Commissioners debate short‑term rental enforcement as zoning rewrite proceeds

A dispute over short‑term rental enforcement prompted a sustained exchange at the Barry County Board of Commissioners meeting on June 24, with commissioners and planning staff agreeing the issue will be addressed in a comprehensive zoning rewrite.

Commissioner Campbell raised a constituent complaint from a homeowner who has rented properties for years and said the individual was recently told they could no longer operate. Campbell argued the enforcement appeared selective and urged the county to provide an appeal or grandfathering process rather than single out one owner. He said many short‑term rentals in the county have operated without enforcement and worried the current approach could unfairly harm livelihoods.

County staff and commissioners clarified that county zoning (a 2008 ordinance) is largely silent on contemporary short‑term rental platforms and that regulation has frequently been handled at the township level. A speaker identified the specific citation in the complaint as County ordinance A‑12015, which the speaker summarized as defining family and limiting transient occupancy to four people in a single‑family dwelling.

John Kreutzer and planning commission attendees reported that Jim McManus of consultant McKenna presented a first draft of the zoning rewrite at the planning commission meeting. Staff said the planning commission will review short‑term rental provisions and that Long Lake Township (Grand Traverse County) is being used as a model for possible rules.

Commissioners requested follow‑up for the constituent and emphasized the difficulty of tracking short‑term rental locations under the older code. Staff pledged to ensure complaint follow‑up and to bring the board updates as the planning commission refines proposed language.