Georgian Bluffs is launching a Short-Term Rental Licensing (STR) program.
Deputy CEO and Director of Corporate Services Brittany Drury says after a lengthy development process, the township launched the program last week.
“We have gone through quite an extensive engagement process over the past couple of years. We actually commenced discussing short-term rental accommodations as a real concept in 2022 with engagement over the course of 2023 and 2024. My team and I worked over the course of 2024 with operators and local business owners to generate the licensing program,” says Drury.
She says after testing and tweaking the program, which is now available through an online portal on the township website, STR operators in the township are now invited to send in an application to license their property.
“The program and by-law establish what documents operators are required to submit to the township in order to be considered for the application process. They include things like site plans, a floor plan, proof of insurance, the name of a responsible person or contact individual, and informational documents for their rental parties. The portal provides a space for operators to upload all of those documents in an easy way and then the portal combines everything and delivers it to us at the township,” says Drury.
She adds as part of the process, the municipality will also conduct inspections of properties, and when all requirements have been met, STR operators will be issued a license.
The licensing program does not include a cap for how many STRs can operate in the township.
“The by-law does not establish a maximum, however, if we did find that there was a issue, or the community identified an issue, or council identified an issue, then as would any licensing program, or any by-law, council has the authority to impose an additional restriction. I don’t see us heading down that road at any point. We want to work with the local community to make sure that those that wish to run businesses, have the opportunity to do so, but ensure those businesses are run with a community safety base perspective,” says Drury.
To date, she says there are about 120 STR’s active in the township, but this can fluctuate depending on the time of year.
Georgian Bluffs is the latest municipality in the region to implement a short-term accommodation licensing program in the region alongside Northern Bruce Peninsula, Saugeen Shores, and Meaford, which is currently looking at implementing a program.
Drury asks STR operators to send in their applications by the end of March to get a good start ahead of the summer season.
More details can be found on the municipal website here.