Village of Eau Claire
Short-term & long-term rental regulations, fees, and investor resources for Berrien County, Michigan.
Area Overview
The Village of Eau Claire is a small inland community of roughly 600 residents in east-central Berrien County, about 11 miles northeast of Benton Harbor. The Village is surrounded by Pipestone and Berrien townships and is primarily residential with a small downtown along M-140 / Main Street. Village Hall is at 6625 E. Main Street and is open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Wednesday and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. [1].
Rental operation in Eau Claire is governed by two codified instruments: the Eau Claire Code of Ordinances (hosted by American Legal Publishing, current through 2024 S-1) and a standalone Village Zoning Ordinance that the Code adopts by reference at Chapter 150.02 [2]. The zoning ordinance itself has been amended repeatedly – most recently by Ord. 2021-2 and 2021-3 on May 26, 2021 – but is not posted in machine-readable form on the Village website, and Eau Claire does not publish a dedicated short-term rental or rental registration ordinance. That means parcel-level rental permissions, fee amounts, and any registration requirements must be verified directly with the Village Clerk at 269-461-6173 or via the Village contact form before making an offer or advertising a rental [1][3].
Quick Status Summary
Eau Claire has no dedicated short-term rental ordinance published on its website or in the Code of Ordinances (American Legal Publishing, current through 2024 S-1). The Village's Zoning Ordinance is adopted by reference at Chapter 150.02 but is not hosted online in machine-readable form. Any parcel-level STR permission, required permits, and fees must be confirmed by the Village Clerk before listing a property. [2][3]
The Village does not publish a rental registration or rental inspection ordinance in its online Code of Ordinances. Long-term rentals are generally allowed in the Village's residential zoning districts under the Zoning Ordinance, but because that ordinance is adopted by reference at Chapter 150.02 and not posted as a PDF, verify the parcel's district and any applicable building or property maintenance requirements with Village Hall before closing. [2][3]
Rental Regulations
Where STRs Are Allowed (Zoning)
The Village of Eau Claire Code of Ordinances adopts its Zoning Ordinance by reference at Chapter 150.02, rather than publishing it inline in the codified Code. The most recent amendments recorded at 150.02 are Ordinance 2021-2 and Ordinance 2021-3, both passed May 26, 2021. [2] That means the list of zoning districts, permitted uses, and any short-term-rental-specific rules are set in a separate document that is not posted on the Village website in machine-readable form.
The practical path for an investor evaluating a short-term rental in Eau Claire is:
- Pull the parcel’s zoning district from the Berrien County GIS parcel viewer.
- Call Village Hall at 269-461-6173 to request a copy of the current Zoning Ordinance and the district’s permitted uses, or use the contact form on the Village website.
- Confirm in writing that the Village’s current ordinance does not prohibit short-term rentals at that parcel before making an offer.
Is There an STR Registration or Permit?
No short-term rental registration, STR permit, or rental license program is published in the Eau Claire Code of Ordinances (current through 2024 S-1) or on the Village’s Forms page. [2][4] The Forms page lists building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits, a Zoning Permit Application, a Right-of-Way Permit, a Park Rental form, and a Rummage Permit – but no STR or general rental permit.
That does not mean short-term rentals are automatically allowed. The Zoning Ordinance (adopted by reference) may still restrict STRs in specific districts, and any use that requires a Zoning Permit or Special Land Use approval would flow through the existing Zoning Permit Application. Before listing a Village parcel as an STR, call Village Hall and ask explicitly: (a) does the current Zoning Ordinance treat STRs as a permitted, conditional, or special-use activity in the parcel’s district, and (b) is any Village permit required before operating.
Noise, Nuisance & Enforcement
STR hosts are responsible for tenant conduct under the Village’s general-offenses and general-regulations chapters (Titles IX and XIII of the Code of Ordinances). [2] Enforcement uses Eau Claire’s municipal civil infraction mechanism; under Chapter 10.99 (General Penalty), civil fines for an ordinance violation start at $25, rise to $100 for a first repeat within six months, and $250 for any subsequent repeat, plus costs – and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense [2].
Village police can be reached at 269-461-4111. If Village Police are not answering and an incident needs immediate reporting, the Village home page explicitly instructs residents and guests to call Berrien County Dispatch at 269-983-3060 x 4900 rather than waiting [1]. STR hosts should list both numbers in their house rules alongside 911 for true emergencies.
State & County Tax Obligations
Any Eau Claire short-term rental with stays of fewer than 30 days owes two layers of state and county lodging tax, regardless of what the Village ordinance says:
- 6% Michigan Use Tax on rentals of 30 days or less, collected and remitted to the Michigan Department of Treasury. Airbnb and Vrbo collect this automatically for platform bookings; direct bookings are the operator’s responsibility.
- 5% Berrien County Accommodations Excise Tax on transient (<30-day) lodging, administered by the Berrien County Treasurer. This is in addition to the state use tax. [5]
Register with the Michigan Department of Treasury for a Use Tax license and with the Berrien County Treasurer for the accommodations tax before accepting any direct booking. Platform-only hosts should still confirm their platform is collecting both taxes correctly for the Berrien County jurisdiction.
Where LTRs Are Allowed (Zoning)
Long-term rentals (stays of 30 days or more) are generally allowed in Eau Claire’s residential zoning districts under the Village Zoning Ordinance, which the Code of Ordinances adopts by reference at Chapter 150.02. [2] Because the Zoning Ordinance is not published on the Village website in machine-readable form, confirm the parcel’s district and any LTR-specific conditions by pulling the zoning district from the Berrien County GIS viewer and calling Village Hall.
