Bloomingdale

bdalevil@bloomingdalecom.net

109 E Kalamazoo Street, Bloomingdale, MI 49026

Directions

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Village of Bloomingdale (county-hosted page)

vanburencountymi.gov/government/municipalities/villages/village-of-bloomingdale

Area Overview

Bloomingdale is a small village of roughly 513 residents ^[1] in northeastern Van Buren County, surrounded by Bloomingdale Township. The village sits along the CSX rail line and the historic Kal-Haven Trail corridor, about 25 miles northwest of Kalamazoo. Housing is primarily owner-occupied single-family stock with a modest pool of long-term rentals; short-term rental activity in the village proper is limited.

The Village of Bloomingdale has not adopted its own short-term or long-term rental ordinance ^[3]. That does not leave short-term rentals unregulated. An incorporated village in Michigan remains part of the township around it, so township ordinances apply inside village limits unless the village passes its own rule on the same subject. Bloomingdale Township’s Short-Term Rental Ordinance 139 5-25, adopted in May 2025 and effective June 30, 2025, governs every dwelling rented for fewer than 30 nights anywhere within the township ^[2], and the Village of Bloomingdale sits entirely within Bloomingdale Township ^[1]. The practical result is that a short-term rental at a Bloomingdale address needs the township’s $100 annual STR certificate. Long-term rentals are not separately licensed by either the village or the township ^[3].

Quick Status Summary

Short-Term Rentals ALLOWED

Short-term rentals at a Bloomingdale address are allowed, but they must be registered first. The Village has not adopted its own STR ordinance ^[3], and because an incorporated village remains part of its township under Michigan law, Bloomingdale Township’s Short-Term Rental Ordinance 139 5-25 ^[2] governs village parcels. Any dwelling rented for fewer than 30 nights needs the township’s $100 annual STR certificate, a 24-hour caretaker located within 30 minutes of the property, and must meet the operating standards in Section 4. Apply through the Township Ordinance Enforcement Officer, because the small Village office does not issue STR certificates ^[3].

Long-Term Rentals ALLOWED

Long-term rentals (31+ day leases) are permitted in the Village of Bloomingdale. No village-level rental registration, inspection, or licensing program is currently published ^[3]. Standard Michigan landlord-tenant law (MCL 554.601 et seq.) and the state summary-proceedings act for evictions apply; building permits and inspections route through the village’s contracted inspectors.

Rental Regulations

1 Where STRs Are Allowed (Zoning)

Short-term rentals are allowed at any Bloomingdale address, with no zoning district that bans them. Bloomingdale Township has not adopted a zoning ordinance at all, and the Village of Bloomingdale has not adopted its own STR ordinance ^[3]. What governs an STR here is Township Short-Term Rental Ordinance 139 5-25, which applies to any dwelling rented for fewer than 30 nights anywhere within Bloomingdale Township ^[2].

That ordinance reaches village parcels too. An incorporated Michigan village stays part of the township around it, so a property inside the Village of Bloomingdale is also inside Bloomingdale Township ^[1], and Ordinance 139 covers it. There is no separate zoning approval step for an STR, but the township certificate covered in the next section is mandatory, and the property must also comply with the township’s other ordinances, including anti-blight.

One forward-looking note: the Village Council meets monthly (third Tuesday at 7:00 PM) and could layer its own STR rules on top of the township ordinance later, so confirm there have been no village-level changes before a long hold ^[3]. Use the county parcel viewer to pin down a property’s exact location:

📄 Township STR Ordinance 139 5-25 🗺 Van Buren County Parcel Viewer 📧 Ask Village Trustees

2 Registration & Permit Process

Apply by paper application to the Bloomingdale Township Ordinance Enforcement Officer. The Village of Bloomingdale does not run its own STR registration program, so a Bloomingdale short-term rental is registered through Bloomingdale Township under Ordinance 139 5-25. The township STR certificate must be in hand before any dwelling is rented for fewer than 30 nights, and the Enforcement Officer issues it within 30 days of a complete application ^[2].

