4 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 4 cities in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.
Verified from official government sources
Wisconsin Statute 66.1014 preempts local STR bans for stays of 7 consecutive days or longer. Operators of any STR over 10 nights per year must hold a state Tourist Rooming House license from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). Milwaukee County has no countywide STR ordinance; the City of Milwaukee separately requires its own Tourist Rooming House license issued through the Department of Neighborhood Services with a property inspection.
Milwaukee County is fully incorporated (19 cities and villages, no unincorporated land), so STR room tax is imposed by each municipality, not by the county. Lodging is subject to 5% Wisconsin sales tax, 0.5% Milwaukee County sales tax, and 0.1% baseball-stadium tax (sunset 2020). Municipal room tax under Wis. Stat. 66.0615 caps at 8%; the City of Milwaukee imposes 7%, plus a separate 2.5% basic county-wide room tax administered through Visit Milwaukee. State DATCP Tourist Rooming House license under Wis. Stat. 97.605 and ATCP 72 also required.
Milwaukee County does not impose STR parking standards. The county has no unincorporated land and no residential zoning authority, so off-street parking minimums and on-street rules come from each of the 19 cities and villages. State law (Wis. Stat. 66.1014) caps how restrictive municipal STR rules can be. County roads are governed by Wis. Stat. Ch. 346 traffic provisions; blocking driveways, fire hydrants, or fire lanes is enforced by the local police department.
Milwaukee County does not regulate STR occupancy. The county is fully incorporated into 19 cities and villages; STR occupancy is set by the host municipality plus the state DATCP Tourist Rooming House license under Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 72, which caps capacity at the bedroom count and approved sleeping areas. Wis. Stat. 66.1014 preempts municipalities from prohibiting rentals of 7 days or longer.
4 cities in Milwaukee County have their own short-term rentals rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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