Zoning, building permits and septic rules in South Branch Township, Michigan

South Branch Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside South Branch township limits: the township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (South Branch Township Zoning Ordinance). Zoning permit required before building, altering or moving structures.

  • The zoning permit requirement is stated on the township zoning page (section 10.02).
  • Ordinance text reviewed is the 2018-amended version (header: amended June 14, 2016, effective July 1, 2016). The township site also lists a 2026 zoning ordinance file (SBT-2026-Zoning-Ordinance-effective-2026-06-23.docx) that could not be opened; it may supersede the 2018 text.
  • Zoning permit accessory-structure exemption: no zoning permit for an accessory structure under 200 square feet, except in the stream corridor overlay.

  “no building or structure subject to the provisions of this ordinance shall hereafter be erected, structurally altered, reconstructed, used, or moved, nor shall any associated excavation or filling of land commence until a zoning permit application, including a firewise audit, has been filed with the township zoning administrator and a zoning permit has been issued by the zoning administrator”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of South Branch township under the 2018-amended ordinance

  • Districts: RC, FF, LDR, MR, CB, I and the stream corridor overlay (SC); district map referenced in the ordinance.
  • Verify against the 2026 ordinance if it supersedes the 2018 text.

  “resource conservation district (rc) farm forest district (ff) low density residential district (ldr) mixed residential district (mr) commercial & business district (cbi) industrial district (i) stream corridor overlay district (sc)”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the Low Density Residential (LDR) district inside South Branch township

  • Minimum dwelling floor area in the table column is 750 s.f.; footnote (n) of the schedule was not read.

  minimum dwelling floor area: >= 750 square feet (footnote (n) not reviewed)

  “ldr low density residential 2 ac. 150 35 50 20 (c) 50 750 s.f. 30%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the Resource Conservation (RC) district inside South Branch township

    “rc resource conservation 20 ac. 200 35 50 25 (b) 50 750 s.f. 20%”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Low Density Residential (LDR) district inside South Branch township

  • Minimum lot area 2 acres; minimum lot width 150 feet; footnotes (a) and (c) not read.

  minimum lot area: >= 2 acre (footnotes not reviewed) · minimum lot width: >= 150 feet

  “ldr low density residential 2 ac. 150 35 50 20 (c) 50 750 s.f. 30%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Resource Conservation (RC) district inside South Branch township

    “rc resource conservation 20 ac. 200 35 50 25 (b) 50 750 s.f. 20%”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Low Density Residential (LDR) district inside South Branch township

  • Maximum lot coverage 30 percent of the lot.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent

  “ldr low density residential 2 ac. 150 35 50 20 (c) 50 750 s.f. 30%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Resource Conservation (RC) district inside South Branch township

    “rc resource conservation 20 ac. 200 35 50 25 (b) 50 750 s.f. 20%”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Overnight camping with one recreational vehicle on private property without a dwelling unit in South Branch township (LDR, MR, CB and I districts)

  • Stay limited to 15 consecutive nights and 90 nights total per calendar year.
  • A renewable temporary camping permit must be obtained from the township.
  • Yard setbacks for the district must be met.

  consecutive nights: <= 15 nights · nights per calendar year: <= 90 nights

  “the recreational vehicle shall occupy such a parcel for not longer than fifteen (15) consecutive nights and not more than a total of ninety (90) nights in a calendar year”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile or manufactured homes placed on individual lots inside South Branch township

  • Two zoning permits required: one for site preparation and one for placement after site preparation is complete.
  • Must attach to an approved permanent foundation or basement and be anchored to Michigan Mobile Home Commission requirements.
  • Site must have electric, water, sewage disposal and foundation completed before placement; mobile homes may not be used as accessory buildings or stored on lots.

  “mobile homes shall be attached to an approved permanent foundation or basement and shall be anchored using a system that meets the michigan mobile home commission requirements.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling on a parcel with a principal dwelling inside South Branch township

  • Only one accessory dwelling per parcel.
  • Accessory dwelling floor area may not exceed 800 square feet.
  • Same mailing address as the main dwelling; zoning permit issued and reviewed annually.
  • Owner-occupied condition appears in the preceding text, which was not fully captured.

  accessory dwelling floor area: <= 800 square feet · accessory dwellings per parcel: 1 count

  “only one (1) such accessory dwelling shall be permitted on each parcel. d. the total floor area of the accessory dwelling shall not exceed eight hundred (800) square feet.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Farming and agricultural uses in the Resource Conservation (RC) district inside South Branch township

  • Farming and agricultural uses are listed as needing no zoning permit in the RC district; other uses still need permits.

  “farming and agricultural uses, no zoning permit required.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Zoning permits and related zoning approvals inside South Branch township

  • Fee amounts for individual permit types could not be mapped to rows with confidence from the extracted PDF table; reviewer should confirm the row mapping on the PDF.
  • Schedule was adopted 6/14/2011 per the PDF header; a 2026/02 file name indicates a later posting.

  “permits/zoning activities requiring zoning administrator approval residential $ 100.00”

• Permit processPublished

  Zoning permit application process in South Branch township

  • Application filed with the township zoning administrator, including a firewise audit; permit not valid until required fees are paid.
  • Zoning permit required before building permit (see building_permit_requirement claim).

  “no zoning permit shall be valid until the required fees have been paid”

Rules another office applies inside South Branch Township

South Branch 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 permitRequired

  New buildings and renovations inside South Branch township: a building permit from the county building department is required before construction; a township zoning permit must be issued first.

  • Township zoning permit must be obtained first (section 3.26).
  • Zoning permit shall not be issued until other statutory permits are obtained, except permits issued by the Crawford county building department (section 10.02.3).
  • Issuing body named as the Crawford County building department on the township's own pages; record county differs from jurisdiction record (Wexford).

  “all buildings, new, renovation for commercial, residential, agriculture, and accessory buildings must obtain a building permit prior to starting construction.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Mobile home site preparation inside South Branch township: the township ordinance requires the site to meet the current Crawford County construction code.

  • Ordinance names the Crawford County construction code, not a township-adopted code; the county whose code is named needs confirmation (see followups - the record's county is Wexford, 26165).
  • Stated in mobile-home section 3.05, not a general adoption statement.

  “no mobile home shall be located or placed in south branch township without prior completion of site preparation to include electric, water, sewage disposal and foundation to meet the current crawford county construction code.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from building permits inside South Branch township
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside South Branch township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside South Branch township
• Septic inspection — Septic inspection inside South Branch township
• Mandatory utility hookup — Whether a new home inside South Branch township must connect to public water or sewer when available

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.