Key Takeaways
- Columbia Township would cap STR occupancy at 10 guests and limit owners to four properties under the proposed ordinance.
- Resident complaints about overcrowding and tents on lawns pushed the board to revive rules shelved in 2024.
- The township board votes June 15 on whether to advance permit requirements and portfolio caps.
A Michigan township is advancing a proposed ordinance that would cap short-term rental occupancy at 10 guests per property.
Under the plan, property owners in Columbia Township, which is located less than an hour from Ann Arbor and near two lake towns – Lake Columbia and Clark Lake – would need a permit to rent short-term, could own no more than four rental properties, and have no more than 10 people staying at one time.
The board first took up these changes in 2024, but language concerns put it on hold — now it’s back on the table after a wave of complaints about noise, overcrowding, and traffic.
Clark Lake resident Beth June told WILX that guest counts regularly exceed platform caps.
“It’s also the number of people who end up staying in these rentals. It might say it’s for eight people, and then you wake up in the morning, and… there are tents on your front yard with 20 people staying in them,” June said.
What operators in the township should know
The new rule would require property owners to obtain a permit and limit them to just four rental properties, with each property limited to a maximum of 10 occupants. The four-property cap represents a meaningful constraint for operators building portfolios in lakefront markets where STR demand runs high during summer months.
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Operators using property management platforms to enforce guest limits may still face enforcement challenges if the ordinance passes without clarity on verification requirements.
The short-term rental ordinance will be discussed at the next Columbia Charter Township regular board meeting on June 15.
Local STR regulations across Michigan continue tightening as townships respond to resident complaints.
Operators with platform listings in Columbia Township should prepare for permit applications and portfolio adjustments if the board advances the proposal.
