Short Term Rental Laws in Madison, WI

A Short Term Rental (STR) is the rental of any partial or whole structure for sleeping accommodations for less than 30 consecutive nights.
In Wisconsin, this type of operation is called a Tourist Rooming House (TRH).
Three permits/licenses are required before operating or advertising a short term rental: Transient Room Tax Permit, Dane County Hotel/Motel/Tourist Rooming House (TRH) LICHMD License, and ZTRHP permit.
The ZTRHP permit is issued by Zoning at Building Inspection and is valid from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.
The ZTRHP permit is not transferrable and only allows the permit holder to operate a short-term rental in the specific dwelling unit.
A valid ZTRHP permit number must be displayed in all TRH advertisements.
The TRH must be the host's primary dwelling for 12 consecutive months prior to beginning operation.
The TRH can be operated by the property owner or a renter whose lease explicitly allows it.
If the operator does not occupy the dwelling during the rental, the TRH can operate for a maximum of 30 days per licensing year. If the operator occupies the dwelling, there is no limit to the number of days the TRH can operate.
The host may host multiple individuals with separate bookings at the same TRH on any shared date if the host remains on-site each night.
Building Inspection will conduct a home visit before approving the ZTRHP permit.
The host's name on advertisements and websites must match the permit holder's name.
Photo ID verification is required for the operator and all owners of the TRH property.
Guest occupancy limits must be followed, which is the lesser of twice the number of legal bedrooms or 12. Children under 12 are not counted towards the occupancy count.
A registry must be maintained on-site, including information from the current year and the previous year.
Quarterly Reporting (QR) must be submitted to Zoning within one month after each quarter ends.
Zoning regulations must be followed, and violations may result in fines and permit revocation.
Any changes to the TRH must be reported immediately to stay in compliance.
Before renewing the ZTRHP permit, any changes must be disclosed to Zoning, and a re-inspection may be conducted.
If the TRH only operates with night stays between 7 and 29 consecutive nights, there may be additional options and regulations to inquire about.

Madison, Wisconsin Short Term Rental Laws

Law Source

Madison, WI Short Term Rental Law Summary

Neighboring cities short term rental laws

Monona short term rental laws

Middleton short term rental laws

Fitchburg short term rental laws

McFarland short term rental laws

Waunakee short term rental laws

Cottage Grove short term rental laws

Verona short term rental laws

Sun Prairie short term rental laws