Constantine

Constantine has no STR-specific zoning carve-out. Ordinance 256 governs rental of any housing unit not occupied by the owner, regardless of stay length, so a nightly rental is treated like any other rental and must be registered as a HUNOO before it is leased or occupied for remuneration.^[3]

District-by-district permissions for residential and mixed-use districts are set by the Village zoning ordinance, which is codified in MunicodeNEXT. Before listing a property for short-term use, confirm the parcel’s zoning district at the zoning map and verify with the Rental Official that the use is allowed and that any short-term occupancy is captured under the registration.

Download the Application for Registration of Rental Property, complete one form per rental address or unit, sign it, and return it with the application fee to the Village Office at 115 White Pigeon Street.^[5] First-time registrants also schedule an initial building-code inspection through the Rental Official.^[3]

Registrations run on an August 1 cycle: every existing HUNOO must renew before August 1 each year, and the Rental Official mails renewal applications at least 30 days before expiration.^[3] A change of ownership voids the prior registration and the new owner must immediately submit a fresh application.^[3]

Annual registration is $25 per unit for buildings of 1–3 units and $15 per unit starting at the 4th unit.^[4] The initial inspection fee is $50 per unit (1–3 units) or $35 per unit (4+).^[4] Re-inspection for non-compliance is $40 per unit and rises to $100 per unit on the second re-inspection; missed inspection visits are billed as no-shows at $50 per unit (first occurrence) or $100 per unit (second).^[4] Failure to register an active rental is $100 per unit, and reinstating a suspended certificate is $25 per unit.^[4]

Operating without registration, refusing inspection, or failing to pay an inspection invoice within 30 days is a municipal civil infraction. Penalties scale on a three-year rolling basis: $75–$500 for a first offense, $150–$500 for a second, $325–$500 for a third, and a flat $500 for a fourth or later offense, plus costs.^[3]

Every newly-registered rental gets an initial building-code inspection in consultation with the State Building Official, and follow-up inspections run on a two-year cycle prior to each August 1.^[3] A unit that has been off the registry for a year or more is treated as a first-time registrant on return and must pass a fresh initial inspection.^[3]

The Village’s published checklist covers: visible address numbers, working porch lights, smoke detectors in every sleeping room and outside each sleeping area on every floor, a charged ABC-class fire extinguisher between kitchen and exit, carbon-monoxide detectors outside sleeping rooms in units with any fuel-burning appliance, GFCI outlets within six feet of sinks or in garages/basements/exterior locations, 36 inches of clearance around furnace, water heater and electrical panel, egress windows in any basement sleeping area, and the ability to maintain 68°F using the centralized heat (space heaters cannot be the main source).^[6]

Maximum occupancy is whatever the State building code and Village zoning allow for the unit’s bedroom count and floor plan; owners affirm on the registration application that they will not allow more tenants than that.^[7] The Housing Law of Michigan (MCL 125.401 et seq., MCL 125.539 et seq.) sets the minimum habitability floor and is adopted into Ordinance 256 by reference.^[3]

Tenants of any HUNOO are personally liable for any “unusual, abnormal, hazardous, malicious or neglectful” conduct on the premises that makes the unit uninhabitable or creates a neighborhood nuisance, regardless of what the lease says.^[3] This is the village’s primary lever for behavior issues at short-term and party-style rentals.

Owners or tenants who disagree with any decision of the Rental Official or its enforcing agency can appeal in writing to the Village Construction Board of Appeals within 10 days of the action.^[3] Filing an appeal temporarily stays a notice of violation until the board rules; the board can affirm, reverse, or modify the original order.^[3]

Appeals are filed at Village Hall during posted office hours; police and rental matters share the 115 White Pigeon Street office.^[1]