Ross Township
Short-term & long-term rental regulations, fees, and investor resources for Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
Area Overview
Ross Township occupies the northeastern corner of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, a rural, lake-dotted township that takes in the southern and eastern shores of Gull Lake.[1] First organized in 1839, the township spans roughly 36 square miles of farmland, woods, and water, and it contains all of Sherman Lake, the incorporated Village of Augusta, and the unincorporated lakeside community of Yorkville.[2] The township has deliberately held onto its low-density character, and its land mix runs from working farms in the Agricultural Preservation district to dense clusters of cottages and year-round homes along the shoreline.[2]
For rental investors, the draw is the water and the recreation around it. Gull Lake is one of southwest Michigan’s premier recreational lakes, and the township also hosts the Gull Lake View golf resort, Michigan State University’s Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, and the Sherman Lake YMCA, all of which feed steady seasonal demand for lakefront and near-lake stays.[2] The regulatory catch is that Ross Township has never adopted a short-term rental ordinance. Anyone running an Airbnb or VRBO here operates inside the general Zoning Ordinance, Ordinance No. 92, kept current through Ordinance No. 242 in August 2025, rather than a dedicated permit program, and that ordinance’s definition of ‘family’ is the rule that shapes the picture, because it expressly excludes groups whose occupancy is transitory, temporary, or resort-seasonal in nature.[3]
Long-term landlords face a simpler situation: the township imposes no rental registration, license, or inspection of any kind, and a leased home is the same permitted ‘dwelling’ use as an owner-occupied one.[3][4] The township keeps its Zoning Ordinance actively maintained, with recent amendments covering decks and patios, a viewshed ordinance for lake-area sightlines, and solar and battery-storage standards, but none of that activity has created an STR or rental-licensing scheme.[4][13] This guide walks through where each rental type stands, which permits and taxes still apply, and how to verify the rules for a specific Ross Township property.
Quick Status Summary
Ross Township has not adopted a short-term rental ordinance, and a whole-house STR is not a listed permitted use in any of its residential zoning districts.[3][4] The only lodging uses the Zoning Ordinance recognizes, hotels and motels, are special land uses allowed solely in the C-1 Bay Commercial and C-2 Neighborhood Commercial districts, never in residential zones.[3] Treat any specific property as needing zoning verification with the township’s contracted building and zoning department before you buy or list.
Long-term rentals are allowed throughout Ross Township’s residential districts, and a home leased to a household of permanent residents is the same permitted ‘dwelling’ use as an owner-occupied one.[3] The township requires no rental registration, license, inspection, or annual rental fee.[4] Standard Michigan landlord-tenant law applies.
Rental Regulations
Where Are Short-Term Rentals Allowed in Ross Township?
Ross Township has not adopted a short-term rental ordinance, and a whole-house short-term rental is not a listed permitted use in any of the township’s residential zoning districts.[3][4] The Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance No. 92, current through Ordinance No. 242) is a permissive ordinance, meaning only uses specifically named for a district are allowed there, and it organizes the township into ten districts: AG Agricultural Preservation, R-R Rural Residential, R-1, R-2 and R-3 Residential, R-4 Mobile Home Park, C-1 Bay Commercial, C-2 Neighborhood Commercial Overlay, I-R Restricted Industrial, and P Parking.[3] A nightly or weekly rental of an entire dwelling is not separately listed as a use in the residential districts, so it sits in a gray area rather than being expressly authorized.
One ordinance detail makes this sharper than in many townships: the definition of ‘family’ excludes any group whose domestic association is transitory, temporary, or resort-seasonal in character.[3] Because a residential dwelling is meant to house a ‘family,’ the township has a textual basis to treat a purely transient rental as falling outside the residential use it permits. That is an interpretation rather than an explicit STR rule, so the practical step for any specific parcel is the same: confirm its zoning district on the township zoning map,[10] then put the question in writing to Associated Government Services (AGS), the township’s contracted building and zoning department, before you buy or list.
