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Kent County, Michigan

Mortgage Broker in Alpine Township, MI

Alpine Township sits just north of Walker in Kent County, with three ZIP codes, three school districts and a township hall on Alpine Avenue.

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

Alpine Township, in Kent County, is home to about 14,040 residents in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey (14,079 in the 2020 census) across about 36 square miles of land. Its ZIP codes also reach into Plainfield Township and Walker, so the parcel record, not the mailing address, shows which unit's tax rates apply. Downtown Grand Rapids is about 7 miles south-southeast in a straight line.

By the numbers

What do the numbers say about Alpine Township housing?

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

$234,000

Typical home value, from the market research on this page

+63%

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

3

Residential ZIP codes: 49321, 49544, 49345

What does financing look like in Alpine Township?

The 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey puts the median owner-occupied home value in Alpine Township near $233,900, with a margin of about $12,346, across about 3,485 owner-occupied homes among about 6,198 housing units, and a median year built of 1985. Block groups inside the township range from a 1963 median build year along Westgate to 1994 in the south, so one township holds very different houses. At these values, the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750 and the $541,287 FHA limit sit well above the typical home, so a purchase here is usually a standard conforming or FHA loan question rather than a jumbo one. Check the loan limits tool for the county figures, and use the USDA address check to see whether a particular address falls inside a USDA eligible area, since the township's rural north and west can differ from the Alpine Avenue corridor. The FHA loan page and the conventional loan page explain how each fits.

Three things here change a loan file more than the list price does. First, the school district: the same price carries a different tax bill in Kenowa Hills, Sparta Area and Comstock Park, so run the numbers with the Michigan property tax calculator for the actual address. Second, water and sewer: the township's roads and utilities pages say all of Alpine's water supply is through Plainfield Township and that the township owns the sanitary sewer lines, which the North Kent Sewer Authority operates, so ask whether an address is on public water and sewer or on a well and septic system, and read how a well affects a home's value. Third, flood zones: check the FEMA map for the address, and if it falls in a high-risk zone the lender requires flood insurance, which the flood zone guide walks through. A sewer bill of $89 a quarter for one residential unit is a separate bill from property tax, so ask the seller what the current owner pays.

Before choosing a loan, price the whole purchase. The home affordability calculator and mortgage calculator start the budget, the rent vs. buy calculator compares staying put, and the Loan Estimate check reads the offers you collect. The closing costs guide, first-time buyer guide, FHA guide and conventional loan guide go deeper, and the VA loan page and down payment assistance page cover other paths. The Michigan transfer tax calculator helps if you are also selling, and the mortgage process page lays out the steps. All the tools are listed on the calculators page.

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Three ZIP codes cover about 96% of Alpine Township, and each reaches beyond its borders, so a Comstock Park, Sparta or other mailing address does not show which township, or which of three school districts, taxes the house.

The market

What is the Alpine Township housing market like?

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey puts the median owner-occupied home value in Alpine Township near $233,900, across about 3,485 owner-occupied homes, with a median year built of 1985. The typical home value in Alpine Township is near $234,000. Homeowners pay a median of about $2,807 a year in property taxes, an effective rate of about 1.20% of the median value.

Where the address points

Three ZIP codes cover Alpine Township

The ZIP shares below come from sampling the Census ZIP code areas against the township boundary, and the school district notes come from point checks on Census school district boundaries. The township assessor's page and its property tax database show the record for a parcel, and the township's schools page lists the districts.

ZIP 49321, about 44% of the land

The Census geocoder returns Comstock Park for the township hall at 5255 Alpine Ave NW in this ZIP. Points on Alpine Avenue, Baumhoff Avenue, Walker Avenue and Peach Ridge Avenue that we checked sit in Kenowa Hills Public Schools, while the Westgate area near Westshire Drive sits in Comstock Park Public Schools.

ZIP 49544, about 32% of the land

This ZIP covers much of the township's west and southwest, including points on Hendershot Avenue, Ridgeport Drive and Gibbs Road that we checked, all inside Kenowa Hills Public Schools. The same ZIP also reaches Wilder Center in Walker, so a ZIP match does not prove the township.

