The News: A Door County Judge ruled that Captains Cottage LLC was wrongfully denied their short-term rental license by the Village of Sister Bay. The Judge’s decision establishes our clients’ vested property rights and will serve as an important ruling for many Sister Bay property owners.
The Quotes: WILL Deputy Counsel, Luke Berg, stated, “This is a great win for our clients and for all property owners in Door County. As the Judge held, municipalities cannot force property owners to choose between a short-term rental license and their vested property rights. It is well established that old structures are grandfathered from new zoning codes. This doctrine is essential to protect property owners.”
WILL Client, Brigid White, and co-owner of Captains Cottage, stated, “We are just thrilled to have this matter behind us. Our wonderful cottage is open to renters this summer and we are so grateful for the legal expertise and help we have received from WILL and Mr. Johnson. They made this whole process as painless as possible. It was great to have such knowledgeable and kind people in our corner.”
Additional Background: Last summer, the Village of Sister Bay tried to use the short-term-rental licensing process to force Adam and Brigid White, the owners of Captains Cottage, to replace their entire driveway and front landscaping. Although their driveway is nearly 50 years old and has never caused any problems, the Village denied their license until they brought it into conformance with the current zoning code. The Whites argued that their driveway was grandfathered under the Village’s own ordinances, state law, and the Wisconsin Constitution, but the Village rejected their arguments.
WILL and Attorney Bjorn Johnson then filed a lawsuit against the Village and promptly secured an injunction allowing the Whites to continue to rent their property. In the initial ruling last summer, the Judge found that the Village had violated the Whites’ right to appeal the denial of their license and ordered the Village to follow the appeal process. After going through that process, the Whites returned to Court.
This new ruling establishes what the Whites have argued all along—that their driveway is grandfathered and cannot be the basis for denying them a short-term rental license.
About Captains Cottage: The cottage is owned by Adam and Brigid White and sleeps as many as 10 and is in Sister Bay, Wisconsin.
Read More:
- Order and Final Judgement, June 2025
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