Short-Term Rentals in Milwaukee, WI (2026)

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

Verified from official government sources

Occupancy Limits

Milwaukee STR occupancy follows the state rooming house cap of two guests per bedroom plus two, and overall building occupancy limits set by the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code.

Short Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits

Some Restrictions

Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 72.01–72.025

ATCP 72.01 Authority and purpose. This chapter is promulgated under the authority of ss. 97.605 (1) (c) and (d), 97.613, 97.615 (2) (b), 97.62, and 97.625 (1) (b), Stats., for the department and its agents to prescribe rules for a lodging facility and to enforce these rules to protect public health and safety. ATCP 72.02 Scope. This chapter applies to the license holder of any lodging facility ...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Host Presence Rule

Milwaukee does not require an owner or host to be physically present during a short-term rental stay, since Wisconsin Act 59 (2017) preempts cities from forcing primary-residence or on-site host rules for stays of six or more nights.

Milwaukee STR Host Presence Not Required

Few Restrictions

Wis. Stat. § 66.1014(2)

66.1014 Limits on residential dwelling rental prohibited. (2) (a) Subject to par. (d), a political subdivision may not enact or enforce an ordinance that prohibits the rental of a residential dwelling for 7 consecutive days or longer. (b) If a political subdivision has in effect on September 23, 2017, an ordinance that is inconsistent with par. (a) or (d), the ordinance does not apply and may n...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Milwaukee cannot restrict short-term rentals to a host's primary residence. Wisconsin Act 59 (2017) and Wis. Stat. §66.1014 expressly bar municipalities from limiting rentals of six or more nights to owner-occupied or primary-residence properties.

No Primary-Residence-Only Rule for STRs

Few Restrictions

Wis. Stat. § 66.1014

66.1014 Limits on residential dwelling rental prohibited. (1) In this section: (a) "Political subdivision" means any city, village, town, or county. (b) "Residential dwelling" means any building, structure, or part of the building or structure, that is used or intended to be used as a home, residence, or sleeping place by one person or by 2 or more persons maintaining a common household, to the...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Host Platform Liability

Milwaukee places primary STR responsibility on the host and property owner, not the booking platform. Wisconsin's preemption framework constrains the city from imposing platform-level licensing, although platforms must collect state lodging taxes for hosts.

Limited Platform Liability Under State Law

Few Restrictions

Wis. Stat. § 66.1014

66.1014 Limits on residential dwelling rental prohibited. (1) In this section: (a) "Political subdivision" means any city, village, town, or county. (b) "Residential dwelling" means any building, structure, or part of the building or structure, that is used or intended to be used as a home, residence, or sleeping place by one person or by 2 or more persons maintaining a common household, to the...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Looking for Milwaukee County county-wide rules?

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

Short-Term Rentals in Milwaukee County →