Cedar Creek Township

Cedar Creek Township’s Zoning Ordinance (revised January 2010) does not define or regulate short-term rentals as a distinct use.^[2] There is no permit, no district-level approval list, and no cap. The ordinance was written before the modern STR boom and treats residential occupancy and commercial lodging as the two relevant categories.

The closest defined analog in the ordinance is a Bed and Breakfast Establishment: a single-family dwelling occupied by the owner, with up to seven guest rooms rented to transient people and breakfast served by the owner. B&Bs are allowed as a special use in the Agricultural (AG), High Density Residential (HDR), and Low Density Residential (LDR) districts, subject to Section 15.6 standards (Chapter 15).^[2]

A non-owner-occupied whole-home rental does not fit the B&B definition, so its legality turns on whether the Zoning Administrator treats it as a residential use of a single-family dwelling (allowed by right) or as commercial lodging (which would require a different approval pathway). Get this in writing before listing. Use the zoning compliance application to ask for a written determination tied to your parcel.

No. Cedar Creek Township does not run a short-term-rental registration, license, or permit program.^[2] The township does not maintain a public rental roll, does not issue STR-specific certificates, and does not collect a township-level rental fee.

What you do file before operating depends on what use you’re claiming:

• True bed-and-breakfast use (owner lives on-site, breakfast served, up to seven rooms): file a Special Land Use Application with the Planning Commission per Chapter 15 / Section 15.6.^[2]
• Whole-home vacation rental: file a Zoning Compliance Application and ask the Zoning Administrator for a written determination that your intended use is permitted in your district. This protects you if a neighbor complaint surfaces later.
• State of Michigan: short-term rental operators with stays under 30 days are responsible for the 6% state Use Tax on lodging. See the Michigan Treasury for filing details.

There are no STR-specific township fees because there is no STR program. Fees you may encounter when operating depend on what filings your particular use requires:

• Zoning compliance review (filed before any change in use): see the current fee on the Zoning Compliance Application. Confirm the dollar amount with the office before submitting.
• Special Land Use review for true B&B operation: see the Planning Commission’s special-use fee schedule (request from the Zoning Administrator).^[2]
• Zoning Board of Appeals variance (if your parcel can’t meet a Section 15.6 standard): file a Board of Appeals Application for Variance.
• Penalties: Cedar Creek does not publish STR-specific fines. Operating a use not permitted in your zoning district is a zoning-ordinance violation enforceable through the standard municipal-civil-infraction process; the Zoning Administrator and Township Board handle enforcement.^[2]

Verify current fee amounts directly with the township office because the application PDFs are updated annually.

There is no Cedar Creek Township rental safety inspection program.^[2] The township does not enter rentals to verify smoke detectors, egress, or occupant-load. What you are required to do still includes:

• Building code: any structural alteration, deck, accessory dwelling, or change-of-use requires a Building Permit through Building Official Jeff Ream and inspection per the Michigan Building Code.
• Septic capacity: a property’s septic system is permitted for a specific number of bedrooms. Renting to more occupants than the septic was sized for is an environmental-health violation regardless of any zoning question. Muskegon County Public Health handles septic permits and existing-system evaluations.^[4]
• Wells: most parcels in Cedar Creek are on private well water. Muskegon County Public Health issues well permits and runs water-quality testing.^[5] Test the well before listing.
• State law: Michigan PA 230 of 1972 (the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act) and Michigan rental law require functional smoke alarms, CO detectors near sleeping areas in homes with attached garages or fuel-burning appliances, and safe egress from sleeping rooms.

A true B&B is allowed as a special use in the AG, HDR, and LDR districts and is the only transient-lodging use the ordinance defines.^[2] Section 15.6 sets out the standards (paraphrased):

• Must be in a single-family dwelling.
• The owner must reside on the property; the establishment is the owner’s principal residence.
• Maximum of three guest rooms, plus one additional room for each 10,000 sq ft (or fraction) by which the lot exceeds one acre, capped at seven rooms total.
• Direct frontage on a public road; serviced by public water and sanitary sewer, or adequate on-site resources.
• One off-street parking space per sleeping room, sited in the rear yard where practical.
• No second B&B within 750 feet (property-line to property-line).
• Meals served only to the operator’s family, employees, and overnight guests; no accessory retail (no gift shop, antique shop, restaurant, or bakery on-site).

Approval runs through the Planning Commission via the Special Land Use Application with a site plan review per Chapter 14, Section 14.1.

Cedar Creek does not publish an STR-specific operating ordinance.^[2] What governs behavior on a rental property is a combination of (a) the underlying zoning standards in Chapter 15 of the Zoning Ordinance, (b) Muskegon County Sheriff response to noise/disturbance calls, and (c) any deed restrictions or HOA covenants on the parcel itself (common on plat lots near Big Blue Lake and Brooks Lake).

• Occupancy: in the absence of a township cap, occupancy is constrained in practice by the septic system’s rated bedroom count and by Michigan Building Code minimum room area per sleeping occupant.
• Parking: Section 14.2 of the Zoning Ordinance governs off-street parking; for a B&B specifically, one space per sleeping room is required and must be in the rear yard where practical.^[2]
• Quiet hours and noise: enforced by the Muskegon County Sheriff under state nuisance and disturbing-the-peace law. There is no Cedar Creek noise ordinance with codified decibel limits.
• Signs: signs for any rental use must comply with the sign standards of Chapter 14, Section 14.3 for the underlying district.^[2]

Practical takeaway: write house rules that mirror state nuisance norms (no parties, no fireworks outside lawful periods, quiet hours 10pm-7am, vehicle count tied to driveway capacity), and confirm with the seller what plat or deed restrictions run with the lot before closing.

No pending STR ordinance is on the public agenda as of the last verified date.^[1] The current Zoning Ordinance dates to January 2010 and the 2025 Zoning Map was issued July 2025.^[2] Cedar Creek has not adopted an STR registration program in step with the City of Muskegon’s 4% housing cap or the City of Norton Shores program.

That said, township boards across Muskegon County have been steadily revisiting transient-rental policy since the wave of post-2020 lakefront sales. The way to stay on top of any change is to watch the township meeting minutes and public announcements pages. Planning Commission action (a public hearing, an ordinance draft, or a moratorium discussion) is the leading indicator.