Plainwell

211 N. Main Street, Plainwell, MI 49080

Directions

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City Website

www.plainwell.org

Area Overview

Plainwell, known locally as “The Island City,” sits on the Kalamazoo River about 15 miles north of downtown Kalamazoo and is the largest incorporated municipality in southeastern Allegan County. The 2020 Census recorded a population of 3,788 across roughly 1,674 housing units ^[9]. Housing stock is dominated by owner-occupied single-family homes built between 1900 and 1980, with a smaller stock of duplexes, garden apartments, and upper-floor downtown units along Main Street. The 69% homeownership rate exceeds the national average, leaving a relatively thin long-term rental supply ^[9].

Plainwell does not have a short-term rental ordinance and the city’s zoning ordinance (Chapter 53, originally Ord. 188 effective 1981 and amended through Ord. 404 in November 2025 ^[1]) does not enumerate short-term/transient lodging as a permitted use in any residential district. Bed-and-breakfast facilities are the only transient-lodging use allowed in single-family residence districts, and only by Special Use Permit ^[3]. The city also does not operate a local rental registration or licensing program for long-term rentals — long-term residential rental is governed by state law (the Michigan Housing Law, MCL 125.401 et seq.) and the city’s standard building, zoning, and property maintenance codes.

Quick Status Summary

Short-Term Rentals NOT ALLOWED

Plainwell has no STR ordinance and no STR permit pathway. The city’s zoning ordinance lists single-family detached dwellings as the only principal permitted use in R-1A and R-1B districts, and Bed & Breakfast facilities are the only transient-lodging use allowed (R-1A/R-1B by Special Use Permit only) ^[3]. Buyers underwriting an STR-based valuation in Plainwell should assume an STR business model is not legally permitted in single-family residential districts and verify any planned use with the Community Development Manager before closing.

Long-Term Rentals ALLOWED

Long-term rentals (31+ day leases) are permitted in all districts where the underlying residential dwelling type is allowed (R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, R-2, R-MH, and upper-floor residential in CBD) ^[3]^[4]. Plainwell does NOT operate a city-level rental registration, licensing, or inspection program — there is no rental permit fee. State landlord-tenant law (MCL 554.601 et seq.) and the Michigan Housing Law (MCL 125.401 et seq.) apply ^[10].

Rental Regulations

1 Where STRs Are Allowed (Zoning)

Plainwell’s zoning ordinance does not list short-term/transient lodging as a permitted use in any residential district. Under Section 401 of Chapter 53 (R-1A & R-1B Single-Family Residence District), the only principal permitted uses are single-family detached dwellings, public/parochial schools, municipal/state/federal service buildings, publicly-owned recreation facilities, family day care homes, and accessory uses incidental to those ^[3]. Renting an entire home on a nightly or weekly basis does not fit any of those categories.

The R-2 Multiple-Family Residence District follows the same pattern — it permits two-family and multi-family dwellings (apartments, townhouses, row houses, dwelling groups) for residential occupancy, but does not enumerate transient lodging ^[4]. Standard hotel/motel use falls under commercial districts (C-1, C-2) where it is regulated as a lodging business rather than as an STR.

Practical implication for investors: Plainwell has not opened a registration pathway that would let a homeowner legally operate an Airbnb-style STR in a residential district. The Community Development Manager is the authority for parcel-specific use determinations ^[5].

Click the map to open the full Zoning Map PDF.

🗺 Zoning Map (PDF)📜 Chapter 53 (Zoning)📧 Ask Community Development

2 Bed & Breakfast Pathway (Special Use Permit)

The only enumerated transient-lodging use in Plainwell’s single-family residential districts is a Bed & Breakfast facility, and only by Special Use Permit under Section 1637 [15.458] of the zoning ordinance. A Special Use Permit requires Planning Commission recommendation and City Council approval ^[3]^[5].

For investors considering owner-occupied transient lodging, the B&B route is the only legally enumerated path in R-1A or R-1B. Key process points:

Application: Submit a Special Use Permit Application to the Community Development Manager.
Review: Planning Commission holds a public hearing and forwards a recommendation; City Council acts on the recommendation.
Conditions: The City Council may impose site-specific conditions on the Special Use Permit (parking, signage, occupancy, hours).
Owner occupancy is typically required for a B&B — an investor cannot operate an unhosted whole-home rental as a B&B.

