Farmington Hills, MI Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

The Farmington Hills regulatory framework for short-term rentals operates through two cooperating chapters of the Code of Ordinances. Chapter 34 (Zoning) - amended by Zoning Text Amendment 3, 2023 adopted by City Council in September 2023 (4-1 vote) - governs the use of property, and Chapter 9 (Community Development), Article II (Housing Code), governs rental registration, inspection, and the Certificate of Compliance. The zoning amendment revised the definition of 'Motel' in Chapter 34, Article 2, Section 2.2 (Definitions) to capture transient commercial rental of a residential dwelling - typically rentals of fewer than 30 consecutive days to paying guests where the owner does not occupy the dwelling as a permanent residence - as a motel use rather than as a residential use. Motels are not a permitted use in any Farmington Hills residential zoning district (R-1 through R-4 single-family, RC cluster, RA-1 multi-family, etc.); they are permitted only in limited commercial zoning districts subject to special land use approval, site plan review, and substantial buffering requirements that make conversion of a single-family home into a commercial motel functionally impossible. The practical effect is a ban on whole-house, non-owner-occupied STR operation throughout the city's residential neighborhoods. Owner-occupied STRs - where the owner uses the dwelling as their permanent primary residence and rents bedrooms, accessory dwelling units, or the whole house during temporary absences - remain allowed as a residential use ancillary to the primary residential use. Owner-occupied operators must (1) submit a completed rental registration application to the Building Division (248-871-2450, code.enforcement@fhgov.com), (2) provide proof of ownership (deed) and proof of permanent residence at the property (Michigan driver's license, utility bills, voter registration, all listing the property as the primary address), (3) provide driver's license or state ID for both the owner and any authorized agent, (4) pay the rental registration fee, and (5) pass a property maintenance inspection covering smoke and CO detectors, handrails and guards, emergency egress from sleeping rooms, electrical/plumbing/mechanical condition, structural integrity, evidence of pest infestation, and adequate trash disposal. Successful registration produces a Certificate of Compliance valid for up to 3 years; renewal requires passing a reinspection. The ordinance includes a 5-year amortization (sunset) provision for non-owner-occupied STRs that were properly registered with the city before the September 2023 effective date, allowing those operators to continue operating until approximately September 2028, after which they must convert to owner-occupied operation or cease. The legal foundation for the ordinance is MCL 125.3204 of the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, which grants cities broad zoning authority, and the Michigan Supreme Court's decision in Heydon v. Charter Twp. of Brighton (2014), which held that municipalities may regulate or prohibit short-term rentals through facially neutral zoning provisions that turn on use rather than ownership. House Bill 4722 of 2021 (Short-Term Rental Regulation Act, sometimes paired with HB 4723-4724), which would have amended the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act to make short-term rental a permitted residential use statewide and preempt local bans, passed the Michigan House in October 2021 by a 55-48 vote but never received a Senate floor vote and died at the end of the 2021-2022 legislative session. A successor package led by HB 5438 of 2024 was reintroduced but remains in committee as of early 2026. Until and unless a successor bill passes both chambers and is signed by the Governor, the Farmington Hills ordinance is enforceable under existing Michigan law.