Oshtemo Charter Township
Short-term & long-term rental regulations, fees, and investor resources for Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
Area Overview
Oshtemo Charter Township sits directly west of the City of Kalamazoo, straddling the West Main Street (M-43) and U.S. 131 corridors that connect the city, Western Michigan University, and the wider region. It is one of Kalamazoo County’s larger suburban townships, with a mix of established neighborhoods, newer subdivisions, and rural-residential acreage toward its western edge, and that blend keeps steady demand for rental housing from university-linked renters and from households drawn to the Kalamazoo job market.
For rental investors and landlords, Oshtemo splits into two very different stories. Long-term rentals are clearly regulated. The Township runs a Rental Housing registration, inspection, and certification program under Ordinance No. 502, and a covered rental building must hold a current Certificate of Compliance before it can be lawfully occupied.[5] Short-term rentals are the mirror image. Oshtemo has never adopted a dedicated STR ordinance, and its Zoning Ordinance addresses transient lodging only through Bed and Breakfast Inn special use permits, which require the operator to live on site.[11]
The clearest signal of how the Township views short-term rentals sits in its zoning code. The Accessory Dwelling Unit standards expressly define a short-term rental as a stay of less than 180 days and prohibit ADUs from being used that way.[10] It is a narrow rule, but it shows Oshtemo is actively thinking about the STR question. Because local rules can change, every fact in this guide is dated to its last-verified date, and anyone evaluating a specific property should confirm current requirements directly with the Township before committing.
Quick Status Summary
Oshtemo Charter Township has no dedicated short-term rental ordinance. Transient lodging is handled through the Zoning Ordinance, which permits Bed and Breakfast Inns by special use permit and expressly bars accessory dwelling units from short-term rental use.[11] Because no zoning district clearly permits a non-owner-occupied whole-home STR, treat any such plan as unconfirmed and verify the specific parcel with the Township’s Planning and Zoning department.
Long-term rentals are permitted across Oshtemo’s residential districts, but the Township’s Rental Housing Ordinance requires covered rental buildings to register, pass a Township inspection, and hold a current Certificate of Compliance before occupancy.[5] The registration fee is $100 plus $5 per dwelling unit, capped at $300.[4]
Rental Regulations
Where STRs Are Allowed (Zoning)
No Oshtemo zoning district expressly permits whole-home short-term rentals. The Township has no dedicated STR ordinance, so transient lodging is handled entirely through the Zoning Ordinance, and the only clearly defined path is a Bed and Breakfast Inn operated under a special use permit.[11] The code also defines a short-term rental as a stay of less than 180 days and expressly bars accessory dwelling units, along with the primary home on any parcel that has an ADU, from being used as short-term rentals.[10]
Residential zoning runs from AG (Agricultural) and RR (Rural Residential) through the R-1 to R-5 Residence Districts and the R-C Residential Conservation District.[12] Because none of these districts list a short-term rental as a use allowed by right, treat any whole-home STR plan as unconfirmed until the Planning and Zoning department reviews the specific parcel. Pull the parcel’s district from the Township zoning map first, then confirm the use in writing.
Bed and Breakfast Inns and Special Use Permits
A Bed and Breakfast Inn is the only transient-lodging use Oshtemo’s Zoning Ordinance clearly allows in residential districts, and it requires a special use permit. Under the Bed and Breakfast standards, the operator must occupy the home as a principal residence, the inn is capped at six guest rooms, and no individual guest may stay more than 14 consecutive days within any one-month period.[11] The operator must also hold the applicable State of Michigan and Kalamazoo County licenses before opening.[11]
This matters for investors: a non-owner-occupied whole-home short-term rental does not fit the Bed and Breakfast definition, and there is no other STR category in the code. If your model depends on absentee whole-home rental, confirm feasibility with Planning and Zoning before you buy, because the special use permit is reviewed by the Planning Commission and is granted at its discretion.
Registration and Permit Process
There is no short-term rental registration in Oshtemo; the only filing path for transient lodging is a Bed and Breakfast Inn special use permit application. That application goes to the Planning and Zoning department at the Township office, 7275 West Main Street, and is decided by the Planning Commission after a public hearing.[1] There is no online STR portal.
If your project involves converting space, adding guest rooms, or any structural work, you will also need a building permit. Oshtemo runs its own Building Department in-house, so building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits are all issued by the Township rather than by a regional building authority.[13] Start with Planning and Zoning to confirm the use is permittable, then move to the Building Department for the construction side.
