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Jackson County, Michigan

Mortgage Broker in Leoni Township, MI

Leoni Township covers about 49 square miles east of Jackson, with Michigan Center, lakes including Gilletts, Center and Round, and three school districts under one township assessor.

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What should you know before buying a home in Leoni Township?

Leoni Township, in Jackson County, is home to about 13,794 residents in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey (13,847 in the 2020 census) across about 49 square miles of land. ZIP codes 49201, 49240, 49203 and 49254 cover the township, and its own assessor sets the taxable values. Downtown Jackson is about 5 miles west in a straight line, and downtown Ann Arbor is about 29 miles east in a straight line.

By the numbers

What do the numbers say about Leoni Township housing?

Values move. Treat these as orientation and let us pull current figures for the address you are considering.

$196,000

Typical home value, from the market research on this page

+53%

Typical rise in taxable value the year after a home sells, 2026 Uncapping Study

4

Residential ZIP codes: 49201, 49240, 49203, 49254

What does financing look like in Leoni Township?

The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey puts the median owner-occupied home in Leoni Township near $196,200, with a margin of error of $15,247, a median year built of 1967 and 4,693 owner homes among 5,542 occupied homes, about 85%. Of 5,920 housing units, 5,234 are detached houses and 214 are mobile homes. For context, Redfin's September 2026 data puts the Michigan statewide median sale price at $289,069, up 3.3% from a year earlier, with a median of 34 days on the market, and Leoni Township's Census median sits below that. At these prices the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750 and the $541,287 FHA limit leave room for conventional, FHA and VA loans, and the USDA eligibility check shows by address whether a parcel sits in a USDA area, with the USDA loan basics guide behind it. Down payment assistance is a separate page. A mortgage broker shopping a Leoni Township purchase can compare those programs for one file, and the loan limits by county page shows the figures for Jackson County.

Several Leoni Township details change a loan file. The township runs its own sewer and water billing, while homes off those lines use private wells and septic systems, and Jackson County's Environmental Health page says the county requires no well or septic evaluation for a residential sale, so a buyer, lender or program may ask for one on its own. Lake homes can sit inside special assessment districts, and a parcel's flood status is a map check by address, with flood insurance required by the lender in a high-risk zone. The Michigan taxable value guide and property tax calculator cover the tax step. In Michigan, a home's taxable value is capped while one owner holds it. The year after it sells, that cap comes off and taxable value resets to the state equalized value, which is half of the assessor's estimate of market value, not automatically half of what you paid. Summer bills are due September 14 and winter bills February 14, and an escrow account lets the lender pay both, as the escrow guide explains. The home affordability calculator and the calculators page test a monthly budget with the tax step included, the home inspection checklist covers the walk-through, and the Loan Estimate check reads an offer once you have one. To start, tell us where you are in the process.

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A Leoni Township home can carry a Jackson, Michigan Center or Grass Lake mailing name, yet one township assessor sets its taxable value and one of three school districts, taxing at 29.6911, 33.7911 or 34.4411 mills in 2025, sets the rest, so the parcel decides the bill and the mailing town does not.

The market

What is the Leoni Township housing market like?

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey puts the median owner-occupied home value in Leoni Township near $196,200, across about 4,693 owner-occupied homes, with a median year built of 1967. The typical home value in Leoni Township is near $196,000. Homeowners pay a median of about $1,964 a year in property taxes, an effective rate of about 1.00% of the median value.

Mailing towns and ZIP codes

Which ZIP code is a Leoni Township address?

Six ZIP areas touch the township, and a parcel's mailing town says little about who taxes it.

A Leoni Township address can carry a Jackson, Michigan Center or Grass Lake mailing name, but the assessor, the treasurer and the tax roll are the township's either way. By Census land area, ZIP area 49201 covers about 61% of the township, 49240 about 19%, 49203 about 8%, 49254 about 6%, 49202 about 4% and 49259 under 2%. By the 2020 Census homes inside the township, 49201 holds 3,048, 49254 holds 1,540, 49203 holds 793, 49202 holds 349 and 49240 holds 306, each block counted where its center point falls.

Michigan Center, the unincorporated community around the township hall, mails as 49254, so it holds a much larger share of the township's homes than its share of land. The 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey on Census Reporter counts 13,794 people across about 49 square miles, and the township's home page lists the hall hours, Monday through Thursday. A ZIP code is a mail route, so confirm a parcel's township, school district and tax roll before you compare homes across the 49201 and 49254 lines.

