Brady Township

Area Overview

Brady Township sits in the southern tier of Kalamazoo County, a largely rural, agricultural community of roughly 36 square miles wrapped around the east side of the Village of Vicksburg. It was the first township organized in the county and adopted charter status in recent years, so you will see it referred to officially as Brady Charter Township.^[1] For buyers and investors, the draw here is lake frontage and country acreage: Indian Lake is the largest body of water inside the township, while Sunset Lake and Barton Lake frame the Vicksburg side, giving the area a mix of year-round homes and seasonal, recreational property.^[14]

From a rental standpoint, Brady Township is a light-touch jurisdiction. The township does not run a rental-registration or inspection program, and it has no short-term-rental ordinance, permit, or occupancy cap on the books.^[2] That means renting a home here is governed mainly by the township zoning ordinance, by Kalamazoo County rules, and by Michigan statewide law, rather than by a dedicated local rental code. This is typical of small Michigan townships and predictable for landlords, but it also removes the safety net of a clear local approval process, so the real due diligence shifts to zoning verification and, on most rural parcels, septic capacity.

The township has been actively amending its zoning ordinance and zoning map over the past two years, with public hearings on text and map amendments running through 2025 and into 2026.^[3] None of that recent activity created a short-term-rental program, but it does mean you should always confirm a parcel’s current zoning district against the latest map rather than relying on an older copy. Building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and zoning permits for Brady Township are handled by South Central Michigan Construction Code Inspections (SCMCCI), not by a township building department or the Kalamazoo Area Building Authority.^[4]

Quick Status Summary

Rental Regulations

🛏️ Does Brady Township Allow Short-Term Rentals?

Brady Township has no short-term-rental ordinance — no STR permit, no registration, no occupancy cap, and no rental moratorium.^[2] The township does not separately license short-term rentals the way resort communities on the Lake Michigan shoreline do. A short-term rental here is treated like any other use of a home, which means whether it is allowed comes down to the zoning district the parcel sits in, not a dedicated STR code.^[6]

In practice that gives owners flexibility, but it also removes the safety net of a clear local approval. Because there is no STR-specific process, an investor’s due diligence has to shift to three things: confirming the zoning district allows the use, confirming the septic system can handle the guest occupancy you intend to market, and registering for the Kalamazoo County accommodation tax.^[9] Each of those is covered in the sections below.

🏛️ Building Dept & Ordinances📞 SCMCCI Zoning Administrator🧾 County STR Tax

🗺️ Where STRs Are Allowed (Zoning)

Whether a specific parcel can be used as a short-term rental depends on its zoning district, and that requires parcel-level verification — here is exactly how to do it. Brady Township’s zoning ordinance is published as an online document book rather than a single searchable PDF with by-district use tables, so those tables can’t be reproduced here in machine-readable form.^[6] For any given property, identify its zoning district on the township zoning map^[7], then confirm whether your intended use is a permitted use or a special land use with the Zoning Administrator.

Brady Township Zoning Map — open full size to find a parcel’s district.^[8]

Brady is a rural and agricultural township; most parcels fall in agricultural and residential districts where a single-family home is a permitted use. Lodging-type and bed-and-breakfast uses, where they are addressed at all, are typically handled as special land uses that require Planning Commission review and a public hearing.^[6] Confirm the current rule for your district before you buy — the township has amended both its zoning text and zoning map repeatedly in 2025 and 2026.^[3]

🗺️ Zoning Map (PDF)📜 Online Zoning Book📞 Ask the Zoning Administrator

📋 Do You Need a Permit to Run a Short-Term Rental?

No — Brady Township does not issue a short-term-rental permit, because no STR ordinance exists.^[2] There is no township application, fee, or annual renewal to operate an STR. What you may still need is a building, zoning, or trade permit if you change the structure: new construction, an addition, a basement-bedroom conversion, a deck, or new electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work all require permits through SCMCCI (South Central Michigan Construction Code Inspections), the agency that handles construction code enforcement for Brady Township.^[4]

SCMCCI publishes its residential building, zoning, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing applications online, and a zoning approval is a required step before a building permit can be issued.^[5] If you are simply listing an existing, code-compliant home, you will not file anything with the township — but you should still complete the county tax registration described in the next section.

🖨️ All SCMCCI Permit Forms📝 Residential Building Application📝 Zoning Permit Application

🧾 What Taxes Apply to Short-Term Rentals?