Fees and Penalties
Oshtemo charges no short-term rental registration fee, because the Township has no STR program to register with. The only transient-lodging permit, a Bed and Breakfast Inn special use permit, carries an application fee set by the Township’s Planning and Zoning fee schedule; because that schedule is updated periodically, confirm the current amount with the Township before you budget.[1] Any building or conversion work tied to a Bed and Breakfast is priced separately under the Building Department’s fee schedule.[13]
On the enforcement side, running transient lodging without the required special use permit is a zoning violation. Oshtemo’s Ordinance Enforcement department handles zoning complaints, and unresolved violations are pursued as municipal civil infractions.[2] The practical takeaway: do not list a non-owner-occupied whole-home STR on the assumption that enforcement is unlikely. Confirm the use is permitted first.
Operating Rules (Noise, Nuisance and Property Standards)
Even though Oshtemo has no STR-specific operating code, three general ordinances apply to any rental property and to the guests it hosts: the Anti-Noise Ordinance, the Nuisance Ordinance, and the Township’s broader zoning rules. The Anti-Noise Ordinance restricts unreasonable noise that disturbs neighbors,[14] and the Nuisance Ordinance reaches conditions and conduct that interfere with the use of nearby properties.[15] Both are enforced by the same Ordinance Enforcement department that handles zoning complaints.[2]
For a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the Zoning Ordinance adds its own operating limits: owner occupancy, the six-guest-room cap, and the 14-day maximum stay for any one guest.[11] Guest parking is expected to be handled on site, and the parking and site-plan details are reviewed case by case as part of the special use permit, so raise them with Planning and Zoning when you apply.
Where LTRs Are Allowed (Zoning)
Long-term rentals are a permitted residential use across all of Oshtemo’s residential zoning districts. Renting a home on a lease of 180 days or more is conventional residential occupancy rather than a regulated special use, so it is allowed in the AG, RR, R-1 through R-5, and R-C districts wherever the underlying dwelling type is itself permitted.[12] Single-family and two-family rentals follow the same district rules as owner-occupied homes, while larger multi-family rental buildings belong in the higher-density Residence Districts.
What changes for a rental is not where you can rent but what you must do before you rent. Oshtemo’s Rental Housing Ordinance layers a registration, inspection, and certification requirement on top of zoning.[5] Check the parcel’s district on the Township zoning map, then move to the registration step below.
Registration and Certificate of Compliance
Register by filing Oshtemo’s Rental Inspection Application with the Ordinance Enforcement department at 7275 West Main Street; a covered rental building cannot be lawfully occupied until it holds a current Certificate of Compliance.[3] The owner completes the application, designates a legal agent who can accept service and respond to code matters, and passes a Township inspection before the certificate is issued.[6]
The Rental Housing Ordinance (Ordinance No. 502, codified as Part 272.000) writes its registration and certification requirement specifically around four-family and multi-family rental buildings, meaning properties with four or more dwelling units.[6] For one-family and two-family rentals the ordinance text is less explicit, so if you are renting out a single house or a duplex, confirm directly with Ordinance Enforcement whether your property must register before you rely on either assumption.[2] A Certificate of Compliance also becomes void when the property changes hands, and the new owner must re-register within 10 days of the transfer.[8]
Fees and Penalties
The rental registration fee is $100 plus $5 per dwelling unit, capped at $300 total, and that single fee covers both registration and the compliance inspection.[4] The published Rental Inspection Application shows no separate inspection-only charge.[4]
Penalties for ignoring a code-violation notice escalate quickly. A failure to correct cited violations is a municipal civil infraction, and the fine schedule runs $75 for a first offense, $150 for a second offense within three years, $325 for a third, and $500 for a fourth and each later offense inside that three-year window.[9] Renting units that lack a current Certificate of Compliance exposes the owner to the same enforcement track, so registering and inspecting on time is always the cheaper path.
Inspections and Safety Requirements
Before a Certificate of Compliance is issued, a Township Rental Housing Inspector inspects a representative sample of at least 10 percent of the units in a rental property.[7] The inspection measures the building against the Township’s adopted property maintenance standards, and the Rental Inspection Application page links the inspection checklist so owners can see exactly what is reviewed.[3]
Once issued, a Certificate of Compliance expires on the first day of the month following the second anniversary of issuance, a two-year cycle. If the most recent inspection found no violations, the certificate can be extended to three years, which rewards well-maintained properties with a longer gap between inspections.[8] When an inspection turns up violations, the owner receives a notice to correct them, and unresolved violations move into the penalty track described under Fees and Penalties.[9]
Tenant Rights and Eviction Resources
Oshtemo rentals are governed by Michigan landlord-tenant law, and the clearest plain-language reference is the State’s guide, A Practical Guide for Tenants and Landlords, published by the Michigan Legislature.[16] It covers leases, security deposits (Michigan caps a deposit at one and one-half months’ rent and sets strict deadlines for its return), repair obligations, and the legal eviction process.[16]
Evictions for Oshtemo properties are filed in the district court serving Kalamazoo County, and only a court can order a tenant removed; self-help lockouts and utility shutoffs are illegal. The County’s landlord-tenant claims process and the required state court forms are explained on Kalamazoo County’s Landlord-Tenant Claims page.[17] Landlords should also keep the property’s Certificate of Compliance current, since renting non-compliant units can complicate a possession case.
