Hopkins
Short-term & long-term rental regulations, fees, and investor resources for Allegan County, Michigan.
Area Overview
Hopkins is a small village in the northeastern corner of Allegan County, set among the farms and woodlots of Hopkins Township roughly 20 miles south of Grand Rapids. The Village Hall sits at 128 Franklin Street, and the Village Council meets there on the second Monday of each month at 7:30 PM [1].
About 8% of housing units in the Village and surrounding Hopkins Township are classified as rental units, with a roughly 7:1 owner-to-renter ratio — slightly above the 3:1 ratio most growing communities try to maintain, but in line with neighbors in northeast Allegan County [3]. The Village’s occupancy rate sits at ~94%, vacancy at ~6%.
Hopkins has no dedicated short-term or long-term rental ordinance on its books [2]. Rental rules are governed by the general Zoning Ordinance (1998, 2018, and 2020 updates), the Hopkins Community Master Plan adopted jointly with Hopkins Township in October 2024 [3], and Allegan County health-department septic rules for any property not on the Village’s public sanitary sewer [5]. Because the Village’s zoning documents are all distributed as scanned-image PDFs, by-district verification needs to be confirmed in writing with the Village Clerk before underwriting any rental property here.
Quick Status Summary
No Village-level short-term rental ordinance exists. STRs fall under the general Zoning Ordinance and the by-district use table. Because Hopkins’ zoning PDFs are scanned-image documents (not machine-readable), the specific permitted districts cannot be confirmed from public web sources — verify in writing with the Village Clerk and Planning Commission before listing on Airbnb / Vrbo. Michigan’s 6% use tax still applies to stays under 31 days.
Permitted in residential zoning districts under standard residential dwelling use. No Village-level LTR registration program, no Village landlord licensing requirement, no Village inspection schedule. The only non-Village rule that consistently applies: Allegan County Health Department septic inspection for any rental not connected to public sanitary sewer (required every 3 years before a rental permit is granted).
Rental Regulations
Where STRs Are Allowed (Zoning)
Hopkins Village has no separate short-term rental ordinance on its books. Whether a dwelling can be rented for stays under 31 days is determined entirely by the Village Zoning Ordinance and the use chart for the parcel’s zoning district [2].
The Village’s zoning documents are all distributed as scanned-image PDFs (1998, 2018, and 2020 updates), so the specific by-district permissions are not available in machine-readable form. For any specific property, verify the zoning district on the Future Land Use map below, then confirm short-term rental permission with the Village Clerk and Planning Commission before listing.
Village of Hopkins Future Land Use Map (2024) — adopted with the Hopkins Community Master Plan [3].
Registration & Permit Process
There is no dedicated short-term rental registration or permit program at the Village level. The Village does not maintain a public STR portal, application form, or fee schedule [1][2].
Before listing a property in Hopkins on Airbnb, Vrbo, or any other short-term rental platform, contact the Village Clerk to confirm that the use is permitted in your zoning district and that no additional ordinance has been adopted since this guide’s verification date:
Fees & Penalties
No Village-level short-term rental application fee or annual permit fee is published. There is no STR-specific fee schedule on the Village Ordinances page or Resources page [1][4].
Costs that still apply to anyone operating a short-term rental in Hopkins:
If the Village adopts a registration or fee schedule in the future, this guide will be updated. Verify directly with the Clerk before booking guests.
Operating Rules (Nuisance, Fireworks, Burning, Parking)
Even without an STR-specific ordinance, several Village ordinances apply to any occupied dwelling and are the rules that drive neighbor complaints against short-term renters [2]:
- Blight Ordinance — addresses trash, junk vehicles, and exterior property condition.
- Fireworks Ordinance — regulates consumer fireworks consistent with state law (MCL 28.451 et seq.).
- Burning Ordinance (2025) — the most recent ordinance; governs open burning and recreational fires within Village limits.
- Keeping of Animals Ordinance (2024) — relevant if your STR allows pets or hosts have backyard chickens / dogs.
- ORV Ordinance — off-road vehicle operation on Village streets.
- Offenses (Chapter 6) and Public Safety (Chapter 10) — noise, disturbing the peace, parking.
House-rule recommendation for any Hopkins STR: Post the Burning, Fireworks, and Keeping of Animals ordinance links inside the listing and in the welcome packet so guests can self-verify rules.
State Lodging & Sales Tax
Michigan applies a 6% use tax to rentals of rooms or lodging for periods under 31 days, including short-term rentals listed on Airbnb, Vrbo, and similar platforms [9].
