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

Boon Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Boon township's limits (Wexford County): zoning under the Wexford Joint Zoning Ordinance, administered by the Wexford Joint Planning Commission

  • The ordinance is a joint instrument for participating municipalities; Boon township is listed as zoned under the Wexford Joint Planning Commission.
  • The reviewed text states an effective date of December 31, 2016 in all participating municipalities; the WJPC page lists the ordinance as revised 3-23-2022.
  • Boon township's own ordinances page reads 'Coming soon' and does not host the ordinance text; this is silence, not an absence statement.
  • The dimensional and use text was read from an annotated third-party copy on energyzoning.org; verify against the official WJPC PDF before relying on it.

  “wexford joint planning commission: (wexford, hanover, liberty, springville, antioch, slagle, boon, selma, south branch, cherry grove townships)”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts applying inside Boon township under the Wexford Joint Zoning Ordinance

  • The ordinance groups districts into articles 20-29 (environmental), 30-39 (agricultural, forestry, rural, rural residential), 40-49 (residential), 50-59 (commercial), 60-69 (industrial) and 70-79 (overlays).
  • The WJPC page publishes a zoning map detail for Boon township; the Boon parcel-to-district assignment was not opened.

  “articles 30-39 for agricultural, forestry, rural and rural residential zoning districts”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwellings and principal buildings in the rural residential district (article 37) inside Boon township

  • Also a building-face minimum of fourteen feet on all faces.
  • R-1 minimum dwelling size not confirmed.

  minimum dwelling building area: >= 800 sq ft

  “no dwellings and principal buildings shall be constructed in this district which contain less than eight hundred (800) square feet of building area, or is not less than fourteen (14) feet on all building faces.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Rural residential district (article 37) parcels inside Boon township

  • Buildable area: each parcel shall have a minimum of 20,000 square foot buildable area per principal unit (article 37 section 3704.b).
  • Minimum parcel width 165 feet fronting a road or private road (section 3704.c).
  • Open space development or planned unit development may modify the minimum.

  minimum parcel area: >= 43560 sq ft (except as part of an open space development or a planned unit development) · minimum buildable area per principal unit: >= 20000 sq ft · minimum parcel width: >= 165 ft

  “a. minimum parcel area - no building, structure or use shall be established on any parcel less than forty-three thousand five hundred sixty (43,560) square feet except as provided for as part of an open space development or a planned unit development.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 residential district (article 43) parcels inside Boon township

    “a. minimum parcel area - no building, structure or use shall be established on any parcel less than fifteen thousand (15,000) square feet, and a duplex or an apartment building shall not be established on any parcel less than nine thousand (9,000) square feet per each housing unit on the ground floor, or a total of fifteen thousand (15,000) square feet, whichever is greater.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Rural residential district (article 37) parcels inside Boon township

  • Rear yard minimum is 50 feet (section 3704.c.1.c).
  • Waterfront and wetland setbacks follow ordinance section 1011 or a 50-100 foot minimum.
  • R-1 setbacks were not confirmed; the annotated text cut off at the R-1 front-yard paragraph.

  front yard setback: >= 50 ft (or 83 feet from road centerline, whichever is greater) · side yard setback: >= 30 ft · rear yard setback: >= 50 ft

  “b. side yards - the minimum setback of either side yard shall not be less than thirty (30) feet; c. rear yard - the minimum rear setback shall not be less than fifty (50) feet. d. waterfront yard: see section 1011 of this ordinance.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Parcel divisions and subdivisions inside Boon township under the Wexford Joint Zoning Ordinance

  • Lots served by public sanitary sewer have a smaller minimum lot area under the same section.
  • Divisions also follow the Land Division Act (P.A. 288 of 1967) per the ordinance.

  minimum lot area with public sanitary sewer: >= 12000 sq ft (lots not served by public sewer follow the general standard)

  “provided further, however, that if the lot will be served by a public sanitary sewer system the minimum lot area shall be 12,000 square feet.”

Rules another office applies inside Boon Township

Boon 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)

  On-site septic systems on land inside Boon township, handled by the Wexford/Missaukee County District #10 Health Department

  • The packet names the district health department for well and septic permits in Wexford County; the Boon-specific service-area statement was not captured.
  • Authority label 'health-district:MI:wexford-missaukee-10' is a research label, not a verified registry ID.

  “contact the wexford/missaukee county district #10 health department for a well and septic permit or waiver if already existing.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Septic system permit (or waiver for an existing system) for a home inside Boon township

  • A waiver applies if the system already exists.
  • Construction may proceed after the permit is issued.

  “contact the wexford/missaukee county district #10 health department for a well and septic permit or waiver if already existing.”

• Well permitRequired

  Well permit (or waiver for an existing well) for a home inside Boon township

  • A waiver applies if the well already exists.
  • Construction may proceed after the permit is issued.

  “contact the wexford/missaukee county district #10 health department for a well and septic permit or waiver if already existing.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveway access to a home in Boon township: county road commission if on a county road, MDOT if on a state highway

  • Permit or waiver if the driveway already exists.
  • Whether the Wexford County Road Commission or MDOT applies depends on the road type.

  “step 3: driveway permit. contact the wexford county road commission (if on a county road) or mdot (if on a state highway) to obtain a driveway permit or waiver if already existing.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development on land in a wetland or floodplain inside Boon township, and building within 400 feet of a river

  • Applies only where the parcel is in a wetland/floodplain area or needs a determination; EGLE contact named in the packet.
  • Within 400 feet of any river, the Natural Rivers Act applies; the packet gives the DNR as contact.

  river setback trigger: <= 400 feet (Natural Rivers Act compliance)

  “if you are building within 400 feet of any river you must comply with the natural rivers act.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a homeowner building on their own land inside Boon township
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Boon township
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Boon township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for a new home inside Boon township
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage for parcels inside Boon 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.