[Ord. No. Z, eff. 2-7-1974]
(a) 
The Zoning Administrator shall be appointed by the Township Board for such term and subject to such conditions and at such rate of compensation as the Township Board shall determine. To be eligible for appointment to the post of Zoning Administrator, the applicant must be:
(1) 
Generally informed of the provisions of this chapter;
(2) 
Have a general knowledge of the building arts and trades; and
(3) 
Be in good health and physically capable of fulfilling the duties of the Zoning Administrator.
(b) 
Said applicant shall have no interest whatsoever, directly or indirectly, in the sale or manufacture of any material, process, facility or device entering into or used in connection with building construction.
[Ord. No. Z, eff. 2-7-1974; Ord. No. Z-14, eff. 4-19-1982; Ord. No. Z-16, eff. 9-7-1983; Ord. No. Z-17, eff. 6-14-1985; Ord. No. Z-18, eff. 2-13-1986; Ord. No. Z-20, eff. 8-7-1988; Ord. No. Z-30, eff. 11-1-1990; Ord. No. Z-56, eff. 8-22-2006]
(a) 
Permit required. No building or structure shall be erected, moved, placed, reconstructed, extended, enlarged or altered, except wholly interior alterations or repairs at a cost of $100 or less, unless a permit therefor has been issued by the Zoning Administrator. An application for a permit shall be in writing and upon duplicate printed forms furnished by the Township. A permit issued by the Zoning Administrator is nontransferable and must be obtained before any work, excavations, erection, alteration or movement is commenced. Satisfactory evidence of ownership of the lot or premises may be required by the Zoning Administrator and shall be furnished upon request. If the application is approved, the Zoning Administrator shall so mark both copies of the application over his signature and file one copy with the Township Clerk and return the other copy to the applicant. The Zoning Administrator shall also provide the applicant with a construction card signed by the Zoning Administrator stating the extent of the work authorized. This card shall be attached to and remain on the lot or premises during the progress of the work authorized.
(b) 
Contents of application. Each application shall include such reasonable information as may be requested by the Zoning Administrator in order to determine compliance with the terms and provisions of this chapter and shall include, as a minimum, the following information:
(1) 
The location and actual dimensions of the lot or premises to which the permit is to apply;
(2) 
The kind of building or structures to which the permit is to apply;
(3) 
The width of all abutting streets and private roads;
(4) 
The area, size and location of all buildings or structures to which the permit is to apply;
(5) 
The type of use to be made of the building or structure to which the permit is to apply;
(6) 
The use of buildings or structures on adjoining lands; and
(7) 
The estimated cost of the building or structure.
The Zoning Administrator, in the Zoning Administrator's discretion, may waive the inclusion of any of the foregoing information in an application if he shall determine that such information is not reasonably necessary for him to determine compliance with the terms and provisions of this chapter.
(c) 
Accessory buildings or structures. Accessory buildings or structures, when erected, moved, placed, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, or altered, at the same time as the principal building on the same lot or premises and when shown on the application for the permit for the principal building, shall not require the issuance of a separate permit. A separate permit shall be required if any accessory building or structure is erected, moved, place, reconstructed, extended, enlarged or altered separately or at a different time than the principal building on the same lot or premises.
(d) 
Issuance of permit. Within 10 days after the receipt of any application, the Zoning Administrator shall either issue a permit if the proposed work is in conformance with the terms and provisions of this article, or deny issuance of a permit and state the reason or cause for such denial in writing. In each case the permit or the written reason or cause for such denial shall be transmitted to the owner or his agent.
(e) 
Expiration of permits. A permit for any building or structure for which construction work has not begun within six months from the date of its issuance, or for which all construction work has not been completed within one year from the date of its issuance, shall expire automatically. A permit expiring automatically pursuant to this subsection shall, upon reapplication, be renewable once only upon payment of an additional fee as established by Township Board resolution. A renewed permit shall automatically expire if construction work has not begun within one year from the date of issuance of the original permit and shall also expire automatically if all construction work has not been completed within two years from the date of issuance of the original permit.
[Amended by Ord. No. 2020-001, eff. 1-27-2020
(f) 
Cancellation of permits. The Zoning Administrator shall have the power to revoke and cancel any permit in the event of failure or neglect to comply with all of the terms and provisions of this article or in the event of any false statements or misrepresentations in the application for the permit. Notice of such cancellation and revocation shall be securely posted on the construction, such posting to be considered as service upon and notice to the permit holder of the cancellation and revocation of the permit.
(g) 
Fees. For each permit issued, the base permit fee established from time to time by Township Board resolution shall be paid to the Zoning Administrator, who shall remit to the Township treasurer. The payment of such fee is a condition precedent to the validity of the permit.
(1) 
The amount of the base permit fee shall be determined from the estimated cost of the building or structure as set forth in the application for the permit. If upon completion of the building or structure, the Zoning Administrator shall determine that the estimated cost does not represent a fair valuation of the cost of the structure; he shall notify the applicant in writing of the permit deficiency and the building or structure shall not be used until such deficiency has been paid to the Zoning Administrator.