Eau Claire does not publish a rental registration or rental inspection ordinance in its online Code of Ordinances, so there is no standing Village-level landlord registry or inspection schedule to comply with beyond standard building and property-maintenance codes [2][4].
Building, Property Maintenance & Construction Code
The Village has adopted the International Property Maintenance Code (2012) by reference at Chapter 150.01 of the Code of Ordinances, and the State Construction Code Act is enforced locally under Chapter 150.03. [2] Any long-term rental in Eau Claire must meet the IPMC 2012 habitability baseline (working heat, plumbing, electrical, weather-tight exterior) plus any state construction code requirements that apply when work is done.
Practical sequence for a new LTR owner in Eau Claire:
- Pull any open building, electrical, mechanical, or plumbing permits on the parcel via Village Hall.
- Use the Village’s permit forms (building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing) for any renovation work before placing tenants.
- Confirm smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors on each floor and in sleeping areas, per the Michigan Residential Code.
Tenant Rights & Eviction Resources
Michigan is a landlord-friendly state with a codified process for evictions. For Eau Claire LTRs, rental disputes and evictions are filed in the Berrien County Trial Court – 5th District Court, which has jurisdiction over landlord-tenant matters within the Village.
- 7-day notice for non-payment of rent under Michigan Compiled Laws.
- 30-day notice for termination of a month-to-month tenancy or for non-rent lease violations.
- Security deposits are governed by Michigan Public Act 348 of 1972 – max 1.5 months’ rent, itemized return within 30 days.
For free legal help, Michigan Legal Help operates a landlord/tenant self-help hub that serves Berrien County residents.
Utilities, Water & Septic
The Village of Eau Claire operates its own municipal water system; water and utility bills are paid online through BS&A Online. [1] Annual Consumer Confidence (Water Quality) Reports are posted on the Village website – the most recent published is the 2024 Water Quality Report [1].
Because most of the Village has parcels inside the compact downtown footprint but the surrounding area is rural, some rental properties may be on private well and septic rather than Village water and sewer. For any on-site septic questions – permits, repairs, or inspections – use the Berrien County Health Department’s On-Site Septic program [6].
Official Resources
Property Tax Treatment
Explore Rental Guides — Berrien County
All 39 municipalities in Berrien County. Click any to view its rental guide — or request one if it’s not yet live.
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Thinking about an Eau Claire rental?
Eau Claire is a small inland village where rental rules live in an offline zoning ordinance and a clerk's filing cabinet – not on any public website. A Realtor who has tracked which Berrien County municipalities publish their rental rules (and which require a phone call) can save you from guessing wrong. I live and work in Berrien County and know the local decision-makers – let's talk before you write the offer.
Sources & Downloads
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1Village of Eau Claire – Official Website (Home, Contact, Forms)https://www.eauclairemi.com/Source for Village address (6625 E. Main Street, P.O. Box 338, Eau Claire MI 49111), Village Hall phone (269-461-6173), operating hours (M/T/Th 8-4, W/F 8-2), Village Council schedule (5:30 p.m. third Monday), Planning Commission cadence (quarterly), Village Police phone (269-461-4111), Berrien County Dispatch fallback (269-983-3060 x4900), water billing via BS&A Online, and 2024 Water Quality Report.Verified: 2026-04-21
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2Eau Claire, MI Code of Ordinances – § 150.02 Zoning Adopted by Referencehttps://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/eauclaire/latest/eauclaire_mi/0-0-0-3059American Legal Publishing, current through 2024 S-1. Section 150.02 adopts the Village Zoning Ordinance by reference. Amending ordinance history: Ord. 1978-4, Ord. 2001-1, Ord. 2005-1, Ord. 2015-1, Ord. 2017-2, Ord. 2017-6, Ord. 2019-2, Ord. 2021-2, and Ord. 2021-3 (most recent, both passed 5-26-2021). Also confirms § 150.01 adopts the 2012 International Property Maintenance Code and § 150.99 carries the general penalty cross-referenced to Chapter 10.99.Verified: 2026-04-21
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3Village Hall (phone verification, no STR ordinance published)https://www.eauclairemi.com/ordinanceThe Village's Ordinance page publishes only Chapter 10 (General Provisions) as a Word download. No standalone Short-Term Rental Ordinance or Rental Registration Ordinance is published on the Village website or in the Code of Ordinances (verified against the Chapter TOC on American Legal Publishing, 2024 S-1). STR/LTR parcel-level permissions must be verified directly with Village Hall at 269-461-6173.Verified: 2026-04-21
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4Village of Eau Claire – Forms Pagehttps://www.eauclairemi.com/formsLists all Village forms: Building Permit, Electrical Permit, Mechanical Permit, Plumbing Permit, Right-of-Way Permit, Zoning Permit Application, Park Reservation Form, and Rummage Permit. No short-term rental permit or rental-registration form is published.Verified: 2026-04-21
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5Berrien County Treasurer – Accommodations Excise Taxhttps://www.berriencounty.org/819/TreasurerBerrien County levies a 5% Accommodations Excise Tax on transient lodging (stays under 30 days) countywide, in addition to the 6% Michigan Use Tax. Applies to any STR in Eau Claire Village.Verified: 2026-04-21
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6Berrien County Health Department – On-Site Septichttps://www.berriencounty.org/760/On-Site-SepticCounty health department septic program – reference for rural Eau Claire parcels on well and septic rather than Village water and sewer.Verified: 2026-04-21