Michigan City workshop highlights rise in short‑term rentals, enforcement gaps and neighborhood strain

Summary

At a May 13 Michigan City Common Council workshop, council members, hosts and neighbors described a sharp increase in short‑term rentals, enforcement challenges under a Feb. 2021 ordinance and competing proposals — from owner proximity rules to density limits — that council staff and attorneys will review before a follow‑up meeting in June.

Michigan City Common Council members, short‑term rental hosts and neighborhood residents gathered May 13 for a workshop focused on the scope of short‑term rentals in the city and gaps in enforcing existing rules.

Councilman Greg Holter opened the meeting by tracing the local history of short‑term rentals and reading the city ordinance passed in February 2021: “If three or more citations for ordinance violations are issued to an owner of a permitted property within a calendar year, the Michigan City Planning and Inspection Department may revoke the permit,” Holter said as he summarized the rule and its stated enforcement mechanism. Holter and several speakers said that the ordinance has not been consistently enforced.

Residents and hosts gave examples of nuisances they link to transient guests — noise, litter and late‑night parties — and described uneven impacts across neighborhoods. One neighborhood study shown at the workshop found roughly 38% of homes in a Canada Park study area were short‑ or…

Michigan City workshop highlights rise in short‑term rentals, enforcement gaps and neighborhood strain

Summary

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