Reading the Union Pier Chikaming Township Short-Term Rental Market in 2026

Aug 6

11 min read

Updated: Aug 27

Golden-hour sunset over the Lake Michigan shoreline and dunes at Warren Dunes State Park near Union Pier, Michigan

The Regulatory Reality Comes First

Any Union Pier short-term rental discussion in 2026 has to start with the ordinance, because it now governs everything else in this market. Chikaming Township, the municipality that contains Union Pier and five other Harbor Country hamlets, adopted a short-term rental ordinance at a February 12, 2026 special meeting. The ordinance took effect March 23, 2026, and it set a townwide cap of 550 STR permits. At the time of adoption the township counted roughly 435 active licenses plus another 82 pending renewals, a combined total near 517.

That cap did not stay comfortable for long. Chikaming Township reached the full 550-permit ceiling by April 2026, and as of this report the township is not accepting new short-term rental applications. The current renewal cycle is scheduled to close February 1, 2027, and that is the earliest point at which any new capacity could theoretically open up, assuming permits lapse or turn over rather than simply renew. Permit fees under the adopted ordinance run $500 for a property's first bedroom plus $250 for each additional bedroom , pulled from the enacted ordinance and the township's own page, not an earlier committee draft that had floated a different flat-fee structure.

One nuance the ordinance doesn't resolve on its own: Union Pier is a genuine unincorporated community with no government of its own, and it straddles both Chikaming Township and New Buffalo Township. The two townships have coordinated their design standards to keep the community's character cohesive across the line, but they run separate STR ordinances with separate permit structures. Which set of rules actually applies to a specific Union Pier address depends on which side of that boundary the parcel sits on , not on the mailing address or the name "Union Pier" itself. A buyer or owner who needs a definitive answer for a specific parcel should check with the Berrien County or township assessor's office, use the county GIS parcel viewer, or run a title search rather than assume.

It's also worth being precise that New Buffalo Township and the City of New Buffalo are two separate, non-identical jurisdictions, not two names for the same rulebook. New Buffalo Township runs its own STR ordinance with a $500 permit fee and a 36-month license term, with no publicly disclosed numeric permit cap. The City of New Buffalo, an incorporated municipality distinct from the township, gates permits by zoning district under its own Ordinance No. 248 rather than a townwide cap. A parcel's actual jurisdiction , Chikaming Township, New Buffalo Township, or the City of New Buffalo , determines which of these three separate rulebooks applies, and none of them should be assumed from the other.

What Union Pier Actually Is Inside the Harbor Country Cluster

"Harbor Country" is the regional nickname for six Lake Michigan lakeshore hamlets that sit inside Chikaming Township: Union Pier, Sawyer, Harbert, Lakeside, Grand Beach, and Michiana. All six share the same 550-permit cap and the same closed-to-new-applications status. What they do not share is a confirmed performance record, and this report holds that distinction deliberately. Union Pier has independently confirmed short-term rental data behind it. The other five hamlets, as of this report, do not have performance numbers confirmed at Union Pier's level, and nothing here should be read as extending Union Pier's figures to Sawyer, Harbert, Lakeside, Grand Beach, or Michiana.

The Confirmed Numbers: $677 ADR at named-town occupancy pins as of 2026-07-31

Third-party rental data confirms Union Pier itself running at roughly $677 per night average daily rate, about named-town occupancy pins as of 2026-07-31, and monthly gross revenue near That ADR figure is the genuine standout of the six-hamlet cluster and one of the stronger nightly-rate numbers on Michigan's Lake Michigan shoreline generally. It reflects a market of well-appointed lakeshore cottages competing for a Chicago-area weekend and week-long guest pool willing to pay a premium for direct beach access and a quieter, more residential feel than busier lakeshore towns nearby.

What's genuinely unsettled, and worth naming plainly rather than papering over: active listing counts and entire-home-rental share are disputed across sources. Listing-count estimates for Union Pier range from roughly 120 to more than 350 depending on the source and how a "listing" is defined, and entire-home share estimates range from roughly 82% to 95%. Rather than pick a single number that sounds more precise than the underlying data supports, the honest description is that Union Pier carries well over a hundred active short-term rental listings, the large majority of them entire-home rentals rather than shared or single-room stays.

Chikaming Township at a Glance

Chikaming Township's year-round population sits at roughly 2,748 residents, with a median household income near 2. That's a small, older, comparatively affluent, and heavily seasonal-property community , the demographic backdrop against which the township's STR debate and its resulting permit cap took shape. A township this size, with a housing stock this weighted toward second homes and vacation rentals, was always going to reach a numeric permit ceiling faster than a larger municipality would, and the 550-cap outcome reflects that scale as much as it reflects any particular policy stance.

