🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Oak Harbor, OH
Crowd Pushes Back on Ohio Bill to Limit Local Control Over Short-Term Rentals
Local Leaders Push Back: Ohio Communities Rally Against Statewide STR Bill
Tempers flared in Oak Harbor on November 6 as more than 200 residents and local officials gathered to debate Senate Bill 104 — a proposal that would strip cities and towns of their authority to regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb and Vrbo. The packed meeting reflected a growing rift between state lawmakers and local leaders who say the measure would upend community control and worsen housing challenges along Ohio’s shoreline.
Marblehead Mayor John Starcher didn’t mince words. “It’s a horrible idea,” he said, arguing that state legislators in Columbus “don’t know” what individual communities need. He wasn’t alone — for 90 minutes, mayors, trustees, and residents took the microphone to oppose the bill, with only a handful voicing support.
Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), who sponsored the bill and chaired the evening’s panel, defended his proposal as a way to protect property rights. A former real estate professional, Brenner said he’s seen local governments “ban something for the sake of banning it,” referencing at least nine Ohio municipalities that have prohibited STRs entirely. Still, even Brenner acknowledged that the crowd’s sentiment leaned heavily against the legislation.
Opponents worry that removing local oversight will exacerbate long-term housing shortages and drive young families away. Put-in-Bay Mayor Judy Berry warned that her tiny island community, home to just 154 residents, can’t afford to lose more permanent housing to vacation rentals. “If young people can’t move in, we’re not going to have housing for people to buy who can serve,” Berry said. “It’s going to kill the community.”
STRisker Document Analysis
Finding the right compliance documents shouldn’t feel like searching for a needle in a haystack - STRisker’s Documents Analysis is built to simplify your life, offering instant access to hundreds of thousands of documents from thousands of cities across the US.
Tourism officials are also sounding alarms. Larry Fletcher, president of Shores & Islands Ohio, said STRs are an important part of the regional tourism mix — but not at the expense of year-round livability. “We see the best solution to be continuing to allow local control,” he said, noting that Erie and Ottawa counties generate over $3 billion in annual tourism revenue and support more than 15,000 jobs.
Data shared during the meeting painted a stark picture: in Port Clinton, where STRs make up about 30% of all housing, home prices have doubled since 2016. Ottawa County’s Chris Singerling said that while he values STRs as part of the tourism economy, he opposes “state legislation undercutting the rights of local communities.”
As the debate over Senate Bill 104 continues, one message was clear in Oak Harbor: Ohio’s coastal towns want to decide their own future — and they’re not ready to give up that control without a fight.
Stay Updated with STRisker
STRisker offers tools and features to keep you updated with the Short-Term Rental movement across the U.S.
👍 We’d love your feedback.
We're always looking for ways to improve Bulletins.
Was this one useful to you? Other topics you'd like to see get covered?
✉️ Just reply directly to this email. We read and respond to every message!
-Will McClure
🙋 P.S.
Know someone else who should be reading this Bulletin? Feel free to forward this along. We want to make sure operators and stakeholders are aware of regulatory changes in their area.