Priority Home Mortgage · Leelanau County new-homeowner guide · mypriorityhome.com · checked September 2026
Leelanau County, Michigan: the new-homeowner guide
Leelanau County is the little finger of Michigan's mitt: about 22,000 year-round residents on a peninsula with 100 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, 33 inland lakes, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore along its western edge. County government sits at the Government Center in Suttons Bay Township, but daily life runs through villages and crossroads towns like Suttons Bay, Northport, Leland, Lake Leelanau, Empire, Glen Arbor, Cedar, and Maple City, most of them ringed by orchards, vineyards, and woods where homes run on wells, septic, and propane. This guide covers what actually needs doing after you get the keys.
Covers Suttons Bay, Greilickville (Elmwood Township), Northport, Leland, Lake Leelanau, Empire, Glen Arbor, Cedar, Maple City, Omena, Peshawbestown, Burdickville, Glen Haven, Traverse City (Leelanau County portion). County seat: Suttons Bay.
Local to this one: Michele Fulcher lives in Fife Lake and works this part of the state.
- County seat
- Suttons Bay
- Schools
- North Ed districts: Suttons Bay, Northport, Leland, Glen Lake
- Electric
- Cherryland in nine townships, Consumers in the Glen Arbor corner
- Well & septic at sale
- Required before any transfer closes, well or septic
- Tax bills
- Summer around July 1, winter around December 1
Questions about buying here? Priority Home Mortgage is a Grand Rapids direct lender with in-house underwriting, lending throughout Michigan. (616) 951-1561 · www.mypriorityhome.com
Setting up your utilities
Who serves a house can change from one road to the next, so check your exact address with the provider before you schedule anything.
Electric
Two utilities cover almost the whole peninsula, and township lines are the best clue. Cherryland Electric Cooperative, the member owned co-op based in Grawn, lists nine of Leelanau's eleven townships in its own territory: Bingham, Centerville, Elmwood, Empire, Kasson, Leelanau, Leland, Solon, and Suttons Bay. The county's General Plan says Cherryland and Consumers Energy between them cover the whole county, so the two townships Cherryland leaves off its list, Cleveland and Glen Arbor, should be Consumers. Traverse City Light & Power also reaches part of Elmwood Township near Greilickville. Township names are a rough guide and the line can run either way near a boundary, so look at a recent bill from the seller rather than guessing.
| Provider | Contact |
|---|---|
| Cherryland Electric CooperativeBingham, Centerville, Elmwood, Empire, Kasson, Leelanau, Leland, Solon, and Suttons Bay townships (member owned co-op) | (231) 486-9200 |
| Consumers EnergyThe balance of the county, which is the Cleveland and Glen Arbor township corner; check availability by address | (800) 477-5050 |
| Traverse City Light & PowerPart of Elmwood Township near Greilickville, plus Traverse City itself (municipal utility) | (231) 922-4940 |
Natural gas & propane
Natural gas barely exists here. The county's own General Plan says it plainly: gas service is far more limited than electric service, DTE Gas is the listed distributor, and the lack of a main limits heating options, especially on the west side of the county. Most houses burn propane. Before closing, ask which fuel the house uses, who owns the tank, how full it is, and whether the supply contract transfers to you.
| Provider | Contact |
|---|---|
| DTE Energy (DTE Gas)The county's listed natural gas distributor, but mains reach only limited areas; check availability by address | (800) 477-4747 |
| Bayshore Oil & PropanePropane, fuel oil, and diesel delivery from Omena, with a 150 gallon minimum delivery | (231) 386-7181 |
| Crystal Flash (Traverse City)Propane and heating fuel delivery across the Traverse City and Leelanau area | (231) 946-5520 |
Water, sewer & septic
There is no countywide water utility. The villages of Suttons Bay, Northport, and Empire each run their own system, Leland Township runs the sewer that serves Leland and Lake Leelanau, and Grand Traverse County's Department of Public Works operates the public water and sewer in Elmwood Township around Greilickville. Everywhere else, which is most of the county, you are on a private well and a septic system. Leelanau is one of the Michigan counties that requires both to be evaluated before a sale can close, so start there.
