Zoning in Antrim County: A Documented Seven-and-Eight Split

The documented split, and why it matters for a Chain of Lakes county

Antrim County's zoned-versus-unzoned split is confirmed by two independent, mutually consistent sources: a Networks Northwest "Guide to Permitting & Zoning" for the county and the county's own posted zoning page. Both identify Banks, Elk Rapids, Forest Home, Helena, Kearney, Milton, and Torch Lake Townships -- seven of the county's fifteen townships -- along with all five incorporated villages (Bellaire, Central Lake, Elk Rapids, Ellsworth, and Mancelona) as having adopted their own zoning ordinances. The remaining eight townships have not, based on the sources reviewed, and Antrim County itself administers no countywide zoning ordinance that would apply to them instead.

This split matters more in Antrim County than in a purely agricultural county because so much of the county's land value sits on or near water -- Grand Traverse Bay, Torch Lake, and the Elk River Chain of Lakes. A waterfront parcel in a zoned township (Torch Lake Township, for instance, which separately regulates short-term rentals under its own zoning ordinance -- see this site's dedicated short-term rentals page for Antrim County) faces real, enforceable use and density rules. The identical-looking parcel a few miles away in an unzoned township may face none at the local level at all.

The Networks Northwest guide has been updated before -- confirm you have the current one

Networks Northwest, the regional planning organization that produces this permitting-and-zoning guide, has published at least three editions for Antrim County found during this research pass -- 2012, 2017, and 2021 -- meaning the zoned/unzoned breakdown is periodically revisited rather than fixed forever. This page relies on the 2021 edition and the county's own current zoning page, both of which describe the same seven-zoned, eight-unzoned pattern, but a township could in principle have adopted zoning since 2021 that a newer edition (if one exists) would reflect. Ask the Antrim County Planning & Zoning office directly whether a more recent guide edition exists before treating this page's list as the final word for a specific parcel.

How to check a specific parcel

• If the parcel is in Banks, Elk Rapids, Forest Home, Helena, Kearney, Milton, or Torch Lake Township, or inside any of the five villages, contact that specific local unit for its zoning district and permitted uses.
• If the parcel is in one of the county's other eight townships, ask the township directly whether it has adopted zoning since 2021 before assuming it remains unzoned.
• Ask the Antrim County Planning & Zoning office whether a Networks Northwest guide edition newer than 2021 exists, since the guide has been revised roughly every several years.
• If the parcel borders Grand Traverse Bay, Torch Lake, or another Chain of Lakes waterbody, check EGLE's Part 301 (inland lakes and streams) or Part 323 (Great Lakes shoreland) permitting as a separate question from local zoning -- an unzoned township doesn't exempt a parcel from state water permitting.