Does Ross Township Require a Short-Term Rental Permit or Registration?
No. Ross Township operates no short-term rental permit and no STR registration program, and there is no STR fee on either the township’s Planning Commission and ZBA fee schedule or its escrow and fee schedule.[6] The township’s Ordinances page lists no short-term, vacation, or transient rental ordinance, and its forms page includes no rental application.[4][5] An STR in Ross Township is therefore governed only by the general Zoning Ordinance, by the Kalamazoo County accommodation tax, and by Michigan law, not by a local rental-licensing scheme.
That absence of a program is not the same as a green light. With no permit to apply for, there is also no township process that will affirmatively confirm an STR is allowed at a given address, which is why a written zoning determination from AGS is the closest thing to certainty an investor can get here. If the township later adopts an STR ordinance, expect it to appear as a numbered amendment on the Ordinances page, so that page is worth re-checking before a purchase.
Can I Operate a Bed and Breakfast or Commercial Lodging Use?
Only on commercially zoned land, and only with a special land use permit. Ross Township’s Zoning Ordinance does not contain a bed-and-breakfast category at all; the lodging uses it recognizes are hotels and motels, and both are listed as special land uses permitted solely in the C-1 Bay Commercial and C-2 Neighborhood Commercial Overlay districts.[3] A special land use is approved case by case by the Planning Commission after a public hearing, not granted over the counter, and the commission can attach conditions covering parking, signage, and site layout.[3] Overnight lodging tied to a golf course is treated the same way, allowed only as a special land use incidental to a regulation golf course.[3]
The bottom line for an investor: there is no residential bed-and-breakfast path in Ross Township. Renting rooms in a house in an R-R or R-1 through R-3 district is not an authorized use, and a true lodging business needs a commercially zoned parcel plus Planning Commission approval. The special land use application carries a $700 township fee, and site plan review, where required, adds $400.[6]
How Are Short-Term Rentals Taxed?
A short-term rental in Ross Township is subject to the Kalamazoo County accommodation tax, and the operator is responsible for registering with the county and remitting it.[11] The county is explicit that properties rented through Airbnb, VRBO, and similar platforms fall under its Accommodation Tax Ordinance and that the booking platforms do not automatically collect and remit the county tax for the host, so a new operator must set up withholding directly with the Kalamazoo County Treasurer.[11] This county obligation applies whether or not the township itself regulates the rental, so it is one piece of compliance an STR host here cannot skip.
State use tax on lodging and ordinary income-tax reporting can apply on top of the county tax. Because rates and filing rules change, confirm the full picture with the County Treasurer and a tax professional before your first booking rather than after.
What Building and Zoning Permits Will a Rental Project Need?
Building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and zoning permits for Ross Township are issued by Associated Government Services (AGS), the firm the township contracts as its building and zoning department, reachable at 269-629-0600.[5][7] There is no STR permit to file, but the work behind a rental often still triggers AGS review. A zoning permit is required before a structure is built, enlarged, or its use changed, and any renovation, added bedroom, finished basement, or new deck carries its own building and trade permits.[7][8] AGS posts separate residential electrical, mechanical, and plumbing applications, so a typical cottage upgrade can involve several forms at once.
If a project changes the use of a building or needs relief from a zoning standard such as a setback, it moves beyond a routine permit into Planning Commission or Zoning Board of Appeals territory, where township fees apply: a ZBA variance hearing is $1,000 and a rezoning is $2,000.[6] Confirm with AGS which approvals your specific plan needs before you close, because catching it early is far cheaper than unwinding unpermitted work later.
What Operating Rules Apply to Short-Term Rental Guests?