ZIP 49345, about 20% of the land

The northern edge, around Fruit Ridge Avenue and Ballards Corners, carries this ZIP, and the Census geocoder returns Sparta for it. Points checked there sit in Sparta Area Schools. Two other ZIPs, 49403 and 49435, touch the far west edge and together hold under 4% of the land.

Where to look

Which neighborhoods make up Alpine Township?

Fruit Ridge Avenue and 9 Mile Road

The township's northwest corner, where TIGERweb's road layer shows Fruit Ridge Avenue meeting 9 Mile Road. A point here sits in ZIP 49345 and in Sparta Area Schools, which taxes 33.0684 homestead mills in 2025. It falls in block group 1 of tract 114.01, where the 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey gives an owner median value near $319,900 with a margin of about $72,321 and a median year built of 1974. That wide margin means the value is a range, not a point.

Ballards Corners

OpenStreetMap labels Ballards Corners as a hamlet near the township's north edge, and a point there falls in ZIP 49345 and Sparta Area Schools. It shares block group 1 of tract 114.01 with Fruit Ridge Avenue, so the same American Community Survey figures apply: a median owner value near $319,900, a margin of about $72,321, and a median build year of 1974 across 461 housing units, 439 of them owner-occupied.

Gibbs Road and Stage Avenue

In the township's west, TIGERweb lists Gibbs Road and Stage Avenue near 7 Mile Road. A point here carries ZIP 49544, a ZIP that also covers part of Walker, yet it sits inside Alpine Township and Kenowa Hills Public Schools, which taxes 29.5884 homestead mills in 2025. It is in block group 1 of tract 114.01, so the owner median near $319,900 and median build year 1974 apply, with a wide margin.

Peach Ridge Avenue at 7 Mile Road

TIGERweb's road layer lists Peach Ridge Avenue and 7 Mile Road together near the township's center-west. A point here is in ZIP 49321, which is a Comstock Park mailing ZIP, and in Kenowa Hills Public Schools. It also falls in block group 1 of tract 114.01, with a median owner value near $319,900, a margin of about $72,321, and a median year built of 1974.

The township hall and Alpine Avenue

The township hall at 5255 Alpine Ave NW, which the Census geocoder places in ZIP 49321, sits in block group 2 of tract 114.01. The 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey gives that block group an owner median value near $265,400 with a margin of about $25,637, a median year built of 1978, and 332 owner-occupied homes among 419 housing units. Kenowa Hills Public Schools applies at this point.

Baumhoff Avenue and 8 Mile Road

TIGERweb lists Baumhoff Avenue and 8 Mile Road together in the township's northeast quarter. A point here is in ZIP 49321 and Kenowa Hills Public Schools. It shares block group 2 of tract 114.01 with the township hall, so the owner median near $265,400, a margin of about $25,637, and a median build year of 1978 apply, and Wahlfield County Park sits on Alpine Avenue not far away.

Walker Avenue and 6 Mile Road

Walker Avenue NW meets 6 Mile Road NW in TIGERweb's road layer at the middle of the township. A point here is in ZIP 49321 and Kenowa Hills Public Schools, and it falls in block group 2 of tract 114.01, where the 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey gives an owner median value near $265,400, a margin of about $25,637, and a median year built of 1978.

Hendershot Avenue

Hendershot Avenue NW runs through block group 1 of tract 114.03 in the township's southwest. A point on it is in ZIP 49544 and Kenowa Hills Public Schools. The 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey counts 748 housing units here, 608 owner-occupied, with a median year built of 1987 and a margin of 3 years. The survey does not publish a usable median value for this block group, so use the parcel's own record.

Ridgeport Drive and Jamesway Drive

TIGERweb's local road layer lists Ridgeport Drive, Jamesway Drive, Raap Drive, Hoogewind Drive and Candi Lane around a point off Peach Ridge Avenue in the township's south. The point is in ZIP 49544 and Kenowa Hills Public Schools. It is in block group 2 of tract 114.03, with a median year built of 1994 and an owner median value near $369,200 with a very wide margin of about $103,761.

