Volinia Township

Short-term and transient rentals are not named as a permitted use in any Volinia Township zoning district ^[1]. Section 3.1 of the Zoning Ordinance establishes nine districts: Agricultural Production (AP), Agricultural Residential (AR), Lakefront Residential (R-L), Low Density Residential (R-1), Medium Density Residential (R-2), Multiple Family Residential (R-MF), Manufactured Housing Community (R-MHC), Local Commercial (C-1), and Planned Unit Development (PUD). Table 3-2 lists permitted principal uses by district. The residential category in every residential and agricultural district is limited to single-family dwellings, two-family dwellings (where allowed), and multi-family dwellings (R-MF). Hotels, motels, tourist cabins, and ‘short-term rental’ are not enumerated.

The single express allowance for paid overnight lodging is a Bed and Breakfast under Section 7.3 (covered in detail in the next accordion). Resort and conference centers, the only commercial-lodging-adjacent use named in Table 3-2, appear only as a Special Use in select districts (Section 3.5).

Under Michigan zoning practice (and the Zoning Ordinance’s own Section 3.5 D.1: ‘Use Not Listed is Prohibited: Any use of land not specifically permitted is prohibited’) ^[1], a use that is not expressly permitted is not allowed. The practical answer for any specific parcel is to request a written zoning determination from Zoning Administrator Roger Leach before purchase or listing. Do not rely on a sold-as-STR listing or a broker’s verbal assurance.

Volinia Township Official Zoning Map (PDF)

The only express allowance for paid overnight lodging in Volinia Township is a Bed and Breakfast operated under Section 7.3 of the Zoning Ordinance ^[1]. Section 7.3 imposes specific operational standards that effectively preclude whole-house nightly rental:

Functionally this is a hosted B&B, not an Airbnb whole-house. The ‘no separate kitchen for guests’ rule, the single-family-character exterior requirement, and the 1,000-foot separation effectively rule out a non-owner-occupied STR business in the Township under Section 7.3. A B&B is processed as a Special Land Use under Article 15 (Special Land Uses) and triggers the 300-foot mailed-notice procedure in Section 2.11 ^[1].

There is no Volinia Township short-term rental registration or permit program. The Township does not issue STR permits, collect STR application fees, or maintain a Township STR registry. Operators considering paid overnight lodging in the Township engage with the existing zoning framework through one of the following paths:

None of these paths guarantee STR approval — they are how you obtain a written answer from the Township. Building permits for new structures go through Township Building Inspector Luke Wagoner (574-849-5965); plumbing and mechanical through John Dobberteen (269-651-4567); electrical through Ron Bellaire (269-663-3429) ^[3]. Code Enforcement and Blight are handled by Roger Leach in his dual role as Zoning Administrator ^[3].

No STR-specific fees are published by Volinia Township because there is no STR ordinance. The fees that actually apply to a would-be operator are the Zoning Permit, Special Land Use, and Zoning Board of Appeals filing fees (set by Township Board resolution under Section 2.8 rather than inside the Zoning Ordinance text), plus the statutory zoning-violation civil-infraction schedule:

Volinia Township declares zoning violations a ‘nuisance per se’ under MCL 125.3407 and may also seek injunctive or equitable relief in court in addition to the municipal civil infraction (Section 2.10 C) ^[1]. Each owner, tenant, agent, contractor, or builder participating in or maintaining a violation can be cited as a principal.

Volinia Township relies on the Michigan Residential Code, the State of Michigan Construction Code (administered locally by the Township Building Inspector), and the Volinia Township Zoning Ordinance for occupied-structure safety. Because there is no STR program, there is no STR-specific inspection — but the underlying construction-code and health-department requirements still apply, and a B&B operator under Section 7.3 must satisfy site-plan review under Article 14 ^[1].

• Building permits and inspections: Luke Wagoner (574-849-5965) at 18065 Day Lake Ct., Vandalia, MI 49095 — building and demo permits ^[3].
• Electrical: Ron Bellaire (269-663-3429) — Cass County inspections Mondays and Wednesdays. Permanent service approvals require rough-in completion on new construction; only licensed contractors or the occupying owner may perform electrical work ^[3].
• Plumbing & mechanical: John Dobberteen (269-651-4567) — underground and rough inspections must be approved before covering ^[3].
• Septic & well: Van Buren/Cass District Health Department, 57418 CR 681, Hartford, MI 49057 (269-621-3143). Required for any change of use that materially increases demand on the on-site system ^[2]. Most Volinia parcels are on private well and septic — order an inspection during due diligence on every transaction.
• Smoke and CO alarms: Required per Michigan Residential Code in every occupied dwelling.
• Site plan review (B&B only): Required under Article 14 because a B&B is a Special Land Use ^[1].

Even without an STR ordinance, several Zoning Ordinance provisions directly constrain how an overnight-lodging use can operate in Volinia Township ^[1]:

• Use Not Listed is Prohibited (§3.5 D.1): Any use not expressly listed in Table 3-2 for the parcel’s district is prohibited. This is the operative constraint for non-B&B nightly rental.
• Article 9 Signs: Property advertising signs are regulated by district. There is no separate sign category for short-term rental advertising; rural residential signage standards apply.
• Article 10 Off-Street Parking: Site Development Requirements for off-street parking apply to any change in use; a converted overnight-lodging use must meet the parking standard in Section 10’s tables.
• Article 11 Landscaping & Screening: Required where a Special Land Use abuts a less-intense district.
• Article 12 Environmental Protection: Wetlands, woodland stands, surface waters, and shoreline alteration (Section 20.11) are regulated within the Zoning Ordinance plus state EGLE permitting.
• Article 7 Specific Use Standards: Bed & Breakfast (§7.3) explicitly bars paid receptions, private parties, and for-fee activities at the premises except as expressly authorized in the special-use approval.
• Section 20.9 Home Occupations: Home occupations are regulated separately. Renting bedrooms is generally not classified as a home occupation under the ordinance — it is a Bed & Breakfast use.

Cass County Sheriff non-emergency dispatch (269-445-8644) is the Township’s first-line public-safety contact for noise, parking, and disturbance complaints; Volinia Township does not maintain its own police department ^[3].

Even without a Township STR ordinance, Michigan state and Cass County tax obligations still apply to any short-term lodging operator:

• 6% Michigan Use Tax on rentals of 30 days or less, collected and remitted to the Michigan Department of Treasury ^[4]. Airbnb and Vrbo collect and remit on platform bookings; direct bookings are the operator’s responsibility.
• Cass County does not currently impose a county-level accommodations excise tax (unlike Berrien County’s 5%); confirm current rates with the Cass County Treasurer before underwriting.
• Michigan Sales/Use Tax License required through the Michigan Department of Treasury if collecting use tax directly on non-platform bookings ^[4].
• Michigan Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) cannot be claimed on a property used primarily as an investor STR. PRE rules are administered by the Township Assessor (Kevin Harris, 269-663-3057) ^[3].
• Property tax billing & lookup: Volinia Township uses BS&A Online for tax-search and assessor data — search by parcel at the Township BS&A portal ^[5].
• Health Department review of well and septic capacity is required for any Bed & Breakfast Special Land Use under Section 7.3 (well/septic adequacy is a Section 14 site-plan-review criterion) ^{[1] [2]}.