Short-term rentals in Saugatuck, explained properly.

Sec. 99.58 as rewritten by Ordinance 260209-A (effective on its publication, February 19, 2026). The renewal application goes to the enforcing officer with the renewal fee in the City's fee schedule; the late fee is set by City Council resolution. A renewed license takes effect on the day the prior license expires. Each year a new signed fire safety checklist, a new fire inspection and an approved fire inspection certification are required, and rentals owned by corporate entities or trusts must file updated ownership documents showing no change that counts as a transfer. If the premises does not meet the chapter at renewal, the holder has 30 calendar days from the deficiency notice to cure, or the license is not renewed and is treated as expired. The enforcing officer may excuse a missed deadline (not other requirements) on satisfactory proof of extraordinary circumstances beyond the holder's control, such as flood, fire, pandemic, war, a documented medical condition or military deployment (Sec. 99.64(B)). The City's page still describes the older 30-day deadline only and warns owners to track their own expiration date; the ordinance text controls. A one-time window for licenses that lapsed between April 24, 2025 and the ordinance's effective date required applications within 5 calendar days after the effective date.

Sec. 99.56: violations the Fire District finds must be corrected within 15 days of notice, and the owner or rental agency submits the approved inspection certificate to the City before any license or renewal is approved. The Fire District sets the inspection criteria (smoke alarms, emergency exits, hydrants, extinguishers, occupancy and capacity, fire exits and escapes, and others) and the maximum occupancy after the inspection. The application must include a completed and signed rental inspection checklist from the Fire District. A failed inspection carries a reinspection fee (see the fees rule).

The $540 and $175 figures are on the City's short-term rental page (which shows no date) and appear in the Schedule of Fees revised June 9, 2025. In the saved copy of the schedule the labels and amounts are in separate columns, so the other short-term rental lines (the license renewal application, the application penalty fee, the reinspection fee, and investigation fees after a first and a second notice) can't be matched to their amounts with confidence; confirm each fee with the City. The late-renewal fee is set by City Council resolution and isn't in the saved fee schedule. Sec. 99.55(C) also provides for an "after the fact" fee when a rental operates without first complying with the application procedures; its amount hasn't been confirmed. Confirm the current fee schedule with the City before applying.

Sec. 99.55(B). Corporate-entity owners list all members and their percentage interests; trust owners list all beneficiaries and trustees. The owner must notify the City of any change to the approved application within 30 days. An application isn't accepted until the enforcing officer deems it complete; if the applicant doesn't fix listed deficiencies or pay the fee within 14 days of notice, the application is denied as incomplete. The applicant must owe the City nothing in taxes, permit or inspection fees, escrow deposits or other amounts. Application numbering in the saved ordinance text skips items (11) to (13), so the list above is not confirmed to be complete.

Sec. 99.63 as amended by Ordinance 250414-A (effective April 24, 2025). A sale or other conveyance of the premises, a license transfer to someone other than the owner or license holder, a change in membership of an owning corporation, or a change in the trustees or beneficiaries of an owning trust counts as a transfer. A new owner must get a new license before renting again, and any transfer that adds a new owner, member or beneficiary is not permitted. Permitted transfers require an approved transfer application to the enforcing officer showing the relationship of the transferor and transferee; examples include moving the property into a corporation or trust owned solely by all current owners, and moving it to a surviving spouse. For transfers not listed, the holder may apply to the enforcing officer for a waiver if the transfer only changes the form of ownership or removes or reallocates existing interests; the decision is final. An unauthorized transfer is also a ground for revocation (see enforcement), and a new license may be subject to the district caps. A one-time window for owners whose license or certificate was affected by an unauthorized transfer between August 26, 2021 and March 5, 2025 required applications within five days of the ordinance's effective date.

Sec. 99.59 as amended by Ordinance 250414-A. An existing certificate continues to operate under the requirements in effect when it was issued. Applications filed more than 5 calendar days after the certificate expires are untimely and are not processed, and the certificate is treated as expired. The City's page says existing certificates are valid until their expiration date and are then subject to renewal under the new license requirements.

Sec. 99.57(A). The extra 2 occupants per finished floor count only where adequate sleeping space is provided. The Saugatuck Township Fire District sets the final maximum occupancy after the required fire inspection, based on building, health, fire and safety codes. The maximum occupancy is published in the City's rental registry.