Where to look

Which neighborhoods make up Leoni Township?

East Michigan Center

The blocks of Michigan Center east of the township hall, running toward Center Lake, fall in Census tract 61.02, block group 1. The 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey shows a median owner home value of $121,200 with a wide margin of $73,133, a median year built of 1938 and 260 owner homes among 297 occupied. Mail is Michigan Center 49254, and the Michigan Center School District taxes this area.

Michigan Center around the township hall

Leoni Township's hall at 913 Fifth Street sits in Census tract 61.01, block group 2, where the American Community Survey shows a median owner home value of $145,500 with a wide margin of $67,684 and a median year built of 1956. Of 567 occupied homes, 376 are owner-occupied. Mail is Michigan Center 49254, and the area is taxed by the Michigan Center School District at 29.6911 mills for a principal residence.

North Michigan Center

North of the village center, Census tract 61.01, block group 1 shows a median owner home value of $166,100 with a margin of $21,111 and a median year built of 1954. The 2020 to 2024 survey counts 385 owner homes among 425 occupied. Mail here is Michigan Center 49254, and the Michigan Center School District taxes the block group.

Indian Village and southwest Michigan Center

Census tract 61.01, block group 3 covers the southwest corner, where OpenStreetMap maps Indian Village Mobile Home Community. The survey shows a median owner home value of $85,400 with a wide margin of $42,459, a median year built of 1970 and 368 owner homes among 394 occupied. Mail is Jackson 49201, and any manufactured home here follows manufactured home loan rules.

Center Lake and Lakeland Hills

Census tract 61.02, block group 2 holds Center Lake, its public access and Lakeland Hills Golf Course. The survey shows a median owner home value of $220,000 with a margin of $13,835, a median year built of 1974 and 660 owner homes among 744 occupied. The Center Lake access point mails as Michigan Center 49254, while the golf course end of the block group mails as Jackson 49201.

Round Lake

Round Lake sits in Census tract 61.02, block group 3, a small block group near the hall. The 2020 to 2024 survey shows a median owner home value of $200,000 with a very wide margin of $81,031, a median year built of 1955 and 348 owner homes among 375 occupied. Mail is Michigan Center 49254, and with a margin this large the median is a rough guide, so compare recent sales on the street.

Gilletts Lake

Census tract 60.01, block group 3 holds Gilletts Lake and its public access. The survey shows a median owner home value of $209,700 with a margin of $27,795 and a median year built of 1973. Of 832 occupied homes, 507 are owner-occupied, about 61%. Mail is Jackson 49201, and the township board has listed Gillett's Lake special assessment hearings, so ask the assessor about a district on any lake parcel.

East Michigan Avenue corridor

Census tract 60.01, block group 2 reaches the township's western edge, where OpenStreetMap maps Meijer, a Rite Aid, a Speedway and the Jackson District Library Eastern Branch. The survey shows a median owner home value of $167,600 with a margin of $56,169, a median year built of 1965 and 229 owner homes among 249 occupied. The Meijer point mails as Jackson 49203, and a small northwest corner mails as 49202.

Brill Lake and Pine Hollow

Census tract 60.02, block group 3 covers the northern middle of the township, including Brill Lake, Sherman Lake and Pine Hollow Golf Club. The survey shows a median owner home value of $252,200 with a wide margin of $71,702, a median year built of 1992 and 435 owner homes among 451 occupied. Mail is Jackson 49201, and the East Jackson district taxes this block group.

Leoni and Leoni Millpond

The hamlet of Leoni and Leoni Millpond sit in Census tract 60.02, block group 2, which also holds Goose Lake and Greenwood Acres Campground. The survey shows a median owner home value of $343,400 with a margin of $34,952, a median year built of 2000 and 271 owner homes among 271 occupied. Mail is Jackson 49201, and the Grass Lake district taxes the Millpond area.

Eagle Lake and the Haehnle Sanctuary

The northern end of the township, with Eagle Lake, Mud Lake and the Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary, is Census tract 67.02, block group 4, which runs well past the township line. The survey shows a median owner home value of $214,800 with a wide margin of $47,373, a median year built of 1976 and 569 owner homes among 586 occupied. Mail here is Grass Lake 49240.

