With a new short-term rental ordinance in place this year in South Haven, city staff have been flooded with questions from property owners about how licenses and inspections work. That’s why they held a special informational session on Tuesday with a packed house at city hall.

City Manager Kate Hosier told the crowd it’s understandable owners would have questions, given the new zoning compliance review process, new fee schedule, and licenses that have replaced certificates. Planning and Zoning Administrator Kelly Getman-Dissette said there’s a lot of paperwork for staff to work through.

“I think about 100 of our short-term rental property owners have submitted an application for zoning compliance determination,” Getman-Dissette said. “And we know that it is taking some time to work through these, but 100 applications is a lot.”

City attorney Dave Eberle said with a backlog of paperwork, STR owners should be sure to get their applications in as early as possible.

“If, for some reason, your permit expires before you are issued your new permit, for that period of time you are unlicensed and under the ordinance may not rent,” Eberle said.

Staff took written questions from the property owners in attendance Tuesday so new questions could be added to the city’s Frequently Asked Questions page.

The new STR ordinance sets occupancy limits, creates zoning restrictions, and requires existing short-term rentals to comply with a new set of rules.