Off-grid living in Michigan: a property guide
Michigan sets well and building codes, but the parcel evidence for a private well and residential septic system usually lives with the local health department. Near water, an EGLE permit layer may change the site entirely.
Start with records
Ask for permits, not memories.
Before pricing a replacement or accepting a seller’s description, request the local health department’s well permit, final approval, water results, septic permit, site evaluation, design and repair history. Then compare them with what is physically present.
Two systems · one local counter
The health department decides whether the parcel can support the plan.
Permit before drilling
Michigan’s state well code sets construction and pump standards. EGLE says every county requires a local health-department permit or notification before drilling, and county ordinances may be more stringent.
- registered contractor and permit conditions
- location and isolation from contamination
- construction record within the required timeline
- yield, quality and abandoned-well closure
Site approval is local
Individual residential septic systems are typically permitted and inspected by the local health department. EGLE supports local programs; larger capacity and discharge situations can shift into state programs.
- soil profile and seasonal water table
- system footprint and replacement area
- bedroom/design flow assumptions
- local alternative-system and maintenance rules
Wetlands and shore work
A map can flag risk. It cannot clear the lot.
EGLE says an onsite inspection is always necessary to determine wetland presence with certainty; inventories and aerial imagery do not establish parcel boundaries. Regulated wetland work can include filling, dredging, building, development and drainage.
Those distances describe categories in the state framework, not automatic parcel determinations. Connectivity, size, site conditions and other statutory tests matter.
Read EGLE’s property-identification guidanceHome and legal occupancy
Find the enforcing agency.
Michigan’s Residential Code governs one- and two-family dwelling construction. Enforcement may be by the state, county or local unit, so LARA directs applicants to the current statewide jurisdiction list before filing.
- 01 Confirm zoning, lawful parcel, setbacks, access and dwelling classification.
- 02 Submit the building permit and required construction documents to the correct enforcing agency.
- 03 Obtain plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits from their respective authorities.
- 04 Schedule required inspections before covering work.
- 05 Obtain final approval or certificate of occupancy before residential use.
Licensing law has exceptions, but owning the land does not waive permits, code or inspection.
Ask how the proposed unit is classified before relying on size, mobility or factory construction.
No statewide blanket permission was established. Local zoning, time limits and sanitation control the parcel answer.
Private-water responsibility
Clear water is not a laboratory result.
Michigan identifies the private-well owner as ultimately responsible. Current state guidance recommends annual coliform/E. coli and nitrate/nitrite testing, arsenic and lead every three to five years, and at least one PFAS test—then additional analytes for local risks.
A mortgage test or old final approval is a snapshot, not a continuing warranty of potability or capacity.
Michigan buyer checkpoint
Make the systems fit before closing.
Survey, legal access, zoning, township/city, health jurisdiction and private restrictions.
Wetland identification, floodplain, shoreline, dunes/erosion where relevant, and access crossing.
Permit and Wellogic record, inspection, yield, risk-based lab panel and treatment budget.
Approved plan, field location, condition, design capacity, reserve area and local upgrade trigger.
Classification, enforcing agency, permit set, trades, winter design and occupancy.
Written answer for RV/camping or construction occupancy, including sewage and water.
Evidence ledger
Official Michigan sources
Reviewed September 26, 2026. Local permit dependence is stated plainly; mapping is never presented as a wetland determination.
- MI1Water Well Construction
Michigan EGLE · State well code, contractor and health-department framework
- MI2Consumer’s Guide to Hiring a Well Contractor
Michigan EGLE · County permits, Wellogic records and buyer questions
- MI3Onsite Wastewater Management
Michigan EGLE · Local-health review and large-system assistance
- MI4Learn About Wastewater
Michigan EGLE · Residential local permits and EGLE discharge programs
- MI5Building Permit Information
Michigan LARA · Residential code, enforcement agency and occupancy
- MI6Are There Wetlands on My Property?
Michigan EGLE · Inventory limitations and onsite determination
- MI7State and Federal Wetland Regulations
Michigan EGLE · Regulated wetland categories and permit activities
- MI8Resources for Private Residential Well Owners
Michigan EGLE / MDHHS · Risk-based testing schedule and owner responsibility