Schools and commute

Schools

Three school districts tax Leoni Township, and the parcel decides which one. Michigan Treasury's 2025 rates list the township under school codes 38050 (Grass Lake Community Schools), 38090 (East Jackson Community Schools) and 38120 (Michigan Center School District). The 2025 principal residence rates are 34.4411 mills with Grass Lake, 33.7911 with East Jackson and 29.6911 with Michigan Center, and the non-homestead rates are 52.4411, 51.7911 and 47.6911. The gap between the highest and lowest principal residence rate is 4.7500 mills, or $4.75 for every $1,000 of taxable value. On Census boundaries, East Jackson covers about 55% of the township's land, Michigan Center about 31% and Grass Lake about 14%. Homes split differently because the lake communities sit around Michigan Center: of the 6,045 homes counted in the 2020 Census blocks inside the township, about 3,444 (57%) fall in the Michigan Center district, 2,265 (37%) in East Jackson and 336 (6%) in Grass Lake. The district websites are Michigan Center School District, East Jackson Community Schools and Grass Lake Community Schools, and the township's local schools page points to East Jackson and Michigan Center. The Jackson County Intermediate School District contact list has each district office. Confirm the district on the tax bill or with the assessor before you compare listings, since school boundaries do not follow ZIP codes or mailing towns.

Commute

The township hall is at 913 Fifth Street in Michigan Center. By OSRM driving routes with no traffic, downtown Jackson is about 11 minutes and 6.0 miles away, Grass Lake about 15 minutes (8.0 miles), Chelsea about 32 minutes (23.5 miles), Ann Arbor about 46 minutes (37.0 miles), Lansing about 53 minutes (44.2 miles), Detroit Metropolitan Airport about 72 minutes (62.6 miles) and downtown Detroit about 91 minutes (78.1 miles). The routes to Jackson, Chelsea, Ann Arbor, Lansing and Detroit start along Fifth Street and Page Avenue to US-127, then run east on I-94 or north on I-496 toward Lansing. Rush hour adds time that the routing does not count. Jackson County's 2024 to 2025 budget names Henry Ford Allegiance Health System, Consumers Energy, the Michigan Department of Corrections, Great Lakes Home and Health, Michigan Automotive Compressor and local government as the county's major employers, and Accelerate Jackson lists automotive and advanced mobility, food and beverage, defense manufacturing, fabricated metals and precision machining and ecommerce fulfillment as the county's target industries. One consolidated police, fire and medical first-response department covers Leoni and Blackman townships together, and the Jackson District Library's Eastern Branch sits on East Michigan Avenue at the township's western edge.

Day to day

Living in Leoni Township

Parks, errands, events, seasonal township tasks and the kinds of homes you will see, from the township's events calendar, the Jackson District Library's Eastern Branch page, the Jackson County calendar, the Jackson Audubon Society sanctuary history, Experience Jackson and the other sources named in each card.

What is there to do around Leoni Township?

OpenStreetMap maps Leoni Township Lions Park and Triangle Woods beside the township hall in Michigan Center, public lake access points on Gilletts Lake and Center Lake, and Lakeland Hills Golf Course and Pine Hollow Golf Club. Round Lake, Sherman Lake, Brill Lake, Eagle Lake, St. John Lake, Goose Lake and Welch Lake are mapped here too. In the north, the Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary, where Experience Jackson says sandhill cranes gather every autumn, is mapped inside the township, and Waterloo Recreation Area, which Experience Jackson puts at over 20,000 acres, sits just off its northeast corner.

Where do people run errands?

OpenStreetMap maps Meijer, a Rite Aid and a Speedway together on East Michigan Avenue at the township's west edge, with the Jackson District Library Eastern Branch beside them. The library's page lists Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 9 to 6, Saturday 9 to 5 and Sunday 1 to 5. In Michigan Center, OpenStreetMap maps Good Neighbor Pharmacy, the Michigan Center Post Office and several fuel and convenience stops near the township hall, with G H Binroth Co. hardware to the north and Express Stop and Marathon stations north of Gilletts Lake.

What happens here through the year?

The township's events calendar lists a board work session on November 9, 2026, a board meeting on November 10 and a planning commission meeting on November 18, with entries running to April 21, 2027. Jackson County's calendar lists the Jackson County Fair for August 9 to 15, 2026 at James J. Keeley County Park in nearby Jackson. Sandhill cranes gather each autumn at the Haehnle Sanctuary in the township's north, and the Jackson Audubon Society's sanctuary history describes Mud Lake Marsh and Eagle Lake there.

