Title
Resolution to Direct the City Attorney to Prepare a Moratorium on Short-term Rentals and Direct Staff to Review the City’s Short-term Rental Regulations
Staff
Reviewed by: John Reiser, Senior Assistant City Attorney
Body
Whereas, The City recently updated its Comprehensive Land Use Plan to guide future growth, development, zoning reforms, and housing affordability, all of which are impacted by short-term rentals;
Whereas, The City has recently discovered several hundred unregistered short-term rentals, many of which are in residentially-zoned districts;
Whereas, The predominance of registered and unregistered short-term rentals impacts the availability of housing for tenants;
Whereas, In addition to not complying with registration requirements, many owners or hosts of short-term rentals do not otherwise fully comply with the City’s requirements pertaining to occupancy limits, habitable sleeping spaces, advertising requirements, inspection requirements, and principal residency requirements;
Whereas, Many short-term rentals are not currently required to be inspected nor have a certificate of compliance like longer term rentals must;
Whereas, City Rental Housing staff capacity may be impacted by the increase in inspections of newly-registered and future short-term rentals; and
Whereas, A temporary moratorium on new short-term rental licenses will allow the City Administrator to study the impact of all the above on the City’s current and future short-term rentals and to make recommendations to City Council regarding amendments to the City’s short-term rentals ordinance and Unified Development Code.
RESOLVED, That City Council directs the City Attorney to prepare and bring forth an ordinance imposing a six-month moratorium on the issuance of new short-term rental licenses, while allowing renewal licenses for existing and compliant short-term rentals;
RESOLVED, That City Council directs the City Administrator to study the impact of the above-listed factors on short-term rentals and to bring back proposed amendments to the City’s short-term rentals ordinance and Unified Development Code prior to the expiration of the moratorium; and
RESOLVED, That City Council urges the Ann Arbor City Planning Commission to not recommend approval of any Planned Unit Development rezonings that include short-term rentals until review of the short-term rentals ordinance and Unified Development Code has occurred and amendments have been considered.
Sponsored by: Cornell, Radina, Taylor, Harrison, Akmon, and Watson
As Amended and Approved by Ann Arbor City Council on July 20, 2026