Bolthole Index

Macomb County, Michigan

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

Ray Township, Michigan, in Macomb County, has its own zoning ordinance1 and issues residential building permits through its own building department2. Septic systems are permitted by the Macomb County Health Department, not the township3. We could not confirm the township's rules on RV living, tiny homes or minimum lot size, so ask the township before you buy.

At a glance

Building permit
Required; issued by Ray Township's building department24
Zoning
Ray Township has its own zoning ordinance1
Septic
Macomb County Health Department permit, required before the township permits a new home53
Driveway
Culvert permit from the Macomb County Department of Roads6
Owner-builder
Builder's license or a homeowner permit (estoppel certificate) required7
RV / tiny home
Not confirmed; ask the township planning office1

Who to call

Building permits

Ray Township Building Department

Residential building permits, plan review and inspections inside Ray Township

(586) 749-5171

64255 Wolcott, Ray, MI 48096

Zoning

Ray Township Planning & Zoning

Zoning ordinance, special land use, site plan and zoning board of appeals applications in Ray Township

(586) 749-5171

64255 Wolcott, Ray, MI 48096

Septic permits

Macomb County Health Department, Environmental Health Services Division

Septic permits, soil evaluations and inspections for Macomb County, including Ray Township

586-469-5236

environmental.health@macombgov.org

1 South Main St., Mount Clemens, MI 48043

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in Ray Township, Michigan?

Yes. Ray Township requires a building permit for new construction, structural changes, decks, swimming pools, accessory buildings and ponds, and separate plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits on top of that2. Michigan's statewide construction code requires a permit for building a structure4. Ray Township also requires inspections: rough plumbing, electrical and mechanical work must be approved before the rough building inspection8.

An owner can build their own home, but the township asks for either a current builder's license or a homeowner permit (estoppel certificate) with the application7. Michigan law exempts an owner building a residence for their own use from residential-builder licensing9.

Who issues building permits in Ray Township, and how do you reach them?

The Ray Township Building Department issues building permits inside the township; Macomb County has no countywide building department that covers Ray2. Call (586) 749-5171 or visit 64255 Wolcott, Ray, MI 480962. For a new home, the township asks you to email your plot plan and drawings and lists the other documents required2.

The township publishes a building department fee schedule on its forms page10, and its application packet covers county approvals, plot plans, code-compliant prints, the application, an energy worksheet, planner and engineer approval and truss certification11. The township notes that credit card payments carry a 3% fee2.

Does Ray Township have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and tiny homes?

Ray Township has its own zoning ordinance, with a zoning map, a future land use map and zoning board of appeals and special land use applications112. The township publishes a searchable zoning ordinance and updates the link in April and October each year13.

We could not confirm the district rules for minimum lot size, minimum home size, setbacks, RV living, tiny homes, accessory dwellings or manufactured homes in the township. Those depend on the district your parcel sits in, so ask the Ray Township planning office for the parcel's district before you commit. Michigan treats RV occupancy in a campground of five or more units as a campground matter, which does not answer whether you can live in an RV on your own lot14.

How do septic permits work in Ray Township?

Septic permits for land in Ray Township come from the Macomb County Health Department, and the township requires that permit with a residential building permit application3. The county permit must include a completed grade statistic sheet5. The county health department evaluates sites, issues septic system permits and conducts inspections15.

Soils matter: only 2.9% of the soils in Macomb County rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system16. Sellers may also need a septic evaluation before closing on a property with a septic system17.

Building a home in Ray Township: the steps, in order

  1. Ask the Ray Township planning office which zoning district the parcel is in and what it allows12.
  2. Get the Macomb County Health Department septic permit and well permit; the township requires the county's final health approval before it issues a certificate of occupancy1815.
  3. Install the well first, because the township requires a well before it accepts a new-home building permit application2.
  4. Get a culvert permit from the Macomb County Department of Roads for the driveway6.
  5. Apply to the Ray Township Building Department with plot plan, plans and fees11.
  6. Schedule the inspections; the township also needs a township-engineer grade certificate and a conforming address sign before final approval18.

What stays with Macomb County, and what to check before you buy in Ray Township

Macomb County handles septic permits, well permits and driveway culvert permits for land in Ray Township3619. A driveway onto a state highway needs a state permit instead20. For land outside the township, see the Macomb County page.

Before you buy, confirm the zoning district, the septic site evaluation, flood-zone status and the township's subdivision rules; the township amended its Subdivision Control Ordinance effective 202521. Macomb County's effective property tax rate is 1.4%22.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm Ray Township's rules on RV occupancy, tiny homes, minimum lot or home size, or short-term rentals; ask the township planning office in writing before you buy1.
  • We could not confirm a Ray Township floodplain rule; if any part of a site lies in a floodplain, Macomb County and the state may also require approval23.
  • The township's building department inspectors are part time and need advance notice, so build inspection scheduling into your timeline2.