Where to applyPaper STR application to the Bloomingdale Township Ordinance Enforcement Officer ^[4]

Annual fee$100 per certificate, per year ^[2]

Certificate term1 year, and it voids automatically when the property sells ^[2]

Decision time30 days from a complete application ^[2]

Village officeDoes not issue STR certificates; useful only to confirm no new village rule (Wed 9-12, Thu 1-3) ^[3]

For investors: The township certificate is non-transferable and is voided automatically when the property sells ^[2]. A buyer cannot inherit the seller’s certificate and must reapply before resuming rental.

📄 Township STR Application (PDF)📄 Township STR Registration Form (PDF)📋 All Township Permit Applications

3 Fees & Penalties

$100.00 per year for the township STR certificate, paid to Bloomingdale Township ^[2]. Because the township ordinance is what governs a Bloomingdale STR, these are the fees and penalties that actually apply to a village property, not just a nearby benchmark.

STR certificate (annual)$100 ^[2]

Violation fineUp to $500 per day, as a civil infraction ^[2]

Fraudulent complaint penaltySame fine schedule applies ^[2]

Building / inspection feesPer the Bloomingdale Township fee schedule, which the village’s contracted inspectors also use ^[5]

Each day a violation continues counts as a separate civil infraction under the township ordinance ^[2].

📄 Township STR Ordinance (PDF)📄 Building & Inspection Fee Schedule (PDF)

4 Operating Rules (Quiet Hours, Trash, Caretaker)

Ordinance 139 5-25 sets the day-to-day rules every Bloomingdale STR has to follow ^[2]:

Quiet hours: 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM, every day.
24-hour caretaker contact: the owner or a designated caretaker must be reachable by phone at all times and physically located within a 30-minute travel distance of the property. Issues of immediate concern (noise, septic, quiet-hour violations) must be resolved within 2 hours of notification; non-immediate issues within 2 business days.
Trash: stored in containers with tight-fitting lids and picked up by a licensed waste hauler. Garbage may not be burned, and township blight rules apply.
Campfires: inside a fire ring, at least 10 feet from any structure or property line, supervised by an adult, and fully extinguished before leaving.
Advertising: the township-issued certificate number must appear in every advertisement, the street address must be visible from the road, and emergency-contact signage must be posted on site.
No multi-family STRs: a multiple-family dwelling cannot be operated as an STR. The rental must be a single-family dwelling, or one portion of a dwelling with the emergency contact on site.

📄 Full Township STR Ordinance (PDF)📄 Anti-Blight Ordinance 122

5 Inspections & Safety Requirements

Ordinance 139 5-25 lets the Township Ordinance Enforcement Officer inspect any Bloomingdale STR to confirm compliance, by consent of the person in possession or under an administrative search warrant ^[2]. Every STR dwelling must also meet the International Property Maintenance Code, which the township adopted by reference as Ordinance 133 ^[6].

Construction work on the property (building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing) runs through the Village of Bloomingdale’s contracted inspectors, on paper applications ^[3]:

Building & Electrical InspectorArtie Wilcox / Southwest Inspections, (269) 998-4458 ^[3]

Mechanical InspectorWalter DeVisser Jr., (269) 214-6696 ^[3]

Plumbing InspectorFred Ristow, (269) 249-8061 ^[3]

📄 Building Permit Application (PDF)📄 Electrical Permit Application (PDF)📄 IPMC Ordinance 133

1 Where LTRs Are Allowed (Zoning)

Long-term rentals (31+ day leases) are allowed throughout the Village of Bloomingdale in any district that permits residential dwelling use, with no village-level licensing or registration program currently published ^[3]. The village’s small footprint (about half a square mile) is predominantly low-density residential.

Where verification matters: The Village does not maintain a stand-alone published zoning map. For any specific parcel, confirm zoning district and permitted use with the Village Clerk before relying on this guide, and use the county parcel viewer to verify the parcel sits inside village limits rather than in the surrounding township.

🗺 Van Buren County Parcel Viewer 📧 Ask Village Trustees 📞 Village Office (269) 521-3222

2 Registration & Permit Process

No village-level long-term rental registration, license, or inspection program is currently in place ^[3]. A landlord renting a Village of Bloomingdale property on a 31+ day lease does not need to obtain a rental certificate from the village before placing a tenant.