For investors: A B&B Special Use Permit is discretionary, not as-of-right. Before purchasing a property in reliance on a B&B operating model, schedule a pre-application meeting with the Community Development Manager to gauge feasibility for the specific parcel and surrounding neighborhood.

📄 Special Use Permit Application 📧 Schedule Pre-App Meeting 📞 Call City Hall

3 Registration & Permit Process

There is no STR registration, licensing, or permit program at the City of Plainwell. The city has not created an application form, online portal, or fee schedule for short-term rentals because STRs are not enumerated as a permitted residential use ^[5]^[3]. This is functionally a prohibition pending future code action by City Council.

Any STR-style operation in a residential district that comes to the city’s attention would be addressed as a zoning enforcement matter under Chapter 53, not as a permit violation. Penalties for zoning ordinance violations are set in the city’s annually-adopted fee schedule ^[7].

If you believe a parcel may have a hotel/motel or B&B legal-nonconforming use right (i.e., the property was operating as a lodging establishment before the current zoning was adopted), request a written zoning determination from the Community Development Manager before closing.

🏛 Planning & Zoning Page 📧 Request Zoning Determination

4 Michigan Use Tax on Transient Lodging

Even where a Michigan municipality has not adopted a local STR ordinance, the state imposes a 6% Use Tax on rentals of rooms or accommodations for less than 30 days ^[11]. Hosts (or marketplace facilitators like Airbnb/Vrbo) are responsible for collecting and remitting the tax to the Michigan Department of Treasury.

Michigan Use Tax rate6% of room/accommodation charge

Applies to staysLess than 30 consecutive days

County accommodations taxAllegan County has not adopted one (the 5% county tax authorized by P.A. 263 of 1974 applies only to counties that have adopted it)

The use tax obligation is independent of the city’s zoning treatment of STRs — if a property is operating illegally under local zoning, the state tax obligation still attaches.

📝 MI Treasury — Sales/Use Tax

5 Verifying a Specific Property Before Purchase

Three-step verification before underwriting any Plainwell property on an STR business model:

Pull the zoning district from the official zoning map — enter the parcel address into the Allegan County Parcel Viewer to confirm the parcel is inside the City of Plainwell, then cross-reference against the city’s zoning map to determine its zoning district.
Get a written zoning determination — email the Community Development Manager (jleonard@plainwell.org) with the parcel address and your intended use. Get the determination in writing before closing; verbal answers don’t bind the city.
Check for legal-nonconforming status — if the property has a long history of lodging use (e.g., an older inn, motel, or B&B), the Community Development Manager can confirm whether it has any legal nonconforming or grandfathered status that may extend a transient-lodging use right.

🗺 Allegan County Parcel Viewer 📧 Email Community Development 📞 Call City Hall

1 Where LTRs Are Allowed (Zoning)

Long-term rentals (31+ day residential leases) are permitted in any Plainwell zoning district where the underlying residential dwelling type is permitted as a principal use. Renting a dwelling to a long-term occupant is treated the same as owner occupancy under the zoning code — it does not change the use category ^[3]^[4].

Where LTRs are permitted as of right:

R-1A and R-1B (Single-Family Residence): Single-family detached dwellings only — LTR via a single lease of the whole dwelling ^[3].
R-1C (Single- and Two-Family Residence): Single-family and two-family dwellings.
R-2 (Multiple-Family Residence): Two-family, multi-family, apartments, townhouses, row houses, dwelling groups ^[4].
R-MH (Planned Mobile Home): Mobile-home park dwellings.
CBD (Central Business District): Upper-floor residential units in mixed-use downtown buildings, where permitted by Chapter 53.

For any non-residentially-zoned parcel, confirm residential dwelling use against the use chart in Chapter 53 of the Code of Ordinances before underwriting ^[1].

Click the map to open the full Zoning Map PDF.

🗺 Zoning Map (PDF)📜 Chapter 53 (Zoning)📧 Ask Community Development

2 Registration & Permit Process

Plainwell does NOT operate a city-level rental registration, licensing, or annual-fee program for long-term rentals. There is no rental permit application, no annual rental fee, and no scheduled rental-property inspection cycle administered by the city ^[5]^[6].

