Weesaw Township

13518 State Street, PO Box 38, New Troy, MI 49119

Directions

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Township Website

www.weesawtownship.net

Area Overview

Weesaw Township is a rural inland township in southwest Berrien County, encompassing the unincorporated communities of New Troy and Glendora. Housing stock is predominantly single-family homes on larger parcels, with agricultural zoning covering much of the township's land area. The township sits roughly 10 miles inland from Lake Michigan and is not part of the Harbor Country beach market, but does see some vacation-rental demand from visitors staying outside the premium lakefront zones.

As of April 2026, Weesaw Township does NOT have an adopted short-term rental ordinance on the books. The Planning Commission has drafted a comprehensive STR ordinance and companion zoning amendment (working text through 07/25/2025) ^[1]^[2] that remain under attorney review as of the 02/23/2026 Planning Commission meeting ^[3]. Investors should read the draft text carefully, verify adoption status directly with the Zoning Administrator, and monitor Board packets for the final effective date.

Long-term rentals are not subject to any local registration ordinance — Michigan state landlord-tenant law applies, along with the underlying 2016 Zoning Ordinance ^[4].

Quick Status Summary

Short-Term Rentals PENDING

No adopted STR ordinance as of April 2026. A comprehensive draft (50-permit cap, 29-night max, 200-ft isolation radius, local-agent-within-20-miles) is in attorney review. Until adoption, STR activity falls under whatever use is permitted by the underlying 2016 Zoning Ordinance — verify parcel-by-parcel with the Zoning Administrator.

Long-Term Rentals ALLOWED

No local rental registration or license required. Long-term rentals are governed by the underlying 2016 Zoning Ordinance (residential dwelling use) and Michigan state landlord-tenant law.

Rental Regulations

1 Where STRs Are Allowed (Zoning)

There is no adopted township STR ordinance today. Until the Planning Commission’s draft is formally adopted by the Township Board, whether a specific parcel can be used as a short-term rental depends on the 2016 Zoning Ordinance ^[4] and the parcel’s zoning district.

The draft STR Zoning Amendment (working text through 07/25/2025) ^[2] would add Short-Term Rental as a permitted use in six sections of the zoning ordinance — sections 4.2, 5.2, 6.2, 7.2, 7A.2, and 8.2 — subject to the companion STR General Law Ordinance. If adopted as drafted, STRs would be broadly permitted across residential and agricultural districts, still subject to the ordinance’s cap and operating standards.

For any specific property: confirm the parcel’s current zoning district on the 2010 Zoning Map ^[5], then ask the Zoning Administrator (Robert Krauss) whether STR use is currently permitted there.

Click to open the Zoning Map PDF (1/20/2010 edition).

🗺 Zoning Map (PDF)📄 Zoning Ordinance (PDF)📧 Ask Zoning Admin

2 Draft Ordinance Status & Adoption Timeline

Here’s where the STR regulatory effort stood on the most recent publicly available record.

07/25/2025: Planning Commission finalized the clean-copy text for both the STR General Law Ordinance ^[1] and the STR Zoning Amendment ^[2]. The working drafts leave the Ordinance number and Effective Date blank, pending Board action.
02/23/2026: Planning Commission meeting minutes note: “Discussion around attorney questions with upcoming ordinances. Clarification was made to make sure that new ordinances are enforceable” ^[3]. The STR ordinance had not yet been sent to the Township Board for adoption as of that meeting.
As of April 21, 2026: No Township Board adoption record is publicly posted. Do not assume the ordinance is in force.

⚠ Investor takeaway: The regulatory picture here is actively moving. An investor closing on a potential STR property in Weesaw Township should (1) read the draft ordinance terms below, (2) call the Zoning Administrator to confirm current adoption status, and (3) build underwriting around the possibility that a 50-permit cap with 200-ft isolation radius will be in force before the property is rent-ready.

📄 Draft STR Ordinance (PDF)📄 Draft STR Zoning Amendment (PDF)📞 Call Zoning Admin

3 Draft Terms: Permit Cap, Isolation, Occupancy

If the draft STR General Law Ordinance ^[1] is adopted as written, these would be the core operating limits. These are draft terms — not yet in force.

Township-wide permit cap50 active licenses

Maximum rental term29 consecutive nights

Isolation radius200 ft between STR properties

Maximum occupancy16 occupants (or IPMC limit, whichever is less)

Minimum off-street parking2 spaces (up to 6 occupants), +1 per 3 additional

Owner / local agent responseMust be physically on-site within 30 minutes

Accessory buildingsProhibited for STR use

Primary residencesOwner-occupied >50% of year counts toward ordinance compliance but does NOT count toward the 50-permit cap

Source: draft STR General Law Ordinance, Sections 4-5 ^[1].

