Pipestone Township

Pipestone has five zoning districts — R1-A Single-Family Residential, R-2 Multiple-Family Residential, AG Agricultural, C Commercial, and M Industrial — and no STR-specific district carve-out. Short-term rentals are not called out in the zoning code, so in practice a property must (a) sit in a district that permits residential dwelling use (R1-A, R-2, or AG in most rural parcels), and (b) stay within the district’s area, bulk, and occupancy limits ^[1].

The township’s governing zoning ordinance is the 1988 Ordinance No. 88-01 (the “Ordinance Book”) as subsequently amended — this is the document the Planning Commission and Zoning Administrator apply. The full book and its amendments are hosted on the township’s Google Drive rather than a dedicated web page ^[1][2]. The PDF scans are readable but mostly image-based — specific by-district use charts aren’t cleanly machine-readable. For any specific parcel, confirm the zoning district and dwelling use with Zoning Administrator Ross Rogien before underwriting.

There is no short-term rental registration or permit program in Pipestone Township. Whole-home STRs (Airbnb, VRBO, direct-booked vacation rentals) don’t require a township license or annual filing. Owners who are still on-site operating a traditional Bed & Breakfast (sleeping rooms + meals, operator lives on premises) need a Special Land Use Permit through the Planning Commission — the path for that is: (a) submit a floor plan and site plan to the Planning Commission, (b) attend a public hearing under Article X §10.088 of the zoning ordinance, (c) receive a recommendation to the Township Board to issue the B&B permit ^[1].

There is no STR registration fee in Pipestone because there is no STR registration program. Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals fees (which cover B&B special-use-permit applications) are set by township resolution — the current schedule is Resolution #2020-08 ^[3].

If you’re operating as a traditional Bed & Breakfast — owner on premises, meals served — these are the binding standards under Article XII-A of the zoning ordinance ^[1]:

• Owner on-site: The dwelling must be the principal residence of the B&B operator, and the operator must live on the premises while the B&B is active.
• Max floor area: No more than 40% of the single-family dwelling’s total floor area may be used for B&B sleeping rooms.
• No separate kitchen for guests: Guest cooking facilities separate from the main dwelling are prohibited.
• Sleeping room size: Minimum 100 sq ft for two occupants, plus 30 sq ft per additional occupant, maximum four occupants per room.
• Safety: Working smoke detector in every sleeping room; working fire extinguisher on every floor; two means of egress from B&B areas.
• Signage: One sign on the premises identifying the B&B, maximum 32 sq ft.
• Guest register: Operator must keep a list of guest names and addresses, available for inspection by township officials at reasonable times.
• Maximum stay: 21 consecutive days per guest.
• Rooms must be part of the primary dwelling — not a structure built specifically for rental (no standalone cabins or ADUs marketed as B&B rooms).

Ordinary whole-home Airbnb/VRBO rentals where the owner is not on-site fall outside Article XII-A. Those operate under the general zoning code without a dedicated permit — but if a neighbor complaint triggers enforcement, the Ordinance Enforcement Officer (William Tucker) can issue a zoning violation.

Pipestone is unsewered rural — nearly all parcels rely on private well and septic. For STRs, septic system capacity is the single biggest capacity constraint, and the Berrien County Health Department (BCHD) is the agency that sets and enforces it ^[5]:

• New septic: BCHD permit required; sizing is based on bedrooms, not guests.
• Existing septic: A Time-of-Sale inspection may be required on property transfer; verify with BCHD at closing.
• Bedroom count vs. listing count: BCHD sizes septic by bedrooms on record. Listing a home as “sleeps 14” when the septic was sized for a 3-bedroom house is a compliance risk even without a township STR ordinance — an over-capacity failure becomes a BCHD nuisance matter.
• Well water: No township-level potable-water testing requirement for rentals; state-level real-estate disclosure applies at sale.

Enforcement is complaint-driven and handled by the township’s Ordinance Enforcement Officer, William Tucker (269-277-2706) ^[6]. Because Pipestone has no STR-specific ordinance, a typical noise, trash, parking, or occupancy complaint against an STR is processed as a general zoning or nuisance violation under the Ordinance Book ^[1]. Serious or repeat issues escalate to the Township Board.

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Office is the first call for after-hours disturbances. For water-quality, sewage, or septic-overflow issues, report to the Berrien County Health Department ^[5]. For structural / code issues, contact Building Inspector Ross Rogien (269-277-8573).