FAQs

Yes! For more information on this memorial bench program, please click here.

This program is for sponsored benches to be placed in a Village park or in downtown Lake Odessa.

Please note that, due to the popularity of this program throughout the years, the Village is not currently accepting donations for downtown benches. However, we are still accepting donations for park benches at this time.

The Village has many opportunities for residents to get involved in their community! Village Council, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), Planning Commission, Arts Commission, and the Zoning Board of Appeals are  Boards and Commissions that are directly part of the Village. Boards and Commissions that are separate from the Village, yet have Village representation (as approved by the Village Council), include the Jordan Lake Board, the Lakewood Wastewater Authority, and the Lakewood Recreational Authority. For more information, please contact the Village Manager at (616) 374-8698.

Brush and Yard waste is scheduled for Village wide pick up on the third Monday of the Month from April through October, with the exception of April’s 1st and 3rd Monday pick up. For more information, please click here.

Building permits are issued by the Ionia County Building Department, not by the Village of Lake Odessa. To contact the Ionia County Building Department, please click here.

Lakeside Cemetery is owned, operated, and maintained by Odessa Township -- not the Village of Lake Odessa. For more information on Lakeside Cemetery, please call the Odessa Township offices at (616) 374-4237. You can also visit their website by clicking here.

The Village does accept credit cards for water/ sewer bills and for taxes. Please note that a fee is levied by the credit card companies for this service. To pay using a credit card, please visit the Page Memorial Building (839 Fourth Avenue) during normal business hours (M-F, 8:30 am until 4:30 pm), call the Village Treasurer Kathy Forman at (616) 374-8062, or click here to pay online.

Yes. A zoning permit from the zoning administrator is required prior to erecting a fence in the Village.

We encourage anyone interested in submitting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to visit our webpage that details the procedure by clicking here.

No. The Village does not perform trash/ garbage, or refuse collection. Nor does the Village have a contract with any garbage/ trash/ solid waste haulers. Many businesses and residents in the community use either Granger or Waste Management for garbage collection.

Yes. Per Village Ordinance 10-131 to 10-139, weeds and grass within the Village cannot exceed a height of 8". Also, per this ordinance, "It shall be the duty of the occupant of every premises and the owner of every unoccupied premises within the village to cut, remove, or destroy by lawful means all such weeds and grass as often as may be necessary to comply with the provisions of section 10-133." Failure to keep lawns and weeds below the height of 8" will result in a municipal civil infraction.

Upon receiving notification as set forth in section 10-136(b), the occupant or owner of unoccupied premises shall cause the weeds, grass and other vegetation to be cut, removed, or destroyed by lawful means within 72 hours, and shall thereafter continue to maintain such vegetation at a height of less than eight inches for the remainder of the calendar year.

Failure to cure a violation of section 10-133 or 10-134 in a timely manner will cause the village to abate the violation. The village shall keep an account of the expense of the abatement, and such expense shall be charged to and paid by the owner, occupant or person in possession or control of the premises. Fees for abatement by the village shall be determined from time to time by resolution of the village council.

Per Village Council action of June 20, 2022, the cost for the Village to abate weed and grass violations is the following:

• First Violation Resulting in the Abatement of Nuisance by Village Personnel within a calendar year: $100.00.
• Second Violation Resulting in the Abatement of Nuisance by Village Personnel within a calendar year: $125.00.
• Third Violation Resulting in the Abatement of Nuisance by Village Personnel within a calendar year: $150.00
• Fourth Violation, and all subsequent violations, Resulting in the Abatement of Nuisance by Village Personnel within a calendar year: $175.00

When residents don't keep the grass on their property below 8" and the Village has to abate the violation, this not only costs the violator money (abatement charge and municipal civil infraction fine) but it also costs the entire Lake Odessa community. Our DPW is a small staff and having to abate a grass/ weed violation takes away time that could be better used to: pour a new sidewalk, sweep a street, fix a pothole, empty trash cans, mow and maintain the parks, clean restrooms, or prepare the beach for daily use, among many other important activities throughout the community. We ask all residents/ property owners to help their pocketbooks, help their neighbors, and help the community of Lake Odessa by keeping their grass cut regularly and to maintain a height of less than eight inches.

The Village of Lake Odessa does not usually provide grants or loans to either new or existing businesses. However, there are avenues to finding business funding. A great first step is the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) -- their website can be reached by clicking here. Other alternatives include the US Small Business Administration, the Michigan Small Business Development Center, the Lakewood Area Chamber of Commerce, the Michigan Angel Fund, the Ionia County Economic Alliance/ the Right Place, or your local bank, credit union, or other lending institution.

Both the Park Pavilion and the Beach Pavilion are available for rent for parties and events. The Village has a calendar that shows previously booked rentals and when open times are available. To view this calendar and to make a reservation, please click here. Please note that any online application filled out must first be approved, and payment accepted, before the reservation is considered secure. For more information on this process, please contact the Village Treasurer, Kathy Forman, at (616) 374-8062.

Property line disputes are a civil matter and are therefore not handled by the Village of Lake Odessa or the Lake Odessa Police Department. Residents that believe their property line is incorrect will need to contact a surveying company to have a survey performed in order to determine the correct property line.