(2) 
In addition, special fees shall be paid to the Zoning Administrator as established from time to time by Township Board resolution. The Zoning Administrator shall remit all such fees to the Township treasurer. The payment of such fees is a condition precedent to the validity of such permit.
(h) 
Extraordinary fees. If work is commenced to erect, move, place, reconstruct, extend, enlarge or alter a building or structure without first having attained a permit as is required by this section, then the permit fee specified in Subsection (g) of this section shall be adjusted as follows:
(1) 
If it is the first time that this owner has commenced the erection, moving, placing, reconstructing, extending, enlarging or altering of a building or structure without first having obtained a permit, the permit fee shall be $100 or twice the amount of the permit fee as computed pursuant to Subsection (g) of this section, whichever is greater; and
(2) 
If it is the second time that this owner has commenced the erection, moving, placing, reconstruction, extending, enlarging or altering of a building or structure without first having obtained a permit, the permit fee shall be $250 or triple the amount of the permit fee as computed pursuant to Subsection (g) of this section, whichever is greater.
If a building contractor or other agent for an owner undertakes to obtain a permit for the owner, the imposition of extraordinary fees pursuant to this subsection, and specifically whether it is the first or second time that the erecting, moving, placing, reconstructing, extending, enlarging or altering of a building or structure has been undertaken without first obtaining a permit required therefor, shall consider prior occurrences with respect to the owner and also prior occurrences with respect to the building contractor or other agent.
(i) 
The provisions of this section shall not be construed to prohibit the Township from prosecuting pursuant to Section 38-7 any failure to obtain a permit as required by this article.
[Ord. No. Z, eff. 2-7-1974]
(a) 
As work progresses under a permit, the holder thereof or his authorized agent shall cause the Zoning Administrator to be notified at the following stages of construction:
(1) 
Upon completion of the footing and foundation walls.
(2) 
Upon completion of the rough frame of the building or structure and the electrical wiring.
(3) 
Upon total completion of the work authorized by the permit and before occupancy or use.
(b) 
Should the permit holder fail to comply with all of the terms and provisions of this article at any stage of construction, the Zoning Administrator is authorized to revoke and cancel the permit and cause notice of such cancellation and revocation to be securely posted on the construction, such posting to be considered as service upon and notice to the permit holder of the cancellation and revocation of the permit. No further work shall be undertaken or permitted upon such construction until a new permit is issued for such work.
[Ord. No. Z, eff. 2-7-1974]
No building or structure which is erected, moved, placed, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, or altered shall be used, in whole or in part, until the owner thereof shall have been issued a certificate by the Zoning Administrator affirming that such building or structure conforms in all respects to the provisions of this article. Such certificate shall be issued after the work is complete and final inspection has been made.
[Ord. No. Z, eff. 2-7-1974; amended by Ord. No. Z-14, eff. 4-19-1982; Ord. No. 2018-1, eff. 3-23-2018]
(a) 
Where special use authorization is required by a provision of this chapter, a site plan, which is in accordance with the requirements of Division 3 of Article II of this chapter, shall be required by the Planning Commission when reviewing the special use.
(b) 
Application for special use authorization shall be made on forms therefor provided by the Township and shall include such supporting materials as are reasonably necessary to evaluate the application. Notification of receipt of a request for special use authorization shall be given as required by the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, PA 110 of 2006, as amended. A public hearing, with notice thereon as required by the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, shall be held by the Planning Commission.
(c) 
The Planning Commission may deny, approve, or approve with conditions the special use request. The decision on a special use shall be incorporated in a written statement containing the conclusions relative to the special use under consideration that specifies the basis of the decision and any conditions imposed in conformance with the provisions of the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act that are determined to be necessary or appropriate.
(d) 
The Planning Commission shall review the particular circumstances and facts of each proposed special use in terms of the following standards and required findings, and with respect to any additional standards set forth in the zoning districts and general provisions herein. The Planning Commission shall find adequate evidence showing that the proposed use on the proposed lot generally satisfies the following:
(1) 
Will be harmonious, and in accordance with objectives, intent, and purposes of this chapter;
(2) 
Will be compatible with the natural environment and existing and future land uses in the vicinity;
(3) 
Will be compatible with the Township Master Plan;
(4) 
Will be served adequately by essential public facilities and services, such as, but not limited to, highways, streets, police and fire protection, drainageways and structures, and refuse disposal, unless the persons or agencies responsible for the establishment of the proposed use will be able to provide adequately any such service;
(5) 
Will not be detrimental, hazardous, or disturbing to existing and future neighboring uses, persons, property, or the public welfare; and
(6) 
Will not create additional requirements at public cost for public facilities and services that will be detrimental to the economic welfare of the community.
[Ord. No. Z, eff. 2-7-1974]
The Township Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the duly authorized attorney for the Township, the Ottawa County prosecuting attorney, or any owners or occupants of any real estate within the Township may institute injunction, mandamus, abatement or any other appropriate action or proceedings to prevent, enjoin, abate or remove any violation of this chapter. The rights and remedies provided herein are cumulative and in addition to all other remedies provided by law.