Fabius Township

Short-term rentals are allowed in any zoning district that permits single-family dwellings.^[2] The township has not zoned STRs out of any residential area, but every STR must satisfy a 1,000-foot minimum distance between property lines and the township-wide 40-permit cap.^[2] STRs operating before the ordinance took effect that fall inside the 1,000-foot buffer were grandfathered, but that nonconforming status terminates when the property is sold or changes ownership.^[2]

For parcel-level verification, use the township’s current zoning map together with the St. Joseph County FetchGIS parcel viewer to identify the underlying zoning district before you make an offer.

STR owners apply directly to Fabius Township on a paper application provided by the clerk and renew annually by January 1.^[2] The application requires owner name and address, property address, number of bedrooms, off-street parking spaces, proposed maximum occupants, intended rental dates, the rental agreement, proof of ownership, $1 million liability insurance, and a St. Joseph County Health Department well and septic inspection certificate.^[2] If the owner does not reside within 20 miles of the property, a named local agent who can respond on-site within 30 minutes is mandatory.^[2]

Applications and the current ordinance live in the township’s Short Term Rental Google Drive folder linked from the main site navigation. The clerk’s office at the township hall is the submission point.

The annual STR administrative fee is set by resolution of the Township Board; the ordinance itself does not fix a dollar amount, so confirm the current fee with the clerk before you apply.^[2] The published fee schedule on the township website lists zoning and land-division fees but does not currently list the STR administrative fee as a separate line item.^[5]

Penalties are spelled out in the ordinance: each violation is a municipal civil infraction with a $500 civil fine, plus costs of $10–$500.^[2] Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.^[2] Owners who advertise or operate without registering also owe a $100-per-month late application fee for every month the application is overdue.^[2]

Every registered STR must consent to a yearly inspection of the dwelling by the Building Official, Zoning Administrator, or law enforcement, plus inspection on any complaint registered with the township.^[2] Inspections follow the International Property Maintenance Code and the State Construction Code.^[2]

Required life-safety equipment: operational smoke detectors in each bedroom and one on each floor near the bedrooms, plus at least one approved carbon monoxide detector per floor.^[2] Smoke and CO devices must be tested at least every 90 days, and a written test log must be available on request.^[2] In any area without public sanitary sewer, the owner must pay for and pass an annual septic inspection by the St. Joseph County Health Department; portable bathrooms are explicitly prohibited.^[2][6]

Maximum occupancy is two adults per bedroom plus two additional occupants per finished story; children under 24 months and people with documented medical-supervision needs do not count toward the limit.^[2] A basement is not counted as a story.^[2] Daytime guests (sunrise to sunset only) may bring the total on-site count up to 1.5 times the overnight occupancy cap, rounded up.^[2]

Quiet hours run from 10:30 PM to 7:00 AM and must be included in the rental agreement.^[2] Parking is allowed only in approved off-street spaces; no parking in grassy areas, public or private roads, or road rights-of-way.^[2] Two exterior noise-monitoring devices on opposite corners of the dwelling are mandatory and must alert the owner whenever sound exceeds 70 dB.^[2] Campfires are restricted to designated fire pits, must be attended, and must comply with state burn bans and Fabius–Park Fire Department rules.^[2]

If the owner does not live within 20 miles of the rental, the owner must name a local agent on the registration application.^[2] The owner, local agent, or a designee must be on-site within 30 minutes of any call from the township or law enforcement about an issue at the property, and must hold keys to all buildings on the property with authority to make decisions on the spot.^[2]

A clearly legible exterior sign at or near the main entrance must display the current contact phone number; the sign may not exceed 24 by 30 inches and may not advertise the home as a short-term rental.^[2] Street-address numbers at least 3 inches tall must be visible from the road.^[2]

No more than 40 short-term rentals are allowed in Fabius Township at one time, and every STR must be at least 1,000 feet from any other STR (property line to property line).^[2] STRs that already operated closer than 1,000 feet before the ordinance may continue, but the nonconforming status ends when the property is sold or changes ownership; new owners must re-apply, and an STR registration is not transferable on sale.^[2]

The township may revoke a registration after three separate incidents within a calendar year resulting in a violation finding by the owner or any renter.^[2] The Building Official, Zoning Administrator, or designee may issue an emergency suspension for any single offense that is life-threatening or causes serious injury.^[2] After revocation, the dwelling cannot be re-registered as an STR for one year; three suspensions within five years triggers a permanent revocation for that property.^[2]