Cisco Grove and Alpine Church Road

TIGERweb lists Cisco Grove, Alpine Church Road, Baumhoff Avenue and 5 Mile Road around a point in the township's south-center, and the Alpine Township Sports Park at 1850 Alpine Church Rd NW sits along this road. The point is in ZIP 49321 and Kenowa Hills Public Schools, in block group 2 of tract 114.03 with a median year built of 1994 and a wide value margin.

Alpine Avenue near Henze Street

The township's Fire Station 1 at 1100 Henze St NW, a point the Census geocoder places in ZIP 49321, sits close to Alpine Avenue's retail stretch in the township's south. The point is in Kenowa Hills Public Schools and block group 2 of tract 114.03, with a median year built of 1994. OpenStreetMap maps Walmart Supercenter, Aldi and Gordon Food Service along the avenue here.

Westgate and Westshire Drive

The township's Westgate Neighborhood Park at 4906 Westshire Dr NW anchors this area on the township's east edge. A point here is in ZIP 49321 and, unlike most of the township, in Comstock Park Public Schools, which taxes 35.814 homestead mills in 2025. In block group 2 of tract 114.05 the survey gives a median owner value near $234,500 with a margin of about $27,824, a median build year of 1963, and 502 owner-occupied homes among 523 housing units.

Schools and commute

Schools

Three public school districts tax parcels inside Alpine Township, and which one applies depends on the parcel, not the mailing address. The township's schools page names Comstock Park Public Schools, Kenowa Hills Public Schools and Sparta Area Schools, and lists Holy Trinity Catholic School as a private school inside the township. Sampling Census school district boundaries against the township boundary gives Kenowa Hills about 62% of the land, Sparta Area about 33% and Comstock Park about 6%. Michigan Treasury's 2025 table, published under Treasury's tax reports, lists the homestead millage for each: Kenowa Hills 29.5884 mills, Sparta Area 33.0684 mills and Comstock Park 35.814 mills, with non-homestead totals of 47.5884, 51.0684 and 53.814 mills. On $100,000 of taxable value that is $2,958.84, $3,306.84 and $3,581.40 a year at the homestead millage, before any change to the bill. The township's exemptions page says the Principal Residence Exemption removes the 18 school operating mills for a home you own and live in, and it is claimed with an affidavit filed with the assessor. Read the figures on the township's millage page, which also lists the county, library and township levies, and ask the assessor at 616-784-1262 which district a specific parcel belongs to. The Kent Intermediate School District levies 5.3515 mills on parcels in all three districts, according to the township's millage page, and the township's schools page lists it as an education resource.

Commute

Alpine Avenue, which the route data shows as M-37, runs north and south through the township, and the township hall sits on it at 5255 Alpine Ave NW. From the hall, OSRM's no-traffic route to downtown Grand Rapids follows M-37, US-131 and I-196 for about 7.7 miles and 12 minutes. Sparta is about 7.7 miles and 12 minutes, Rockford about 11 miles and 17 minutes, and the Gerald R. Ford International Airport area about 20.7 miles and 28 minutes. Add time for traffic. OpenStreetMap maps a cluster of retail businesses along Alpine Avenue in the southern part of the township, among them Walmart Supercenter, Aldi, Gordon Food Service and Daily Deals Food Outlet, and the township's projects page lists a Cascade Engineering site plan at Comstock Park Drive and the railroad tracks filed in September 2025. The Rapid, the area's transit authority, runs a fixed route that the township's services page describes as starting in Grand Rapids, passing through Walker and then following Alpine Avenue, Alpenhorn Drive and Lamoreaux Drive. See The Rapid's site for current route times, and the township's services page for how the township contracts for the service.

Day to day

Living in Alpine Township

Parks, errands, events and seasonal township tasks, from the township's parks page, the township's library page, the KDL events page for the Alpine Township Branch, the fall leaf pick-up notice, the tax bills page and the Kent County Road Commission. The Harvester newsletter page and planning projects page show what the township is working on.

What is there to do around Alpine Township?