What Actually Makes Union Pier Union Pier

Beyond the numbers, Union Pier has a specific identity that separates it from other Lake Michigan hamlets, and that identity is worth naming for anyone trying to understand the market rather than just its cap. It sits about 5 miles from the Indiana border and roughly 73 miles from Chicago via I-94 , about an hour and a half by car, a genuine weekend-trip drive-market distance rather than a full-day haul.

Red Arrow Roadhouse has operated in Union Pier since 1988, a long-running local institution that still anchors the community's dining scene today. Warren Dunes State Park sits nearby and anchors the natural-recreation draw: 1,952 acres, three miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, dune formations rising to roughly 260 feet above the lake with Tower Hill , the park's highest point , at about 240 feet, six miles of hiking trails, seasonal kayak and paddleboard rentals running mid-May through Labor Day, camping, and year-round access. The Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail extends the demand season past a pure beach window, with Round Barn Winery in nearby Baroda and Tabor Hill Winery in nearby Buchanan both real, operating wineries on that trail, plus Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks rounding out the couples-and-small-group demand base.

The Demand Calendar: Summer Peak, Real Shoulder Windows, and an Honestly Quiet Winter

Union Pier's demand curve peaks hard in summer, driven by Warren Dunes State Park's in-season programming , kayak and paddleboard rentals run mid-May through Labor Day , and the broader Lake Michigan beach season. Fall (September-October) and spring (April-May) are the more reliable shoulder-season opportunity around that peak: cooler weather, the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail's Round Barn and Tabor Hill wineries drawing a couple-and-small-group crowd, and Warren Dunes' six miles of hiking trails staying open and walkable year-round.

Winter is genuinely quiet here, and this report treats it that way rather than oversell it as a hidden niche. The area's climate doesn't reliably produce enough snow for a strong snowmobiling season, though a 21-mile trail starting in New Buffalo is available to riders with their own machines. Local winter recreation is modest , cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking on township park trails, plus a small local ice rink , and there's no confirmed ice-fishing culture or named winter festival specific to this stretch of the corridor. The more realistic winter play for an existing permit-holder is long-stay, discounted remote-worker bookings and deep property maintenance, not a marketed second high season.

What This Means for Owners and Buyers Right Now

For an existing Chikaming Township permit-holder in Union Pier, the practical takeaway is that the competitive set is now fixed rather than growing. No new entrant can add supply to this specific market until at least February 2027, which changes the calculus around marketing investment, pricing strategy, and how much a well-run listing is actually worth relative to its neighbors. For a prospective buyer, "investing in Union Pier" in 2026 does not mean building a new listing , it means buying an existing property that already carries one of the 550 permits, a materially different transaction than an unpermitted lakeshore purchase would be.

For anyone evaluating a property in one of the other five Chikaming hamlets, the discipline this report holds throughout is the one to carry forward: those hamlets share Union Pier's regulatory environment and its general geography and demand base, but they do not share its confirmed $677 ADR ceiling. Treat that figure as a regional benchmark to compare against, not a number to assume applies elsewhere in the township without independent, hamlet-specific verification.

What is Union Pier, Michigan and where is it located?

Union Pier is an unincorporated Lake Michigan lakeshore community roughly 5 miles from the Indiana border and about 73 miles (roughly an hour and a half by car via I-94) from Chicago. It's one of six "Harbor Country" hamlets and straddles the boundary between Chikaming Township and New Buffalo Township.

What is the current short-term rental permit cap in Chikaming Township?

Chikaming Township caps short-term rental permits townwide at 550. That cap was reached by April 2026, and the township is not accepting new STR applications until the current renewal cycle closes on February 1, 2027.

When did Chikaming Township adopt its short-term rental ordinance?

The township adopted its STR ordinance at a February 12, 2026 special meeting, and the ordinance took effect March 23, 2026, following a permit-application moratorium that began in October 2024 while the township studied the issue.

Is Chikaming Township accepting new STR permit applications right now?

No. The township's 550-permit cap was reached by April 2026, and new applications are closed until the current renewal cycle closes on February 1, 2027 at the earliest.

What is the confirmed average nightly rate for a Union Pier short-term rental?

Third-party rental data confirms Union Pier running roughly $677 per night average daily rate, about named-town occupancy pins as of 2026-07-31, and monthly gross revenue near

How much does a short-term rental permit cost in Chikaming Township?

Under the adopted ordinance, the permit fee runs $500 for a property's first bedroom plus $250 for each additional bedroom.

Do Sawyer, Harbert, Lakeside, Grand Beach, and Michiana share Union Pier's performance numbers?