Even without an STR ordinance, several township rules reach rental guests directly. The Anti-Noise Ordinance No. 237, revised in 2024, governs excessive noise and applies to a rental’s occupants exactly as it does to any resident, and repeated noise complaints are the most common trigger for township enforcement against a problem rental.[9] The published Anti-Noise Ordinance is a scanned image rather than searchable text, so specific quiet-hour windows and limits cannot be quoted here; an operator should obtain the full ordinance from the township and build clear quiet hours into the house rules.[9] Open burning and fire-pit use are regulated by the township’s Burning Ordinance, and Ross Township has also adopted a uniform fire code, both of which matter for guests using a lakeside fire ring.[14][17]
Two practical realities shape guest conduct here. Much of the township fronts Gull Lake and Sherman Lake, so boating, dock use, and shoreline noise are part of the experience and part of the complaint risk, and the township is rural by design with residents who value quiet. A written house manual covering quiet hours, boat and dock etiquette, parking, and fire-pit rules is the cheapest insurance against the nuisance complaint that puts a property on the township’s radar.
Where Are Long-Term Rentals Allowed in Ross Township?
Long-term rentals are broadly allowed across Ross Township’s residential districts. A home leased for 30 days or more houses a household of permanent residents, which fits the Zoning Ordinance’s definition of a ‘dwelling unit’ as a building with living, cooking, and sanitary facilities for one family of permanent residents, so a leased single-family house is the same permitted use as an owner-occupied one in the AG Agricultural Preservation, R-R Rural Residential, and R-1 through R-3 Residential districts.[3] Two-family and multiple-family dwellings are permitted in the higher-density residential districts, and the R-4 district provides for mobile home parks.[3] No special township zoning approval is needed to lease a conforming home to a long-term tenant.
Because the township uses permissive zoning, it is still worth confirming a specific parcel’s district before relying on a particular use, especially for anything unusual such as an accessory apartment or a non-conforming lakeshore lot, where the answer is parcel-specific. Check the district on the township zoning map[10] and ask AGS about anything that is not a straightforward single-family lease.
Do Landlords Have to Register or License a Rental?
No. Ross Township does not require landlords to register, license, or permit a long-term rental, and it runs no rental-inspection program.[4] There is no township rental form to file and no annual rental fee on either township fee schedule.[6] This is the opposite of the City of Kalamazoo’s model, where rentals must be registered and inspected; those city rules stop at the city limits and do not extend to Ross Township, although out-of-area investors sometimes assume otherwise.
The obligations that do remain are not rental-specific. A zoning permit from AGS is required before a building’s use is changed or living space is added, and renovation work needs building and trade permits.[7][8] A standard house-for-lease arrangement with no construction and no change of use needs none of that.
What Are the Fees and Penalties for Long-Term Rentals?
Ross Township charges no long-term-rental registration fee, because there is no registration program.[4][6] The only township-side costs a landlord can meet are situational: a zoning permit fee for a change of use, building and trade permit fees through AGS for renovations, and Planning Commission or ZBA fees if a project needs a special land use, a variance, or a rezoning, which run $700, $1,000, and $2,000 respectively on the township fee schedule.[6] A landlord simply leasing a conforming home pays none of these.
Penalties enter the picture only when something is done without approval or a rental generates complaints. A zoning violation, such as an illegal conversion or an unpermitted use, is enforced as a municipal civil infraction under the Zoning Ordinance, and a rental whose occupants generate repeated noise or nuisance complaints can be cited under the Anti-Noise Ordinance.[3][9] Both are complaint-driven, so a well-managed rental rarely encounters either.
Are Rental Inspections or Safety Requirements Imposed?
Ross Township does not inspect long-term rentals; there is no local rental-inspection cycle.[4] Safety oversight comes from two other places instead. First, any renovation, repair, or change of use triggers the Michigan building code, which AGS enforces through its permit and inspection process, and AGS inspections confirm code-required smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms whenever permitted work is done.[7][8] Ross Township has also adopted a uniform fire code, which sets the baseline fire-safety standards a building must meet.[17]
Second, many township properties rely on an on-site septic system, which the Kalamazoo County Health Department regulates through a county permit and an evaluation for new and replacement systems.[12] Other areas near Gull Lake and Sherman Lake are served by township public sewer under Sewage Disposal System Ordinance No. 179, which makes connection mandatory within a served district.[18] Confirm which system serves a specific parcel, since it affects both maintenance cost and what a sale-time inspection will look for.