| Provider | Contact |
|---|---|
| Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department, Environmental ServicesWells, septic systems, and the required time of transfer evaluation countywide; office at the Government Center in Suttons Bay | (231) 256-0201 |
| Village of Suttons Bay Utilities DepartmentWater and sewer inside the Village of Suttons Bay | (231) 271-1032 |
| Village of Northport (Northport/Leelanau Township Utilities Authority)Water and sewer in Northport, billed through the village office | (231) 386-5182 |
| Village of EmpireVillage water system, billed quarterly by the village office | (231) 326-5466 |
| Leland Township Sewer SystemSewer for the villages of Leland and Lake Leelanau, billed in January, April, July, and October | (231) 256-7546 |
| Grand Traverse County Department of Public WorksPublic water and sewer in Elmwood Township around Greilickville, where lines exist | (231) 995-6039 |
Trash & recycling
There is no county trash service. Apart from the small slice of Traverse City that sits inside Leelanau County, every household subscribes with a private hauler, so ask the neighbors who already runs your road before you sign anything. Recycling works differently: the county operates nine free drop-off sites, paid for by a $30 per household charge that shows up on your winter tax bill, so you have already bought in whether you use them or not.
| Provider | Contact |
|---|---|
| Leelanau County recycling drop-off sitesNine sites: Greilickville, Peshawbestown, Northport, Cedar, Empire, Glen Lake School, Glen Arbor, the Government Center, and the Road Commission yard in Suttons Bay | See website |
| GFL EnvironmentalSubscription curbside hauling in parts of the county, including Glen Arbor Township; check routes by address | (844) 464-3587 |
Internet & cable
Broadband is the live infrastructure story in Leelanau. The county's broadband initiative now points residents at Point Broadband, which is building a fiber network across the peninsula road by road. Outside that build, coverage thins fast: cable and DSL follow the main corridors, and plenty of addresses fall back on fixed wireless or satellite. Run an address check with every provider before you schedule an install, and ask the seller what they actually had.
| Provider | Contact |
|---|---|
| Point BroadbandFiber build across Leelanau County; check the construction map for your road | (844) 407-6468 |
| SpectrumCable internet where lines exist, mostly along the main corridors; check by address | See website |
| T-Mobile 5G Home InternetFixed wireless where 5G coverage allows | See website |
| StarlinkSatellite service for rural addresses with no wired option | See website |
Your first-month checklist
Roughly the order they need doing in.
Sort out the well and septic evaluation before you close
Under the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department's district sanitary code, in force since January 27, 2023, a property in Leelanau County with a private well or an onsite septic system needs a time of transfer evaluation before the sale is final. There is no distance-from-water trigger: if there is a well or a septic field, the rule applies. It also catches transfers with no money involved, including a gift or an inheritance, because the code counts any conveyance to someone who did not already hold an ownership interest. A health department sanitarian inspects the systems and the department issues the report; a system in substantial conformance passes as it stands, and a failing one needs corrective action. A well or septic system the department itself installed, approved, or evaluated within the past 36 months is exempt, and water samples it collected within the past six months still count, so an existing recent report may cover you. Questions go to Environmental Services at (231) 256-0201.
Find out who actually serves the house, then move the accounts
Ask the seller for a recent electric bill: it will say Cherryland Electric, Consumers Energy, or Traverse City Light & Power. Call that utility about a week before closing, then handle heat, which usually means a propane supplier rather than a gas main. If the house is inside Suttons Bay, Northport, or Empire village limits, call the village to put water and sewer in your name; in Elmwood Township those accounts run through the Grand Traverse County Department of Public Works.
