City of Plymouth vs Plymouth Township: What Renters Need to Know

They are two separate municipalities sharing one ZIP code, 48170. The City of Plymouth had 9,370 residents in 2020 across 2.22 square miles. Plymouth Charter Township had 27,938 across 16 square miles. The City is surrounded by the Township but governed independently. A "Plymouth, MI 48170" address does not tell you which one you are in.

I manage rental property here, and this is the most common thing renters get wrong. It rarely changes whether you should sign. It does change who you call, where you vote, whose parks you can reserve, your trash day, your on-street parking rules, and the tax line on a property you might later buy.

I can show you the difference with my own two buildings. Z on Plymouth is in the Township. Z on Coolidge is in the City. Same ZIP, same owner, different rules. That worked example is further down this page.

What is the actual difference between the City and the Township?

Everything except the ZIP code and the county.

The density line tells you the most. The City is roughly two and a half times denser. That is the difference between walking to dinner and driving to it.

Which one is downtown Plymouth in?

The City. Kellogg Park sits at West Ann Arbor Trail and South Main, and the Plymouth DDA calls it the focal point for the area's civic, social and commercial activity. The DDA reports over a million annual visitors, more than 200 business and property owners, roughly 1% vacancy, and a $2.8 million streetscape investment. The Gathering, the covered pavilion hosting the Saturday Farmers Market, sits adjacent, maintained by the City's Department of Municipal Services.

Nearly everything people mean by "Plymouth" as a destination, the Ice Festival, Art in the Park, Music in the Air, the Fall Festival, happens in the City. Most people who live in "Plymouth" live in the Township.

Do the City and Township share any services?

Fire is the big one. The departments consolidated in 1995. The City contributes $1 million annually, about 25% of that budget, so a fire call in either jurisdiction draws from the same organization.

Beyond that, assume separate: elected officials, ordinances, parks, treasurers, trash and water. When something at your unit needs a municipal answer, calling the wrong hall costs you a day.

How do taxes differ, and does that matter if I am renting?

It matters indirectly, and the comparison has to be made year against year or it is meaningless.

Plymouth Charter Township's 2025 total millage for a principal residence was 32.4045 mills, down from 32.5224 in 2024. Non-principal-residence property, which includes most rentals, adds 18 mills, for a 2025 non-principal total of 50.4045. Levying bodies include Schoolcraft College, Plymouth-Canton Schools, State Education, Wayne RESA, Wayne County, the Township, library, parks and cultural institutions.

The City of Plymouth's 2026 total millage is 36.7809 mills for a principal residence and 54.7809 mills for a non-principal residence. The 18-mill gap between the two is the school operating levy, the same gap the Township shows. The City's 2026 components include Operating 10.124, Solid Waste 1.820, Streets 1.680 and Library 1.4234, plus a 1% administration fee.

Here is the honest limitation. A 2026 city-to-township comparison is not possible right now, because the Township's 2026 winter rate has not been published. What can be compared is 2025 against 2025:

On a same-year basis the City levied roughly 8.57 mills more. The City's 2026 principal-residence rate of 36.7809 is lower than its own 2025 rate, but I have not investigated why, so I am not going to characterize that change. Ask the City Treasurer at 734-453-1234 or check the City's tax page.

Renters should know the City's schedule runs summer taxes due August 10 and winter taxes due February 28. You do not pay those on a rental, but the non-homestead rate is part of what every landlord here prices against, mine included.

Which school district covers each one?

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools covers most of Plymouth Charter Township, along with Canton Township and portions of Salem Township, Superior Township in Washtenaw County, and Northville Township. PCCS runs 14 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park, a 305-acre campus in Canton Township holding Salem, Canton and Plymouth high schools on one site.

The part that gets skipped: some outlying Plymouth Township addresses may fall outside PCCS. Most Plymouth addresses are in PCCS, but confirm your specific address using the Wayne County RESA School District and Attendance Locator before you sign. Not the leasing office's word, not mine, not a listing site's school widget. More in the renter's guide to PCCS.

Which one are Z on Plymouth and Z on Coolidge in?

Different ones. This is the cleanest worked example of the whole distinction, and I own both sides of it.

• Z on Plymouth, 40275 Plymouth Road, is in Plymouth Charter Township.
• Z on Coolidge, 725 Coolidge, is in the City of Plymouth.

Both carry a "Plymouth, MI 48170" mailing address. Both are mine. Both are managed by the same office with the same lease. And the municipal rules that apply to a resident at one are not the municipal rules that apply to a resident at the other. Confirmed against the US Census Bureau geocoder's geography lookup for each street address.

I am spelling this out because it is exactly the trap this article is about. If a leasing agent anywhere in 48170 tells you the municipal rules without asking which building you mean, they are guessing.

