Central Lake Township is part of Antrim County's famous water country, set among the Elk River Chain of Lakes that winds through the middle of the county. Torch Lake is the crown jewel nearby — long, deep, and so clear its sandbars can glow turquoise on a sunny day. You can boat from lake to lake through the chain, and summer here means swimming, paddling, and fishing.
At a glance
State millage data currently shows about 23.8 to 39.2 mills for a primary home. 3 school districts cover the community, so the parcel and PRE status decide the final bill.
Practical directory
Common home and paperwork paths
Start with the Michigan guide that matches the job. For a parcel, bill, permit, or recorded document in Central Lake Township, confirm the final answer with the local or county office shown farther down this page.
- Delinquent property tax Get help before the redemption date Find the foreclosing unit, exact payoff, assistance programs, counseling, and legal-help paths.
- Utility shutoff or past-due bill Work the utility-help sequence Call the provider, apply for emergency relief, use 2-1-1, and ask about household protections.
- Essential home repair Find repair or weatherization help Match the repair, household, service area, and rural status to programs that may actually fit.
- Home and estate Handle a home after someone dies Keep the property stable, find the deed and authority to act, and choose the right estate or title path.
- Manufactured home Transfer or repair the home title Start with the Secretary of State path for a sale, missing title, lien, or legal affixture to land.
- Buying rural or waterfront land Check the parcel before closing Work through access, survey, buildability, well, septic, wetlands, title, and local office checks.
Who handles what
Send the question to the right office
Start local for a parcel, tax bill, permit, or housing rule. Move to the county or a district when the record or service covers more than one community.
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Assessment, PRE, current tax bill, or Board of Review
Central Lake Township assessor or treasurer
Start with the Central Lake Township office shown on the assessment notice or tax bill. The assessor handles value and exemptions; the treasurer handles the current summer or winter bill.
Michigan property-tax basics -
Rental registration, building permit, or code problem
Central Lake Township building, rental, or code office
The enforcing agency can be the municipality, county, or state, and electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work may go to different places.
Find the official permit jurisdiction ↗ Michigan homeowner guide -
Marriage license, local record, deed, or delinquent tax
Antrim County offices
The clerk, register of deeds, and county treasurer handle different parts of this work. The county page separates them for you.
Open the official Antrim County site ↗ Getting married in Michigan -
Private well, septic system, local health, or trial court
County, district, or court finder
A health district or court can serve more than one community. The county page links to the official statewide finders.
Find the local health department ↗ Michigan well and septic guide
The practical stuff
Buying, owning, or selling in Central Lake Township
The seller's tax bill may not be your tax bill.
2025 property-tax snapshot
- Primary home (PRE)
- 23.7845 mills - 39.1766 mills
- Other property / non-homestead
- 41.2759 mills - 56.9209 mills
- School districts available
- 3 in Central Lake Township
One mill means $1 per $1,000 of Taxable Value. Rate rows come from the official 2025 Michigan Treasury report. Last reviewed July 12, 2026.
What these local words mean
- Primary home (PRE)
- A home you own and live in as your main home. PRE stands for Principal Residence Exemption and can lower the school operating tax.
- Non-homestead
- Property that is not treated as the owner's main home, such as a rental, vacation home, or second home.
- Assessor
- The local office that estimates and records property values and exemptions.
- Treasurer
- The local office that collects property tax payments and can confirm bill timing.
Michigan homebuyer tax calculator
See the tax bill after you buy.
Where is the house?
Pick the county, city or township, and school district. We use the official 2025 tax rates published by Michigan Treasury.
Not sure of the school district? Check the property listing. It is usually under "Schools."
Need to double-check the exact parcel? Use the official state estimator at treas-secure.state.mi.us/ptestimator or call the local treasurer. Rates can change across city, township, village, and school district lines, so the exact parcel matters.
