State Airbnb laws2026 25 sources cited

Wisconsin Short-Term Rental Laws & Hotel Tax (2026)

Source: AirROI Reviewed by , Founder @ AirROI Rules checked

From 23 official sources and 2 Airbnb help pages. Not legal advice.

The short answer

Wisconsin Airbnb Laws in Brief

At a glance

Wisconsin Short-Term Rental Laws at a Glance

State license required
Yes
Next rule change
Apr 1, 2028

The laws in brief

The rules a Wisconsin host meets first, each linked to the ordinance, statute or official page it comes from. Details and exceptions follow below.

Wisconsin Short-Term Rental Laws at a Glance
TopicRule
PermitState tourist rooming house license1,2
Who can hostHomes covered by the license10
WhereCities and counties cannot ban stays of 7 nights or more1,20
Night capLocal yearly cap cannot go below 180 days1
Minimum stayLake Delton: no stays under 7 nights in most homes8,20
PlatformsPlatforms collect the municipal room tax7,11
SafetyPre-inspection before the license4

Your home

Can You Host an Airbnb in Wisconsin? It Depends on the Home

Whether you can host in Wisconsin turns on whose home it is and whether you live there.

Your own home, rented whole while you're away

Allowed with conditions

A room in your home with you present

Allowed with conditions

A second home or investment property you don't live in

Allowed with conditions

A rented apartment (tenant hosting)

Allowed with conditions

A condominium unit

Allowed with conditions

Permit

Do You Need a License for Airbnb in Wisconsin?

Yes. Wisconsin hosts need the tourist rooming house license from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), or a county or city health department acting as its agent. It costs $888 in the first year (A host with one home pays the $296 license fee and a one-time $592 pre-inspection fee ($888 in the first year), then $296 each year; local permits and health department fees are extra.) and $296 a year to renew.1,2,4,5,10,25

Who needs it
Issued by
Valid for
On listings
Platform checks

Fees

Fees
FeeAmount
Annual license fee (one rental home)Charged by DATCP for one tourist rooming house, for licenses issued April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2028; 2 to 4 homes cost $450. County and city health departments acting as DATCP's agent set their own fees.$296
Pre-inspection fee (one rental home)Paid once before the first license is issued; 2 to 4 homes cost $900.$592
Late renewal feeAdded when the license fee is not paid by June 30.$85
Reinspection fee$150 for the first reinspection and $200 for each later one.$150

Who qualifies

  • The applicant is the person legally responsible for operating the rental
  • A one- or two-family home, condominium unit, cabin or cottage with four or fewer individually keyed units
  • The home passes a pre-inspection before the license is issued
  • Local zoning and any city, village, town or county permit are also satisfied

How to apply

  1. Check the home's zoning and any city, village, town or county license or permit before listing.
  2. Request the application from the DATCP licensing specialist at (608) 224-4923 or DATCPDFSLicensing@Wisconsin.gov, or from the local health department where it is the state's agent (for example the City of Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services).
  3. Pay the license fee with the application and book the pre-inspection with DATCP or its agent.
  4. Pass the inspection, receive the license, and display it in the listing.
  5. Register for sales tax and municipal room tax where they are not collected by the booking platform.

Applications go through the official application page .

Permit rules

State tourist rooming house license
A local license may also be required
One license per rental home
License does not transfer
License expires every June 30
Platforms collect the municipal room tax
Madison: zoning permit with $300 and $100 fees
Green Bay: city permit, $500 then $250 a year

Who can host

What Wisconsin Cities and Counties Can and Can't Regulate

Cities and counties cannot ban stays of 7 nights or more
Courts have struck down local bans on some homes
Local rental rules can count as zoning
Homes covered by the license
Madison: the home must be your primary dwelling

Local rules

Local Rules in Wisconsin's 6 Largest Airbnb Markets

A state license doesn't replace local rules. Cities and counties still set registration, occupancy, parking and safety requirements. These are Wisconsin's largest markets by active Airbnb listings, with the share of each market's listings that display a registration or license number.

  1. 1. Milwaukee

    Milwaukee County

  2. 2. Green Bay

    Brown County

  3. 3. Madison

    Dane County

  4. 4. Lake Delton

    Sauk County

  5. 5. Sturgeon Bay

    Door County

  6. 6. Lake Geneva

    Walworth County

Taxes

Wisconsin Short-Term Rental Taxes

A 5% state sales tax on every stay of less than a month, plus a 0.5% county tax in most counties and, where the municipality has one, a room tax (commonly 8%, and 10% in Madison, Green Bay and Appleton). Milwaukee adds a 2% city sales tax and 10% in room taxes (7.9% sales tax plus 10% in all), and Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton add 1.25%.

