Manlius Township

Manlius Township’s zoning ordinance does not separately define or regulate “short-term rental,” “transient rental,” or “vacation rental” uses ^[3]. Whether a given parcel can be operated as an STR depends on whether the parcel’s zoning district permits the underlying dwelling use — the ordinance treats residential occupancy by district category, not by rental length.

The township’s mapped zoning districts are ^[4]:

• A — Agriculture District
• FR — Forestry and Recreation District
• R-1 — Rural Residential District (3-acre minimum lot, one- and two-family dwellings permitted) ^[5]
• NR — Natural River Overlay District (over portions of the Kalamazoo River corridor)
• R-2 — Medium Density Residential District
• R-3 — Community Residential District
• C — General Commercial District
• I — General Industrial District

Most Articles of the zoning ordinance (including the Article II Definitions and Article V Agricultural District chapters) are posted as scanned PDFs that are not machine-readable ^[3]. By-district permission questions therefore require either reading those PDFs directly or — easier — confirming with the Zoning Administrator. Before listing or underwriting any property as an STR, email zoning@manliustwp.org with the parcel’s address and confirm the proposed use in writing.

Township road map (Allegan County Road Commission). The official zoning map is kept at the Zoning Administrator’s office per Article IV §1.0402 ^[4]; use the county parcel viewer for parcel-level lookups.

There is no township-level short-term rental registration, permit, or license to file with Manlius Township ^[3]. The township does not maintain an STR portal, a permit application, or a rental license. The township office is open Monday and Wednesday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, at 3134 57th St., Fennville (in historic New Richmond) ^[2].

What investors and operators still need to handle independently of the township:

• Michigan Treasury — Use Tax on Accommodations. Operators of rentals under 30 days must register with the Michigan Department of Treasury and remit the 6% Use Tax on accommodations on the gross rental receipts ^[12].
• Building / mechanical / electrical / plumbing permits. Any structural improvements go through the township’s contracted building inspector — call (269) 561-8855 to be referred to the current inspector before starting work ^[2].
• Zoning sign-off. Before listing, confirm in writing (email is fine) with the Zoning Administrator that the parcel’s zoning district permits the proposed rental use ^[2].
• Septic permit / records. If the property is on a private septic system, request inspection records from the Allegan County Health Department, 3255 122nd Ave., Suite 200, Allegan, MI 49010, (269) 673-5415 ^[8].
• Special Approval Use Permit (if required). Uses listed as Special Approval Uses in the district article (Article XIX governs the procedure) require a Planning & Zoning Commission hearing with mailed notice to neighbors within 300 feet ^[6].

Manlius Township does not charge a township-level short-term rental fee or annual rental registration fee as of May 2026 ^[3]. There is no township STR permit to renew. The costs to budget for are state-, county-, and use-permit-driven instead:

If the township enacts a short-term rental ordinance in the future, this section will be updated and the new fee schedule added here.

Manlius Township does not run an STR safety-inspection program. Building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and zoning inspections triggered by new construction, additions, or alterations are handled by the township’s contracted building inspector; call the township office at (269) 561-8855 for current inspector contact information ^[2].

For any STR or LTR property in Manlius, standard Michigan habitability and safety expectations still apply:

• Smoke and CO detectors meeting the Michigan Residential Code on each habitable level and outside each sleeping area.
• Egress windows in any bedroom — every sleeping room must have at least one operable emergency escape opening.
• Functioning utilities (water, electricity, heat capable of maintaining 68°F).
• Septic system in working order — Manlius is rural and nearly all parcels are on private septic. Permits and records are handled by the Allegan County Health Department at (269) 673-5415 ^[8].
• Well water permitted and (recommended) tested for safe drinking-water parameters at change of ownership and before any high-turnover rental use ^[8].
• Soil erosion / grading permits required for disturbances over 1 acre or within 500 feet of a lake or stream — see Article XX of the zoning ordinance ^[13].

Manlius Township does not have a stand-alone STR “good-neighbor policy” ordinance. Operating standards for rentals come from the underlying zoning ordinance (parking, signs, accessory uses) and from state nuisance and noise law.

• Off-street parking. Single-family and two-family dwellings must provide off-street parking per Article XVII (Off-Street Parking) ^[14]. Renters parking on rural roads, in ditches, or blocking sight lines is a common neighbor-complaint trigger.
• Signs. Property identification and any rental-related advertising signs must comply with Article XVIII (Advertising Signs and Billboards) ^[15] — most rural-residential districts limit signs to small, non-illuminated identification signs.
• Outdoor furnaces. Outdoor wood furnaces are regulated under Ordinance #2007-01 (incorporated as Article XXX) ^[16]; rental operators with renters using outdoor furnaces in cold months should be aware of this restriction.
• Natural River Overlay (NR). Parcels along the Kalamazoo River corridor fall within Article VIII (Natural Rivers Overlay District) and have additional setback and clearing restrictions ^[17].
• Fireworks. Michigan’s Fireworks Safety Act (MCL 28.451 et seq.) allows consumer-grade fireworks on specified days and on the day immediately before and after; townships may regulate use between 11:30 PM and 8:00 AM but not prohibit on the statutory days.
• Noise / nuisance. Manlius does not appear to have a standalone anti-noise ordinance posted on the township site; general state nuisance law applies. Complaints typically route to the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office (non-emergency dispatch) ^[18].

If a proposed use does not appear on the “Permitted Uses” list for a district, it may still be approvable as a Special Approval Use through Article XIX ^[6]. This is the standard mechanism in Manlius’s zoning code for evaluating non-standard uses (golf courses, mobile home parks on individual lots, fraternal lodges, planned unit developments, and similar) and could be the path for an investor proposing a use the ordinance does not specifically address.

Procedure summary (Article XIX, Section 1.1902) ^[6]:

1. Applicant files with the Zoning Administrator (zoning@manliustwp.org) — must include the required site plan, application fee, and supporting documentation.
2. Zoning Administrator forwards to the Planning & Zoning Commission after preliminary review.
3. Commission gives public notice in a newspaper of general circulation, describes the request, and mails or delivers notice to property owners and occupants within 300 feet of the subject parcel — between 5 and 15 days before the hearing.
4. Commission grants or denies the permit and may impose conditions, time limits, and annual review requirements.
5. If granted, the permit and any conditions are recorded with the township and must be posted on the site in a weather-proof manner.
6. If the property is not used for the special-approval purpose for six consecutive months (without just cause beyond the owner’s control), the permit terminates.
7. Decisions can be appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals by the applicant or an adjacent property owner within 300 feet, within 10 days of the decision.