What does each season mean for a homeowner?

The township treasurer sends summer bills the first week of July, due September 14, and winter bills the first week of December, due February 14, with unpaid taxes moving to the Jackson County Treasurer on March 1. The Board of Review meets in March, July and December. Sewer bills are due quarterly, and sewer bills unpaid by August 31 go onto the winter tax statement. Lake special assessment district hearings, such as Gillett's Lake in 2024, come up at board meetings.

Which kind of home are you after?

Detached houses are the large majority, 5,234 of 5,920 housing units in the American Community Survey. Lake homes sit around Gilletts Lake, Center Lake, Round Lake, Brill Lake and Eagle Lake, where a special assessment district can add a line to the tax bill. Newer homes show up near Leoni and Leoni Millpond, where the block group's median year built is 2000. Around Michigan Center the block groups' median year built runs from 1938 to 1956, and 214 mobile homes follow manufactured home loan rules. Acreage parcels use wells and septic systems, which changes the inspection list and the loan checklist.

Michigan property taxes

What will my property taxes be after I buy in Leoni Township?

The year after a Michigan home sells, its taxable value resets to half of the assessor's market value, so the seller's tax bill is not your tax bill.

In Leoni Township, our 2026 Uncapping Study found taxable value typically rises about 53% the year after a sale. On a $200,000 home, near the typical Leoni Township value, the first-year tax goes up roughly $1,030 to $1,170, depending on the school district. Most homes here are in Michigan Center schools (about $1,030); East Jackson schools homes run about $1,170. Your address decides which applies. We build your payment on that post-sale number.

Looking at a Leoni Township address? Our Michigan property tax calculator finds that property's published 2025 millage and works out the tax to plan for after you buy.

How Michigan taxable value works

In Samantha's words

Don't build your budget around somebody else's tax bill. The seller's tax history tells us something about the property. It does not automatically tell us what your taxes are going to look like as the new owner.

Three school districts

How do the three Leoni Township tax rates compare?

The year after a Michigan home sells, its taxable value resets to half of the assessor's market value, so the seller's tax bill is not your tax bill. The rates below come from the Michigan Treasury 2025 total rates for a principal residence, and the Michigan property tax calculator looks up the exact rate for an address. As an illustration only, if an assessor's market value matched the Census median of $196,200, the state equalized value would be $98,100. The township treasurer's tax page has the due dates and the assessing department sets the value.

Michigan Center School District, 29.6911 mills

Treasury school code 38120. The non-homestead rate is 47.6911 mills. About 31% of the township's land and about 57% of its 2020 homes sit in this district. At a taxable value of $98,100 the principal residence rate works out to about $2,913 a year.

East Jackson Community Schools, 33.7911 mills

Treasury school code 38090. The non-homestead rate is 51.7911 mills. About 55% of the township's land and about 37% of its 2020 homes sit in this district. At a taxable value of $98,100 the principal residence rate works out to about $3,315 a year.

Grass Lake Community Schools, 34.4411 mills

Treasury school code 38050. The non-homestead rate is 52.4411 mills. About 14% of the township's land and about 6% of its 2020 homes sit in this district. At a taxable value of $98,100 the principal residence rate works out to about $3,379 a year.

Local resources

Check Leoni Township records yourself

The official offices behind the tax and school details on this page.

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Leoni Township mortgage questions

If yours is not here, ask it on the call. There are no dumb questions.

My Leoni Township address says Jackson. Do I pay City of Jackson taxes?

No, not when the parcel is in Leoni Township. The mailing name does not decide which government taxes a home, because the township assessor sets taxable value and the township treasurer bills it. Jackson County’s tax cycle page says the City of Jackson runs different deadlines than the county and townships, while Leoni Township’s bills are due September 14 and February 14. Look up the parcel in the township’s online property information before relying on a mailing town, and read the county tax cycle page if a listing is close to the city line.

One of three: East Jackson Community Schools, Michigan Center School District or Grass Lake Community Schools, and the parcel decides, not the mailing town. Michigan Treasury’s 2025 principal residence rates are 33.7911, 29.6911 and 34.4411 mills in that order. On Census 2020 blocks, about 57% of the township’s homes fall in the Michigan Center district, 37% in East Jackson and 6% in Grass Lake. Confirm the district on the tax bill, and use the township’s local schools page and the county intermediate district contact list to reach each office.

