All about Short-Term Rentals
The City has determined that regulation of short-term rentals is necessary. We want to establish a community standard for the health, safety, and welfare of visitors and residents.
The City passed an ordinance that states, all persons, or entities that desire to operate a short-term rental within the city must, follow the City Ordinance and be issued a STR license. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) are prohibited from being used as a STR. Any applications found to be for an ADU will be denied. Pursuant to the requirements of
Chapter 97 - Short-Term Rentals and the
UDC Chapter 55. See UDC STR Permitted Use Table (PDF) for non-principal residence zones. Only principal residence properties are allowed to apply in residential zones (Zones that start with a R). There is no refund for any application that is submitted and denied. Please read the application carefully before signing and submitting. Applications must be paid in advance before a review can be started. The cost is $500.00 per unit per year.
What is a Short-Term Rental?
Short-Term Rental is a dwelling or unit that is rented for less than 30 consecutive days to persons other than the permanent resident (someone that physically lives there) or the owner.
3rd party companies cannot apply for a STR License under any circumstances.
General Requirements for All Short-Term Rentals
- A Short-Term Rental Unit cannot exceed the allowable occupancy for that unit. See Section
5.16.1.A.2 for occupancy in the UDC.
- A Short-Term Rental Unit is not permitted to be rented in a manner that requires a person to sleep in an area that is not habitable. See
Chapter 105 (Housing Code) for more information on sleeping requirements.
The Short-Term Rental license number and maximum occupancy must be included and visible in the advertisement of the property.
- The Short-Term Rental Unit Host is responsible for all nuisance and enforcement complaints on their premises.
- See
Chapter 97 - Short-Term Rentals for specific requirements for Short-Term Rental Units. Permitted Zones for non-owner-occupied properties can be found in the UDC STR Permitted Use Table (PDF)
Non-owner-occupied properties must have a valid Certificate of Compliance (CofC) before applying for a STR license if, in the permitted zones defined in UDC table.
Short-Term Rental Licensing
- Apply and pay online through
STREAM under the license tab. Applications must be paid for before any review is started.
- Select short term rental license, apply. Choose the appropriate property structure Principal/Non-Principal.
- Licenses will be issued by the corresponding unit within the City of Ann Arbor. Please note the review process could take up to 21 business days.
- Properties with several units for rent will need a separate license for each unit. The fee for each license is $500 to be paid at the time of application submission. There is no refund if denied for any reason.
- The application fee includes police, fire treasury and rental review, administration cost for processing and the certificate to post onsite.
- Each license will be renewed on an annual basis (one year from the date of issuance). Short Term rentals that fail to retain a valid license will be subject to enforcement, including a ticket for each day in violation. STR Licenses and Certified Rental Licenses can be revoked.
