Bainbridge Township

7315 Territorial Road, Watervliet, MI 49098

Directions

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Township Website

bainbridgetownship.org

Area Overview

Bainbridge Township is an inland agricultural township in north-central Berrien County, bordered by Watervliet to the north, Coloma to the west, and Benton Charter Township to the south. Land use is dominated by orchards, row crops, and scattered residential development along Territorial Road, Red Arrow Highway, and M-140. There is no Lake Michigan shoreline and no dense village core — most investor activity is single-family rural residential.

Short-term rentals are explicitly regulated under Ordinance 45B (adopted February 13, 2023) ^[1]. Every STR operator must register with the Township Clerk, designate a local agent, and comply with occupancy, safety, and neighbor-conduct rules. The ordinance caps each dwelling at six rental terms per calendar year, which makes Bainbridge a measured STR environment rather than a wide-open one. Long-term rentals are not separately licensed — they follow the Michigan Housing Law and the International Property Maintenance Code adopted township-wide.

Quick Status Summary

Short-Term Rentals LIMITED

Allowed with registration under Ordinance 45B. Each dwelling is capped at six short-term rental terms per calendar year (2–29 night stays). Permits are non-transferable and renew bi-annually on January 1. A local agent within 20 miles is required.

Long-Term Rentals ALLOWED

Long-term rentals (30+ days) are allowed in residential-zoned areas with no dedicated township licensing program. Owners must comply with the Michigan Housing Law (Ord. 54) and the International Property Maintenance Code (Ord. 42), and with parcel-level zoning.

Rental Regulations

1 Where STRs Are Allowed (Zoning)

Ordinance 45B treats short-term rentals as a registered business activity township-wide rather than carving them out to specific zoning districts. In practice that means a property must still (a) sit in a zoning district that permits residential dwelling use, and (b) satisfy Ordinance 45B’s registration, local-agent, and occupancy rules.

The underlying use chart lives in the 2024 Zoning Ordinance (Ord. 49V) ^[4]. The ordinance PDF is a scanned document — specific by-district use permissions aren’t available in machine-readable form. For any specific parcel, check the district on the 2024 Zoning Map and confirm residential dwelling use with the Building/Zoning Administrator before underwriting.

🗺 2024 Zoning Map (PDF)📄 2024 Zoning Ordinance (PDF)📧 Ask Zoning Admin

2 Registration & Permit Process

Submit the Short-Term Rental Registration form to the Township Clerk by mail or in person at 7315 Territorial Road, Watervliet, MI 49098. There is no online portal — applications are paper-based ^[1]^[2].

FormShort-Term Rentals Application (PDF)

SubmissionMail or in person, Township Clerk

Permit termBi-annual (2 years), renews January 1

TransferabilityNon-transferable

Application contentsOwner & local agent contacts, address, bedrooms, off-street parking, max occupancy, typical rental length, smoke/CO attestation, emergency contact

Compliance inspection: A new rental is subject to an initial compliance inspection per the Township’s application affidavit ^[2]. Budget time for scheduling before listing.

📋 STR Application (PDF)📧 Email Clerk 📞 (269) 468-8040

3 Fees & Penalties

The STR registration fee is set by Township Board resolution rather than fixed in the ordinance ^[1]. Confirm the current fee with the Township Clerk at the time of application — the application form itself has a blank “Registration Fee Paid” field.

STR registration feeSet by Township Board resolution — confirm with Clerk

Zoning permit (new construction / accessory structures)$50 (per 2025 Building/Zoning Fee Schedule) ^[3]

Civil infraction (violation of Ord. 45B)Up to $100 per day of violation; each day is a separate offense

Revocation trigger3 separate violation incidents in a calendar year

Re-application after revocation1-year waiting period from revocation date

📄 2025 Fee Schedule (PDF)📞 Confirm STR fee

4 Occupancy, Safety & Operating Rules

Ordinance 45B sets specific operating rules for every registered STR ^[1]:

Rental length: 2 to 29 nights per rental term.
Volume cap per dwelling: No more than 6 short-term rental terms per calendar year.
Maximum occupants: The lesser of 16 occupants or 2 per bedroom plus 2 additional per finished story meeting Michigan Construction Code egress. Attics and basements don’t count unless the Township has verified egress in writing.
Smoke & CO detectors: Working smoke alarm in every bedroom; CO detector on every floor; tested at least every 90 days by owner or local agent.
Window notice (16-point type): Local agent name, 24-hour phone, and maximum occupancy must be posted in a prominent first-floor window. Good Neighbor Guide must be posted prominently inside.
Street address posting: Shown in at least two prominent places inside the unit for emergency dispatch.
No fireworks: Fireworks are prohibited on the premises of a registered STR when occupied by anyone other than the owner.

📄 Ord. 45B (STR, PDF)📋 STR Application (PDF)

5 Local Agent Requirement

Every registered STR must designate a local agent who can respond to calls from renters, neighbors, and Township staff. The agent must live or maintain a physical place of business within 20 miles of the dwelling unit and respond to calls within 45 minutes ^[1]. A property owner who meets the distance test may serve as their own local agent. The STR application form further notes that an agent is required any time the owner does not reside within 45 miles of the Township ^[2].

