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

Chesterfield Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Chesterfield Charter Township limits (Macomb County, MI). The township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, Chapter 76 Zoning.

  • Chapter 76 is the township's own zoning ordinance, not a county rule; the PDF cover states it is effective September 21, 2020.
  • The township's eCode360 Chapter 76 page says it is a reorganized version of the zoning ordinance; amendments after the 2020 effective date were not checked in this run.

  “chesterfield township chapter 76 effective: september 21, 2020”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Chesterfield Charter Township limits: the township's zoning districts and zoning map.

  • Article 3 Section 3.1 lists the zones: R-1-A, R-1-B, R-1-C one-family residential; R-2 two-family; MHP mobile home park; RM-1, RM-2, RM-3 multiple-family; HMR high and mid rise; O-1; O-2; C-1; C-2; C-3; C-4; WF waterfront; RT resource technology; M-1; M-2.
  • The table of contents lists 'agricultural and one-family residential district standards' at page 3-92 and a zoning map at page 3-90; the zoning map itself was not opened.

  “for the purpose of this chapter, chesterfield township is hereby divided into the following zones: r-1-a one-family residential r-1-b one-family residential r-1-c one-family residential r-2 two-family residential mhp mobile home park residential”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  A structure inside Chesterfield Charter Township that is within 200 feet of a right-of-way, easement, highway, street or public way in which a public sanitary sewer is available for connection.

  • The owner must connect to the public sanitary sewer within 18 months after the sewer becomes available.
  • The eCode360 Chapter 64 page lists Ord. No. 211, a utilities amendment to Chapter 64, adopted 2026-08-25; that amendment was not opened, so the 2020 text may be superseded.
  • The water connection rule (sec. 64-81) was not read; this claim covers sewer only.

  connection deadline after sewer availability: 18 months · distance from right-of-way to structure: <= 200 feet

  “the owner of a structure in which sanitary sewage originates and which is located within 200 feet of a right-of-way, easement, highway, street or public way which crosses, adjoins or abuts upon the property upon which such structure is located and within which right-of-way, easement, highway, street or public way a public sanitary sewer is available for connection, shall connect to the sanitary sewer system within 18 months after the sanitary sewer becomes available for connection.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Chesterfield Charter Township.

  • The township code contains Chapter 58, Land Division Regulations (sec. 58-1 to sec. 58-111); the text of the chapter was not opened, so the approval process is not stated here.
  • Subdivision design standards are also in Article VII of the Chapter 30 engineering design standards.

  “chapter 58 land division regulations (sec. 58-1 &ndash; sec. 58-111)”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New residential construction inside Chesterfield Charter Township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Chesterfield Charter Township
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Chesterfield Charter Township
• Inspections — Construction inside Chesterfield Charter Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new dwellings inside Chesterfield Charter 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Chesterfield Township means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.