You could see Ephraim become the next Door County community to tighten the regulations on its local short-term rental industry.

The village has been slowly tweaking its short-term rental ordinance over the last few months as they have followed the lead of Liberty Grove and Sevastopol, which have both passed updated regulations in the last year. The board tabled its vote on the ordinance last meeting in order for its members to digest the discussions that took place and make further adjustments if needed.

After that meeting, Village Administrator Brent Bristol applauded the board’s transparency and willingness to make changes if warranted. STR owner Colin Welford believes he and other operators of properties often found on sites like Airbnb have been painted with a broad brush in a negative light compared to other forms of lodging. The latest tweaks to the ordinance change the wording of what “designated agent” is and what he can and cannot do, authorize the board to set an administrative fee for a license by resolution, and state its maximum occupancy. You compare the difference between what was included in the June agenda packet and the July agenda packet by clicking on the links. If approved by the Ephraim Board of Trustees, it would go into effect on January 1st, 2023.