Watervliet Charter Township

Watervliet Charter Township’s Zoning Ordinance No. 77 does not name short-term or transient rental as a permitted use in any residential district ^[3]. The codified zoning is organized by district type (Agricultural, Residential, Commercial, etc.) with the Schedule of District Regulations setting allowed uses and the Supplementary District Regulations adding overlay rules; none of those sections defines “short-term rental” or “transient rental” as a use-by-right, and no stand-alone STR chapter has been adopted as of this verification.

Because the zoning ordinance is silent on STR, the conservative read under Michigan zoning practice is that short-term rental is not expressly permitted by name in Township residential districts. The practical answer for any specific parcel is to request a written zoning opinion from the Zoning Administrator at 269-463-5113 before you buy or list, and to verify the parcel is actually in Watervliet Charter Township (not the City of Watervliet, which has its own rental program and zoning).

Use the Berrien County GIS parcel viewer to confirm Township vs. City jurisdiction and the parcel’s zoning district before listing.

Apply for an annual rental registration and certificate of occupancy at the Watervliet Charter Township Building Department, 4959 M-140, Watervliet, MI 49098 ^[2]. Chapter 343, Ord. No. 75 requires every residential rental property in the Township — including any short-term-let that qualifies as a residential rental — to be registered annually on a form furnished by the Building Department before occupancy. Registration collects owner name/address/phone, local property-manager contact (required if the owner lives outside the Township), property address, unit count/type, and maximum occupancy per unit ^[2].

For STR use specifically, submit a written zoning-opinion request at the same time you file the rental registration. The rental permit alone does not answer the zoning question, and operating an STR without a favorable zoning opinion exposes the owner to enforcement under the Zoning Ordinance if the Township clarifies the rule later.

Annual registration fees, late fees, and reinspection fees for rental properties are set by the Watervliet Charter Township Board in a Schedule of Fees and adjusted from time to time ^[2]. The Building Department publishes the current schedule as a PDF on the Forms page; call 269-463-5113 to confirm the current dollar amount at the time of application, since Chapter 343 § 343-9 authorizes the Board to amend fees without amending the ordinance itself.

Occupying or letting a residential rental for which no annual registration has been filed and no certificate of occupancy issued is itself a violation of § 343-3 and § 343-10, independent of any underlying property-maintenance issue. Tenants, not only owners, can also be cited under § 343-15 if their conduct blocks issuance of a certificate of occupancy.

Every rental unit in the Township must pass an initial compliance inspection by the Township’s code enforcement official before a certificate of occupancy is issued, and the Building Department retains authority to reinspect on complaint or on transfer of ownership ^[2]. Key obligations for any Township rental (short-term or long-term):

• Compliance with Chapter 343 (Rental Registration and Inspection) and the currently adopted Property Maintenance Code ^[2].
• Compliance with Zoning Ordinance No. 77, including setback, accessory-use, and home-occupation rules ^[3].
• Compliance with the Nuisance Ordinance (e.g., junk, noise, unsafe structures) ^[5].
• Michigan Residential Code smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors — verified at initial inspection using the Landlord Inspection Checklist published by the Township ^[6].
• Owners living outside the Township must designate a local property manager (Chapter 343 § 343-3.B).

Non-emergency complaints are routed to the Township Hall at (269) 463-5113 during office hours and to the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office dispatch after hours. Part-time ordinance enforcement is handled by Bob Wallace (ext. 21) ^[1].

Even absent a dedicated Township STR chapter, Michigan-state and Berrien-County-level obligations apply to every short-term rental operator in Watervliet Charter Township:

• 6% State Use Tax on rentals of 30 days or less — collected and remitted to the Michigan Department of Treasury (Airbnb and Vrbo collect automatically for bookings through their platforms; direct bookings are the operator’s responsibility).
• Berrien County 5% Accommodations Excise Tax on transient (<30 day) lodging, administered by the Berrien County Treasurer ^[7].
• Michigan Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) cannot be claimed on a parcel used primarily as an investor STR — file Form 2602 (Request to Rescind PRE) with the Township Assessor when converting from homestead.
• Michigan sales/use tax license via the Department of Treasury if collecting tax directly from guests.
• If the property uses a well or on-site septic, Berrien County Health Department oversight applies at transfer and on complaint ^[8].