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Health officials present draft short‑term rental ordinance; board to take up proposal next month
Summary
Health & Human Services presented a draft tourist rooming house ordinance that would require local licensing, agent contact information, parking and occupancy limits tied to septic capacity; the board received the presentation and will consider the ordinance at its next meeting.
Health & Human Services staff on the Sawyer County Board presented a draft local ordinance aimed at licensing and regulating tourist rooming houses and short‑term rentals, focusing on occupant limits, local contact information, parking, sanitation and enforcement tied to licensing.
Health officer Julie McCullum told supervisors the department currently works with owners to resolve complaints and that the proposed local ordinance would provide additional enforcement tools tied to a license. McCullum said the proposed process is intended to ‘‘provide a fair process to implement consequences when resolve is not observed’’ and to streamline communications and responses to recurring complaints.
HHS staff described two licensing approaches used in other counties and reported a recent snapshot of licensed properties: roughly one‑third of operators live in Sawyer County, one‑third in other Wisconsin counties and one‑third out of state. The department presented growth in licensed properties since 2018 and compared Sawyer County with nearby counties that have local licensing or zoning approaches.
The draft ordinance includes several specific elements the ad hoc committee endorsed: a local owner/agent contact requirement, occupancy limits tied to septic system capacity combined with lodging standards (the working formula discussed was ‘‘two people per bedroom plus two per dwelling’’), parking and garbage rules, a requirement that local contact information be provided to neighbors and a prohibition on fireworks at licensed rentals. Staff recommended a measured enforcement approach that prioritizes education and remediation before license suspension.
Jinny Chabc, who chaired the TR ad hoc committee, described the committee’s lengthy public process and said the occupancy limit based on septic capacity is the provision she views as most important for protecting water resources. She said the committee tried to balance sustainability and local events when shaping the proposal.
Board members asked operational questions about appeals, costs and enforcement. Staff said any appeal would use the county’s existing municipal‑code appeal process; the county will return with a proposed fee schedule if the ordinance is scheduled for adoption. Staff estimated initial permit fees observed in other counties at roughly $300–$500 but said no final fee was set.
The county did not vote on the ordinance at the meeting. Officials said they put the item on the agenda to brief the full board and will bring the ordinance back next month for potential action.
