Say you buy a 10-acre parent parcel outside Maple City this winter and plan to split it later. State law currently caps the first 10 acres at four resulting parcels. Starting March 24, 2027, that cap rises to 10. If the land is in Kasson Township's Agricultural district, though, the five-acre minimum parcel size still controls the count. You end up with two parcels either way.
That gap matters to anyone pricing acreage on the idea of future lot splits, because the township's minimum is the figure a land division application has to clear. Over the past three months, Kasson Township spent several meetings debating whether that local number should be five acres or ten.
What Lansing changed, and when
Public Act 58 of 2025 began as Senate Bill 23. It amends Section 108 of Michigan's Land Division Act, the 1967 law that caps how many resulting parcels a "parent parcel" can produce, with earlier divisions counted against that cap. It was signed December 23, 2025. Its parts take effect on two different dates, which is easy to miss.
| Provision | Effective | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Local opt-in authority, new Sec. 108(6) | March 24, 2026 | Lets a municipality with land division approval authority allow more parcels than Section 108 otherwise permits, under standards it adopts by ordinance |
| Statewide cap on the first 10 acres | March 24, 2027 | Raises the maximum from four resulting parcels to 10 |
The Act counts "parcels," not "splits." People mix those up in conversation, and the mistake can be costly. Supporters of the bill described it as a housing affordability measure.
Why zoning gets the final word
Michigan State University Extension's explainer on PA 58 quotes Section 109(6) of the Act, which says approval of a division "is not a determination that the resulting parcels comply with other ordinances or regulations." Extension's reading is that each zoning district's minimum parcel size decides where any added density can actually be built. In rural districts with 10- or 20-acre minimums, it expects the new law to produce few additional parcels.
The same article questions whether the added density suits rural areas at all. It points to land without water or sewer, where each new parcel needs its own well and septic system, and to new parcels that share a private driveway with no long-term road maintenance agreement. Any parcel near Maple City you are thinking of dividing should be checked against both of those questions.
So in Kasson Township, the zoning minimum is the number to watch, and it nearly changed this year.
Kasson's attempt to go from five acres to ten
A draft amendment to Section 4.5.3 of the Kasson Township Zoning Ordinance would have raised the Agricultural district's minimum parcel size and density from five acres to ten. It would also have raised the share of land that must stay preserved in a planned development from 70% to 90%. Gravel district standards would have matched the Agricultural district's.
The approved minutes from the Planning Commission's August 17, 2026 meeting show where the five-acre rule came from. The township lowered the minimum from 10 acres to five in 2016, and the commission had discussed the question for about a year and a half before the summer hearing. Commissioner Gerry Roush said the goal was to preserve rural character, the top concern in a resident survey from a few years earlier. Other commissioners spoke about clustering housing on smaller lots while protecting open space. At the same meeting, Chair Mike Lanham connected the discussion to the state's Land Division Act changes. Zach Baker, a professional surveyor who also sits on a state board, explained the new parcel counts. According to the approved August minutes, he said Kasson was "way ahead of other townships."
Commissioners spent much of the discussion on the nonconforming count. Lanham cited 1,052 parcels in the Agricultural and Gravel districts. About 34% already fall below current standards, and that share would have risen to 60% under the proposal.
| Date | Action | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 17, 2026 | Amendment tabled for more work and public discussion | 3–2; Carter, Mills, Eftaxiadis for; Lanham, Roush against |
| Sept. 21, 2026 | Amendment killed; members agreed a different proposal was needed | Unanimous |
The minimum is still five acres. The question is not settled, though. Commissioner Scott Mills called it a complicated issue that needs more work and professional advice. In the October 14 Township Board minutes, the Planning Commission's report says it is still discussing housing clustering.
What "nonconforming" means for a parcel you might buy
The 60% figure would have had a direct effect on owners. Under the proposal, as explained at the August hearing, existing nonconforming parcels would stay as they are, and new nonconforming parcels would be limited to a residential home and an accessory garage. Commissioner T. Eftaxiadis clarified that an owner could still build on a nonconforming lot but could not have special uses.