What Tenant Rights and Eviction Rules Apply?
Long-term tenancies in Ross Township are governed by Michigan landlord-tenant law, not by a township code.[15] Michigan caps a residential security deposit at one and a half months’ rent, requires a landlord to return or account for that deposit within 30 days of the tenancy ending, and requires the formal court process, never a self-help lockout or utility shutoff, to remove a tenant.[15] The state Truth in Renting Act also limits what a residential lease may contain. These rules apply to every rental in the township regardless of the absence of any local registration.
Eviction and landlord-tenant disputes for property in Ross Township are filed in the Kalamazoo County district court.[16] For plain-language explanations of notices, deadlines, and the forms involved, both tenants and landlords can use Michigan Legal Help, the statewide self-help service, which publishes do-it-yourself tools for the entire process.[15]
Special Regulations
Ross Township’s identity is tied to its water and its sightlines, and two layers of zoning reflect that. Lakefront rental owners on Gull Lake and Sherman Lake should understand how the waterfront and viewshed rules can shape a property before they plan improvements.
How Do the Waterfront and Viewshed Rules Affect a Lakefront Rental?
Lakefront parcels in Ross Township carry an extra layer of zoning that inland parcels do not. The Zoning Ordinance includes waterfront overlay regulations that apply to property along the township’s lakes, and in 2024 the township adopted Ordinance No. 241, a viewshed ordinance, to protect open sightlines toward the water.[3][13] In practice these rules govern construction and site design near the shoreline, things like setbacks from the water, the height and placement of structures, and the treatment of shoreline vegetation, rather than whether a home may be rented.
For a rental investor the point is timing: these overlays can shape, delay, or limit a planned addition, deck, boathouse, or accessory structure on a waterfront lot, so they belong in the diligence before a purchase, not after. Because the specific standards are parcel-dependent, confirm how the waterfront overlay and the viewshed ordinance apply to a particular shoreline property with AGS before you budget for improvements.
Official Resources
Property Tax Treatment
Explore Rental Guides — Kalamazoo County
Every municipality in Kalamazoo County. Click any to view its rental guide — or request one if it’s not yet live. View the Kalamazoo County hub →
- Alamo TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- AugustaVillageSTR Status Unverified
- Brady TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Charleston TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- ClimaxVillageSTRs Allowed
- Climax TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Comstock Charter TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Cooper Charter TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- GalesburgCitySTR Status Unverified
- KalamazooCitySTRs Capped/Limited
- Kalamazoo Charter TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Oshtemo Charter TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- ParchmentCitySTR Status Unverified
- Pavilion TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- PortageCitySTRs Allowed
- Prairie Ronde TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- RichlandVillageSTR Status Unverified
- Richland TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Ross TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- SchoolcraftVillageSTR Status Unverified
- Schoolcraft TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- Texas Charter TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
- VicksburgVillageSTR Status Unverified
- Wakeshma TownshipTownshipSTR Status Unverified
Buying or investing in a Ross Township rental?
From Gull Lake and Sherman Lake waterfront to long-term homes near Augusta and Richland, I help investors and owners read the zoning, the permits, and the numbers before they commit. Let's talk through your specific property.