What actually differs between our two buildings

Trash. Both buildings are served by Priority Waste, but under two separate municipal contracts with different service windows. The City runs collection Monday through Wednesday. The Township runs Monday through Friday, with carts at the curb by 7:00 a.m. and no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the night before, and holiday weeks shifting to Saturday. The City uses an automated cart, 65 or 95 gallon, with compost collection April 6 through December 4 and bulk items limited to 3 items or 8 bags by appointment.

Neither municipality publishes an address lookup tool, so the specific collection day for either of our buildings is not something I can print. Call Priority Waste at 586-228-1200 with the street address.

Parking. At Z on Coolidge, in the City, the 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. street ban is year-round, not a winter rule, and it catches people who assume a Michigan overnight restriction is seasonal. The City sells residential permits at $25 a year where off-street parking is insufficient, plus temporary permits up to 14 days a month. At Z on Plymouth, in the Township, I cannot tell you there is an equivalent overnight rule, because the Township does not publish one I could retrieve.

This matters less inside our lots than on the street, since parking at both buildings is off-street and unassigned at one vehicle per tenant. It matters a great deal for a second car, a visitor staying over, or a work truck.

Snow. During a declared City snow emergency, there is no parking on any public street, period, and that is a tow risk for a guest at Z on Coolidge. There is no Township equivalent to watch for at Z on Plymouth, because the Township does not declare them. Sidewalk clearing is the one rule that is the same in both: 24 hours after accumulation ends. More in the winter renter's guide.

Taxes. You do not pay property tax on a rental. But the non-homestead rate is in the cost structure of every building in the area, and on a 2025-to-2025 basis the City rate was about 8.57 mills higher. Two buildings, same owner, same ZIP, two different tax bills.

What is the same. Fire service, since the departments consolidated in 1995. The Plymouth District Library, which is a district library serving both municipalities with equal access. And the lease, the rent structure, the utility fee and the pet policy at our two communities, because those are mine, not the municipality's.

What are the honest downsides of each?

City of Plymouth. Small, 2.22 square miles, and dense by local standards at 4,236 people per square mile. Downtown parking during the Ice Festival, Art in the Park or the Fall Festival is genuinely difficult, and inside the district those weekends are something you plan around.

Plymouth Charter Township. You are driving downtown, not walking. The park system is smaller in count than the City's 16, though Township Park itself is 80 acres. Development is ongoing: the Township's current-projects page lists multifamily proposals on Plymouth Road and near North Territorial and M-14, a cluster-housing project, and a mixed-use rezoning at Ann Arbor Road and McClumpha. Approvals are not construction schedules, but if you value a static neighborhood, read that list first.

Both. Neither lists a public dog park. Third-party directories claim one at Plymouth Township Park; the Township does not confirm it. The nearest verified option is the Wayne County Parks Dog Park at Hawthorne Ridge Park in Westland, $20 for county residents.

Frequently asked questions

Are the City of Plymouth and Plymouth Township the same place?

No. They are two separate municipalities sharing the 48170 ZIP code, both in Wayne County. The City covers 2.22 square miles with 9,370 residents as of 2020; the Township covers 16 square miles with 27,938. The City is surrounded by the Township but governed independently.

How do I find out whether my apartment is in the City or the Township?

Ask the leasing office for the municipality of record, then verify the street address against assessor parcel records or the US Census Bureau geocoder. Your mailing address will not tell you, because both use "Plymouth, MI 48170." Call the City Treasurer at 734-453-1234 or the Township at 734-453-3840.

Are Z on Plymouth and Z on Coolidge in the same municipality?

No. Z on Plymouth, at 40275 Plymouth Road, is in Plymouth Charter Township. Z on Coolidge, at 725 Coolidge, is in the City of Plymouth. Same ZIP code, same owner, same lease, but different trash contracts, different on-street parking rules, different snow emergency handling and different millage.

Is downtown Plymouth in the City or the Township?

The City. Kellogg Park, The Gathering and the Downtown Development Authority district are all inside the City of Plymouth. Most of the area's signature events, including the Ice Festival, Art in the Park and the Fall Festival, take place there.

What is the property tax rate in Plymouth Township?

The 2025 total millage for a principal residence was 32.4045 mills, down from 32.5224 in 2024. Non-principal-residence property, including rentals, adds 18 mills. Levying bodies include Schoolcraft College, Plymouth-Canton Schools, Wayne County and the Township.

Does it matter which one I rent in?

For daily life, mainly through walkability and driving distance to downtown. For paperwork, it determines who you call about ordinances and municipal services, and which parks system you can reserve from. Confirm before you sign, not after.

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Want to see where our two communities actually sit relative to downtown? Schedule a tour.

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Last verified: September 2026

Sources: US Census Bureau Geocoder · City of Plymouth · Plymouth District Library · City of Plymouth Treasurer / Taxes · Plymouth Township Tax Rates · Plymouth Township Current Projects · Plymouth Township Parks and Recreation · Plymouth DDA · PCCS Boundaries & Maps · Wayne County Parks: Hawthorne Ridge