LAKE TOWNSHIP Benzie County, Michigan, USA
HOME Contact Us Meetings Park FAQs Documents & Forms Links			Lake Township Government Benzie County Northwestern Lower Michigan Normal Office Hours: Monday: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm Wednesday: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Friday: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm Office entry is in the rear of the building. Lake Township is in the northwest corner of Benzie County, in the northwestern portion of Lower Michigan. The Lake Township Hall (see red star on map at left) is located on M-22 just east of the bridge crossing the Platte River. We're roughly 35 miles north of Manistee, and 40 miles west of Traverse City. Phone: 231-325-5202 FAX: 231-325-4177 5153 Scenic Hwy (M-22) Honor, MI, 49640 UPCOMING EVENTS: • Tuesday, February 27, 2024 Presidential Primary Election Day from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm (Posted 2/06/2024) ANNOUNCEMENTS: • The Lake Township Short-term Rental Application is now available on our Documents and Forms page in the "Forms" section at the top. Also, the Lake Township Short-term Rental Ordinance 2023-001 is available on the same Documents and Forms page but in the "Non-Zoning Police Ordinances" section at the bottom. (Updated 11/20/2023) • County Recycling — Please see here for information on most types of recycling via Benzie County. For any other recycling questions, contact Jesse Zylstra, Benzie County Recycling Coordinator, at 231-882-0554, or via email. (Posted 6/05/2023) • Master Plan Survey – Results. The Lake Township Planning Commission is working on updating the township’s Master Plan and sought input from our residents via a Master Plan online survey. This provided the opportunity for folks to help shape the goals and strategies that will guide Lake Township in the coming years. Here is the Summary of the Results of the Survey, as well as an Appendix offering Detailed ‘Write-In’ Comments. If needed, here is our current Master Plan for 2023 (which is also always available in our Documents & Forms page). (Updated 4/01/2024) • Beginning May. 3, 2023, under federal law, Michigan residents will need to present a REAL ID-compliant document to fly in the U.S. as well as enter a military base, nuclear power plant, and certain federal facilities. Learn more about obtaining a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or state ID from this short article (which shows the OLD deadline date) and also at this Web page (Updated 5/12/2022) • ZONING REMINDER – It has come to the attention of the Township that persons anticipating building small structures such as storage sheds, well houses, etc. are assuming that no permits are required for these structures because the State Construction Code does not require a Building Permit for structures less than 200 square feet. (This standard was recently increased from the previous 100 square feet.) The change in Building Permit requirements has no relationship to Township Zoning Ordinance requirements. ALL STRUCTURES OF WHATEVER SIZE require a Land Use Permit from the Township Zoning Administrator. The Land Use Permit is necessary to determine and assure that the placement of any structure meet all zoning requirements, particularly setback requirements. AT THIS SITE: • Monthly township meetings dates for 2024 are now on the Meetings page. (Updated 2/07/2024) • Planning Commission meeting dates for 2024 are now on the Meetings page. (Updated 2/07/2024) • Keep an eye on our Park page for updated information. (Updated 5/17/2017) • For details about our monthly and budget adoption meetings and the minutes from these, please see our Meetings page. • See our Documents and Forms page for common forms or documents you may need as a visitor or resident of the Township. About Us As one of the least populated but heavily visited areas of Lower Michigan, we greatly value our many natural resources. When you visit our area you are in a true "year-round playground," Enjoy... skiing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing in the winter, mushroom hunting and trilliums in the spring, many miles of shoreline and waterways in the summer for swimming, kayaking, and water sports, and salmon fishing, color tours, and hunting in the fall.  We work hard to maintain our undeveloped "up north" feel and preserve the natural beauty of the area while striving to provide a stable economy and maintain a high quality of life for all citizens. Lake Township is also the gateway to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Approximately 10,865 acres of the Lakeshore and approximately 9.1 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline are located within the boundaries of our Township. Within the Lakeshore there are many hiking trails and other attractions. Purchase of a Lakeshore pass allows you to recreate anywhere in this National Lakeshore. When we talk about the Park on this site, we're referring to our Lake Township Park – the pride of the township, located at the mouth of the Platte River at Lake Michigan. See the Park page for more details.
Last Revised: 4-01-2024 © Copyright 2007-2024 by Lake Township and ATI Consulting. All Rights Reserved.