Short-Term Rentals in Fitchburg, WI (2026)

5 verified short-term rentals rules for Fitchburg, Wisconsin, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Short-Term Rental Permits

Every short-term rental host in Fitchburg, Wisconsin must obtain an annual license from the city clerk before renting, under City Code § 10-284. The application must show the operator's identity, the rental's maximum occupancy, proof it is the operator's primary residence, a state tourist rooming house license, and a passed city building inspection, and the license expires each June 30.

Fitchburg, WI Short-Term Rental License Requirements

Significant Restrictions

Fitchburg City Code § 10-284(a),(d),(i)

(a)Every person who wishes to establish, operate, or maintain, or permit to be established, operated, or maintained upon any property owned, leased or controlled by him/her, a short-term rental within the city shall, on an annual basis, file with the city clerk an application for a license for each short-term rental. ... (d)The application shall include proof of a valid and current tourist room...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Taxes & Fees

Fitchburg, Wisconsin taxes short-term rental stays under 28 days the same as hotel rooms under its room tax ordinance, and operators must also hold a city business permit. Lodging marketplaces like Airbnb collect and remit the tax directly to the city treasurer.

Fitchburg, WI Short-Term Rental Room Tax

Some Restrictions

Fitchburg City Code §§ 10-242, 10-253, 10-274

Pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 66.0615, a tax is hereby imposed on the privilege and service of furnishing, at retail, except sales for resale, rooms or lodging to transients or occupants by hotel keepers, motel operators, lodging marketplaces, and operators of short-term rentals, and any other persons furnishing accommodations that are available to the public ... For rentals made through lodging ma...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Occupancy Limits

Fitchburg, Wisconsin short-term rental licenses issued under City Code § 10-285 must state a maximum occupancy for the rental, and § 10-287(c) makes it unlawful to host more guests than the license allows or than Wisconsin's tourist rooming house rule (ATCP 72) permits, whichever number is smaller.

Fitchburg, WI Short-Term Rental Occupancy Limits

Some Restrictions

Fitchburg City Code §§ 10-285, 10-287(c)

After the applicant fully complies with section 10-284, the city clerk may either deny the application or grant and issue to applicant a separate license for each applied short-term rental, which shall indicate the maximum occupancy for the short-term rental. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to establish, operate, or maintain, or permit to be established, operated, or maintained upon any...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Night Caps

Fitchburg, Wisconsin exempts occasional short-term rentals from its licensing scheme: City Code § 10-284(j) says no license is required for a short-term rental operated ten nights or fewer in a calendar year. Cross that ten-night line and § 10-287(a) makes operating, listing, or advertising the rental without a license unlawful.

Fitchburg, WI Short-Term Rental 10-Night Exemption

Light Restrictions

Fitchburg City Code §§ 10-284(j), 10-287(a)

(j)No license shall be required for any short-term rental operated for a total of ten or less nights in a calendar year. ... (a)Unless exempted by section 10-284(j), it shall be unlawful for any person to establish, operate or maintain, or permit to be established, operated or maintained upon any property owned, leased or controlled by him/her a short-term rental within the city without having ...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Fitchburg, Wisconsin only lets a property's actual live-in owner or lessee run it as a licensed short-term rental. City Code § 10-284(b) and (g) require the application to state, and a notarized affidavit to confirm, that the rental is the operator's primary residence, and § 10-241 defines 'operator' to exclude any LLC, trust, non-profit, or other corporate entity.

Fitchburg, WI Short-Term Rentals Must Be Owner-Occupied

Significant Restrictions

Fitchburg City Code §§ 10-241, 10-284(g)

Operator means a person who is the owner or lessee of property being used as both a short-term rental and their primary residence and who is conducting the short-term rental business by, among other things, interacting digitally and in person with guests and is identified in short-term listings and advertisements as the short-term rental "host." An operator may not be a LLC, trust, non-profit, ...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Looking for Dane County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Fitchburg city rules.

Short-Term Rentals in Dane County →