You can expect to see the short-term rental ordinance in the Village of Sister Bay be more like what you see in other parts of the state. Under the proposed amended STR ordinance that will be subject to a public hearing at the end of the month, new owners of short-term rentals will not be able to rent out their properties for less than seven-day stays and for not more than 181 days a year. It is not just the village that is clamping down on STR owners but rather getting up to speed with what the state passed in 2017. Village Administrator Julie Schmelzer says it is all about finding a happy medium between residents who want to be able to rent their properties and those who want to feel like they live in a neighborhood and not next to a business.

Schmelzer says new STR owners will see the changes on their applications in the next two weeks before they become effective July 1st. She added that the previous language that would have raised funds for workforce housing development through new STR sales was removed.

This story has been updated to clarify some potential issues with the original, emphasizing that the proposed STR ordinance has not been passed and is subject to a public hearing that will take place at the end of the month. The changes to the STR ordinance will not effect existing permits, only new ones. We regret any confusion we may have caused with the original story.