Short-term rental moratorium extended

The Laketown Township Board of Trustees extended a moratorium on new stand-alone short-term rentals so the township can thoroughly examine its regulations and make necessary changes.

The board voted 3-0 on Nov. 12, 2025, to keep the moratorium on new applications for free-standing short-term rentals in place until June 30, 2026. The moratorium went into effect on May 19 and was to expire Nov. 18.

The planning commission unanimously recommended on Nov. 5 that the township board extend the moratorium.

A special joint committee made up of the entire township board and planning commission met four times starting in August to gather information and collect public input about rentals. That special committee wrapped up its work and dissolved on Nov. 5. The issue of the moratorium then went to the planning commission that same night where commissioners recommended the extension.

Setting the deadline in June is necessary because of the upcoming holidays.  The planning commission will be examining its ordinances and rules which will take time, according to Supervisor Steven Ringelberg.  Any changes proposed by the planning commission will then have to be considered by the board of trustees. Licensing requirements, which zoning districts short-term rentals can be located in, and enforcement will have to be considered.

The next planning commission meeting is 7 p.m. Dec. 3 at the township hall, 4338 Beeline Road.

The issue will eventually go to the township board for more discussion and possible action.

Clerk Jim Delaney and Trustee Mike Koeman were absent from the Nov. 12 board of trustees meeting. Ringelberg, Treasurer Jim Johnson and Trustee Mark Timmerman supported the moratorium extension.

The township has about 100 registered short-term rentals and there might be another 100 unregistered units, according to township officials.

What the moratorium does

The moratorium on issuing licenses does not affect all short-term rentals, just ones in free-standing houses.

Unlike other types of short-term rentals where the owner lives on the property and complaints from neighbors about noise or disruptive behavior are almost non-existent, the owners of free-standing short-term rentals do not live onsite.  Some owners of such properties do not even live in the township, and they often use an outside property management company.

Here’s how the moratorium impacts other types of short-term rentals:

• Applications for new attached accessory dwelling short-term rentals, where people stay in a property owner’s house, will still be accepted.
• Applications for new detached accessory dwelling unit short-term rentals, where people stay in a separate unit that is still on the owner’s property, will still be accepted.
• Applications for new free-standing short-term rentals that were submitted prior to the moratorium taking effect will still be processed.
• Renewal applications for currently licensed short-term rentals will still be accepted.