The township's parks page lists Alpine Township Sports Park at 1850 Alpine Church Rd NW, with a walking track, three softball or baseball fields, four soccer fields, four pickleball courts and a small picnic shelter, open 8 a.m. to dusk April to October. Westgate Neighborhood Park at 4906 Westshire Dr NW covers 7.5 acres with tennis courts, a playground and restrooms. Wahlfield County Park at 6811 Alpine Ave has natural trails for walking, running, cross-country skiing and mountain biking, plus a large picnic shelter.

Where do people run errands?

OpenStreetMap maps Walmart Supercenter, Aldi, Gordon Food Service, Daily Deals Food Outlet and San Jose Supermercado along Alpine Avenue in the township's south, with convenience stores such as Speedway and Next Door Food Store on the same stretch. The KDL Alpine Township Branch library is at 5255 Alpine Ave NW and opens 12 to 8 on Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:30 to 5 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 12 to 5 on Fridays, according to the township's library page.

What happens here through the year?

The township's fall leaf pick-up for 2026 is scheduled for Wednesdays, October 28, November 4 and November 18, with leaves at the curb by 6 a.m. The township posts a meetings and events calendar, its Harvester newsletter has issues for Fall 2025 and Winter 2026, and KDL lists programs at the Alpine Township Branch. The township's site also carries an application for an outdoor public gatherings license, and door-to-door salespeople must hold a township permit.

What does each season mean for a homeowner?

Summer tax bills are mailed July 1 and due September 14, and winter bills are mailed December 1 and due February 14. Sewer bills come quarterly in January, April, July and October. Leaf bundles can be up to 48 inches long, 20 inches across and 65 pounds, and biodegradable bags need a township tag, sold at $1 each or 11 for $10. The Kent County Road Commission handles snow and ice removal on county roads, and the township says to call 616-242-6950.

Which kind of home are you after?

The block group figures show several kinds of home. Homes around Westgate have a median year built of 1963. Homes near Alpine Avenue and Peach Ridge Avenue in the south have a median of 1994. Homes along the rural roads of the north and west, such as Fruit Ridge Avenue, have a median of 1974 and sit on parcels where the water and sewer service area maps decide whether the house has a well and septic system. The township's projects page also lists Wilder Crossings and Laman Ridge development plans, so check the parcel for new-construction details.

Michigan property taxes

What will my property taxes be after I buy in Alpine 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 Alpine Township, our 2026 Uncapping Study found taxable value typically rises about 63% the year after a sale. On a $225,000 home, near the typical Alpine Township value, the first-year tax goes up roughly $1,290 to $1,560, depending on the school district. The largest share of homes here is in Comstock Park schools (about $1,560); Kenowa Hills schools homes run about $1,290 and Sparta schools homes about $1,440. Your address decides which applies. We build your payment on that post-sale number.

Looking at an Alpine 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.

Same township, three bills

Alpine Township millage by school district, side by side

Millage here is the 2025 homestead and non-homestead total for Alpine Township in each school district, from Michigan Treasury's 2025 total tax table, which includes the school, county, township and library levies. The township posts its own millage page, and our taxable value guide explains how the bill is figured. Try your address in the property tax calculator.

Kenowa Hills Public Schools

Homestead 29.5884 mills and non-homestead 47.5884 mills in 2025. On $100,000 of taxable value the homestead total is $2,958.84 a year. About 62% of the township's land falls in this district.

Sparta Area Schools

Homestead 33.0684 mills and non-homestead 51.0684 mills in 2025. On $100,000 of taxable value the homestead total is $3,306.84 a year. About 33% of the township's land falls in this district.

Comstock Park Public Schools

Homestead 35.814 mills and non-homestead 53.814 mills in 2025. On $100,000 of taxable value the homestead total is $3,581.40 a year. About 6% of the township's land falls in this district, mostly along its east edge.

Local resources

Check Alpine Township records yourself

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

What our clients say

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Alpine Township mortgage questions

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

Is a Comstock Park, Sparta or Grand Rapids mailing address always inside Alpine Township?

No, the mailing address does not decide the township. Sampling the Census ZIP boundaries against the township boundary gives ZIP 49321 about 44% of the land, ZIP 49544 about 32% and ZIP 49345 about 20%, and each of those ZIPs also extends past the township line. The Census geocoder returns Comstock Park for the township hall’s ZIP 49321 and Sparta for 49345. Look up the parcel on the assessor’s page or call 616-784-1262 before assuming which township taxes a house.