A 7-acre Agricultural parcel conforms at a five-acre minimum and would have fallen short of a ten-acre one. Under the proposal, what its owner could do would have depended on whether the township treated it as an existing nonconforming parcel or a new one, and that question was not resolved before the amendment was dropped. Commissioners also raised grandfathering existing parcels as a possible part of any future version.
At the same time, the township is seeing a lot of land division activity. The Zoning Administrator's report in the October 14 Board minutes notes "many" land division and lot split applications and says changes may be needed to how they are handled. Board members hoped to bring more information in November.
Other land uses on the same agenda
The same township bodies are also writing rules for other uses of open land, and buyers of larger parcels will want to know about them.
- Data centers. The Township Board adopted Ordinance 2026-02 on September 9. It stops the township from accepting or processing data center applications, took effect September 18, and runs until September 9, 2027, or until zoning amendments covering data centers take effect, whichever comes first. The Leelanau Ticker reported in June that the effort followed a fraudulent listing that advertised 200 acres near Cedar for data center development. According to the September 21 minutes, the draft data center ordinance under discussion would limit groundwater use to one well at no more than 15 gallons per minute and require at least 95% of energy needs to be supplied on site.
- Solar. A draft solar energy ordinance was attached to the October 19 Planning Commission agenda. It would allow specified types of systems of 50 kW or less by right in zoning districts where structures are allowed, and it would require at least 50 acres for a principal-use solar system, handled as a special exception use. It is still a draft with unresolved sections.
- Gravel. The Board approved Ordinance 2026-03, a gravel amendment, on October 14. Special use permits for the gravel operation listed in township records as Reith Riley at 8948 S. Coleman Road and Kasson Sand and Gravel at 10282 S. Pierce Road expire November 21, 2026. Their renewal hearings were on the October 19 agenda, and October 5 inspections recorded no changes in operations.
All three items affect the same question as the acreage minimum. Kasson is still deciding what its Agricultural and Gravel land can be used for, so what you can do with a parcel there depends partly on rules that are not final yet.
Before you write an offer on Kasson acreage
This checklist is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your own parcel with the township, a licensed surveyor, and a real estate attorney.
- Find the zoning district first, then do the division math. A parent parcel's division rights under state law and its zoning minimum are separate limits, and both apply.
- Ask whether the parcel conforms today. About a third of the Agricultural and Gravel parcels already don't, according to the township's own count.
- Ask the township how prior divisions were recorded. With the Board flagging a large number of applications and possible process changes, how earlier divisions were handled can affect a future split.
- Read the current drafts. If you plan a solar array or another special use, the October 19 draft and the November minutes will show where the rules are heading.
- Price in the infrastructure. MSU Extension notes that where there is no water or sewer service, each new parcel may need room for its own well and septic system, with siting governed by local health department codes, and that parcels sharing a private road need a maintenance plan.
Planning Commission meetings are held at Kasson Township Hall, 10988 S. Newman Road. The next one is scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, at 7 p.m. Getting there is easier this fall. The Leelanau Enterprise reported in August that S. Maple City Road would be resurfaced after Labor Day, on a 42-day, $719,662 contract that includes the stretch past the post office, Peg Town, and the Short Stop.
FAQ
Does the 2027 change mean I can turn 10 acres near Maple City into 10 lots? Not in Kasson's Agricultural district under current zoning. The five-acre minimum controls there, so 10 acres yields two parcels.
Can Kasson allow more parcels than the state cap? Since March 24, 2026, PA 58 has allowed municipalities with approval authority to do so by ordinance, according to MSU Extension. Whether Kasson will is a local decision, and the township's ongoing discussion of clustering is where to watch for it.
Is the 10-acre minimum dead for good? The August proposal was withdrawn on September 21. Commissioners said they need a different proposal, so a revised version could come back.
I've spent close to 40 years buying, holding, and selling land in Northern Michigan, and I still read a parcel's zoning before its price. If you're looking at acreage around Maple City and want help working through the division math, the township's current drafts, and what the land can realistically become, Tom Alflen is glad to go through it with you. Let's Connect.
