St. Clair Shores, MI Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

Michigan currently leaves short-term rental regulation to local government. HB 5438 of 2024 (the Short-Term Rental Regulation Act, paired with HB 5437) proposed a statewide STR registry, a 6 percent excise tax, and a framework limiting outright local bans, but as of the date of this record the bill has not been enacted as binding statewide preemption. Macomb County's Commissioners do not regulate residential land use generally and have not adopted a county STR ordinance. Local treatment varies: Macomb Township as of August 2022 had no STR-specific ordinance, with most subdivisions prohibiting rentals through HOA covenants; Hazel Park (in Oakland County, often grouped with Detroit-area STR discussion) requires an application through its City Clerk; Sterling Heights officials have discussed local STR rules but the city has not adopted a comprehensive STR-specific ordinance. State-level obligations apply regardless: 6 percent Michigan use tax on transient accommodations under the Use Tax Act (MCL 205.93a), and federal income tax. A 1990 Michigan Supreme Court line of cases (Terrien v. Zwit, 467 Mich 56 (2002)) treated STR use as 'commercial' and enforceable HOA restrictions, while subsequent cases including Reaume v. Township of Spring Lake have upheld local zoning that effectively limits STRs in certain contexts.