Sources & Downloads
-
1Ross Township: Official Website https://rosstownshipmi.gov/Township homepage; confirms Ross Township is in northeastern Kalamazoo County, plus office phone, hours, and contact details.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
2Ross Township: About https://rosstownshipmi.gov/about/Establishes the township's geography (about 36 square miles), 1839 founding, Village of Augusta and Yorkville, Gull and Sherman lakes, and rural character.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
3Ross Township Zoning Ordinance No. 92, consolidated through Ordinance No. 242 (August 6, 2025) https://rosstownshipmi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ZO-through-Ord-242-August-6-2025.pdfPrimary land-use document. Defines dwelling, dwelling unit, and family (the family definition excludes transitory, temporary, or resort-seasonal occupancy); lists the 10 zoning districts; allows hotels and motels only as special land uses in the C-1 and C-2 commercial districts; contains no short-term or vacation rental provision.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
4Ross Township: Ordinances Page https://rosstownshipmi.gov/ordinances/Index of every township ordinance; confirms no short-term, vacation, or long-term rental registration ordinance exists.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
5Ross Township: Building Permits, Applications and Forms https://rosstownshipmi.gov/forms/Township forms page; lists rezoning, special exception, variance, site plan, and land division applications, includes no rental application, and directs building and zoning questions to AGS.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
6Ross Township Planning Commission and ZBA Fee Schedule https://rosstownshipmi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/fee-schedule.pdfLists application fees: special exception $700, site plan review $400, ZBA variance hearing $1,000, rezoning $2,000. Contains no rental-registration fee.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
7Associated Government Services (AGS): Ross Township https://agsbuildingdept.weebly.com/ross-township.htmlConfirms AGS is the contracted building and zoning department for Ross Township, reachable at 269-629-0600.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
8AGS: Permits and Applications https://agsbuildingdept.weebly.com/permits–applications.htmlSource for Ross Township building, zoning, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permit applications.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
9Ross Township Anti-Noise Ordinance No. 237 (2024 Revised) https://rosstownshipmi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-Revised-Anti-Noise-Ordinance-No.-237-1.pdfTownship noise and nuisance ordinance relevant to rental guests. Published as a scanned image; specific quiet-hour limits are not machine-readable.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
10Ross Township Zoning Map https://agsbuildingdept.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/7/8/137806799/ross_zoning_maplinks.pdfOfficial township zoning map showing district boundaries and lakes.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
11Kalamazoo County: Short-Term Rentals, Setting Up Accommodation Tax https://www.kalcounty.gov/1355/Short-Term-Rentals—Setting-Up-AccommodCounty guidance confirming the Accommodation Tax Ordinance applies to all STR properties countywide and that booking platforms do not automatically remit the county tax.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
12Kalamazoo County: Sewage Treatment (On-Site Septic) https://www.kalcounty.gov/295/Sewage-TreatmentCounty Environmental Health on-site septic program; county permit and evaluation required for new and replacement systems.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
13Ross Township Ordinance No. 241: Viewshed Ordinance https://rosstownshipmi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Zoning-Ordinance-241-Viewshed.pdf2024 zoning amendment establishing viewshed protection regulations for sightlines toward the water.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
14Ross Township Burning Ordinance https://rosstownshipmi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Burning20Ordinance-for20website.pdfTownship ordinance regulating open burning and fire-pit use.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
15Michigan Legal Help: Housing https://michiganlegalhelp.org/resources/housingStatewide self-help resource covering Michigan security-deposit limits, the Truth in Renting Act, and the eviction process.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
16Kalamazoo County: District Court https://www.kalcounty.gov/161/District-CourtThe Kalamazoo County district court that hears eviction and landlord-tenant cases for Ross Township.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
17Ross Township Ordinance No. 230: Uniform Fire Code https://rosstownshipmi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Ord-230-Uniform-Fire-Code.pdfTownship ordinance adopting a uniform fire code as the baseline fire-safety standard.Verified: 2026-05-21
-
18Ross Township Sewage Disposal System Ordinance No. 179 https://rosstownshipmi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ORDINANCE-179-EFFECTIVE-SEPT-2008-SEWAGE-ORDINANCE-RATES-USE-REGULATIONS-MANDATORY-CONNECTION-ENFORCEMENT.pdfTownship sewage disposal ordinance covering rates, use regulations, and mandatory connection within served sewer districts.Verified: 2026-05-21