What landlords still need to do at the city level:

Zoning Compliance Permit — required for any new construction, addition, alteration, change of use, fence, or accessory structure on the property ^[5]. Submit a Zoning Compliance Permit Application to City Hall before construction.
Building permits — building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits are processed through the city’s contracted code-enforcement firm, Professional Code Inspections (PCI) in Dorr, MI ^[6]. The city’s Zoning Compliance Permit must be issued first before PCI will issue a building permit.
Water/sewer account — establish a utility account at City Hall in the property owner’s or tenant’s name.
Property taxes — confirm the property is correctly classified (rentals lose the Principal Residence Exemption / PRE).

City rental registrationNone required

City rental permit fee$0 (no program)

Zoning compliance permit (for renovations)Per fee schedule ^[7]

📄 Zoning Compliance Permit 🔨 Building Department 📞 PCI (Dorr office) 616-877-2000

3 Inspections & Safety Requirements

Plainwell does not perform routine rental inspections. Single-family and two-family rental dwellings are not inspected by the city on any scheduled cycle. Multi-family rental buildings (three or more units) are subject to inspection by the city or its contracted inspector under the Michigan Housing Law (MCL 125.526) at least every 4 years, or every 6 years if the most recent inspection found no violations and the property has not changed ownership ^[10].

Rental properties must still meet baseline safety standards under state law and the Michigan Residential Code:

Smoke detectors in each sleeping room and on each floor (Michigan Residential Code R314).
Carbon monoxide detectors outside each sleeping area where fuel-burning appliances are present (Michigan Residential Code R315).
Egress windows in every sleeping room (Michigan Residential Code R310).
Functional electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems meeting current code at time of installation/permit.
No lead-based-paint hazards in pre-1978 housing (federal Lead Disclosure Rule, 24 CFR Part 35).

Complaint-based inspections may be initiated by tenants under MCL 125.526, with notice and consent procedures required before entry.

📜 Michigan Housing Law MCL 125.526 🔨 Building Department

4 Tenant Rights & Eviction Resources

Michigan landlord-tenant relationships are governed by state law (the Truth in Renting Act, 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 covering leases, security deposits, repairs, and the eviction process ^[8]. These rules apply equally in Plainwell and are not modified by local ordinance.

Security deposits: capped at 1.5 months’ rent; must be held in a regulated financial institution; itemized statement of damages required within 30 days of move-out ^[8].
Eviction: requires a Notice to Quit (7 days for nonpayment, 30 days for most other terminations) followed by a Summary Proceedings filing in the Allegan County 57th District Court.
Habitability: implied warranty of habitability under MCL 554.139 — landlords must keep premises fit for the intended use and in reasonable repair.
Discrimination: Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act and federal Fair Housing Act apply. Plainwell publishes a Fair Housing resource page including the federal complaint form.

Free legal help is available through Legal Services of South Central Michigan for income-qualifying tenants. The 57th District Court in Allegan handles all eviction cases for Plainwell properties.

📄 MI Tenant/Landlord Guide 🏡 Plainwell Fair Housing Page ⚖️ Legal Services of S. Central MI

Official Resources

Ordinances

Plainwell Code of Ordinances (American Legal)

Full code library — chapters 1–53

Districts, uses, dimensional standards

Chapter 53 — Zoning

R-1A & R-1B District Uses (PDF)

Sec. 401 — single-family residence permitted uses

Single- and two-family residence

R-1C District Uses (PDF)

R-2 Multiple-Family Residence (PDF)

Sec. 601 — apartments, duplexes, townhouses

CBD Central Business District (PDF)

Downtown mixed-use rules

Forms & Applications

Special Use Permit Application

Required for B&B and other special uses

Zoning Compliance Permit (2026)

Required for any construction or alteration

Building Permit Application

Submit after Zoning Compliance

PCI — processed via Dorr office

Electrical Permit

PCI — processed via Dorr office

Plumbing Permit

If a parcel needs a different zoning district

Zoning Variance Application

Submit to Zoning Board of Appeals

2025–2026 Fines & Fees Schedule (PDF)

Permit fees, fines, deposits

Maps

Plainwell Zoning Map (10/9/2023 PDF)

District boundaries citywide

Allegan County GIS Parcel Viewer

Parcels, utilities, sewer, tax info

Portals & Lookups

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Plainwell Master Plan 2023–2027

Adopted vision for housing and land use

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Guide to Development (City)

Pre-application meeting and process flowcharts

Contact & Directions

City Hall General Contact

contactus@plainwell.org

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Community Development Manager

jleonard@plainwell.org — zoning verification

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Professional Code Inspections (PCI)

616-877-2000 — city's contracted building inspector