We have great news! Thanks to the efforts of Home Hosts and engaged STR owners, Jacksonport has dropped the restrictive 2-person-per-bedroom occupancy limit and instead adopted a fair policy.
What Changed?
The original proposal capped occupancy at 2 people per bedroom and claimed that it was based on the Door County Sanitation Ordinance which was a misunderstanding of the law.
After Home Hosts’ advocacy, the town adopted an ordinance policy utilizing existing law vs creating a new standard:
- ✅Wisconsin State Code (ATCP 72.14) – Determines the maximum sleeping capacity for all legal bedrooms.
- ✅ POWTS (Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System) regulations – Allows the number of occupants your system was designed for, per the Door County Sanitation Code.
Our advocacy resulted in no additional limits on occupancy while maintaining public health and safety.
What’s Next?
- The Town Clerk will send a letter with the updated Good Neighbor Policy for STRs, asking all STR owners to follow it.
- This is a policy, NOT an ordinance, meaning:
- ❌ No new licensing
- ❌ No extra fees
- ❌ No additional administrative burden
- Town leadership has stated that as long as STR owners follow this policy, they don’t see a need for an ordinance.
What This Means for You:
- ✅ More booking flexibility and income potential—Rent beyond 2 people per bedroom if your POWTS and state regulations allow.
- ✅No added fees, paperwork, or Jacksonport-specific restrictions – Less hassle, more freedom.
Why Home Hosts?
A small but vocal group of residents pushed for strong STR restrictions. Home Hosts countered with data and facts, engaging town board members and presenting real numbers from the Sheriff’s Dept., Sanitation Dept., and Real Estate records showing STRs are NOT a source of problems for Jacksonport.
But here’s what you may not realize:
Home Hosts is run by a small, dedicated group of volunteers that utilize paid legal expertise and fee-based communications tools to advocate on your behalf. Without funding from STR owners like you for this expertise and these tools, we won’t be able to protect your ability to rent responsibly.
There’s no corporate funding behind the scenes—just STR owners like you funding this effort.
What It Takes to Win These Fights
- ✅ Research & Data Collection – Gathering hard facts to counter misinformation.
✅Community Outreach – Meeting one-on-one with town board members. Sending messaging to inform STR owners through communications tools we pay a fee to utilize. - ✅ Strategic Messaging – Ensuring STR owners are positively represented in every discussion.
- ✅Legal & Policy Review – Developing reasonable, alternative proposals utilizing our attorney (like the one Jacksonport just adopted).
And we’re not done yet.
This Challenge Isn’t Over…
Most towns that initially passed ordinances later looked at revising them with more restrictions. If we want to keep Jacksonport fair for STR owners, we must stay engaged, show up, and be ready to push back when needed.
Join Home Hosts Today to support the ongoing advocacy that keeps STR policies reasonable and fair.
Click here to become a member 👉
A Jacksonport Owner’s Perspective:
“I attended many of the Jacksonport meetings on STRs. Time and again, things could have easily gone south, but the convincing data, effective messaging, and thoughtful strategy from Home Hosts allowed STR owners to be positively represented. They gave us talking points, developed reasonable alternatives, and ultimately helped secure a fair policy. Without Home Hosts, STR owners in Jacksonport could have ended up with unfair restrictions.”
— Rita Hookstead, Jacksonport STR Owner
We need your support to keep this momentum going. If you value what Home Hosts does, please become a member today.
Best,
Your Home Hosts Board
Directors:
Janet Slater, President
Karen Jacobson Berndt, Vice President
Holli Kohls, Treasurer
Punkaj Gupta, Secretary
Michael Servais
Heather Heezen
Liz Scheckel