No, and this is worth stating plainly. Those five other Chikaming Township hamlets share the same 550-permit cap and general geography, but none of them has independently confirmed short-term rental performance at Union Pier's level. Union Pier's $677 ADR should be treated as a regional benchmark, not an assumed figure for its neighbors.

Is Union Pier part of Chikaming Township or New Buffalo Township?

Both, depending on the parcel. Union Pier is an unincorporated community that straddles the boundary between Chikaming Township and New Buffalo Township, which run separate STR ordinances. A buyer or owner should confirm a specific parcel's township through the county assessor's office, a GIS parcel viewer, or a title search rather than assume based on the address.

How far is Union Pier from Chicago?

About 73 miles via I-94, roughly an hour and a half by car , a genuine weekend drive-market distance for Chicago-area travelers.

the Crest & Cove intro·local SEO keywords that actually book·the five elements of a converting hero·how to compare STR marketing agencies·Asheville paddling spots worth the drive·this cluster against ·Destin against AirROI, not leftover year·prior cluster against AirROI pins.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Union Pier, Michigan and where is it located?

Union Pier is an unincorporated Lake Michigan lakeshore community roughly 5 miles from the Indiana border and about 73 miles, an hour and a half by car via I-94, from Chicago. It's one of six "Harbor Country" hamlets and straddles the boundary between Chikaming Township and New Buffalo Township, two separate jurisdictions with separate short-term rental rulebooks.

What is the current short-term rental permit cap in Chikaming Township?

When did Chikaming Township adopt its short-term rental ordinance?

The township adopted its STR ordinance at a February 12, 2026 special meeting, and it took effect March 23, 2026, following a permit-application moratorium that began in October 2024 while the township studied the issue. At the time of adoption, roughly 435 active licenses plus 82 pending renewals were already on the books.

Is Chikaming Township accepting new STR permit applications right now?

No. The township's 550-permit cap was reached by April 2026, and new applications stay closed until the current renewal cycle closes on February 1, 2027 at the earliest.

What is the confirmed average nightly rate for a Union Pier short-term rental?

Third-party rental data confirms Union Pier running roughly $677 per night average daily rate, one of the strongest confirmed nightly-rate figures anywhere on Michigan's Lake Michigan shoreline. Active listing counts are genuinely disputed across sources, ranging from roughly 120 to more than 350 depending on definition, with entire-home rentals making up an estimated 82 to 95 percent of that supply.

How much does a short-term rental permit cost in Chikaming Township?

Under the adopted ordinance, the permit fee runs $500 for a property's first bedroom plus $250 for each additional bedroom, drawn from the enacted ordinance rather than an earlier committee draft that had floated a different flat-fee structure.

Do Sawyer, Harbert, Lakeside, Grand Beach, and Michiana share Union Pier's performance numbers?

No. Those five other Chikaming Township hamlets share the same 550-permit cap and general geography, but none of them has independently confirmed short-term rental performance at Union Pier's level. Union Pier's $677 ADR should be treated as a regional benchmark, not an assumed figure for its neighbors.

Is Union Pier part of Chikaming Township or New Buffalo Township?

Both, depending on the parcel. Union Pier is an unincorporated community that straddles the boundary between the two townships, which run separate STR ordinances with separate permit structures, so a buyer or owner should confirm a specific parcel's jurisdiction through the county assessor's office, a GIS parcel viewer, or a title search rather than assume based on the mailing address.

What draws visitors to Union Pier beyond the beach?

Red Arrow Roadhouse has operated in Union Pier since 1988 and still anchors the local dining scene, while Warren Dunes State Park nearby covers 1,952 acres with three miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, dune formations rising to roughly 260 feet, and six miles of hiking trails open year-round. The Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail, including Round Barn Winery in Baroda and Tabor Hill Winery in Buchanan, extends the demand season for couples and small groups beyond the pure beach window.

What does buying into Union Pier's short-term rental market actually mean right now?

With no new entrant able to add supply until at least February 2027, "investing in Union Pier" in 2026 means buying an existing property that already carries one of the 550 permits, not building a new listing from scratch. That makes it a materially different transaction than an unpermitted lakeshore purchase, and it puts more weight on how well an existing listing captures the market's confirmed rate ceiling relative to its fixed set of neighbors.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

Union Pier listing copy that ignores Chikaming Township's 550-permit cap, reached in April 2026, is selling an opening that no longer exists. New applications stay closed until at least February 2027.

We help Union Pier hosts confirm which township, Chikaming or New Buffalo, actually governs their parcel, since each runs a separate ordinance and fee. Send your current listing and we'll flag any claim the closed permit cap makes outdated.

Reach out at crestcove.co or (256) 998-7502.