4 Draft Registration & Fees

Under the draft ordinance ^[1], STR registration would be annual and renewed each calendar year. The draft requires owners to submit a form to the Township with the following information:

Owner name, address, phone (plus local agent info if owner lives more than 20 miles from the property)
Street address and permanent parcel number (PPN) of the dwelling
Number of bedrooms and floor-plan locations
Number of off-street parking spaces with a drawing
Maximum occupancy the owner intends to rent to
Expected rental dates / months
Copy of the rental agreement
Certifications: working smoke alarm per bedroom, working CO detector per floor, 90-day testing, consent to Township inspections

Annual STR administrative feeTBD — set by Township Board resolution after adoption

Zoning application (for related work)$50 ($100 review) ^[6]

Special Land Use (escrow)$500 ^[6]

No adopted STR fee yet. The draft ordinance says “The owner shall pay an annual administrative fee, the amount of which shall be established by resolution of the Township Board.” That resolution has not been published.

📄 Zoning Fee Schedule (2021)📝 Zoning Application

5 Violations & Revocation (Draft)

Under the draft ordinance ^[1], any violation of the STR rules is a municipal civil infraction. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate violation.

The Township may revoke a registration if the property is the site of at least two separate incidents on two separate days within a calendar year resulting in a plea or finding of responsibility for:

Any provision of the STR ordinance,
Any other Township ordinance (including the zoning ordinance), or
Any other local, state, or federal law/regulation.

Revocation triggers a 14-day notice-and-hearing before the Township Board. Owners may raise extenuating circumstances (act of God, non-renter actor whose conduct the owner could not reasonably prevent, etc.). Upon revocation, the dwelling cannot be re-registered for one year.

📄 Draft STR Ordinance §6 (PDF)📞 Zoning Admin

1 Where LTRs Are Allowed (Zoning)

Long-term rentals (31+ day leases) are permitted wherever the 2016 Zoning Ordinance allows residential dwelling use. Weesaw Township does not impose a separate rental registration or license for long-term rentals ^[4].

For commercial, agricultural, or mixed-use-zoned properties, confirm that residential dwelling use is permitted by right (or grandfathered) for the parcel before relying on LTR income — start with the zoning map, then confirm with the Zoning Administrator.

Click to open the Zoning Map PDF (1/20/2010 edition).

🗺 Zoning Map (PDF)📄 Zoning Ordinance (PDF)📧 Ask Zoning Admin

2 Registration & Permits

Weesaw Township does not require an LTR license or registration. There is no paper form, no online portal, and no annual renewal for long-term rentals in the township.

What you do need in most cases:

Zoning application (Zoning App rev. 6/27/2024) — required before fencing, any restorations, any reroofing, or any new buildings on the property ^[7].
State of Michigan LARA building permit — Weesaw Township does not handle building permits; they go through the State’s Bureau of Construction Codes ^[8].
Berrien County driveway permit — required before requesting a new house number ^[7].

LTR registration feeN/A (no local registration required)

Zoning application fee$50 ($100 review) ^[6]

📝 Zoning Application 📋 State Building Permit 🚗 County Driveway Permit

3 Safety Requirements & Property Standards

Weesaw Township does not impose a local rental-inspection regime for long-term rentals. Properties still must comply with:

Michigan state building and property maintenance code — enforced by the State’s Bureau of Construction Codes (LARA) ^[8].
Berrien County Environmental Health — on-site septic and private well inspections ^[9]. If the property is on septic, request recent inspection records before closing.
Smoke alarms and CO detectors — required statewide in rental dwellings under the Michigan Residential Code.

🏥 County On-Site Septic 🏗 State Building Code

4 Tenant Rights & Eviction Resources

Michigan landlord-tenant relationships are governed by state law (MCL 554.601 et seq.) and the state summary-proceedings act for evictions. The State Bar of Michigan publishes a free Practical Guide for Tenants and Landlords covering leases, security deposits, repairs, and the eviction process ^[10]. These rules apply in Weesaw Township and are not modified by any local ordinance.

📄 MI Tenant/Landlord Guide (PDF)

Official Resources

Ordinances

Draft STR General Law Ordinance

Planning Commission clean copy through 07/25/2025 — NOT yet adopted

Draft STR Zoning Amendment

Planning Commission draft — NOT yet adopted

Zoning Ordinance (4/20/2016)

Current governing zoning ordinance

Long-range planning document

Master Plan 2024

Truck restrictions on township roads

No-Thru Truck Ordinance

Forms & Applications

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Zoning Fee Schedule (2021)

Application and escrow fees

Rev. 6/27/2024 — first step for any land-use work

Zoning Application

Special Land Use Application

For SLU-requiring uses

House Number Request Form

Requires County driveway permit first

Electrical Permit Application (2013)

Fillable PDF

Maps

Zoning Map (1/20/2010)

Current zoning districts

Parcels, utilities, sewer, tax info

Berrien County GIS

Portals & Lookups

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Township Permit Payment Portal

Pay zoning and permit fees online

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Michigan LARA Building Permits

State handles building permits for Weesaw

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Berrien County Driveway Permit

Required before house number requests

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Berrien County On-Site Septic

Septic system permits and inspections

Contact & Directions

Zoning Admin — Robert Krauss

269-999-6366

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Zoning / Building Email

weesawtwpcode@outlook.com

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Clerk Email

weesawtownship@comcast.net