Kalamazoo, MI Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

Section 17-15 requires the owner of any hotel, rental dwelling (including single-family rentals and duplexes, per § 17-19A), residential collective, residential cooperative, bed-and-breakfast inn or rooming house to register the property with the City and to designate a responsible local agent under § 17-17. That agent must reside in Kalamazoo County or an approved zip code and is legally responsible for Code compliance and for providing inspection access; City notices served on the agent count as served on the owner. Section 17-16 requires the registration application to be filled out completely on the City's form or it is invalid, and any change to the owner's or agent's information on file makes the registration invalid until a new form is submitted.

Section 17-18 voids any existing registration upon a transfer of ownership; the new owner has 10 days from the transfer to file a fresh registration, and remains responsible for any outstanding compliance order issued to the prior owner. Registration is a prerequisite to legal operation: § 17-19A bars anyone from operating, leasing, renting or allowing occupancy of a covered property without a valid certificate of compliance issued in the agent's name, and § 17-19B bars the City from issuing that certificate unless a current registration is on file, the responsible local agent is properly designated, and an inspection has confirmed the property meets Chapter 17's minimum standards.