Welcome To Onota Township

Photos from Onota Township, Michigan

We appreciate your visit to our website. Here you may find public resources such as documents (including minutes, forms, property tax files, the Master Plan, & the Zoning Ordinance).  Information provided covers a range of topics, such as our directory of elected & appointed officials, public notices (see below), recreation, garbage collection, and the Deerton Cemetery. We also have links about the area for our citizens. Please feel free to contact the township with questions or suggestions about this site.

Public Notices

Election Commission: A special meeting will be held on April 3 at 6:30 pm. The purpose of the meeting is to appoint election inspectors, a receiving board, and a chairperson for the May 2 election, as well as discussing election duties such as machine testing. The public is welcome to attend. This notice is posted in compliance with the Open Meetings Act (Mar 30 @ 13:53).

ZBA Vacancy: There is one vacant seat on the Zoning Board of Appeals. This board does not have a regular schedule. A meeting is only held if a decision made by the Zoning Administrator is appealed. To apply, please write a letter of interest to the Onota Township Board, and send it via mail (PO Box 100, Deerton, MI 49822) or email (onotatwp@tds.net).

Area Information
Onota Township
Laughing Fish Point

Onota Township lies along the southern shore of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP), with an area of 92 square miles (30% is within the Hiawatha National Forest ). The population (2015) was 336, with 43% as year-round residents. The AuTrain-Onota School in Deerton teaches students pre-K-8. The school is respected in the area. Students from outside the district often enroll. Older students attend Superior Central, Munising, and Marquette schools. There are five distinct areas within the township from east to west – Rock River, Shelter Bay, Onota, Deerton, and Sand River. A number of small businesses are in the township, mainly recreational and service-oriented. Area information is in the Master Plan. Onota Township has a rich history in producing lumber for buildings as well as charcoal manufacturing (for smelting iron ore). Early on, Scandinavians settled in the area to work and homestead. Read about the area history.