Allegan County does not impose a separate countywide lodging excise tax (the 5% accommodation tax under MCL 141.861 applies only to counties with populations above thresholds in the statute, which Allegan does not meet). Always confirm by checking the Michigan Department of Treasury and the platform’s automatic remittance status for your listing.
Where LTRs Are Allowed (Zoning)
Long-term rentals (31+ day leases) follow the Village’s standard residential zoning. If a parcel is zoned for residential dwelling use, leasing it for 31 days or longer is permitted — no separate "Commercial Lodging" classification applies to LTRs [2].
Hopkins’ zoning documents (1998, 2018, and 2020 updates) are scanned-image PDFs, so the specific district names and densities are not available in machine-readable form. For any non-typical parcel (commercial, agricultural, mixed-use, or split-zoned), verify residential dwelling use is permitted by-right with the Planning Commission before signing a lease.
Village of Hopkins Future Land Use Map (2024) — adopted with the joint Village + Township Master Plan [3].
Registration & Permit Process
The Village of Hopkins does not operate a long-term rental registration program. There is no landlord licensing requirement, annual inspection schedule, or registration fee at the Village level [1][2].
Two non-Village requirements still apply to most rentals in Hopkins:
- Allegan County septic inspection — any rental property without public water and public sanitary sewer must have a septic inspection by the Allegan County Health Department before the property can be rented. Hook-to-existing inspection is required every three years [5].
- Michigan landlord-tenant law (MCL 554.601 et seq.) — covers leases, security deposits, repairs, and the eviction process. These rules apply equally in Hopkins and are not modified by local ordinance [8].
Allegan County Septic & Well Inspection Requirement
Any rental property not connected to public water and public sanitary sewer must have a septic inspection by the Allegan County Health Department before a rental permit will be granted [5].
Hopkins Village has municipal sanitary sewer for properties inside Village limits, so a portion of Village rentals are exempt. Properties on the village edges or in surrounding Hopkins Township that rely on a private septic system must complete this inspection. Records can be requested from the Health Department’s records desk [5].
Inspections & Safety Requirements
No Village-administered rental inspection program exists in Hopkins. Inspections for long-term rentals are limited to:
- Allegan County septic inspection for non-sewered properties (every 3 years, see prior accordion) [5].
- State of Michigan rules for smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms, and the Michigan Residential Code — enforced through county building authority and through tenant action under landlord-tenant law [8].
- FEMA floodplain compliance for properties within the updated FEMA flood maps. Hopkins Village has opted in to the National Flood Insurance Program; some homes are newly mapped into Special Flood Hazard Areas [4].
Best practice for any Hopkins landlord: keep a dated photo record of working smoke and CO alarms at the start of each tenancy, and verify the FEMA flood designation on the address before quoting insurance.
Tenant Rights & Eviction Resources
Michigan landlord-tenant relationships are governed by state law (MCL 554.601 et seq.) and the summary proceedings act for evictions. The State Bar of Michigan publishes a free Practical Guide for Tenants and Landlords that covers leases, security deposits, repairs, and the eviction process [8]. These rules apply equally in Hopkins Village and are not modified by local ordinance.
The Allegan County Legal Assistance Center (ACLAC) provides free legal-information services for self-represented litigants in landlord-tenant disputes, including eviction filings.
Special Regulations
Hopkins Village is small and rural, but two location-specific overlays affect a meaningful share of its housing stock: the FEMA flood maps that were updated in recent years, and the joint Village + Hopkins Township master plan that sets the Future Land Use vision for both communities.
FEMA Floodplain Designations (Updated)
FEMA has updated its floodplain maps and placed some Hopkins Village properties inside a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). Owners of mapped homes with mortgages will typically be required by their lender to carry flood insurance. The Village has opted in to the FEMA Flood Insurance Program so residents can access the more affordable government policy [4].
For a rental property in a newly mapped SFHA, factor the flood insurance premium and any elevation/structural mitigation into your underwriting. The viewer below shows the updated zones at the address level.
Joint Village + Township Master Plan (2024)
In October 2024 the Hopkins Village Council and the Hopkins Township Board (with both Planning Commissions) jointly adopted the Hopkins Community Master Plan and matching Future Land Use maps. The plan covers the Village and the surrounding Township as a single community of interest [3].
For an investor, this matters because rezonings, future infrastructure projects, and density decisions in either jurisdiction are guided by the same document. The Future Land Use maps below show how the Village and Township envision growth through roughly 2050.
