COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Coldwater City Council Monday night officially adopted Ordinance No. 891 to crack down on nuisance odors, establishing clear local guidelines and a specialized air-dilution measurement system to hold offending businesses and properties accountable.
Frustrated by persistent delays from the State of Michigan’s Air Quality Division, which requires a trained official to travel from Kalamazoo to physically smell the air, the council took matters into their own hands to prevent changing weather and wind patterns from letting violators off the hook.
The newly approved ordinance bypasses the state’s subjective intensity scale by adopting an objective dilution standard utilized by multiple states.
City Attorney Amanda O’Boyle says the ordinance does not target everyday common backyard odors
Under the new local rules, the city would deploy specialized devices like the “Nasal Ranger” or “Scentometer” to measure ambient air outside a suspected property line, logging a violation if an odor can still be detected after being diluted with seven volumes of clean air in residential zones, or fifteen volumes in industrial zones.
Enforcement will be overseen by trained city staff or contractors who will conduct two separate air tests within a one-hour window and, when feasible, collect 10-liter air samples in certified bags to pinpoint the exact chemical compounds and trace them back to their source.
A large number of the odor complains received by the city come from the Darling Ingredients facility on Jay Street are similar to this one from April Rose at a March 2025 council meeting
While the ordinance exempts ordinary food processing, standard restaurants, and legally compliant outdoor burning, it does levy penalties against violators, starting with a $50 fine for a first offense and escalating up to $500 for a third offense within a single year.
Repeat offenders will also be mandated to submit a comprehensive odor control plan to the Department of Neighborhood Services within 30 days detailing how they intend to capture, treat, or prevent the emissions.
If compliance is not met, the city is empowered to pursue civil actions in Circuit Court and can place a lien against the offender’s real property to recoup any incurred enforcement and abatement expenses.
The ordinance is scheduled to take full effect 21 days after its formal publication.
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