Selling door-to-door is allowed in the Village but, per Village Ordinance 21-6, "No person shall engage in the business of a peddler or solicitor within the village without first having obtained a license to do so issued by the village clerk, except as otherwise set forth herein." Selling door-to-door without a license from the Village will result in a Municipal Civil Infraction ticket being issued. To view the governing ordinance in its entirety, please click here. For more information, please contact the Village Manager/ Clerk at (616) 374-8698.

The sewer/ wastewater service in the Village of Lake Odessa is operated, owned, and maintained exclusively by the Lakewood Wastewater Authority (LWA), an entity that is separate from the Village. The LWA maintains all aspects of the wastewater/ sewer system, sets rates, and sets policies and procedures for the wastewater system. While the LWA is a separate entity, their office is located in the Page Memorial Building and all quarterly billing for services are done in conjunction with water billing by the Village. For questions/ issues/ concerns with sewer service in the Village, please contact the Lakewood Wastewater Authority at (616) 374-3264. To view the LWA's website, please click here.

In short, it is the owner and/ or occupant that must keep their sidewalks clear of snow and ice in the winter. Per Village ordinance 28-34(a), "No person having the care, either as owner or occupant of any house, building or lot, shall permit any snow, ice, dirt, rubbish, including broken bottles and glass, filth, obstruction, or other articles, or any nuisance, to remain upon the sidewalks in front of such house, building or lot for longer than 24 hours; and when ice is formed on any sidewalk, the owner or occupant of the abutting premises shall, within 12 hours after ice has formed, cause such ice to be removed or cause salt, sawdust, sand, or other abrasive material to be strewn thereon."

Failure to maintain sidewalks, as outlined in 28-34(a) will result in a municipal civil infraction ticket as well as abatement of the nuisance by the Village, as outlined in Village ordinance 28-34(b): "If the owner or occupant of any lot, lots or premises neglects or refuses to comply with the requirements of subsection (a) within the stated time period, then the village manager or his/her designee may remove, or cause to be removed, said snow, ice, dirt, rubbish, filth, obstruction or other articles, or any nuisance, at the expense of the owner or occupant, and the amount of all expenses incurred thereby shall be billed to the owner."

To view the ordinance in it's entirety, please click here.

Signs are not allowed to be posted on lightpoles and will be removed immediately by Village staff. Per Village ordinance 10-38(a), "No person shall attach, place, paint, write, stamp, or paste any sign, advertisement, or any other matter upon any lamppost, electric light, railway, telegraph or telephone pole, shade tree, fire hydrant, or any box covering them; or any bridge, pavement, sidewalk, public building, or any property or thing belonging to the village, or on any article or thing within any park."

At this time, the Village utilizes two Facebook pages -- one for the Village as a whole and one for the Police Department. We utilize these for informational purposes only and they should not be used for reporting a complaint, a crime, or any issue that needs immediate assistance -- while these are monitored throughout the regular workweek, they are not monitored 24/7. Social media is a great tool for communication but we encourage anyone that requires immediate assistance to call a specific department directly. A list of staff contacts can be viewed by clicking here.

Per Section 21 of the Village Code of Ordinance, individuals and businesses looking to perform door-to-door sales (peddler, solicitor, canvasser, etc) need to obtain a peddler/ solicitor license prior to the commencement of door-to-door selling activities. Failure to obtain a peddler/ solicitor license will result in a municipal civil infract ticket. To download a peddler/ solicitor's application, please click here. To view the ordinance pertaining to peddler/ solicitors licenses, please click here.

The Village of Lake Odessa is responsible for only those trees that are in the Village's right-of-way. If you have questions on these trees, the Village's DPW Supervisor -- Jesse Trout -- would be happy to inspect the tree in question and make a determination as to whether it needs to be removed or not. Jesse can be reached at (616) 374-7228. 

Trees located outside of the Village's right-of-way are the responsibility of the property owner and you will need to contact a tree service company for an inspection and removal. 

The Village of Lake Odessa does have a UPS dropbox at the Page Memorial Building, located at 839 Fourth Avenue. Please note that this is a dropbox location only and staff cannot help with the actual labeling of your package or answer any specific questions about this UPS service. We are simply a drop point for the convenience of residents. Questions on the delivery or shipping of packages must be directed to UPS.

Please note that we have a drop-point for UPS packages only and that FedEx, DHL, or other delivery services will not be picked up at the Page Memorial Building. Furthermore, neither the Village of Lake Odessa or the Lakewood Wastewater Authority is responsible for lost, stolen, or undelivered packages that may be left for UPS pickup at the Page Memorial Building.

As a Michigan General Law Village, both elections and assessing are performed by Odessa Township, not the Village of Lake Odessa. For more information on elections, please contact the Odessa Township Clerk at (616) 374-4237.

The Village of Lake Odessa has a web page dedicated to advertising employment opportunities with the Village. This page is updated when employment opportunities become available. For more information, please click here.

To review, download, and print current Village Ordinances, please click here.

No. While your postal code may say Lake Odessa, that is simply the code for simple and efficient identification of the location for delivery of US Mail. Please find here a link to Google maps, which shows the borders of the Village of Lake Odessa.