Galien Township

Short-term / transient rentals are not named as a permitted use in any Galien Township zoning district ^[1]. The Zoning Ordinance divides the unincorporated Township into five districts: “A” Residential, “B” Residential, Commercial, Industrial, and Agricultural. In the two residential districts the only residential uses listed are single-family dwellings, two-family dwellings, and (in B-Residential) multi-family dwellings and boarding or rooming houses (boarding houses by Special Use Permit under Section 3.13). Hotels, motels, and cabin colonies are permitted in the Commercial District (Section 2.5) but not in any residential district.

The single express allowance for overnight paid lodging outside the Commercial District is Section 2.4 B.23 — Owner-occupied Bed and Breakfast / Corporate Retreat for overnight guests not to exceed 10 people, available only in the Agricultural District and only by Special Use Permit (added July 10, 2017) ^[1]. Whole-house, non-owner-occupied nightly rental has no corresponding express allowance in the ordinance.

Under Michigan zoning practice, a use not expressly permitted is generally treated as not allowed. The practical answer for any specific parcel in Galien Township is to request a written zoning determination from the Zoning Administrator before purchase or listing. Do not rely on a sold-as-STR listing or a broker’s verbal assurance.

The only express allowance for paid overnight lodging in a non-commercial district is an owner-occupied Bed & Breakfast / Corporate Retreat in the Agricultural District, by Special Use Permit under Section 3.13 (Zoning Ordinance Section 2.4 B.23, added 07-10-2017) ^[1]. The ordinance imposes two hard limits on this use:

Section 3.13 Special Use standards require the Zoning Board to find that the use will not change the essential character of the surrounding area, will not diminish surrounding property values, will not increase traffic hazards, that water supply and sewage disposal meet State and County Health Department requirements, and that the use will not be significantly more objectionable in traffic, noise, light, fumes, or waste than the permitted principal uses of the district ^[1].

There is no Galien Township short-term rental registration or permit program. The Township does not issue STR permits, collect STR application fees, or maintain an STR rental registry. Operators pursuing overnight paid lodging in the Township engage with the existing zoning framework:

None of these paths guarantee STR approval; they are how you get a written answer from the Township. Building permits for new structures are handled by the Township Building Inspector (Ed Carpenter, 269-363-1869); electrical inspections by the Township Electrical Inspector (Chauncey W. Hackenberg, 269-998-3875). Mechanical and plumbing inspections are handled by the State of Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes ^[4].

No STR-specific fees are published by Galien Township because there is no STR ordinance. The fees that actually come into play for a would-be operator are the Zoning Permit, Special Use Permit, and Zoning Board of Appeals filing fees (set by the Township Board by resolution rather than inside the Zoning Ordinance itself) and the statutory Zoning Ordinance penalty:

Enforcement is initiated by the Township Code Officer (Bob Middlebrook, 574-532-6613 / code.galientwp@gmail.com) working with the Zoning Administrator. Violations of the adopted 2018 International Fire Code (Ordinance #20) are prosecutable separately ^[2].

Galien Township relies on Michigan Residential Code and the 2018 International Fire Code (adopted by Ordinance No. 20) ^[2] as the baseline safety standard for any occupied structure, plus a handful of specific nuisance ordinances that directly affect STR hosts and neighbors:

• Noise Ordinance (#23): At the property boundary, daytime limit 55 dB(A) (residential zones) / 65 dB(A) (commercial zones) between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.; nighttime limit drops to 50 dB(A) / 55 dB(A) between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. ^[3]. Violations are enforceable as municipal civil infractions under Ordinance No. 8 (Municipal Violations Bureau).
• Animal Nuisance (Ordinance #21): Barking, running-at-large, and animal-generated nuisance are enforceable Township violations.
• Outdoor Assembly (Ordinance #3): Regulates large gatherings that could be triggered by an STR house party.
• Litter & Debris (Ordinance #2, amended): Accumulation of trash, junk vehicles, or debris is a Township violation.
• Construction Enforcement (Ordinance #15): Local construction permitting backstop to the State Construction Code.
• Smoke and CO alarms: Required per Michigan Residential Code.

Property-maintenance complaints are routed to the Township Code Officer (Bob Middlebrook, 574-532-6613 / code.galientwp@gmail.com). Fire safety issues are routed to the Galien Township Fire Department (Interim Chief Bryant Miller, 269-545-8370). Building-code complaints go through the Township Building Inspector (Ed Carpenter, 269-363-1869).

Even without a Township STR ordinance, Michigan state and Berrien County tax obligations still apply to any short-term lodging operator:

• 6% State Use Tax on rentals of 30 days or less, collected and remitted to the Michigan Department of Treasury (Airbnb collects and remits for bookings through its platform; 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 property used primarily as an investor STR.
• Michigan Sales/Use Tax License is required through the Michigan Department of Treasury if collecting use tax directly on non-platform bookings.
• Berrien County Health Department reviews well and septic adequacy for any proposed B&B or corporate-retreat special use (Section 3.13(d)) ^[1].