Official Resources
Property Tax Treatment
Explore Rental Guides — Allegan County
Every municipality in Allegan County. Click any to view its rental guide — or request one if it’s not yet live. View the Allegan County hub →
- AlleganCitySTRs Capped/Limited
- Allegan TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Casco TownshipTownshipSTRs Allowed
- Cheshire TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Clyde TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Dorr TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- DouglasCitySTRs Allowed
- FennvilleCitySTRs Capped/Limited
- Fillmore TownshipTownshipSTRs Allowed
- Ganges TownshipTownshipSTRs Not Allowed
- Gun Plain TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Heath TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- HopkinsVillageSTR Status Unverified
- Hopkins TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Laketown TownshipTownshipSTRs Capped/Limited
- Lee TownshipTownshipSTRs Allowed
- Leighton TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Manlius TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- MartinVillageSTRs Allowed
- Martin TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Monterey TownshipTownshipSTRs Capped/Limited
- OtsegoCitySTR Status Unverified
- Otsego TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Overisel TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- PlainwellCitySTRs Not Allowed
- Salem TownshipTownshipSTRs Capped/Limited
- SaugatuckCitySTRs Capped/Limited
- Saugatuck TownshipTownshipSTRs Allowed
- Trowbridge TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Valley TownshipTownshipSTRs Not Allowed
- Watson TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- WaylandCitySTR Status Unverified
- Wayland TownshipTownshipSTRs Allowed
Thinking about an investment in Hopkins?
I help investors and homeowners read between the lines on rental rules in northeast Allegan County — including the parcel-level zoning verifications and Allegan County health-department steps that decide whether a property pencils out as a rental.
Sources & Downloads
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1Village of Hopkins — Main Website https://villageofhopkins.org/Confirms Village Hall address (128 Franklin St), phone (269-793-7433), Clerk (Danielle Westhouse) and President (Nicholas Price) contact emails, and that Council meets the 2nd Monday of each month at 7:30 PM.Verified: 2026-05-11
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2Village of Hopkins — Village Ordinances https://villageofhopkins.org/village-ordinances/Index of all 13 Code chapters and miscellaneous ordinances (Blight, Fireworks, Marijuana, ORV, Floodplain, Animals, Burning) plus the 1998, 2018, and 2020 Zoning Ordinance updates. No separate STR or LTR ordinance is listed.Verified: 2026-05-11
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3Village of Hopkins — Hopkins Community Master Plan (2024) https://villageofhopkins.org/hopkins-community-master-plan/Joint Village + Hopkins Township master plan adopted October 2024. Plan body notes ~8% of housing units are rentals and a ~7:1 owner-to-renter ratio across the community.Verified: 2026-05-11
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4Village of Hopkins — Resources & Park Rentals https://villageofhopkins.org/resources/Senior sewer rate application, park pavilion rentals, FEMA flood map links, and the Village Floodplain Management Ordinance. No rental property forms are published.Verified: 2026-05-11
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5Allegan County Environmental Health — Field Services https://www.allegancounty.org/health/environmental-health/fieldAny rental property without public water and public sanitary sewer must have a septic Hook-to-Existing Inspection by the Allegan County Health Department before a rental permit is granted; inspections required every 3 years. Office: 3255 122nd Ave, Ste. 200, Allegan, MI 49010. Phone: 269-673-5415.Verified: 2026-05-11
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6Allegan County Parcel Viewer https://gis.allegancounty.org/portal_webadaptor/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2ec1c68c8edc4ef595f41cc10596f3ebAuthoritative county parcel viewer — parcel boundaries, ownership, tax info, utilities. Use for property-level verification before underwriting.Verified: 2026-05-11
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7Village of Hopkins — 2020 Zoning Ordinance Update (PDF) https://villageofhopkins.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2020-zoning-ordinance-update.pdfMost recent zoning ordinance update. Distributed as scanned image PDF — by-district use tables are not machine-readable. Verify any specific district's permissions with the Clerk and Planning Commission.Verified: 2026-05-11
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8Michigan Legislature — A Practical Guide for Tenants & Landlords https://www.legislature.mi.gov/publications/tenantlandlord.pdfStatewide landlord-tenant law (MCL 554.601 et seq.), leases, security deposits, and the eviction summary proceedings act.Verified: 2026-05-11
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9Michigan Department of Treasury — Sales & Use Tax https://www.michigan.gov/taxes/business-taxes/sales-use-taxMichigan use tax of 6% applies to rentals of lodging for periods of less than 31 days.Verified: 2026-05-11