Village of Michiana

Short-term rentals are allowed in both of Michiana’s residential zoning districts — Village Residential (VR) and Lakefront Residential (LR) — wherever a single-family dwelling is the lawful principal use, subject to the village-wide 40-permit cap ^[1][3]. Michiana has no commercial zoning district; the only other district is Public Lands (PL), which contains the Village Hall, beach access lots, and dune/shoreline open space and does not permit dwellings ^[3].

Chapter 260 (Rental Property) governs the STR program itself rather than the zoning ordinance; § 260-5G simply requires STRs to comply with the zoning ordinance, and the zoning ordinance does not separately call out “short-term rental” as a distinct use — it flows through the single-family dwelling permission ^[1][3]. STR permissions therefore collapse to two questions: (1) is the parcel in VR or LR (not PL)? and (2) is the village still below the 40-permit cap?

Submit the Annual Rental Registration Application (Exhibit A) to the Village Clerk between January 1 and March 15 each year, pay $300 per bedroom, and schedule an inspection with the Village Code Enforcement Official — then, for each individual rental, submit a new Exhibit B registration to the Grand Beach/Michiana Police Department by email at least 24 business hours before the stay begins ^[1]. There is no third-party online portal (no Deckard, Granicus, or Host Compliance) — all records are handled directly by the Village and the shared Police Department.

$300 per bedroom, per year (§ 260-6D), plus a $100 non-refundable annual waiting-list fee if the 40-permit cap is already full (§ 260-8). Violations are civil infractions enforced by the Grand Beach/Michiana Police Department; each day a violation continues is treated as a separate offense ^[1].

Every STR registration requires an inspection by a Village of Michiana Code Enforcement Official, arranged and paid for by the property owner at registration and on renewal (§ 260-3L) ^[1]. Life-safety equipment must be installed and tested at least every 90 days.

• Smoke alarms: working smoke alarm in every bedroom; checked ≥ every 90 days (§ 260-5E(1)(a)).
• Carbon monoxide detectors: at least one per floor, per MCL § 125.1504; checked ≥ every 90 days (§ 260-5E(1)(b)).
• Fire extinguisher: one ABC-type extinguisher in the kitchen (§ 260-5E(1)(c)).
• Street address posted: in at least two prominent interior locations — e.g., near kitchen, near any telephone or pool (§ 260-5B).
• Bedroom definition: attics and basements are not counted as bedrooms unless the owner gives written consent to a Village inspection confirming egress compliance with Michigan Construction, Residential, and fire codes (§ 260-2). Berrien County Health Department’s septic-system bedroom count is the tie-breaker when contested.
• Local agent walk-through: the local agent must inspect the dwelling at least once every 30 days while rentals are occurring (§ 260-5A).

Occupancy and minimum-stay rules in Michiana are stricter than most Berrien County villages, and were rewritten in the December 2025 amendment ^[1].

• Maximum occupancy (§ 260-5C): the lesser of (i) 16 total occupants, or (ii) 2 occupants per bedroom. Children over 2 years of age count as occupants (§ 260-2).
• Minimum stay (§ 260-2, MINIMUM RENTAL PERIOD): 6-night minimum May 1 through September 30; 2-night minimum the rest of the year.
• One rental at a time (§ 260-5D): no more than one rental on a given dwelling/property simultaneously.
• Off-street parking (§ 260-2): minimum 9′ × 19′ spaces; two spaces per rental plus one additional space per every four occupants. Parking beyond the Village easement on front/side yards is prohibited.
• Garbage (§ 260-5I): cans pulled back ≥ 10 feet from the street within 24 hours of collection. Rentals registered for more than 8 occupants must have two recycling and two non-recycling cans on site.
• No fireworks (§ 260-5F): never allowed on a registered STR property, and never on public property.
• No marijuana use (§ 260-5K): prohibited on the rental premises at all times it is rented, and on any public property.
• Outdoor sound (§ 260-5L): no speakers or sound-amplification devices outdoors from 10:00 PM to 10:00 AM daily.
• Rules & Regulations (Exhibit C) acknowledgement: renters must sign that they’ve read the Village’s Rules & Regulations; local agent must file a signed copy with the Clerk ≤ 24 business hours before the rental starts.

Every STR must designate a local agent who lives or maintains a physical place of business within 45 miles of the dwelling (§ 260-2) ^[1]. The local agent inspects the property at least monthly while rented and handles renter/neighbor/Village concerns. Enforcement and the public-facing STR contact function sit with the Grand Beach/Michiana Police Department, a shared department serving both villages ^[5].

• Police Chief (STR Code Enforcement): Ryan Layman — rlayman@michianavillage.org · direct line (269) 757-1458 ^[6]
• Police Department non-emergency: (269) 469-1884
• Berrien County Dispatch (after-hours non-emergency): 866-630-7679
• Village Office: 4000 Cherokee Drive, Michiana, MI 49117 · (269) 469-4600 · hours 9 AM–4 PM ET, Monday–Friday ^[6]
• Village Clerk: Anne Heywood — michianaclerk@michianavillage.org

The Village may revoke an STR registration after three separate incidents, on three different days within the same calendar year, that result in a finding of responsibility or guilt by the owner, local agent, or any renter for a violation of two or more Village ordinances (§ 260-7A) ^[1]. Revocation is preceded by a Code Enforcement Official notice and the owner/local agent can request a show-cause hearing within 14 days.

• Extenuating circumstances recognized at hearing (§ 260-7B): violation by a non-renter that the renter tried to stop; acts of God; circumstances the owner could not reasonably anticipate and control.
• Effect of revocation (§ 260-7D): the dwelling is restricted from the Village’s rental program waiting list for the following calendar year.
• Proof of rental (§ 260-7C): listing a dwelling as available, non-owner occupancy, and utilities/documents in a non-owner name are each presumptive evidence the property is being used as a rental — so operating an unregistered rental quietly is a fast path to fines.

Michiana’s STR framework was completely rewritten at the end of 2025 ^[1][2].

• 2019-04 (superseded). Original Short-term Rentals article, adopted 11-9-2019. Amended once by 2023-02 on 11-9-2023. No longer in effect.
• 2025-02 (current; shown on the Village’s Rentals page as “Ordinance 2025-01”). Adopted 12-12-2025; effective 12-31-2025. Replaces Article I in its entirety. Introduces the 40-permit village-wide cap with waitlist (§ 260-8), $300/bedroom annual registration fee (§ 260-6D), formal revocation procedure with show-cause hearing (§ 260-7), 6-night minimum stay in the May–September peak season, per-rental Exhibit B filing to the Grand Beach/Michiana PD, and the “lesser of 16 or 2/bedroom” occupancy ceiling.