principal living space, whichever is less. h. an additional access driveway to a public or private street to serve the accessory dwelling unit is prohibited.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Mobile home parks inside Antwerp township; public water and sewer where available

  • Applies to mobile home park sites, not to single-family homes.
  • Where public sewer and water are not available, services approved by county and state health departments may be used instead.

  “public sewer and water facilities, where available, or sewer and water services approved by the van buren county and state health departments, shall be provided to each mobile home site.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions and plats of subdivision inside Antwerp township

  • Regulated under the township's separate land division and subdivision ordinance, which was not opened.
  • All lots must meet the zoning ordinance's minimum lot area, lot width, and setback requirements.

  “land divisions and plats of subdivision shall be regulated according to the requirements of the township land division and subdivision ordinance.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Private roads and shared driveways that connect to a public road or state trunk highway in Antwerp township

  • The rule covers only private roads and shared driveways; permits come from the agency that controls the road.
  • Driveway permit agency for ordinary single driveways was not confirmed.

  “for any proposed private road or shared driveway that intersects a public road or state trunk highway, permits from the appropriate agency shall be submitted.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development on any property wholly or partly in a special flood hazard area inside Antwerp township

  • Development must meet all local, state, and federal floodplain requirements plus the zoning ordinance.
  • The property owner must show proof of compliance, including floodplain location and elevation data, before permits are issued.

  “on any property that is located wholly or in part within the special flood hazard area as depicted on the flood insurance rate map, shall conform to all local, state and federal requirements for development within a flood plain, as well as the requirements of this ordinance.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building permit fees charged by Antwerp township

  • Since July 1 (year not stated on the page) fees are a construction-value-based calculation set only by the building inspector.
  • Payment is due after the permit is approved. The 2022 permit fee schedule is linked from the page but was not opened, so no fee amounts are stated.

  “antwerp township has switched its building permit format to a construction value based permit fee as of july 1. payment will be required after the permit has been approved by our building inspector. fees will be calculated only by the building inspector.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building, electrical, and mechanical permit process inside Antwerp township

  • Applications and fees go to the township office; inspections are requested by phone (269.668.2615 x210).
  • Septic and well approvals come from the health department and are not part of the township process; the township's planning and zoning permit steps are not covered on this page.

  “all building permit applications and fees need to be submitted to antwerp township effective september 1, 2022.”

Rules another office applies inside Antwerp Township

Antwerp 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 septicLocal (with conditions)

  Septic systems serving land inside Antwerp township; the zoning ordinance names the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department for well and septic approval

  • The zoning ordinance text found names the health department for accessory dwelling unit well and septic approval; the township minutes name only 'health department (well and septic)'.
  • Whether the health department is the sole septic authority for a standard single-family home was not confirmed.

  “well and septic approval by the van buren/cass district health department is required.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Accessory dwelling units inside Antwerp township (septic approval from the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department)

  • Applies to accessory dwelling units; systems may be shared with the principal system or separate, subject to health department approval.
  • Permit requirement for a standard single-family septic system was not confirmed.

  “j. well and septic approval by the van buren/cass district health department is required. systems may be shared with the principal system or separate”

• Well permitRequired

  Accessory dwelling units inside Antwerp township (well approval from the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department)

  • Applies to accessory dwelling units; the township minutes also list health department well and septic approval as a pre-permit step for a 2023 special use site.
  • Well permit for a standard single-family home was not confirmed.

  “j. well and septic approval by the van buren/cass district health department is required.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for a homeowner building on their own land in Antwerp township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for new construction inside Antwerp township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Antwerp township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Antwerp township
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy inside Antwerp 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.