📋 Agent Designation (STR Application, PDF)📧 Ordinance Enforcer

6 Enforcement, Suspension & Revocation

Enforcement is handled by the Township Ordinance/Zoning Enforcer, with revocation by the Township Board after hearing ^[1]:

3-strikes revocation: The Township may revoke registration for any dwelling that is the site of at least 3 separate incidents (on 3 separate days) within a calendar year resulting in a finding of responsibility or guilt by the owner, local agent, or any renter for an Ord. 45B, other Township ordinance, or state-law violation.
Hearing rights: Owner and local agent may request a hearing within 14 days of the revocation notice and present extenuating circumstances (act of God, non-renter violation the renter tried to prevent, etc.).
1-year ban after revocation: No new STR permit may be issued to the same person, firm, corporation, or LLC for one year from the date of revocation.

📞 Ordinance Enforcer (269-876-9668)📧 enforcer@bainbridgetownship.org

1 Where LTRs Are Allowed (Zoning)

Long-term rentals (30+ days) are allowed wherever residential dwelling use is permitted under the 2024 Zoning Ordinance (Ord. 49V) ^[4]. Bainbridge Township does not have a separate LTR licensing program, so for residentially zoned parcels the path is: comply with the zoning use, the Michigan Housing Law ^[9], and the International Property Maintenance Code ^[10].

The zoning ordinance PDF is a scanned document, so by-district use permissions aren’t available in machine-readable form. For any specific parcel, check the district on the 2024 Zoning Map and confirm dwelling use with the Building/Zoning Administrator.

🗺 2024 Zoning Map (PDF)📄 2024 Zoning Ordinance (PDF)📧 Ask Zoning Admin

2 Registration & Permit Process (LTR)

Bainbridge Township does not operate a standalone long-term-rental registration program. LTR landlords are regulated through:

Michigan Housing Law of 1966 (as adopted locally via Ordinance 54, 2010) — sets minimum habitability standards for all residential rentals statewide ^[9].
International Property Maintenance Code (as adopted via Ordinance 42, 2001) — gives the Township enforcement authority over maintenance-code violations on rental and owner-occupied properties alike ^[10].
Business Registration Ordinance (Ord. 45, 2002) — a general business-registration requirement that may apply to property managers and rental operators doing business in the Township; check with the Clerk for current applicability ^[6].

Because there is no dedicated LTR application or inspection cycle, the operational starting point is the Zoning Administrator (for use verification) and the Township Clerk (for business registration). Tenant-facing rights, lease requirements, and evictions follow Michigan state law.

📄 All Township Ordinances 📧 Email Clerk 📞 (269) 468-8040

3 Inspections & Safety Standards

There is no routine LTR inspection cycle. Inspection authority is complaint-driven and exercised under the International Property Maintenance Code ^[10] and the Michigan Housing Law ^[9]. Common LTR baseline obligations that still apply:

Working smoke alarms in every sleeping area, outside each sleeping area, and on every floor.
At least one carbon monoxide detector on each floor.
No peeling paint, no exposed electrical wiring, no missing outlet/fixture covers.
Safe egress from every bedroom per Michigan Residential Code.
Closed building permits — no open or expired permits on the property.

📄 Ord. 42 — Property Maintenance Code (PDF)📄 Ord. 54 — Michigan Housing Law (PDF)📧 Building Inspector

4 Tenant Rights & Eviction Resources

Michigan landlord-tenant relationships are governed by state law (MCL 554.601 et seq.) and the Summary Proceedings Act for evictions. The Michigan Legislature publishes a free Practical Guide for Tenants & Landlords covering leases, security deposits, repairs, and the eviction process ^[11]. Bainbridge Township does not modify these rights by local ordinance, but ordinance-enforcement actions (blight, nuisance, property maintenance) can run in parallel with civil landlord-tenant proceedings.

📄 MI Tenant & Landlord Guide (PDF)⚖️ Michigan Legal Help — Housing

Official Resources

Ordinances

Ord. 45B — Short-Term Rental Registration

Adopted 2/13/2023, effective 3/16/2023

Ord. 49V — 2024 Zoning Ordinance

Full zoning ordinance (PDF)

Ord. 54 — Michigan Housing Law adoption

2010

Ord. 42 — International Property Maintenance Code

2001

Ord. 45 — Registration of Businesses

2002

All Township Ordinances (index)

Complete ordinance list

Forms & Applications

Short-Term Rentals Application

Submit to Township Clerk

Business Registration Application

General township business reg.

Zoning Permit Application (2025)

New construction / fencing / accessory

Building Permit Application (2025)

New homes, remodels

2025 Building/Zoning Fee Schedule

Current fees

Ordinance / zoning complaints

Complaint Form

Maps

Current district boundaries (PDF)

2024 Zoning Map

Which fire dept serves your parcel

Parcels, utilities, sewer, tax info

Berrien County GIS

All official township maps

Township Maps Index

Contact & Directions

Township Clerk (Samantha Droskie)

clerk@bainbridgetownship.org

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Building Inspector / Zoning Admin (Ross Rogien)

rrogien@bainbridgetownship.org

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Ordinance Enforcer (Tracy Newman)

enforcer@bainbridgetownship.org

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Township Supervisor (Andrew Gardiner)

supervisor@bainbridgetownship.org