Buchanan Township

Buchanan Township has no standalone short-term-rental ordinance. Transient lodging is regulated through the 2017 Buchanan Township Zoning Ordinance, which defines a ‘Bed and Breakfast Inn’ as a dwelling in which overnight accommodations are provided for transient guests for compensation by the owners and residents therein, for no more than 14 consecutive days ^[2].

Bed & Breakfast facilities are permitted only as a Special Use (with Planning Commission review and Township Board approval) in a limited set of districts — notably the R-4L Lake Residential and R-4R Riverfront Residential districts (Chapter 8) ^[2]. A modern non-owner-occupied STR/Airbnb does not match the B&B Inn definition (which requires the owner to reside there) and is an ‘unclassified use’ under Section 1.05, meaning the Zoning Administrator must determine appropriate treatment on a case-by-case basis ^[2].

For any specific property: confirm the zoning district on the map below, then confirm with the Zoning Administrator whether short-term rental use is permitted, requires a Special Use Permit, or is treated as unclassified.

Tap the map above to open the full zoning map PDF.

There is no township STR registration program. The township does not operate a short-term-rental permit, does not collect an STR fee, and does not maintain a rental-property inspection program ^[1].

The only township-level approvals a would-be STR operator may need are:

• Zoning Compliance Permit — required whenever a new use of land or building is established, or when construction/alteration requires zoning review ^[2]. File the Zoning Compliance Application (PDF below) with the Zoning Administrator.
• Special Use Permit — required if the use is classified as a Bed & Breakfast Inn in R-4L, R-4R, or another district where B&B facilities are listed as a Special Use. Goes to the Planning Commission for public hearing and then to the Township Board for final action ^[2].
• Building / Electrical / Mechanical / Plumbing Permits — required for any physical changes to bring a property up to rental condition, issued through the contract Building Official ^[4].

The township does not publish a consolidated fee schedule online. Fees are set by Township Board resolution and paid at time of application ^[2]. Call the Township Hall at (269) 695-6442 for current fees before submitting any application.

No township-level rental inspection program exists. Inspections apply only when triggered by a building/electrical/mechanical/plumbing permit or by an occupancy certificate for new construction ^[4].

Inspection contacts (all are contracted professionals, not township employees) ^[5]:

• Building Official: Rich Kubsch — Building@buchanantwpmi.gov · (269) 612-8156 · email preferred
• Electrical Inspector: Ken Simpson — (269) 471-5869
• Plumbing & Mechanical Inspector: Ken Jewell — (269) 287-0425
• Ordinance Enforcement / Zoning: Eileen Glick — Zoning@BuchananTwpMI.gov · (269) 591-7982

A Certificate of Occupancy is issued by the Building Official after all permitted work is complete and inspected ^[2].

The township does not publish a stand-alone short-term-rental code of conduct. Operators are expected to comply with the Zoning Ordinance (parking, signage, noise, nuisance) and Michigan statute ^[2].

• Transient duration: A Bed & Breakfast Inn may host any guest for no more than 14 consecutive days ^[2]. Stays longer than 14 days reclassify the use toward residential tenancy.
• Parking: Under the Parking and Loading Standards, boarding/rooming/lodging establishments and tourist homes must provide one (1) off-street parking space per occupancy unit plus one (1) per employee on the largest shift ^[2].
• Nuisance / noise: Activities that violate any provision of the Zoning Ordinance are declared a nuisance per se and are subject to civil-infraction enforcement by the Ordinance Enforcement Officer ^[2].
• Signs: Signage advertising a rental is regulated by the Zoning Ordinance sign chapter — confirm size and placement with the Zoning Administrator before installing ^[2].

No township ordinance specifically requires a 24-hour local contact for STRs. However, because complaints flow through the Ordinance Enforcement Officer, having a reachable local agent is strongly advised for any out-of-area investor-owner.

Complaint routing:

• Township complaint form: Complaint Form (PDF) — submit in person or by mail to Township Hall.
• Ordinance Enforcement Officer: Eileen Glick — Zoning@BuchananTwpMI.gov · (269) 591-7982 ^[5].
• Berrien County non-emergency dispatch: (866) 630-7679.

There is no permit cap, no moratorium, and no recent STR rulemaking specific to Buchanan Township. The zoning framework continues to be the 2017 Zoning Ordinance with 2017 amendments ^[2]; the 2019-adopted Master Plan guides long-range land-use policy ^[6].

Note on confusion with the City of Buchanan: the City of Buchanan — which sits inside the boundaries of Buchanan Township but is a separate incorporated municipality — adopted a dedicated STR registration ordinance (Ord. 2025.09-443, effective October 10, 2025) and a Unified Development Code effective December 15, 2025 ^[7]. Those rules apply inside the city limits only, not to parcels in Buchanan Township. Always confirm jurisdiction from the parcel’s mailing address and the county GIS before relying on either set of rules.