Short-Term Rentals in Wausau, WI (2026)

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

Verified from official government sources

Short-Term Rental Permits

Wausau requires every tourist rooming house to have a designated operator, either the property owner or a property manager who lives or does business within 25 miles of the rental. Municipal Code § 23.03.28(9) sets the operating rules and makes violations subject to separate daily fines with license revocation.

Short-Term Rental Operator Rules in Wausau

Significant Restrictions

Wausau Municipal Code § 23.03.28(9)(a)2 and (9)(4)

1.Land use requirement. Tourist rooming house shall only be located as an accessory land use within a residential land use as defined in section 23.03.06. ... c.The tourist rooming house shall be operated by the property owner or by a property manager.d.The designated operator must reside within, or have their business located within, 25 miles of the tourist rooming house parcel. ... 4.Penaltie...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Noise Rules

Wausau bars any vacation rental home from emitting "sounds, odors, dust or vibrations that carry beyond the premises," under City Code Section 23.03.10(14)(d), treating that as part of the property's required residential character. The same subsection bans on-site advertising of the rental's availability.

Vacation Rental Noise & Nuisance Rule, Wausau

Some Restrictions

Wausau Municipal Code § 23.03.10(14)(d)-(e)

(14)Vacation rental home: A dwelling unit available for overnight, weekend or weekly stays by paying guests, which may or may not be owner-occupied for parts of the year. ... (d)The appearance or use of the dwelling shall not be altered in a manner that would cause the premises to differ from its residential character either by the use of colors, materials, construction, lighting, signs, or the...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Short-Term Rental Parking Rules

Wausau requires one on-site parking space per bedroom for every vacation rental home, and City Code Section 23.03.10(14)(f) demands that all guest vehicles park on site, not on the street. Subsection (g) lets a driveway count as legal "stacked" spaces if each is at least eight feet wide and 18 feet deep.

Vacation Rental Parking Requirements, Wausau

Some Restrictions

Wausau Municipal Code § 23.03.10(14)(f)-(g)

(14)Vacation rental home: A dwelling unit available for overnight, weekend or weekly stays by paying guests, which may or may not be owner-occupied for parts of the year. ... (f)Minimum required parking: One space per each bedroom. All guest vehicles shall be parked on site.(g)A driveway may contain one or more legal parking spaces. Driveways shall be considered legal "stacked" parking spaces, ...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Occupancy Limits

Wausau caps short-term 'tourist rooming house' occupancy at whatever is lower: the number licensed by the State of Wisconsin, or two guests per bedroom plus two additional occupants. The rule sits in Municipal Code § 23.03.28(9), which governs stays under four days that don't qualify as a longer-term vacation rental.

Short-Term Rental Occupancy Caps in Wausau

Some Restrictions

Wausau Municipal Code § 23.03.28(9)(a)2.b

(9)Tourist rooming house: Includes all lodging places and tourist cabins and cottages, other than hotels and motels, in which sleeping accommodations are offered for pay to tourists and transients. It does not include private boarding houses or rooming houses not accommodating tourists or transients, or bed and breakfast establishments regulated under ACTP 73. ... b.The maximum number of occupa...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Night Caps

Wausau caps short-term "vacation rental home" bookings at 30 total nights in any 12-month period under City Code Section 23.03.10(14)(a). Beyond that annual limit the dwelling falls outside the vacation-rental land use, and any single stay longer than 14 consecutive nights is reclassified as ordinary residential tenancy.

Wausau Vacation Rental 30-Night Annual Cap

Some Restrictions

Wausau Municipal Code § 23.03.10(14)(a)-(c)

(14)Vacation rental home: A dwelling unit available for overnight, weekend or weekly stays by paying guests, which may or may not be owner-occupied for parts of the year. ... Where such units are available for lease for periods of time longer than 14 consecutive nights, such uses shall not be considered Vacation Rental Homes, but shall instead be considered Single Family Dwelling Units, separat...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Wausau allows a bed and breakfast only when it is the operator's own home. City Code Section 23.03.10(13)(b) requires the operator/owner to treat the dwelling as a principal residence and live on the premises whenever the bed and breakfast is active, a conditional use in the RH-35, SR-2 and other residential districts.

Bed & Breakfast Owner-Occupancy Rule, Wausau

Some Restrictions

Wausau Municipal Code § 23.03.10(13)(b)

(13)Bed and breakfast: Bed and Breakfasts are places of lodging that provide rooms for rent in the owner's personal residence, are occupied by the owner at the time of rental, and where the only meal served to guests is breakfast. ... (a)Facility shall be surrounded by a bufferyard with a minimum opacity of 0.40 along all property borders abutting residentially zoned property.(b)The dwelling un...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Looking for Marathon County county-wide rules?

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

Short-Term Rentals in Marathon County →