City Watch
Short-term rental rules in South Haven, MI
How South Haven 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.
- STR overlay district: new STRs allowed only within mapped overlay zones
- Discretionary special land use approval by Planning Commission required for STRs
- Class I frequency cap: no more than 2 rental stays per 7-day period
- Class II annual cap: 6 rental terms or 28 rental days per year
Based on: Ordinance No. 1097 - Short-Term Rental Regulations (adopted / effective 2025-03-17), replacing prior Article X with
Summary of the rule
Per the City of South Haven official STR page: new short-term rentals are allowed only within a designated STR overlay district and must obtain Planning Commission Special Land Use approval ('New rentals in overlay districts need Planning Commission review via Special Land Use Application'). The City hosts a live 'STR Special Use Permit Application' and an interactive 'STR Overlay Map', confirming the SLU-in-overlay device is operative. This is a discretionary approval foreclosing whole-home STR by-right on general residential stock (§2.8 Restrictive).
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 17, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring South Haven · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
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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.