Why a buyer's property-tax bill can change after a sale
In Michigan, property tax isn't figured on what you paid — it's figured on the home's Taxable Value, with the local millage rates applied to that number. While one owner keeps the home, Proposal A caps how fast that Taxable Value can climb. When the home sells, the cap usually comes off — this is called uncapping — and the Taxable Value resets toward the State Equalized Value, or SEV, which tends to run about half of a home's market value.
That reset is the part that catches buyers: a longtime owner may have been paying on an old, capped number, so the year after you buy, yours can jump to the new one — and your first full-year bill can land well above what the seller was paying. In Central Lake Township, your rate can vary by parcel. The school district tied to the property matters, and 3 school districts cover Central Lake Township. For a primary home with PRE, Michigan's main-home exemption, rates currently run about 23.8 to 39.2 mills. Without PRE, non-homestead rates run about 41.3 to 56.9 mills. The calculator above turns those local rates into your actual number.
If this will be your main home, make sure that PRE is filed with the local assessor — it can lift up to 18 school-operating mills off the bill. Rentals, vacation homes, and second homes stay on the higher non-homestead rate.
The tax reset is the big one, but it isn't the whole checklist. Out here, a home beyond city water and sewer usually comes with a private well and septic system worth testing before you close. It's also worth checking whether the address sits in a floodplain, and whether you'll owe a city income tax where you live or work. The buying-a-home guide walks through the rest.
School districts in this area
Central Lake Public S
Primary home (PRE) 24.5228 mills · non-homestead 42.2671 mills
Central Lake Public S (Village of Central Lake)
Primary home (PRE) 39.1766 mills · non-homestead 56.9209 mills
Ellsworth Community
Primary home (PRE) 23.7845 mills · non-homestead 41.2759 mills
Local rules and costs to check
Note-sized practical catches tied to Central Lake Township: taxes, property rules, permits, local costs, or other things worth checking before you decide.
Local check
Well and septic in Antrim County
Antrim County township buyers should expect wells and septic systems, with mandatory time-of-transfer checks in a few lake jurisdictions.
Local check
Buying in a township? Watch for special assessments on top of your taxes
Michigan township buyers should check for special assessments that can add separate road, sewer, water, lighting, sidewalk, or drain charges.
Local check
In Michigan, you get two property-tax bills a year — not one
Most Michigan property owners get separate summer and winter tax bills, with local rules deciding what lands on each bill.
Stories & local context
Get to know Central Lake Township
This is some of the most sought-after property in northern Michigan, and lakefront prices reflect it. It's worth knowing exactly where a lot meets the water, whether you have true frontage or shared access through an association, and the age of any septic system, since some lakeshore townships require a time-of-transfer inspection. Homes generally rely on private wells and septic, the township can add special assessments to your taxes, and those taxes come as two bills a year. See the notes below.
Featured local story
The river you can only walk to on a boardwalk
When a developer eyed a marshy stretch of the Chain of Lakes in 1969, neighbors banded together and built the Grass River Natural Area — 1,500 acres of cedar swamp laced with boardwalk.
Read the story →-
The village named for sitting in the middle of everything
Central Lake got its plain name from its spot dead-center in Antrim County's Chain of Lakes, perched on Intermediate Lake within a short hop of Torch Lake and a free village campground on the water.
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Torch Lake and the Chain of Lakes
Torch Lake and the Elk River Chain of Lakes shape Antrim County waterfront life and lakefront buying questions.
Nearby places
The closest Michigan Porch pages to Central Lake Township. Open one to read it, or put it side by side with Central Lake Township — tax rates, school districts, and city income tax.
Compare Central Lake Township with a neighbor →Next steps
What to check next for Central Lake Township
Use the county office map for records and services, or follow the home path that matches what you are doing now.
- County Open Antrim County See the county page for other cities, townships, villages, local notes, and the county-wide tax snapshot. Open county page →
- Homeowner Keep the house on track Use one calm directory for tax notices, insurance, contractors, permits, records, and repairs. Open homeowner guide →
- Seller Plan the Michigan closing Walk through disclosure, title, transfer tax, PRE rescission, and the records worth keeping. Open seller guide →
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