7 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 4 cities in Dane County, Wisconsin.
Verified from official government sources
Short-term rentals in unincorporated Dane County are regulated under the county zoning ordinance (Chapter 10). Tourist Rooming Houses require a Public Health license from Public Health of Madison and Dane County.
STR guests in unincorporated Dane County must comply with general Wisconsin noise laws and Dane County's animal control and nuisance provisions. No STR-specific noise rules exist at the county level.
STR operators in Dane County must collect 5% Wisconsin state sales tax and any applicable Dane County room tax. Unincorporated areas have fewer local tax layers than Madison.
No STR-specific parking rules exist in unincorporated Dane County. Standard county zoning and road rules apply to all vehicles.
Madison MGO §28.151 caps tourist rooming house occupancy at 2 per bedroom plus 2 additional guests. Wis. Stat. §66.1014 preempts outright STR bans but allows reasonable occupancy limits. Dane County unincorporated areas apply Ch. 10 standards.
Dane County and its municipalities (Madison, Sun Prairie, Fitchburg, Middleton, Verona, Stoughton) do not mandate a specific STR liability minimum, but Wisconsin tourist rooming house licensing under Wis. Stat. §97.605 and Madison General Ordinances (MGO) Ch. 32 expect hosts to carry adequate coverage. Standard Wisconsin homeowner policies typically exclude commercial rental activity.
Dane County does not impose a county-wide annual night cap on short-term rentals. Wis. Stat. §66.1014 (the right-to-rent law) bars local governments from prohibiting rentals of 7+ consecutive days and forbids capping 6-29 day rentals below 180 days per year. State licensing under Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 72 kicks in once a property is rented more than 10 nights in a year.
4 cities in Dane County have their own short-term rentals rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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Dane County Ordinance Hub →