Compliance still required:

A written lease meeting Michigan’s truth-in-renting requirements (MCL 554.601 et seq.) ^[7].
Working smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors per state code.
Septic systems must be in working order; well water sampling is recommended at point-of-sale (Van Buren/Cass District Health Department permits and inspects) ^[8].
Building permits required for any structural, electrical, mechanical, or plumbing work — see the village’s contracted inspector list under Inspections & Safety Requirements.

📄 MI Tenant/Landlord Practical Guide (PDF)📄 Building Permit Application

3 Inspections & Safety Requirements

Routine rental inspections are not conducted by the Village of Bloomingdale ^[3]. Two situations still trigger inspection:

Construction or renovation: A building, electrical, mechanical, or plumbing permit is required for any work touching those systems. Permits route through the village’s contracted inspectors (see contact list below) and follow the Bloomingdale Township fee schedule ^[5].
Septic / well systems at point-of-sale: The Van Buren / Cass District Health Department permits and inspects on-site septic systems and private wells. A point-of-sale evaluation is the standard way to surface failed or undersized septic before closing ^[8].

Building & ElectricalArtie Wilcox / Southwest Inspections — (269) 998-4458 ^[3]

MechanicalWalter DeVisser Jr. — (269) 214-6696 ^[3]

PlumbingFred Ristow — (269) 249-8061 ^[3]

Septic & WellsVBC District Health Dept — (269) 621-3143 ^[8]

📄 VBCDHD Water & Septic Page 📄 Permit & Inspection Fee Schedule (PDF)

4 Tenant Rights & Eviction Resources

Michigan landlord-tenant relationships in Bloomingdale are governed entirely by state law (MCL 554.601 et seq.) and the summary proceedings act for evictions ^[7]; no village ordinance modifies these rules. The State Bar of Michigan publishes a free Practical Guide for Tenants and Landlords covering leases, security deposits (capped at 1.5x monthly rent), repair-and-deduct, and the eviction process. Most local eviction filings go to the 7th District Court in Paw Paw ^[9].

📄 MI Tenant/Landlord Practical Guide (PDF)⚖ 7th District Court (Van Buren County)

Official Resources

Ordinances

Bloomingdale Township STR Ordinance 139 5-25

Adopted May 2025, effective June 30, 2025. Governs every STR in Bloomingdale Township, village parcels included.

Bloomingdale Township Ordinance Index

Master list of all numbered township ordinances

International Property Maintenance Code (Township Ord. 133)

Adopted by reference — applies to STR dwelling standards

Anti-Blight Ordinance 122

Township blight rules — relevant to nearby village investors

Camper / RV Ordinance 140 5-25

Township rules on RV / camper occupancy

Forms & Applications

Township STR Application Form

PDF — submit to Bloomingdale Township

Township STR Registration Form

PDF — companion registration

Building Permit Application

PDF — Southwest Inspections

Electrical Permit Application

PDF — Southwest Inspections

Mechanical Permit Application

PDF — Walter DeVisser Jr.

Plumbing Permit Application

PDF — Fred Ristow

Permit & Inspection Fee Schedule

PDF — fees used by the village's contracted inspectors

Maps

Van Buren County Parcel Viewer

Parcels, ownership, tax info — confirm village vs. township

Van Buren County Interactive Maps Portal

Parcel history, hydric areas, original land patents

Portals & Lookups

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Van Buren / Cass District Health Department

Septic, wells, beaches, food permits

Contact & Directions

(269) 521-3222 — Wed 9-12, Thu 1-3

Village Office

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Village Trustees Email

bdalevil@bloomingdalecom.net

Building / Electrical Inspector — Artie Wilcox

Southwest Inspections — (269) 998-4458

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Southwest Inspections Email

southwestinspections@gmail.com

Mechanical Inspector — Walter DeVisser Jr.

(269) 214-6696

Plumbing Inspector — Fred Ristow

(269) 249-8061

VBC District Health Department

(269) 621-3143 — septic & well permits