File your USPS change of address
Do it online at usps.com a week or two before the move so forwarding starts on day one. Forwarding runs 12 months for first-class mail, so use that window to update banks, insurers, and subscriptions.
Update your driver's license and vehicle registration
Update your address with the Secretary of State right after you move: Michigan law says immediately for a driver's license and within 10 days for a vehicle registration. The address change is free and takes minutes online at Michigan.gov/SOS, with no office visit needed.
Check your voter registration
In Michigan, updating your driver's license address with the SOS updates your voter registration automatically. Confirm your new precinct and ballot status at the state's Voter Information site before the next election, and note that your township or village clerk runs the election, not the county.
File your Principal Residence Exemption (PRE)
Michigan's PRE exempts your primary home from up to 18 mills of school operating tax. File Form 2368 with your township or village assessor by June 1 for that year's summer bill, or by November 1 for the winter bill. It matters more here than almost anywhere in the state, because a large share of Leelanau homes are seasonal and do not qualify. If this is your primary residence, confirm with the assessor that the exemption was actually recorded.
Learn the property tax rhythm
Your township or village treasurer bills twice a year, summer taxes around July 1 and winter taxes around December 1. If your lender escrows, it pays them, but read the first statements to check the escrow and the PRE. The winter bill also carries the county's $30 per household recycling and household hazardous waste charge. Unpaid taxes move to the Leelanau County Treasurer on March 1.
Set up trash, and learn where the recycling bins are
Trash is a private subscription almost everywhere in the county. Call a hauler serving your road and ask about seasonal versus year-round rates, which matter if the house sits empty part of the year. Recycling is free at any of the county's nine drop-off sites; materials go loose into the bins, cardboard flattened, and leaving anything on the ground is an enforceable violation.
Enroll the kids in school
The intermediate district is Northwest Education Services (North Ed), which serves 16 public school districts, seven public school academies, and ten private schools across Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau counties. Locally that usually means Suttons Bay Public Schools, Northport Public School, Leland Public School, or Glen Lake Community Schools, and part of Elmwood Township falls in Traverse City Area Public Schools. Confirm your district by address before you register.
License your dog
Michigan's Dog Law requires a license for every dog four months and older, including dogs coming with you from out of state, and the dog has to be kept current on its rabies vaccination. The statewide default is to apply by March 1 each year unless the county board has set a different deadline, and a late application can be charged a higher fee, so ask which year you owe. Leelanau County dog licensing is run by the County Treasurer at the Government Center, 8527 E Government Center Drive, Suite 104 in Suttons Bay. Bring a current rabies certificate; the application form is on the Treasurer's dog license page and the phone is (231) 256-9838.
Check the rules before you dig, burn, or rent it out
Under the county's stormwater ordinance, the Leelanau Conservation District issues soil erosion permits, and one is required for earth work within 500 feet of a lake or stream, within 100 feet of a regulated wetland, for driveways at 10 percent grade or steeper, for anything disturbing an acre, and for every project in Leland and Solon townships regardless of distance from water. Call (231) 256-9783 before you break ground. Check the DNR's daily burn permit status before burning brush, and if you plan any short-term renting, read your township or village ordinance first: several cap permits and some have no capacity left.
Every step above is written out in full in the online guide at www.mypriorityhome.com/local-resources/leelanau-county-mi/
Places worth seeing
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Miles of Lake Michigan beach and bluffs that stand 450 feet above the water, plus inland lakes, forests, an island lighthouse, old Life-Saving Service stations, and the farmsteads of Port Oneida. The park runs through Leelanau and Benzie counties, and nearly half its acreage sits inside Glen Arbor Township alone. Start at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire.
Fishtown, Leland
Weathered fishing shanties, smokehouses, overhanging docks, fish tugs, and charter boats along the Leland River, kept as a working waterfront rather than a museum piece by the nonprofit Fishtown Preservation Society.