Wisconsin Short-Term Rental Taxes
TaxRateCollected by
Wisconsin state sales tax 5% of the price, cleaning fee and guest fees, for stays of 29 nights or less5%11,24Airbnb
County sales tax 0.5% in 70 of 72 counties (0.9% in Milwaukee County); none in Winnebago or Waukesha counties0.5%12,24Airbnb
City of Milwaukee sales tax 2% in the City of Milwaukee only, since January 1, 20242%11,12Airbnb
Milwaukee County basic room tax (local exposition tax) 3% on lodging in Milwaukee County3%13,24Airbnb
City of Milwaukee additional room tax (local exposition tax) 7% on lodging in the City of Milwaukee, on top of the 3% basic room tax7%13,24Airbnb
Municipal room tax Set by each of about 400 municipalities that has one; state law caps it at 8% with exceptions, and Madison, Green Bay, Appleton and Oshkosh charge 10%—7,11,15,24Airbnb
Premier resort area tax 1.25% in Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton; 0.5% in Rhinelander, Eagle River, Bayfield, Ephraim, Sister Bay and Stockholm, and in Sturgeon Bay from July 1, 2026—14,24Airbnb

What the host still handles

Operating rules

Operating Rules for Wisconsin Short-Term Rentals

Local yearly cap cannot go below 180 days
Tell the clerk when the first rental starts
Local rules are allowed if consistent with the state limits
Pre-inspection before the license
Smoke alarms in each sleeping room and on each floor
Carbon monoxide alarms
Fire extinguishers
Madison: 30 days a year when the host is away
Lake Geneva: 180-day season, 7-night minimum
Lake Delton: no stays under 7 nights in most homes

Fines

How to Avoid Airbnb Fines in Wisconsin

Fines in Wisconsin fall on hosting without the tourist rooming house license, or outside the rules above. With it in hand and the rules followed, none of the fines below apply.

Changes

What's Changed in Wisconsin's Airbnb Rules, and What's Next

One change is scheduled after October 20, 2026; the most recent rules are listed first.

  1. April 1, 2028 Upcoming
    DATCP tourist rooming house fees rise 5%
  2. July 1, 2026
    Sturgeon Bay starts a 0.5% premier resort area tax
  3. February 23, 2026
    Green Bay Plan Commission recommends short-term rental updates
  4. January 25, 2026
    Revised rules for hotels, motels and tourist rooming houses
  5. July 2025
    Court of Appeals rules on local rental ordinances
  6. January 1, 2024
    Milwaukee County and City of Milwaukee sales taxes rise
  7. September 2017
    State law bars local bans on stays of 7 nights or more

Listing data

What Wisconsin's Listings Show

What officials report

398
70

Earnings

What Could a Short-Term Rental in Wisconsin Earn?

The rules shape the numbers: a license that costs $888 in the first year and a cap of 30 nights a year. For a specific address, the Airbnb profit calculator estimates revenue, occupancy and nightly rate from comparable listings, so you can test the numbers before applying.

Estimate what a home could earn

FAQ

Wisconsin Short-Term Rental Laws: Frequently Asked Questions

Is Airbnb legal in Wisconsin?

Yes. State law bars any city, village, town or county from prohibiting a rental of 7 consecutive days or longer, though a host who rents more than 10 nights a year needs a state tourist rooming house license.1

Do I need a permit for Airbnb in Wisconsin?

Yes, if you rent more than 10 nights a year: a tourist rooming house license from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (or a health department acting as its agent), plus any license your city, village, town or county requires.1,2,10

How much is the Wisconsin tourist rooming house license?

For one home it is $296 a year plus a one-time $592 pre-inspection fee, and $450 and $900 for two to four homes (licenses issued April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2028). Fees rise 5% on April 1, 2028, and county or city health departments that act as the state's agent set their own fees.4,5,10

Can a Wisconsin city ban Airbnb?

Not for stays of 7 nights or longer. A city can restrict or prohibit rentals of 6 nights or fewer, and the Court of Appeals held in 2025 that Neenah's ban on short-term rentals in some homes was preempted by state law.1,20

Can I rent a home I don't live in?

Yes under state law, which has no owner-occupancy rule. Some cities add one, such as Madison, which requires the rental to be the host's primary dwelling.1,10,16

Is there a limit on how many nights I can host?

State law lets a local government cap rentals of 7 to 29 nights at no fewer than 180 days a year. Lake Geneva uses a 180-day season, and Madison allows only 30 days a year when the host is away.1,9,16

Does Airbnb collect hotel or occupancy tax in Wisconsin?

