Renting out your New Buffalo cottage? The city makes you register first

New Buffalo lives and dies by summer renters, and the city has rules about it. If you own a place inside the City of New Buffalo and want to rent it out short-term, you can’t just list it and hand over a lockbox code. The city requires the unit to be registered, to pass an inspection, and to name a local agent — someone reachable who can show up if there’s a problem. The registration isn’t a one-and-done, either; it has to be renewed each year (verified June 2026).

The city is upfront that the point isn’t to kill the rental business — short-term rentals are a big part of how this lake town works. The stated aim is guardrails: making sure the house is safe, that neighbors aren’t stuck with a party house and no one to call, and that emergency responders know who’s accountable. After-hours noise and nuisance complaints route through the county dispatch line.

The catch a lot of buyers miss is that “New Buffalo” is two governments. The City of New Buffalo and New Buffalo Township are separate, with separate rules, and the township runs its own rental license program covering the area outside the city limits. So which set of requirements applies to a given cottage depends entirely on which side of the line it sits — a map question that can change what you owe and what you have to do before the first guest checks in.

If you’re shopping for a rental-income place out here, the practical move is to pin down city-versus-township first, then call the right office. The address on the listing won’t always tell you; the parcel will.