Waverly Township

Short-term rentals are permitted wherever residential dwelling use is permitted under the Waverly Township Zoning Ordinance (adopted April 5, 2018) ^[2]. The ordinance does not separately define or restrict “short-term rental” or “vacation rental” as a distinct land use, so an STR is treated the same as any other dwelling occupancy in the parcel’s zoning district.

The 2018 Zoning Ordinance PDF is a scanned/image document and is not machine-readable, so specific by-district permitted-use lists must be read directly from the PDF or confirmed with the township Planning & Zoning Commission. For any specific property, verify the zoning district on the Van Buren County Parcel Viewer ^[7], then confirm dwelling-use permissibility with the township.

Statewide context: Michigan does not preempt local rental regulation. Each township may adopt its own STR rules at any time, and Waverly’s Planning & Zoning Commission has been actively reviewing the master plan and zoning framework through 2024 ^[8] — investors should monitor agendas and minutes ^[9] for any future STR-specific amendment.

No township STR registration exists. Waverly Township has not adopted a short-term rental ordinance, so there is no application form, no portal, no annual permit, and no per-bedroom or per-unit fee at the township level ^[9].

What an STR operator does need to handle:

• Michigan use tax + state lodging assessment: Registered through the Michigan Department of Treasury. STRs are subject to the 6% Michigan Use Tax on transient accommodations ^[6].
• Van Buren County 5% Accommodations Excise Tax: Applies countywide to lodgings of less than 30 days; remitted to the Van Buren County Treasurer.
• Well & septic inspection: The Van Buren / Cass District Health Department offers an STR-specific well/septic inspection application ^[5]. This is voluntary at the township level but commonly required by listing platforms (Airbnb, Vrbo) or by lenders/insurers.
• Insurance: Notify your property insurer in writing that the property will be rented short-term; standard homeowner policies typically exclude STR claims.

$0 — there are no township STR fees ^[9]. Because no STR ordinance has been adopted, there is no application fee, no annual permit fee, no per-bedroom fee, no inspection fee, and no late-renewal penalty assessed by Waverly Township.

State/county taxes still apply to STR revenue (6% Michigan use tax + 5% Van Buren County accommodations excise tax). Those are remitted to the state and county, not to Waverly Township.

No township-mandated STR inspection exists. Waverly Township does not require a pre-rental inspection, fire-safety inspection, or maintenance-code inspection for short-term rentals ^[9].

Recommended — and in some cases required by external parties — safety items for any STR in Waverly:

• Well & septic inspection via the Van Buren / Cass District Health Department, especially on rural parcels (most of the township is on private well and septic) ^[5].
• Smoke and CO detectors in every sleeping area and on every floor (Michigan Residential Code requirement).
• Fire extinguisher on each floor; clearly marked emergency exits.
• GFCI outlets in bathrooms and kitchens; absence is frequently flagged in STR insurance claims.
• Floodplain check for properties near Lake Brownwood, School Section Lake, or the Paw Paw River — Floodplain Management Ordinance #2026-01 applies ^[10].

STRs are bound by the Anti-Noise (Residential Areas) Ordinance #2025-1 ^[3] and the Anti-Blight Ordinance ^[4] just like any other dwelling. These are the two township-level rules most likely to generate a complaint from neighbors of an STR.

• Anti-Noise Ordinance (#2025-1, effective 2025): Prohibits unreasonably loud noise in residential areas; the ordinance was adopted specifically to address residential disturbances and is enforced via the Van Buren County Sheriff. Read the ordinance text for the specific decibel/time-of-day standards.
• Anti-Blight Ordinance: Covers exterior property maintenance, accumulation of trash/debris, inoperable vehicles, and similar nuisance conditions. Civil-infraction enforcement.
• Burn permits / open burning: Required during certain seasons through the Paw Paw Fire Department ^[11].
• Fireworks: State of Michigan law governs (consumer fireworks may be discharged on designated days adjacent to national holidays). Waverly Township has not adopted a separate fireworks ordinance.

No STR permit cap, no STR moratorium, and no STR-specific ordinance has been adopted in Waverly Township as of May 2026 ^[9].

What HAS changed recently and what investors should monitor:

• Anti-Noise Ord. #2025-1 (adopted 2025): New residential noise standard, enforceable against rental properties ^[3].
• Floodplain Management Ord. #2026-01 (adopted Jan 2026): Updated floodplain construction standards ^[10].
• Master Plan revision in progress: Planning & Zoning Commission has a 2024 DRAFT master plan circulating ^[8], with framework map, future-land-use map, and existing-land-use map available. A revised master plan typically precedes a zoning ordinance rewrite — which is when STR-specific rules would most likely be introduced.
• Lake Brownwood special meeting (March 2026): The Board held a special meeting on Lake Brownwood matters ^[9]; lakefront investors should follow lake-specific agenda items.