Yes. Airbnb collects the 5% state sales tax, the 0.5% county tax in participating counties, Milwaukee's exposition taxes, premier resort area taxes and locally imposed room taxes on stays of 29 nights or less.11,24

What taxes apply to an Airbnb stay in Wisconsin?

A 5% state sales tax, a 0.5% county tax in 70 of 72 counties, and a municipal room tax where the town or city has one (commonly 8%; 10% in Madison and Green Bay). Milwaukee also charges a 2% city sales tax plus 3% and 7% in room taxes, and Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton charge a 1.25% premier resort area tax.11,12,13,14,15

What is the fine for an unlicensed short-term rental in Wisconsin?

State law sets $100 to $1,000 for a first offense and $500 to $5,000 for each later one. Cities add their own penalties, such as $1,000 a day in Lake Geneva and $500 to $1,000 a day in Madison.3,9,16

Do I have to register for sales tax as an Airbnb host in Wisconsin?

Not for stays booked through Airbnb, because a marketplace provider collects and remits the sales tax and municipal room tax. A host who takes direct bookings must collect and remit Wisconsin sales tax and any local room tax.11

What safety equipment does a Wisconsin rental need?

Smoke alarms in every sleeping room, outside each sleeping area and on each floor, and a carbon monoxide alarm where there is a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage. Any fire extinguisher provided must be easy to reach and maintained.6

Does the license have to be shown on my Airbnb listing?

Airbnb tells Wisconsin hosts to display the license in the listing, and Madison and Lake Geneva require their permit numbers in every ad.9,16,25

Method

How These Rules Were Checked

Each rule on this page was checked in October 2026 against the official source cited beside it: the ordinance or statute, the permit office's own pages and the tax authority. Airbnb's help pages are cited on their own only for what Airbnb itself does, such as the taxes it collects and the permit checks it runs, and otherwise only beside an official source; news reports only for when a change was announced. Rules that could not be confirmed on an official page are left out. The City of Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services page was read in a browser.

Rules change with council votes, court rulings and new state laws, so the page is rechecked every three months and whenever a scheduled change takes effect. It summarizes the rules for information and is not legal advice; the state agency and your city or county has the final word on any application.

Sources

Sources

Each rule above links to the source it comes from. Official ordinances, statutes and government pages come first, then Airbnb's own help pages.

  1. 1. Wis. Stat. 66.1014 - Limits on residential dwelling rental prohibited · Wisconsin Legislature
  2. 2. Wis. Stat. 97.605 - Lodging and vending licenses · Wisconsin Legislature
  3. 3. Wis. Stat. 97.72 - Penalties · Wisconsin Legislature
  4. 4. Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 72.04 to 72.07 - Licensing of hotels, motels and tourist rooming houses · Wisconsin Legislature
  5. 5. Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 72.08 - Department fees (Table A) · Wisconsin Legislature
  6. 6. Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 72.18 - Building structure and safety · Wisconsin Legislature
  7. 7. Wis. Stat. 66.0615 - Room tax; forfeitures · Wisconsin Legislature
  8. 8. Chapter 35 Tourist Rooming House · Village of Lake Delton
  9. 9. City of Lake Geneva Zoning Ordinance, Section 98-206 (short-term rental) · City of Lake Geneva
  10. 10. Tourist Rooming Houses · Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
  11. 11. Pub 219 Hotels, Motels, and Other Lodging Providers · Wisconsin Department of Revenue
  12. 12. Sales and Use Tax Rates · Wisconsin Department of Revenue
  13. 13. Local Exposition Taxes · Wisconsin Department of Revenue
  14. 14. Premier Resort Area Tax · Wisconsin Department of Revenue
  15. 15. Municipal room tax contacts and most recent rates (Form SL-304 data) · Wisconsin Department of Revenue
  16. 16. Short-Term Rental Regulations · City of Madison Building Inspection
  17. 17. Short Term Rentals · City of Green Bay Community & Economic Development
  18. 18. Plan Commission Advances Short-Term Rental Updates to Strengthen Neighborhood Protections · City of Green Bay Mayor's Office
  19. 19. Tourist Rooming House · City of Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services
  20. 20. Tourist Rooming House · Village of Lake Delton
  21. 21. Short Term Rentals · City of Lake Geneva
  22. 22. Municipal Requirements (City of Sturgeon Bay Tourist Rooming House Ordinance) · Door County Tourism Zone Commission
  23. 23. FAQ: Tourist Rooming Houses (City of Sturgeon Bay) · City of Sturgeon Bay
  24. 24. Occupancy tax collection and remittance by Airbnb in Wisconsin · Airbnb Help Center
  25. 25. Responsible hosting in Wisconsin · Airbnb Help Center