Grand Traverse Lighthouse
The 1858 light at the very tip of the peninsula north of Northport, inside Leelanau State Park. You can tour the restored keeper's dwelling, climb the tower, and see the museum's shipwreck exhibits. It opens in spring and runs into late fall.
Leelanau State Park
The state park that wraps the northern tip of the peninsula, with Lake Michigan beach, dunes, and hiking trails, plus a separate day-use area to the south. A Michigan Recreation Passport on your plate gets you in.
Village of Suttons Bay
The closest thing the county has to a downtown: a walkable main street on the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay with a marina, beach, shops, and the north end of the Leelanau Trail, and the village office that runs the water and sewer if you buy inside the limits.
Village of Empire
A square mile of village at the junction of M-22 and M-72 where the national lakeshore has its headquarters, with Lake Michigan at the end of the street and major dunes to the north and south.
Glen Arbor
Roughly 900 year-round residents in a township that swells to about 5,000 in summer and sees over a million visitors a year, sitting between Glen Lake, the Crystal River, and the dunes. Lovely, and a useful reminder of what August traffic does to a short drive.
Northport
A quiet harbor village near the top of the peninsula with its own marina, shops, and municipal water and sewer, and the jumping-off point for the lighthouse and the state park.
Things to do year-round
Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail
More than 20 wineries spread from the Sleeping Bear dunes to the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay, with a Sleeping Bear Loop and seasonal trail events that run right through winter.
Leelanau Trail
Seventeen paved miles from Traverse City to Suttons Bay through orchards and vineyards, the one trail TART Trails owns and operates outright. Part of it is groomed in winter for classic and skate skiing, fat biking, and snowshoeing.
Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail
Over 21 miles of trail and shared roadway linking Glen Haven, the D.H. Day Campground, the Dune Climb, and the Port Oneida historic district, mostly asphalt with a crushed stone stretch and a boardwalk, and used for cross-country skiing in winter.
Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and the Dune Climb
The classic short visit: a seven mile scenic drive with overlooks high above Lake Michigan, the Dune Climb itself, and the restored village at Glen Haven with its maritime museum.
The Homestead, Glen Arbor
The resort on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Crystal River, and the county's downhill skiing: lifts, rentals, a snowsports school, and cross-country and snowshoe trails in winter, with beaches, tennis, and hiking the rest of the year.
Glen Arbor Arts Center
A small community arts center with a year-round program of adult and youth classes, exhibits, talks, performances, and a plein air weekend, a genuinely useful thing to have nearby in February.
Old Art Building, Leland
Leland's community arts building, preserved for public use thirty-odd years ago and still the center of classes, concerts, and gatherings on the west side of the county.
Leelanau County parks
Three county parks, all first come and first served with no reservations: Myles Kimmerly Park near Maple City, Old Settlers' Park, and Veronica Valley Park near Lake Leelanau. Townships and villages add beaches, boat launches, and trails of their own.
Moving to Leelanau County: common questions
How do property taxes and the PRE work in Leelanau County?
Your township or village treasurer sends two bills a year, summer around July 1 and winter around December 1. If the home is your primary residence, file the Principal Residence Exemption (Form 2368) with your local assessor by June 1 for the summer bill or November 1 for the winter bill; it exempts you from up to 18 mills of school operating tax. It is often handled at closing, but confirm the assessor recorded it, because so many homes here are seasonal that the default assumption may not be in your favor. Your winter bill also includes the county's $30 per household charge that funds the recycling drop-offs and household hazardous waste collections. Unpaid taxes go to the County Treasurer on March 1.
Does the house need a well and septic inspection before I buy it?
