City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Grand Rapids, MI
How Grand Rapids regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Rules here limit which homes may operate as short-term rentals, how many, where, or for how many nights a year.
- Short-term rental permitted only as a one-room rental within the owner's principal residence
- Owner must be in residence while renting (host-present requirement)
- Rental rooms must be within the main dwelling unit — accessory dwelling units barred
- Whole-home / absentee short-term rental is foreclosed
- Hard citywide cap of 200 one-room rental licenses per year
- No more than 2 adult overnight guests per rental
Based on: Home Occupation License Ordinance (Grand Rapids City Code Ch. 116) + Zoning Ordinance (Ch. 61); STR regulated as a Home
Summary of the rule
The dwelling must be your principal residence.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 14, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Grand Rapids · system last checked Oct 24, 2026
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City Watch tracks changes from public sources — council agendas, state bills, local news — not a complete legal compendium.
A city permit is not the whole picture — HOA, condominium, deed, or lease rules may be stricter.
City Watch provides good-faith summaries of publicly available information as of the review date shown. Rules, enforcement, and permit availability can change, and summaries may contain errors or omissions. Ratings describe the general regulatory environment; they do not establish whether a particular property or stay is permitted. This is general information, not legal advice. Before buying, listing, or hosting, verify applicable requirements with the responsible authorities and review any HOA, condominium, deed, or lease restrictions.