Sources

  1. Planning & Zoning | Township of Ray (Ray Township), quoted and re-checked
  2. Ray Township Building Department (raytwp.org)
  3. Residential Building Permit Requirements (Ray Township), quoted and re-checked
  4. Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act, MCL 125.1510 (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  5. Residential Building Permit Requirements (Ray Township), quoted and re-checked
  6. Residential Building Permit Requirements (Ray Township), quoted and re-checked
  7. Residential Building Permit Requirements (Ray Township), quoted and re-checked
  8. Residential Building Permit Requirements (Ray Township), quoted and re-checked
  9. Frequently Asked Questions – Residential Builder (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  10. Forms & Applications | Township of Ray (Ray Township), quoted and re-checked
  11. Residential Building Permit Requirements (Ray Township), quoted and re-checked
  12. Ray Township Planning & Zoning (raytwp.org)
  13. Ordinances | Township of Ray (Ray Township), quoted and re-checked
  14. Temporary campgrounds (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  15. Macomb County Health Department, Environmental Health Services Division (macombgov.org)
  16. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  17. Property transfers, quoted and re-checked
  18. Residential Building Permit Requirements (Ray Township), quoted and re-checked
  19. Before you start a well drilling business, quoted and re-checked
  20. Infrastructure permits (Michigan statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  21. Ordinances | Township of Ray (Ray Township), quoted and re-checked
  22. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  23. Stormwater services, quoted and re-checked

Written October 24, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Ray Township

Ray Township’s own rules

  • Owner-builder exemptionConditional

    Applicants for a Ray Township residential building permit.

    • Applicant must provide either a current builder license or homeowner permit (estoppel certificate).
    “Current Builders License Required or Homeowners Permit (Estoppel Certificate)”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Residential work permitted by Ray Township.

    • Rough plumbing, electrical, and mechanical inspections must be completed and approved before a rough building inspection; required final inspections must be completed and approved before final building inspection.
    “Before a final building inspection can be scheduled; plumbing, electrical, mechanical and any other required final inspections must be completed and approved.”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Occupancy after a Ray Township residential building permit.

    • No final inspection or certificate is issued without final county health approval for well and septic, county roads approval for culvert, township-engineer grade certificate, and conforming address sign. A temporary final certificate is only available where winter weather prevents grading, and final grading and certificate of grade are later required.
    “No final building inspection and no Certificate of Occupancy will be issued without the following: a) Final approval from the Macomb County Health Department for well and septic”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Ray Township, Michigan.

    • Township planning page provides special-land-use and site-plan application links.
    “### Zoning ZONING ORDINANCE- SEARCHABLE LINK BELOW”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Zoning districts inside Ray Township.

    • Township directs readers to its searchable zoning ordinances and notes the link is updated in April and October annually.
    “Here is a link to our Searchable Zoning Ordinances: ZONING ORDINANCES *The Searchable Zoning Ordinance Link will be updated in April and October annually.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision activity inside Ray Township.

    • The official township ordinance page identifies an amendment to the Subdivision Control Ordinance effective June 28, 2025; detailed standards were not extracted.
    “AMENDMENT TO SUBDIVISION CONTROL ORDINANCE - 61-A - EFFECTIVE 06/28/2025”
  • Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

    Ray Township building permits and plan examination.

    • The township forms page lists a Building Department Fee Schedule effective June 16, 2026.
    “BUILDING DEPARTMENT FEE SCHEDULE- effective 6.16.2026”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Residential building-permit applications inside Ray Township.

    • Packet identifies county approvals, plot plans, code-compliant prints, application, energy worksheet, planner and engineer approval, and truss certification.
    “Three (3) copies of plot plan and an emailed PDF copy to building@raytwp.org showing location of property, all building setbacks, address, easements, gas lines, right-of-way, etc.”

Rules another office applies inside Ray Township

Ray 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)

    Onsite sewage systems serving land inside Ray Township.

    • Ray Township requires a Macomb County Board of Health septic-system permit for residential permit applications.
    “Macomb County Board of Health Septic System Permit. MUST INCLUDE COMPLETED GRADE STATISTIC SHEET.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    New residential construction inside Ray Township served by an onsite sewage system.

    • The septic-system permit must include a completed grade statistic sheet.
    “Macomb County Board of Health Septic System Permit. MUST INCLUDE COMPLETED GRADE STATISTIC SHEET.”
  • Driveway accessRequired

    Proposed residential driveways/culverts inside Ray Township.

    • A valid culvert permit must be obtained from the Macomb County Department of Roads; county roads approval is required for proposed work within the right-of-way, including driveways.
    “Approval by Macomb County Department of Roads is required for the proposed work within the ROW (including driveways).”

Still unanswered

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

  • Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Ray Township.
  • Minimum lot size — Single-family residential zoning districts inside Ray Township.
  • Lot coverage — Zoned parcels inside Ray Township.
  • Building height — Zoned parcels inside Ray Township.
  • Living in an RV — Long-term occupancy in a recreational vehicle on private land inside Ray Township.
8 more unanswered
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Ray Township publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Macomb County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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