Short-term stays in Brady Township are subject to the Kalamazoo County accommodation excise tax, which applies countywide to every property rented through Airbnb, Vrbo, or any other channel.^[9] The county, not the township, administers this tax: the Kalamazoo County Treasurer collects it under the county Accommodation Tax Ordinance.^[10] One detail that catches new hosts off guard — the booking platforms do not automatically withhold and remit the county tax for you, so you must register and file it yourself.^[9]

Operators should also confirm their state-level obligations, since Michigan taxes short-stay lodging separately from the county tax. Rates and filing rules change over time, and this guide is informational rather than tax advice — confirm your current obligations with the Kalamazoo County Treasurer and a tax professional before your first booking.

🧾 Set Up County Accommodation Tax📜 County Accommodation Tax Ordinance

🚰 Septic, Wells & Good-Neighbor Operating Notes

The single biggest operating constraint on a rural Brady Township short-term rental is septic capacity, not zoning. Most homes here are not on municipal sewer; they rely on on-site septic systems permitted and inspected by Kalamazoo County Environmental Health.^[11] A septic field is sized for a specific number of bedrooms and a specific daily flow — if you market a 3-bedroom house as sleeping twelve, you can overload a system that was never designed for that occupancy. Before buying or listing, pull the septic permit history for the parcel and match your advertised guest count to the system’s design capacity.

Two more practical notes. First, many lakefront and country parcels draw drinking water from private wells, which carry their own county health requirements — verify the well as part of due diligence. Second, even without an STR ordinance, a Brady rental still has to live alongside neighbors: Michigan’s nuisance, noise, and trespass rules still apply, and the township accepts ordinance-enforcement complaints by phone.^[2] Setting clear quiet-hours and parking expectations with guests is the cheapest way to avoid landing in a complaint file.

🚰 County Septic Permits🛰️ County Parcel & GIS Viewer📞 Brady Township Hall

🔑 Are Long-Term Rentals Allowed in Brady Township?

Yes. Long-term residential rentals are allowed in Brady Township as a normal use of a home, and the township does not license, register, or inspect rental housing.^[2] There is no landlord registration, no rental certificate, no periodic township inspection cycle, and no per-unit rental fee. An owner can lease a single-family home — and, where zoning permits, a duplex or accessory unit — without filing anything with the township.

This is the standard pattern for small, rural Michigan townships, and it differs sharply from Kalamazoo County’s urban municipalities; the City of Kalamazoo, for example, runs a mandatory rental registration and inspection program. Those city programs do not apply in Brady Township. What still applies here is the zoning ordinance (which district allows what), Kalamazoo County septic rules, and Michigan’s statewide landlord-tenant law.

🏛️ Building Dept & Ordinances📞 Brady Township Hall📜 Online Zoning Book

🗺️ Where LTRs Are Allowed (Zoning)

Long-term rental of a single-family home is permitted wherever a single-family dwelling is a permitted use, and in Brady Township that covers most of its agricultural and residential zoning districts.^[6] As with short-term rentals, the precise answer is parcel-specific and requires checking the property’s zoning district — the township’s zoning ordinance is an online document book, so by-district use tables can’t be excerpted here.^[6] Identify the parcel’s district on the zoning map^[7] (downloadable from the township maps page^[8]), then confirm permitted versus special land uses with the Zoning Administrator.

Brady Township Zoning Map — open full size to find a parcel’s district.

Multi-family buildings, accessory dwelling units, and conversions are more likely to be limited to specific districts or treated as special land uses requiring Planning Commission approval.^[6] If your plan is anything beyond renting a conventional single-family house, verify the district rule before you commit — and check the current zoning map, since Brady has amended it repeatedly in 2025 and 2026.^[3]

🗺️ Zoning Map (PDF)📜 Online Zoning Book📞 Ask the Zoning Administrator

📋 Registration, Inspections & Permits for Landlords

Brady Township has no landlord registration program and runs no rental-inspection cycle, so there is nothing to file with the township to place a long-term tenant in a home.^[2] You will not receive a township rental inspection, and there is no rental-specific occupancy certificate process.

Permits enter the picture only when you do physical work on the property. Building, zoning, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits for Brady Township run through SCMCCI, and a zoning approval must be obtained before a building permit is issued.^[4][5] If you are converting a basement to add a legal bedroom, finishing a unit, or adding an accessory structure, plan for SCMCCI permits and inspections. Routine leasing of an existing, code-compliant home requires none of this. Landlords should still keep the unit compliant with Michigan’s basic habitability and safety standards, since a tenant can raise those even where no local inspection program exists.

