Off-Grid Living in Livingston County, Michigan

I've been digging into what "going off-grid" actually looks like in Livingston County, Michigan, and the short answer is: it depends heavily on which township you're in, but the county has real teeth on building, well, and septic permitting.

Zoning is a township matter, not a county one. Livingston County itself doesn't run a countywide zoning code. All eight townships in the county have adopted their own zoning ordinances, so the Livingston County Planning Department's role is mostly review and appeals under the state's Zoning Enabling Act (townships submit zoning and master plan changes to the county for a 30-day review, per state law), not final say. If you're eyeing a parcel, your first call needs to be the specific township's Zoning Administrator, not the county.

Dwellings, tiny homes, and RVs are the same story: no uniform county policy. Whether you can live in a tiny home or park an RV long-term, and under what conditions, is set township by township. I did not find a countywide answer here, so confirm directly with the township.

Building permits are handled by the county for most townships (the Livingston County Building Department), with a couple of named exceptions: the City of Howell and Green Oak Township handle their own, while the City of Williamston uses the county. Michigan state law (MCL 125.1513) makes it illegal to occupy a structure without a certificate of occupancy, so this isn't a local quirk, it's a state occupancy rule the county enforces.

Septic systems are permitted and inspected by the Livingston County Health Department's Environmental Health Division under the county's sanitary code. You need an approved soil evaluation before you can even apply for a septic permit. Composting toilets aren't addressed separately in what I found, so treat that as an open question for the health department.

Greywater and rainwater harvesting have no county-specific rules that I could find. Both likely default to the state plumbing code administered by LARA (Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs), but I'd confirm with the county Building Department before doing anything nonstandard.

Wells are permitted and tracked by the Livingston County Health Department, which also recommends annual bacteria testing. If you're doing well and septic together, you apply for both at once.

Full utility disconnection isn't explicitly banned, but it's practically constrained: your septic permit has to be on file with the building department before a certificate of occupancy is issued, and the state requires that certificate before you can legally occupy a structure. So "living off the grid" here means going through the permitting system, not skipping it.