Official Resources
Property Tax Treatment
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Thinking about a rental in Oshtemo Charter Township?
Whether you are registering a long-term rental or weighing a short-term play in Kalamazoo County, I help investors and homeowners read the local rules before they buy and spot the details that decide whether a property pencils out.
Sources & Downloads
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1Oshtemo Township Contact Information https://www.oshtemo.org/About-Oshtemo/Contact-UsTownship office address, phone, and business hours.Verified: 2026-05-21
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2Oshtemo Ordinance Enforcement Department https://www.oshtemo.org/Departments/Ordinance-EnforcementDepartment that administers the rental program and handles zoning and nuisance complaints.Verified: 2026-05-21
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3Oshtemo Rental Inspection Application Page https://www.oshtemo.org/Departments/Ordinance-Enforcement/Rental-Inspection-ApplicationOfficial page for the rental registration application and the inspection checklist.Verified: 2026-05-21
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4Oshtemo Rental Inspection Application (PDF) https://www.oshtemo.org/files/assets/public/v/1/ordinance/applications-amp-forms/2025-9-9-rental-inspection-application.pdfApplication form; states the $100 plus $5 per unit fee, capped at $300.Verified: 2026-05-21
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5Oshtemo Rental Housing Ordinance, Part 272.000 (Ord. No. 502) https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/oshtemo-mi/doc-view.aspx?secid=840Township rental registration, inspection, and certification ordinance.Verified: 2026-05-21
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6Rental Housing Ordinance Sec. 272.005, Registration and Certification https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/oshtemo-mi/doc-view.aspx?secid=850Registration requirement and legal-agent designation for four-family and multi-family rentals.Verified: 2026-05-21
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7Rental Housing Ordinance Sec. 272.007, Inspection https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/oshtemo-mi/doc-view.aspx?secid=852Inspection of a representative sample of at least 10 percent of units.Verified: 2026-05-21
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8Rental Housing Ordinance Sec. 272.008, Term of Certificate of Compliance https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/oshtemo-mi/doc-view.aspx?secid=853Two-year certificate term, extendable to three years; void on ownership transfer.Verified: 2026-05-21
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9Rental Housing Ordinance Sec. 272.010, Penalties https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/oshtemo-mi/doc-view.aspx?secid=855Civil-infraction fine schedule of $75, $150, $325, and $500.Verified: 2026-05-21
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10Oshtemo Zoning Ordinance Sec. 48.160, Accessory Dwelling Units https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/oshtemo-mi/doc-view.aspx?secid=2838Defines a short-term rental as under 180 days and bars ADUs from short-term rental use.Verified: 2026-05-21
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11Oshtemo Zoning Ordinance Sec. 49.50, Bed and Breakfast Inns https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/oshtemo-mi/doc-view.aspx?secid=2172Special-use standards: owner-occupied, six guest rooms, 14-day stay limit, state and county licenses.Verified: 2026-05-21
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12Oshtemo Public Works Maps and GIS Page https://www.oshtemo.org/Departments/Public-Works-Department/Maps-GISTownship zoning map showing the AG, RR, R-1 to R-5, and R-C districts, plus the interactive GIS map.Verified: 2026-05-21
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13Oshtemo Building Department https://www.oshtemo.org/Departments/Building-DepartmentConfirms the Township issues building permits in-house.Verified: 2026-05-21
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14Oshtemo Anti-Noise Ordinance, Part 214.000 https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/oshtemo-mi/doc-view.aspx?secid=422Township noise limits applying to rental properties and their guests.Verified: 2026-05-21
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15Oshtemo Nuisance Ordinance, Part 218.000 https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/oshtemo-mi/doc-view.aspx?secid=1838Township nuisance regulations enforced by Ordinance Enforcement.Verified: 2026-05-21
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16A Practical Guide for Tenants and Landlords (Michigan Legislature) https://www.legislature.mi.gov/publications/tenantlandlord.pdfState plain-language guide to Michigan landlord-tenant law, leases, deposits, and eviction.Verified: 2026-05-21
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17Kalamazoo County Landlord-Tenant Claims https://www.kalcounty.gov/537/Landlord-Tenant-ClaimsCounty court process and forms for eviction and possession claims.Verified: 2026-05-21