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

Sharon Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Sharon township's limits (Washtenaw County, Michigan) is governed by the Sharon Township Zoning Ordinance adopted by the township board.

  • Ordinance text reviewed is a copy hosted on energyzoning.org (updated February 18, 2021); the township site links a zoning ordinance but that link target was not opened.
  • Section 2.05 says the ordinance takes effect seven days after adoption and publication of a notice of adoption; no separate effective date was found.

  “zoning administrator contact zoning ordinance code of ordinances master plan zoning map”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Sharon township's limits under the Sharon Township Zoning Ordinance (a-1, rc, r-1, r-2, r-3 and commercial/industrial districts).

  • Table 9-2 and 9-3 lists permitted principal uses by district; the extracted table text was not fully parsed district by district.

  “section 9.06 use regulations of zoning districts a. table 9-2 and 9-3 identifies the principal land uses permitted in each of the zoning districts enumerated in section 9.01.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  A-1 agriculture district inside Sharon township.

  • Floor area read from table 9-4 column order (minimum floor area per dwelling); the column is not labelled in the extracted row.

  minimum floor area per dwelling: >= 1000 sq ft

  “a-1 10 acres 300 ft. 35 ft. (4) 1,000 sq. ft.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  A-1 agriculture district inside Sharon township.

  • Table 9-4 lot width and frontage shown as 300 ft; corner and frontage rules in the ordinance were not reviewed.

  minimum lot area: >= 10 acres · minimum lot width: >= 300 ft

  “a-1 10 acres 300 ft. 35 ft. (4) 1,000 sq. ft.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 residential district inside Sharon township (first residential district in table 9-4; use classification not confirmed in extracted text).

    “table 9-4 site development requirements (1) zoning district minimum lot area minimum lot width & frontage (2) maximum building height minimum floor area per dwelling maximum lot coverage a-1 10 acres 300 ft. 35 ft. (4) 1,000 sq. ft. rc 10 acres 300 ft. 35 ft. (4) r-1 43,560 sq. ft. (1 acre) 150 ft.”

  • Specified — R-2 residential district inside Sharon township.

    “r-2 43,560 sq. ft. (1 acre) without public sewer, otherwise 20,000 sq. ft. (5)”

• Building heightSpecified

  A-1 agriculture district inside Sharon township.

  • Farm buildings and structures are allowed up to 75 feet (table 9-4 footnote 4).

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (farm buildings and structures 75 ft)

  “a-1 10 acres 300 ft. 35 ft. (4) 1,000 sq. ft.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Structures for human occupancy inside Sharon township.

  • Occupied structures must have a potable water supply and a waste water disposal system meeting county health standards; no alternative is described in the excerpt.

  “any structure intended for human occupancy and used for dwelling, businesses, industrial, recreational, institutional, or mercantile purposes shall not be erected, altered, used or moved upon any premises after the effective date of this ordinance unless said structure shall be provided with a potable water supply and waste water disposal system”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Condominium subdivisions inside Sharon township (section 20.11 of the zoning ordinance). Platted subdivisions under the state Land Division Act were not reviewed.

  • Zoning permit and final site plan approval required before grading or construction in a condominium subdivision.
  • Units must meet district lot area, width and yard setbacks.

  “no grading or any other form of construction shall be initiated for a condominium subdivision prior to the approval of a final site plan and issuance of a zoning permit.”

• Permit processPublished

  Zoning permit process inside Sharon township.

  • Building permits, fees and inspections are not covered by this zoning process; see unknown claims.

  “the primary permit process shall require the issuance of one permit which shall be the zoning permit.”

Rules another office applies inside Sharon Township

Sharon 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 (with conditions)

  On-site sewage disposal and potable water facilities for structures inside Sharon township, Washtenaw County, Michigan.

  • Recorded with county authority and district-specific geography because the schema does not allow township-specific geography for a county authority; applies inside Sharon township under township zoning section 18.03.
  • The Washtenaw County health department is named in the township ordinance; state and federal standards also apply.

  “all on-site sewage disposal and potable water facilities shall be constructed and maintained in accordance with the requirements and standards of the washtenaw county public health department as well as those of other applicable local, county, state, or federal agencies.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes inside Sharon township.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homeowners building in Sharon township.
• Building code adopted — Building codes applied inside Sharon township.
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Sharon township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Sharon 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.