It depends on the parcel, and there are three possibilities. The township’s schools page names Comstock Park Public Schools, Kenowa Hills Public Schools and Sparta Area Schools. Sampling Census school boundaries gives Kenowa Hills about 62% of the land, Sparta Area about 33% and Comstock Park about 6%, mostly along the east edge near Westshire Drive. Ask the assessor, and read the township’s schools page.

The 2025 homestead millage runs 29.5884 mills in Kenowa Hills, 33.0684 in Sparta Area and 35.814 in Comstock Park, according to the Michigan Treasury table. On $100,000 of taxable value that is $2,958.84, $3,306.84 and $3,581.40 a year before the township’s own levy changes. 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. Run an address through the property tax calculator.

Parts of it do. The township’s water page says all of Alpine’s water supply is through Plainfield Township, whose water department is at 616-363-9660. The sewer page says the township owns the sanitary sewer lines, the North Kent Sewer Authority operates them, and a connection needs a township permit and fees. A home with one residential unit is billed one residential equivalency unit, which the township lists at $89 per quarter. The township also posts water and sewer service area maps on its planning pages.

Summer bills are mailed July 1 and due September 14, and winter bills are mailed December 1 and due February 14, according to the township treasurer. Taxes still unpaid go to the Kent County Treasurer on March 1. Summer taxes can be deferred to February 14 for qualifying agricultural or horticultural property, with the notice filed by September 15. See the township’s tax bills page and the deferments page.

The township’s building department administers State of Michigan construction codes, and work by a contractor must be inspected by a licensed inspector. Building inspections run Monday through Thursday, with electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the department asks for requests before 9:30 a.m. The Kent County Road Commission separately requires a permit for work in the county road right-of-way, including driveways. Contact the building department at 616-784-9090.

Look the address up on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, and if the map puts the home in a high-risk zone, the lender requires flood insurance. The FEMA map search shows the mapped zone for a street address, and FloodSmart explains flood insurance. Our guide to buying a home in a flood zone lists the steps in order.

A mortgage broker compares loan options from more than one lender for your file and handles the paperwork to closing. Align Lending is a Michigan mortgage broker, NMLS #2041154, and Samantha Shelton can talk through an Alpine Township purchase at 248-506-5727. At the township’s typical values the FHA, conventional and USDA loan pages are the usual starting points, and the homebuyer game plan shows the order of the steps.

Before you make an offer

Things to settle on an Alpine Township house

The utilities, building and drain details below come from the township's own pages: water, sanitary sewer, storm drains and the building department. The new construction inspection guide and the rural buying guide cover the rest.

Water supply

All of Alpine Township's water supply is through Plainfield Township, whose water department answers questions about connecting to public water and billing at 616-363-9660. Confirm whether the address is connected before you order inspections.

Sewer or septic

The township owns the sanitary sewer lines and the North Kent Sewer Authority, at 616-363-0702, operates them. A new connection needs a township permit and fees, and sewer bills of $89 per quarter for one residential unit are paid to the township, separately from taxes.

Drains and storm water

The Kent County Drain Commissioner administers over 536 miles of county drain and 356 storm water detention ponds in Kent County, and the township posts a drain map. A permit is needed to cross or connect to a county drain, so ask the seller about drains on the parcel.

Building permits and inspections

The township's building department enforces State of Michigan codes, including the 2015 Michigan Residential Code for one and two unit homes. Ask the seller for permit records on decks, additions and accessory buildings, because work by a contractor must be inspected by a licensed inspector.

Roads and driveways

The Kent County Road Commission maintains the township's county roads, including snow and ice removal, and requires its own permit for any driveway or work in the county road right-of-way. Its office number is 616-242-6950.

Burning and outdoor fires

Property owners who burn anything other than food must notify the Alpine Township Fire Department first and receive authorization for up to three consecutive days. A campfire in an approved fire pit does not need a permit. The fire department's number is 616-784-5750.

Communities near Alpine Township

Kent County overview

Guides for Alpine Township buyers

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Sources

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

37 sources behind the Alpine 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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