Daily Regulatory Notes 09/01/2025
Cities address STRs. Maui County, HI reviews proposed bill; Atlas Township, MI votes to ban STRs; Francis, UT approves code amendments; Buena Vista, CO reviews draft ordinance. READ MORE.
Maui County’s Bill 9 would eliminate short-term rentals in apartment districts, phasing out roughly 7,000 units long protected by the Minatoya List in hopes of easing the island’s housing shortage.
The plan gives owners until 2028 or 2030 to adjust, but critics warn it amounts to an unconstitutional taking and will gut millions in tax revenue tied to tourism. County attorneys maintain the measure is defensible, and a university study estimates it could add thousands of homes back to the long-term market despite the economic hit. As condo boards prepare for legal challenges, the council has yet to set a final vote, leaving the future of Maui’s STR sector in limbo.
Atlas Township trustees voted 3-2 to ban short-term rentals, setting the stage for a zoning ordinance that will prohibit rentals of less than 30 days across the township.
Supporters of the ban argue STRs inflate lakefront property prices and damage community character, while dissenting trustees favored regulation over an outright ban, warning a blanket prohibition may be too rigid. The planning commission will now draft an ordinance to formalize the decision, with options for township-wide or district-specific rules. Michigan lawmakers have also floated statewide legislation, including a registry and 6% excise tax on STRs, though those efforts stalled, leaving local governments like Atlas to make their own rules.
Francis leaders unanimously approved new code amendments that place a strict limit on short-term rentals while also reworking the city’s permitting process.
Read the Staff Report here (pg 19 onwards)
Under the changes, STRs are capped at 3% of total rooftops—currently 18 units—and will now require a special staff-reviewed permit rather than going through the conditional use process.
The ordinance also shifts final CUP authority from the council to the planning commission, with officials saying the goal is to make the process clearer and more efficient. The update follows widespread resident opposition to new hotel projects, which are now blocked under the code, though two earlier approvals remain grandfathered in and one continues to face a legal appeal.
Short-term rentals were back in focus in Buena Vista on August 26, when trustees reviewed a draft ordinance that set a cap of 119 licenses for out-of-county owners and about 19 for in-county.
Staff also pointed to confusing sections of the current code that complicated enforcement, asking trustees for direction on how to resolve them. The STR discussion came as part of a packed agenda that also included adoption of the town’s comprehensive plan and the launch of the 2026 budget process.
In case you missed it:
Genelaine Urbano
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