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HomeShort-Term Rental LawsMichiganAnn Arbor

Local guide

Ann Arbor Short-Term Rental Laws

Ann Arbor, Michigan STR compliance: Ann Arbor requires an annual STR license and a certified rental license; principal-residence and zoning rules differ by rental type. Review property eligibility, Short-Term Rental License, Michigan sales and use tax account, and renewal actions from official sources.

  • 100+ U.S. cities
  • Official sources
  • Address used only for local rules

Compliance layers

A Clear Answer, Then a Path Forward.

Critical Finding

See whether the property can operate now, what blocks it, and which exception may apply.

Address Context

Confirm zoning, current land use, jurisdiction, and the rules that actually govern the address.

Required Approvals

Get the permits, licenses, documents, inspections, and tax registrations needed before launch.

Recommended Path

Follow prioritized next steps, deadlines, renewal duties, and viable alternatives when rules change.

Decision rule

Ann Arbor: resolve “Use a principal residence for eligible residential-zone STR operation” before relying on the Short-Term Rental License

Ann Arbor requires an annual STR license and a certified rental license; principal-residence and zoning rules differ by rental type.

Use a principal residence for eligible residential-zone STR operation. This is the first property-level screen for the Ann Arbor filing.

Renew annually and keep the certified rental license active. Treat renewal status as part of continued eligibility, not an administrative afterthought.

  • Short-Term Rental License

    Ann Arbor requires an annual STR license and a certified rental license; principal-residence and zoning rules differ by rental type.

    Warning

Local facts that distinguish Ann Arbor

Use a principal residence for eligible residential-zone STR operation. Only after that result can this address move from research to an active Short-Term Rental License.

Legal posture
Ann Arbor requires an annual STR license and a certified rental license; principal-residence and zoning rules differ by rental type.
Local approval
Short-Term Rental License
Eligibility boundary
Use a principal residence for eligible residential-zone STR operation.
Property or operator condition
Check non-principal-residence eligibility against permitted zones.
Approval prerequisite
Do not use an ADU as an STR.
Published government charge
The City publishes $500 per unit annually; confirm inspection or rental-license charges separately.
Continuing duty
Renew annually and keep the certified rental license active.

Test the Ann Arbor address against its local rules

Apply “Use a principal residence for eligible residential-zone STR operation” to the actual parcel and rental model before opening the Ann Arbor government case.

  • Use a principal residence for eligible residential-zone STR operation

    Use a principal residence for eligible residential-zone STR operation. Retain the official Ann Arbor result that proves this condition; a contrary result stops the Short-Term Rental License path.

    Required

  • Check non-principal-residence eligibility against permitted zones

    Check non-principal-residence eligibility against permitted zones. Retain the official Ann Arbor result that proves this condition; a contrary result stops the Short-Term Rental License path.

    Required

  • Do not use an ADU as an STR

    Do not use an ADU as an STR. Retain the official Ann Arbor result that proves this condition; a contrary result stops the Short-Term Rental License path.

    Required

Move the Ann Arbor decision “Check non-principal-residence eligibility against permitted zones” into an active Short-Term Rental License

Start with “Check non-principal-residence eligibility against permitted zones”; the resulting local record keeps the Ann Arbor land-use decision distinct from tax registration and renewal.

  1. Use a principal residence for eligible residential-zone STR operation

    Use a principal residence for eligible residential-zone STR operation. The observable result is a property-specific record supporting this eligibility decision; otherwise correct the address or rental model before filing.

  2. Check non-principal-residence eligibility against permitted zones

    Check non-principal-residence eligibility against permitted zones. The observable result is a property-specific record supporting this classification decision; otherwise correct the address or rental model before filing.

  3. Do not use an ADU as an STR

    Do not use an ADU as an STR. The observable result is a property-specific record supporting this prerequisite decision; otherwise correct the address or rental model before filing.

  4. Submit after documenting “Do not use an ADU as an STR”

    Use https://www.a2gov.org/planning/short-term-rentals/. Keep the Ann Arbor case identifier and agency response alongside the evidence for “Do not use an ADU as an STR”; payment or submission alone is not proof that the Short-Term Rental License is active.

  5. Set up Michigan Michigan sales and use tax account

    Michigan sales-and-use-tax registration and filing are separate from city STR approval. Use Michigan Treasury instructions for taxable receipts and the assigned filing cycle.

  6. Preserve the Ann Arbor approval after issuance

    Renew annually and keep the certified rental license active.

Separate the Ann Arbor charge from Michigan tax

The City publishes $500 per unit annually; confirm inspection or rental-license charges separately.

Use a principal residence for eligible residential-zone STR operation. The resulting Ann Arbor approval and the Michigan sales and use tax account record solve different compliance problems; neither substitutes for the other.

  • Ann Arbor charge

    The City publishes $500 per unit annually; confirm inspection or rental-license charges separately.

  • Michigan sales and use tax account

    Michigan sales-and-use-tax registration and filing are separate from city STR approval.

  • Marketplace and direct bookings

    Do not treat a Treasury account as local land-use permission.

  • State filing control

    Use Michigan Treasury instructions for taxable receipts and the assigned filing cycle.

Keep the Ann Arbor approval aligned with the licensed property

Renew annually and keep the certified rental license active.

  • Retain the active Short-Term Rental License

    Match the issued record to Ann Arbor, the property address, and the approved rental class while continuing to satisfy “Use a principal residence for eligible residential-zone STR operation”.

    Required

  • Continue to satisfy: Use a principal residence for eligible residential-zone STR operation

    Recheck this Ann Arbor condition together with the continuing duty “Renew annually and keep the certified rental license active” before changing ownership, occupancy, unit configuration, or the listing model.

    Required

  • Continue to satisfy: Check non-principal-residence eligibility against permitted zones

    Recheck this Ann Arbor condition together with the continuing duty “Renew annually and keep the certified rental license active” before changing ownership, occupancy, unit configuration, or the listing model.

    Required

  • Maintain Michigan records

    Do not treat a Treasury account as local land-use permission. Use Michigan Treasury instructions for taxable receipts and the assigned filing cycle.

    Required

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Short-Term Rental License. Ann Arbor requires an annual STR license and a certified rental license; principal-residence and zoning rules differ by rental type.

Use a principal residence for eligible residential-zone STR operation.

Check non-principal-residence eligibility against permitted zones. Do not use an ADU as an STR.

Michigan sales and use tax account. Michigan sales-and-use-tax registration and filing are separate from city STR approval.

Renew annually and keep the certified rental license active.