Highland Township, MI Zoning, Building Permits & Septic Rules

Highland Township, Osceola County, Michigan has its own zoning ordinance, and the township Zoning Administrator issues a land use permit before you build or alter a structure¹². Michigan requires a building permit for new construction, and the Osceola County Building Department asks for zoning approval from a zoned township with your application³⁴. Septic permits come from the Central Michigan District Health Department⁵.

At a glance

Zoning: Township zoning ordinance with Agricultural, Residential, Commercial, Forestry and Recreation, and Industrial districts⁶
Land use permit: Required from the township Zoning Administrator before building, altering or using a structure²
Building permit: Required under the Michigan construction code; applications go through the Osceola County Building Department³⁴
Septic: Central Michigan District Health Department; septic permit comes before the building permit on new builds⁵⁷
Minimum home size: 720 square feet of living space in the Residential and Agricultural districts⁸⁹
RV living: Up to 30 consecutive days in the Forestry and Recreation District, on 5 acres or more with an annual renewal permit¹⁰
Driveway: Permit from the Osceola County Road Commission (MDOT on state highways)¹¹

Who to call

Zoning

Highland Township Zoning Administrator

Land use permits, zoning questions and the zoning ordinance for Highland Township

(231) 499-2623

Building permits

Osceola County Building Department

Building permit applications, plan review and inspections for Osceola County; asks for township zoning approval and septic approval with each application

(231) 832-6117

building@osceolacountymi.gov

22054 Professional Drive, Suite A, Reed City, MI 49677

Online permits →

Septic permits

Central Michigan District Health Department, Environmental Health

Onsite sewage (septic) permits, evaluations and inspections, and private well permits for Osceola County, including Highland Township

(989) 314-7570

Online permits →

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 23, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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

Does Highland Township, Michigan have zoning?

Yes. Highland Township zones its own land with a township ordinance, and the county's own zoning page lists Highland among the zoned townships¹¹². Osceola County itself has no countywide zoning, so the township ordinance is the one that applies to land inside Highland Township¹³.

The ordinance describes Agricultural, Residential, Commercial, Forestry and Recreation, and Industrial districts⁶. Check your parcel's district with the township Zoning Administrator¹⁴ before you buy.

A new single-family residence in the Residential District must have at least 720 square feet of living space, not counting porches and add-ons⁸. The Agricultural District sets the same 720 square feet for a new residence⁹. A lot created for a new residence in the Agricultural District must be at least one acre, separated of record from the farmland, and abut a state or county road¹⁵. In the Residential and Agricultural districts, buildings must sit at least 10 feet from a side boundary and 10 feet from the road right-of-way¹⁶¹⁷.

We could not confirm Highland Township's rules on building height, lot coverage, accessory dwellings or where an individual manufactured home may go; ask the Zoning Administrator.

Do you need a building permit in Highland Township, and who issues it?

Michigan law requires a written building permit application to the enforcing agency before construction of a building or structure³. Highland Township adds its own step: the owner applies to the township Zoning Administrator for a land use permit before using, erecting or altering a building or structure covered by the ordinance². The application is made in duplicate with a legal description and a scaled drawing, and the administrator may require a boundary survey and staking². Interior work that does not change the foundation or outside perimeter is exempt from the land use permit². The Township Board sets land use permit fees, and we could not confirm the current amounts¹⁸.

The Osceola County Building Department takes building permit applications and asks for a copy of zoning approval when the property is in a zoned township⁴. Its process also asks for septic approval for every new single-family dwelling¹⁹. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are separate and are not included in the building permit fee¹⁹. A homeowner acting as the general contractor files an affidavit with the application²⁰. We could not confirm from the township's own materials which agency enforces the construction code inside Highland Township, so call the Building Department to confirm before you file.

A new or altered building may not be used or occupied until a Certificate of Occupancy is issued²¹.

How do septic permits work in Highland Township?

The Central Michigan District Health Department, not the township, issues septic permits for Highland Township; it serves Osceola County as part of a six-county district⁵²².

On a new-build site, a septic permit from the health department is required before a building permit can be issued⁷. Construction before the permit is issued violates the sanitary code⁷. The design must include a reserve area for a future drainfield replacement, and no variations or deviations are allowed⁷. A private well also needs a permit, and on a new-build site the well permit comes before the building permit²³.

Soils make this step matter. Only about 3.3% of Osceola County's soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system²⁴. Splitting off a new parcel under one acre without public sewer or water needs health department approval before a building permit can be issued²⁵.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Highland Township?

The township ordinance allows a recreational trailer as a dwelling only in the Forestry and Recreation District, and only for up to 30 consecutive days¹⁰. The parcel must be at least 5 acres with frontage on a county or state road, and an annual renewal permit from the township Zoning Administrator is required before the use¹⁰.

We could not confirm a general camping rule or an RV rule for the township's other districts; ask the Zoning Administrator before you park a camper on land outside the Forestry and Recreation District¹⁴.

For a tiny house, Michigan treats it as something other than a recreational unit, even on wheels, and requires local zoning, building, electrical and plumbing permits plus health department permits for wells and septic²⁶. In Highland Township, that means the township zoning approval comes first, and we could not confirm a township rule written for tiny homes.

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

Ask the Highland Township Zoning Administrator which district your parcel is in and whether your plan fits it¹⁴⁶.
Get the septic permit and the well permit from the Central Michigan District Health Department; both come before the building permit on a new build⁷²³.
Apply to the township Zoning Administrator for a land use permit².
Get driveway approval from the Osceola County Road Commission, or from MDOT if the driveway meets a state highway¹¹.
Apply to the Osceola County Building Department with proof of ownership, the zoning approval, the septic approval and your plans¹⁹.
Book inspections, and request a Certificate of Occupancy before anyone moves in²⁷²¹.

What stays with Osceola County, and what to check before you buy

Septic and well permits come from the district health department, and driveway permits on county roads come from the Osceola County Road Commission, whichever township the parcel is in⁵¹¹. For land outside the township's zoning, see the Osceola County page.

A stream or drain with a drainage area of 2 square miles or more can bring a state floodplain permit from EGLE, and new residential construction is prohibited in the floodway²⁸. We could not confirm a township floodplain rule.

Osceola County's effective property tax rate is 1.1%²⁹, and the median property tax bill is $1,478 a year³⁰. The nearest city of 100,000 or more is about 73 miles from the county's center³¹.

Watch-outs

The township's rules above cover land inside Highland Township only; a parcel across the line in another township follows that township's own zoning, or none, so confirm the township before you buy¹².
A land use permit from the township does not replace the building permit, the septic permit or the driveway permit, and a new build needs all four²¹⁹⁷.
We could not confirm who enforces the construction code inside Highland Township or the township's land use permit fees; ask the Osceola County Building Department and the township Zoning Administrator⁴¹⁴.
Starting construction before the septic permit is issued violates the sanitary code⁷.

Sources

Written October 23, 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.

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

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