Licensing
Concealed pistol license
The full CPL path — training, the county clerk application, renewal, and where carry is off-limits — with the statute behind each step.
Read the CPL guide →Permits & local rules
Some rules are statewide — the CPL process works the same in every county. Others flip at the city line: rental registration, short-term rentals, chickens in the backyard, overnight parking. The trick is knowing which kind you're dealing with, and which office actually decides.
The rules, one at a time
Each note takes one rule — what it says, where it applies, and the office that owns it.
Saugatuck capped its short-term rentals at one in five homes
In 2024 Saugatuck capped vacation rentals at 20% of the housing in its R1 residential zones; existing rentals are grandfathered until the property changes hands, and the cap drew a lawsuit.
Read the note →Renting your Pentwater cottage by the week? You need a license on the door
The Village of Pentwater requires a yearly short-term rental license that must hang by the front door, caps occupancy, bans camping on the lot, and can be pulled after three violations.
Read the note →Cutting a Neighbor's Trees Can Cost You Triple in Michigan
Clearing trees over an unsurveyed property line exposes you to three times the actual damages under MCL 600.2919 — a defense only drops it to single damages, never double.
Read the note →In East Grand Rapids, the cop and the firefighter are the same person
East Grand Rapids merged its police and fire departments in the mid-1980s; every sworn officer is cross-trained to do police work, fight fires, and run medical calls.
Read the note →Michigan County Roads Are Closed to ORVs Until a Township Votes Them Open
Michigan county roads are closed to ORVs until a county board or a township passes an ordinance opening them, which is why access changes as you cross a line on the map.
Read the note →Michigan Wants Your Dog Licensed at Four Months, and the Fee Rewards Fixing Him
Michigan dogs 4 months and older must be licensed through the county treasurer with proof of a current rabies shot, and spayed or neutered dogs pay a lower fee by law.
Read the note →Most of Reese is in Tuscola County — but not quite all of it
The village of Reese sits almost entirely in Tuscola County's Denmark Township, with a small sliver crossing into Saginaw County — a county line that can matter for where official paperwork goes.
Read the note →Park Township's short-term rental ban that a court took 50 years to confirm
Park Township near Holland treats short-term rentals as not allowed in residential zones; after a multi-year lawsuit, a judge upheld the long-standing ban in November 2025.
Read the note →Renting out your New Buffalo cottage? The city makes you register first
The City of New Buffalo requires a short-term rental to be registered, inspected, and renewed each year before it can be rented; New Buffalo Township runs a separate rental license with its own rules.
Read the note →Renting your Onekama cottage by the week? The township has rules now
Onekama Township adopted a short-term rental ordinance in 2023 that requires owners to register vacation rentals with the township and renew that registration every year.
Read the note →South Haven limits how many homes can be vacation rentals
Unlike its quieter inland neighbors, the beach city of South Haven caps the share of homes that can operate as short-term rentals and requires each one to register and pass safety inspections.
Read the note →When a Michigan Golf Cart Can Legally Take the Street
Golf carts aren't street-legal in Michigan by default — a village, city, or township under 30,000 people has to vote a resolution in first, and even then the rules are strict.
Read the note →When Michigan Lets You Light Fireworks (and When Your City Can Say No)
Consumer fireworks are legal statewide, but your town can ban them most of the year — except on about a dozen holiday days when it can only limit the hours.
Read the note →Where you can legally ride an ORV on Sanilac County roads
Sanilac County's ORV ordinance opens most county roads to ATVs and side-by-sides, but riders must stay far right, single file, and under 25 mph — and individual towns can still say no.
Read the note →You can keep backyard chickens in Grand Rapids — with a permit and no roosters
Grand Rapids legalized backyard hens in 2016 after a two-year pilot; the city allows up to four to six birds on a permit, with hard rules on coops — and no roosters.
Read the note →The official sources
Statewide licensing runs through the Michigan State Police and the Legislature's statutes; local ordinances live with your city or township clerk — start from your town's page. Not legal advice; for anything with stakes, the clerk's office or a Michigan attorney is the right call.
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