Sec. 99.57(B) and the definition of local agent in Sec. 99.53. The agent must be knowledgeable about the premises, and the license holder must authorize the agent in writing. Owner, license-holder and agent contact details must be kept current, and the local agent's contact details are published in the City's rental registry.

Sec. 99.60. The duty covers violations of Chapter 99.5 and the City's Noise Ordinance (Section 94.04) by occupants and visitors. Notice is deemed received when the holder or agent is contacted by telephone (including a call or text) or when a return-receipt email reaches the City, whichever is sooner.

Sec. 99.57(D).

Sec. 99.55(B)(15) and Sec. 99.57(N). The City's page lists rental insurance as required for all short-term rentals.

Sec. 99.57(K). The same section says it does not prevent an owner or license holder from occupying the dwelling unit while it is used as a short-term rental.

Sec. 99.57(L).

Sec. 99.57(J), (M) and (H). Waste must be kept in a garbage can or similar receptacle; exposed waste is a violation, and occupants must be told before occupancy not to leave waste outside the cans or bins.

Sec. 99.57(G).

Sec. 99.57(O). The City's page says the list of current short-term rentals and agent contacts is updated quarterly.

Sec. 99.57(I). Which Michigan taxes apply to a private host, and who collects them, is covered in the Michigan state-level fields on this page, where it is marked for review. This page does not total state and local taxes.

From the City's short-term rental page, which cites Section 154.092(J) of the Zoning Ordinance for the separate-rental pathway. ADUs are allowed on residential lots that contain an existing single-family home, are not counted toward the citywide license caps, and are still regulated when used for short-term rental. The Zoning Ordinance text hasn't been reviewed, so confirm the current ADU rules with the City.

Sec. 99.62. This includes continuing to operate after a license is suspended or revoked. Citations may be issued by the enforcing officer, Allegan County Sheriff's deputies and others the City Council appoints. The fine amount set by resolution hasn't been reviewed. Ordinance 250414-A's title mentions updating penalties for violations, but the amended sections it prints cover late fees, transfers, suspensions and revocations.

Sec. 99.61 as amended by Ordinance 250414-A. Grounds: false or misleading application information, failure to meet the Sec. 99.57 standards, failure to remedy a violation of the chapter or Noise Ordinance in time, and a transfer to a person or entity with no existing interest. The Council acts after a written notice served at least 21 days before a hearing. A further violation within 1 year after a suspension ends is grounds for a second suspension, and a violation within 2 years after a second suspension ends may lead to permanent revocation and permanent ineligibility for the premises. Suspension time that falls outside the May through September tourist season carries over to the next season, and rental activity outside the season stays prohibited until the suspension ends. Existing contracts up to 60 nights past the start of a suspension or revocation may be honored with Council approval; later contracts must be cancelled. Knowingly filing a fraudulent complaint is itself a violation.

MCL 205.93a(1)(b) lists "rooms or lodging" among the services taxed under the Use Tax Act, and defines "hotel" or "motel" to include inns, tourist homes, lodging houses, resort lodges and cabins, and "any other building or group of buildings in which accommodations are available to the public," except accommodations rented for a continuous period of more than 1 month. MCL 205.93(1) sets the combined tax at 6% of the price of the services specified in section 3a. The saved text of both sections is complete. Whether an individual who rents out a home, directly or through a booking platform, is a person furnishing accommodations "available to the public on the basis of a commercial and business enterprise" isn't answered by that text; the Department of Treasury's guidance on short-term rentals wasn't available to us, so confirm with the Department of Treasury. The General Sales Tax Act section we saved (MCL 205.52) is a 6% tax on retail sales of tangible personal property. This page does not total state and local taxes.

The saved section refers to the definition of a marketplace facilitator in section 5c, which wasn't saved. It applies to transactions on or after October 1, 2018. Confirm with the Michigan Department of Treasury and the platform whether tax is collected on a given booking.

These statements come from the titles and section lists of the two acts; the section text (rates, exemptions, the definition of a transient-guest business and any voter approval) wasn't saved, and whether any local tax or assessment applies at a given address hasn't been reviewed. Act 263 was amended in 2024 (Act 35, effective April 2, 2024).

The Zoning Enabling Act is described in its title as codifying the laws on local units of government regulating the development and use of land and providing for the adoption of zoning ordinances, with articles on zoning authorization, adoption and enforcement, special zoning provisions and the zoning board of appeals. Its section text, any pending state bills, and Michigan court rulings on short-term rentals and zoning haven't been reviewed.