🖨️ All SCMCCI Permit Forms📝 Residential Building Application✅ Building Permit Checklist

⚖️ Tenant Rights & Eviction Resources

Because Brady Township has no local rental code, the rules that govern a landlord-tenant relationship here are Michigan’s statewide laws, and the clearest plain-language summary is the Michigan Legislature’s A Practical Guide for Tenants & Landlords.^[13] It walks through leases, security deposits, repairs, landlord entry, and the eviction process in detail.

A few anchors worth knowing: Michigan caps a residential security deposit at one and a half months’ rent and sets strict deadlines for returning it; a landlord generally cannot use a self-help eviction such as changing locks or shutting off utilities, and must instead go through the district court summary-proceedings process; and the proper written notice — for example a 7-day notice for nonpayment of rent or a 30-day notice to terminate a month-to-month tenancy — must be served before a case is filed.^[13] Eviction cases for property in Brady Township are heard in the Kalamazoo County district court. This guide is informational and not legal advice; confirm current deadlines and amounts before acting.

📕 Tenants & Landlords Guide (PDF)📞 Brady Township Hall

Official Resources

Property Tax Treatment

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Sources & Downloads

1. 1
   Brady Charter Township — Official Website https://www.bradytwp.org/

   Township name, charter status, office address, phone, and hours

   Verified: 2026-05-21
2. 2
   Brady Township — Building Dept & Ordinances https://www.bradytwp.org/building-dept/

   Permits run through SCMCCI; Zoning Administrator at 888-249-7077; online zoning book; ordinance-enforcement complaints by phone; no rental-registration program listed

   Verified: 2026-05-21
3. 3
   Brady Township — Planning Commission https://www.bradytwp.org/planning-commission/

   2026-2027 meeting dates and 2025-2026 public hearings on zoning ordinance and zoning map amendments

   Verified: 2026-05-21
4. 4
   SCMCCI — South Central Michigan Construction Code Inspections https://www.scmcci.org/

   Construction code agency that serves Brady Township for building and zoning permits

   Verified: 2026-05-21
5. 5
   SCMCCI — Print a Permit Application https://www.scmcci.org/applications.shtml

   Residential and commercial building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and zoning permit applications; zoning approval required before a building permit

   Verified: 2026-05-21
6. 6
   Brady Township Zoning Ordinance (Online Book) https://bradytwpmi.documents-on-demand.com/?l=20a36f936561ef11a418000c29a59557

   Township's codified zoning ordinance, published as an online document book

   Verified: 2026-05-21
7. 7
   Brady Township Zoning Map (PDF) https://www.bradytwp.org/wp-content/uploads/Brady_Zoning-Map_24x36_P.pdf

   Current township zoning districts map, 24×36 PDF

   Verified: 2026-05-21
8. 8
   Brady Township — Township Maps https://www.bradytwp.org/township-maps/

   Downloadable zoning, land use, and street maps

   Verified: 2026-05-21
9. 9
   Kalamazoo County — Short-Term Rentals: Setting Up Accommodation Tax https://www.kalcounty.gov/1355/Short-Term-Rentals—Setting-Up-Accommod

   County accommodation excise tax applies to all STR stays; platforms do not withhold for the county; operators must register and remit

   Verified: 2026-05-21
10. 10
    Kalamazoo County — Accommodation Tax Ordinance https://www.kalcounty.gov/911/Accommodation-Tax-Ordinance

    County ordinance authorizing the accommodation excise tax, administered by the County Treasurer

    Verified: 2026-05-21
11. 11
    Kalamazoo County — Sewage Treatment (On-Site Septic) https://www.kalcounty.gov/295/Sewage-Treatment

    County Environmental Health permits and inspects on-site septic systems

    Verified: 2026-05-21
12. 12
    Kalamazoo County — GIS & Mapping Services https://www.kalcounty.gov/1207/GIS-Mapping-Services

    County parcel viewer with parcels, aerials, soils, and wetlands layers

    Verified: 2026-05-21
13. 13
    A Practical Guide for Tenants & Landlords — Michigan Legislature https://legislature.mi.gov/documents/publications/TenantLandlord.pdf

    Statewide plain-language summary of Michigan landlord-tenant law, security deposits, and eviction

    Verified: 2026-05-21
14. 14
    Brady Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan — Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brady_Township,_Kalamazoo_County,_Michigan

    Background context: area (~36 sq mi), population, Indian/Sunset/Barton lakes, Vicksburg location

    Verified: 2026-05-21