Coloma

Chapter 66 of the City of Coloma Code of Ordinances is the Zoning chapter, and it does not name short-term or transient rental as a permitted use in any residential district ^[2]. The City operates a small, single-jurisdiction zoning scheme with traditional residential, business and industrial districts. Because Chapter 66 is silent on STR, the conservative read under Michigan zoning practice is that short-term rental is not expressly permitted in City residential districts — it is neither banned by name nor approved by name.

The practical answer for any specific City parcel is get a written zoning opinion from City Hall before you buy or list. The City is roughly one square mile; parcel-level confirmation is quick when you ask in writing. Note that Coloma Charter Township, which surrounds the City, has a fully codified STR ordinance — make sure you are confirming which jurisdiction actually governs the address (City addresses use only three numeric digits before the street name; Township addresses are longer) ^[1].

Use the Berrien County GIS viewer to confirm City vs. Township jurisdiction for any specific parcel.

There is no City of Coloma short-term rental registration or permit program. The City’s Permits page lists only Building, Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Fence permits — no rental, STR, or lodging permit is issued by the City ^[4]. Because no STR ordinance has been adopted, operators have only the general paths available to them:

The City Commission opened the STR topic at a March 11, 2024 workshop with City Attorney Jessica Fette and agreed to revisit the issue at a subsequent meeting. No adopted ordinance has been published on Municode as of this verification ^[3].

No STR-specific fees are published by the City of Coloma because no STR ordinance has been adopted. The fees that may come into play for any rental-related construction, inspection, or enforcement activity are the City’s general permit fees administered through the Inspectors department, with the Building Inspector paid 85% of the permit fee as a contracted inspector ^[4].

Specific fee amounts are printed on each permit form; the permits page directs applicants to call City Hall at (269) 468-6606 for assistance filling them out. If the Commission adopts the STR framework it drafted in March 2024 ^[3], a fee schedule will follow — until then, STR operators are exposed to general zoning enforcement rather than a codified STR penalty structure.

The City of Coloma enforces property-maintenance and nuisance standards through the City Code of Ordinances on Municode and the Coloma Police Department. Rental properties — whether short-term or long-term — must comply with:

• The City’s General Offenses chapter (Chapter V of the pre-codified Charter materials) for noise, nuisance, and public-order violations ^[1].
• Michigan Residential Code smoke and carbon-monoxide detector requirements.
• Chapter 66 Zoning setbacks, lot coverage, and accessory-use provisions ^[2].
• Paw Paw Lake Wastewater Department and City Water Department billing — unpaid utilities can lien the property regardless of occupant.

Violations are reported to the Coloma Police Department (non-emergency) or to City Hall. As a compact one-square-mile city, complaint response is typically fast but informal.

Even without a City STR ordinance, Michigan state-level and Berrien County obligations apply to any short-term rental operator in the City of Coloma:

• 6% State Use Tax on rentals of 30 days or less — collected and remitted to the Michigan Department of Treasury (Airbnb/Vrbo collect automatically for bookings through their platforms; direct bookings are the operator’s responsibility).
• Berrien County 5% Accommodations Excise Tax on transient (<30 day) lodging, administered by the Berrien County Treasurer ^[5].
• Michigan Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) cannot be claimed on a property used primarily as an investor STR.
• Michigan sales/use tax license via the Department of Treasury if collecting tax directly.