Short-term rental changes head to township board

The Laketown Township Board of Trustees will discuss proposed changes to the short-term rental ordinance on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the township hall, 4338 Beeline Road.

Public comment is allowed during specific times on the agenda. Speakers should keep their comments to about 3 minutes.

Zoom is available. For directions, visit here.

On May 13, the board can adopt the proposal, reject it, modify it or send it back to the planning commission for changes.

The proposal deals with the zoning ordinance only, that is, the basic guidelines that define a short-term rental and where the use will be allowed. More specific regulations, such as noise control and parking, and enforcement, including possible ticketing and fines, will be handled by the Laketown Township Planning Commission after the ordinance is determined.

On May 6, the planning commission unanimously voted to send the proposed changes to the township board.

For a copy of the proposed changes, click here.

The proposal

The proposal prohibits all new stand-alone homes to be used as a short-term rental in all residential zoning districts.

Currently existing registered, licensed stand-alone short-term rentals are allowed to continue operation and follow the rules under which they were approved.

Township officials have said most complaints come from stand-alone rentals with no on-site supervision, so the new rules address that by having the homeowner live on the property.

The proposal states:

All short-term rentals in the AG Agricultural District are prohibited.

In R-1 Rural Estate District and R-1.5 Very Low Density Residential District, the proposal allows short-term rental use in an attached or detached accessory dwelling unit.

Only one unit may be rented.

An attached accessory dwelling unit is a room or set of rooms in a single-family dwelling that has been designed or configured to be used as a separate dwelling unit and is subordinate in size to the principal dwelling unit on the same lot. The owner lives in the house.

A detached accessory dwelling unit is a room or set of rooms in a separate building that has been configured to be used as a separate dwelling unit and is subordinate in size to the principal dwelling unit on the same lot. They generally include living, sleeping, kitchen, and bathroom facilities and have a lockable entrance door. The owner lives in the main house on the lot.

To become a short-term rental, an attached or detached accessory dwelling unit needs approval in advance from the planning commission as a special use.

In R-2 Low Density Residential District, and R-3 Medium Density Residential District, short-term rentals are an allowed use in an attached accessory dwelling unit only.

Only one unit may be rented. 

In MU Mixed-Use District, short-term rentals are an allowed use in a stand-alone home, or an attached accessory dwelling unit.  Only one unit may be rented.

A copy of the zoning map is available here.

Occupancy and visitors

The planning commission also proposed limiting the number of renters to the rules of the International Property Maintenance Code which sets standards for bedrooms including square footage for occupancy.

The planning commission agreed to cap the number of visitors to a short-term rental at 50 percent of the number of occupants. For example, if four people are staying at a short-term rental, two outside visitors are allowed on the property.

Planning commissioners added this because residents have complained about noise, trespassing, trash and traffic from large parties at rentals.

Minutes from the April 1 public hearing are available here.

The planning commission has been working on changes to the ordinance since the end of last year after a special joint committee made up of the entire township board and planning commission met four times starting in August 2025 to gather information and collect public input. That special committee wrapped up its work and dissolved on Nov. 5, passing the responsibility for changes to the planning commission.

In May 2025, the township enacted a moratorium on all free-standing short-term rentals until June 30, 2026.