The township’s own assessing department does, at 517-936-2302 or assessingdept@leonitownship.com. Its three-person staff keeps parcel records, handles land division and combination applications, special assessment districts and principal residence exemption affidavits, and holds Board of Review meetings in March, July and December, per the assessing functions page. The assessing department page adds that assessors do field inspections through the year in a marked white Chevy Equinox.

Summer taxes are due September 14 and winter taxes February 14, according to the township treasurer. Summer bills go out the first week of July and winter bills the first week of December, and unpaid taxes pass to the Jackson County Treasurer on March 1. The township accepts partial payments and card payments for a processing fee. If a lender escrows your taxes, the township’s payment information page says to check that the mortgage company’s code is on the bill, and the treasurer page lists the office at 517-936-2291.

Not by law at the county level. Jackson County’s Environmental Health office says it requires no well or septic evaluation and no private well testing for a residential property transfer, though a buyer, lender or loan program can still ask for one. The office keeps well and septic records after 1972 and can email them at 517-788-4433. Read the county well and septic page and our septic system guide before you set a home inspection scope.

That depends on the street, so confirm it by parcel with the township hall at 517-764-4694. Leoni Township runs a utility department that bills sewer and water, and its sewer and water committee meets the last Thursday of each month at 9:00 AM. Jackson County asks anyone applying for a well or septic permit to check with the township first so a municipal system is not already available. Homes off the lines use private wells and septic systems, and our well water guide covers what that means for value.

It can, so ask the assessor which district a parcel belongs to before you make an offer. The township board’s September 10, 2024 agenda lists public hearings on the Gillett’s Lake and Little Pleasant Lake special assessment districts and on a Goose Lake district, and the assessing department handles special assessment districts. A special assessment is a charge for a district’s improvements that the township adds to a parcel’s tax bill. Lenders count it in the monthly cost when taxes are escrowed, and the township’s meeting calendar shows when the board meets.

Look the address up on FEMA Map Service Center and then ask the lender what it requires. If the map puts the home in a high-risk zone, the lender requires flood insurance, and the quote is worth getting before you make an offer. The township’s home page lists floodplain information among its quick links, and our flood zone guide walks through the steps. A mortgage broker for a Leoni Township lake home can build that insurance quote into the payment you plan for.

Before you offer

What should you settle on a Leoni Township house?

Lake, acreage and manufactured homes each add a step, and these sources answer them: the Jackson County well and septic page, the township's assessing functions page, FEMA Map Service Center and the township's utility department. Our manufactured home loan page and closing costs guide cover the lending side.

Is the house on township water or a well?

The township bills water and sewer through its utility department, and homes off those lines use private wells. Jackson County requires no well test for a residential sale, so a buyer or lender decides whether to order one.

Sewer line or septic tank?

Jackson County keeps septic records after 1972 and asks anyone applying for a septic permit to check with the township first for a municipal system. A septic system changes the inspection scope and sometimes the loan program's checklist.

Does a lake special assessment apply?

The township board's September 10, 2024 agenda lists hearings on Gillett's Lake, Little Pleasant Lake and Goose Lake districts. Ask the assessing department which district a parcel belongs to and what it adds to the tax bill.

What does the FEMA map say for the address?

A flood zone is a map check by address. If the home is in a high-risk zone, the lender requires flood insurance, so get the quote before an offer and add it to the monthly budget.

Has the land been split?

The township assessing office handles land division and combination applications. On an acreage parcel, ask how many divisions the parcel has already had and what the zoning allows before a purchase.

Is it a manufactured home on land?

The Census counts 214 mobile homes in the township, and OpenStreetMap maps Indian Village Mobile Home Community. A manufactured home on owned land and one in a community follow different loan rules, and the home's year and foundation matter.

Communities near Leoni Township

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Guides for Leoni Township buyers

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Sources

Where do the Leoni Township figures on this page come from?

32 sources behind the Leoni Township figures above, every link checked November 2026.

Align Lending LLC, NMLS #2041154. Samantha Shelton, NMLS 1647301. Equal Housing Opportunity. Licensed in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. Figures on this page are market research for orientation, not a quote. This page is for educational purposes only. It is not a credit decision, a preapproval, a commitment to lend, or an offer of credit.

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