In Leelanau County, almost certainly yes. The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department's district sanitary code requires a time of transfer evaluation of the onsite well and septic system before a property is sold or transferred. Unlike neighbouring Grand Traverse County, which only triggers its rule within a set distance of water, Leelanau's applies to any property with a well or a septic system, and it covers transfers where no money changes hands, such as a gift or an inheritance. A department sanitarian inspects the systems against the district sanitary code and the department issues the report; a system in substantial conformance does not have to be rebuilt to current construction standards, but a failing one needs corrective action. A system the department installed, approved, or evaluated in the past 36 months is exempt, and water samples it took in the past six months still count, so a recent report may already cover you. In 2024 the department averaged 7 business days to inspect and 13 to issue the report, so build that into your timeline and call Environmental Services at (231) 256-0201 early.
What order should I set up utilities in?
Start with electric, because the provider depends on the street: Cherryland Electric Cooperative in nine of the eleven townships, Consumers Energy in the Cleveland and Glen Arbor corner it does not list, and Traverse City Light & Power in part of Elmwood Township. Then handle heat, which usually means calling a propane supplier and settling who owns the tank, since natural gas mains reach very little of the county. Water and sewer come next, but only if you are inside Suttons Bay, Northport, or Empire village limits, on the Leland Township sewer in Leland or Lake Leelanau, or on the Elmwood Township system run by Grand Traverse County Public Works. Otherwise you have a well and a septic field and no bill. Book internet early, because rural installs and fiber build-outs are not quick, and set up a trash subscription once you are in.
What should I know about winter here?
The Leelanau County Road Commission plows about 705 miles of road and calls winter maintenance its top priority, and in spring it posts seasonal weight restrictions, the frost laws, which can hold up a moving truck or a delivery of building materials. Village rules are mostly about where snow goes rather than making you shovel: Suttons Bay Ordinance 12 of 2004 bans pushing snow from a private drive onto a street, sidewalk, or intersection, and bans parking or leaving anything in the street right-of-way between 2 AM and 6 AM from December 1 through March 30, with fines up to $500 per day. Private roads are common here and the Road Commission does not plow them, so before you buy, find out whether your road is public and, if not, who plows it and what it costs.
Can I rent the house out short term, and when is the best time to buy here?
Check the rules before you buy, because they vary by township and village and several are already full. The Village of Suttons Bay capped short-term rental permits at 45 and is letting the current 53 fall away by attrition, and its permits are not transferable, so a permit does not come with the house. Elmwood Township allows 93 licensed short-term rentals, all of them issued, with a paid waitlist. Other townships have their own ordinances and their own complaint hotlines. On timing, the market follows the seasons: listings and showings build from late spring through summer when second-home buyers are in town, while winter brings fewer listings and snow that hides roofs, septic fields, and shorelines. Being pre-approved lets you move when the right place appears.
Where do I go for county services?
Nearly everything is at the Government Center, 8527 E Government Center Drive in Suttons Bay Township, and online at leelanau.gov: the Treasurer at (231) 256-9838 for dog licenses and delinquent taxes, the Register of Deeds at (231) 256-9682, the County Clerk at (231) 256-9824, and Building Safety at (231) 256-9806. The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department's Environmental Services office is in the same building at (231) 256-0201 for wells and septic, and the Leelanau Conservation District at (231) 256-9783 handles soil erosion permits. The Road Commission is on East Eckerle Road at (231) 271-3993. Your township or village hall handles assessing, current-year tax bills, zoning, short-term rental permits, and voter precincts.
Nearby counties
Most buyers shop more than one county. Here are the guides next door.
Confirm before you count on it. Provider details checked September 2026. We check this page every quarter and every provider row was verified by hand, but phone numbers, service territories, fees, and local ordinances all change without notice, and which utility serves a house can change from one road to the next. Call the provider, the township, or the county before you rely on anything here, especially well and septic rules at sale. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Priority Home Mortgage is a dba of PFN Lending Group, Inc. NMLS #103098. Equal Housing Lender. This is not an offer to enter into an agreement; not all customers will qualify. Printed from https://www.mypriorityhome.com/local-resources/leelanau-county-mi/