Eagle Lake, WI

Wisconsin Statute 66.1014 preempts local bans on residential rentals of 7 consecutive days or longer. Anyone offering a short-term rental in Racine County for more than 10 nights per year must hold a state Tourist Rooming House license from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). Racine County does not impose a separate countywide STR permit; municipal STR ordinances apply within incorporated cities and villages.

Racine County does not set a fixed county-wide occupancy cap for short-term rentals. Wisconsin's Tourist Rooming House rules under Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 72 limit a TRH to four or fewer individually keyed sleeping units; larger properties must license as a hotel. The state Uniform Dwelling Code (SPS 321) and ch. ATCP 72 building-safety provisions effectively cap occupancy through bedroom size and egress requirements. Wis. Stat. §66.1014(2)(c) allows local governments to impose reasonable health-and-safety occupancy limits.

Racine County does not impose a countywide STR registration fee, but operators must collect 5% Wisconsin sales tax plus the 0.5% Racine County sales tax (effective April 1, 2025) on stays of less than one month. A municipal room tax under Wis. Stat. §66.0615 may also apply (City of Racine charges 8% under Ord. 90-55). Operators renting more than 10 nights per year must pay an annual DATCP Tourist Rooming House license fee starting at $296.

Racine County does not impose a STR-specific parking standard for unincorporated areas. General off-street parking minimums in Chapter 20 of the County Zoning Ordinance apply to single-family dwellings (typically two off-street spaces) regardless of whether the home is rented short-term. Wis. Stat. §66.1014(2)(c) permits towns and municipalities to require additional parking as part of reasonable health-and-safety regulation. Cities and villages within Racine County set their own STR parking rules.

Wis. Stat. §167.10 governs fireworks statewide and requires a local user's permit issued by the mayor, village president, or town chair before any non-exempt fireworks may be possessed or used. Racine County itself does not issue fireworks permits; each incorporated city and village and each unincorporated town acts as the permit authority within its jurisdiction. Several Racine County municipalities have adopted ordinances stricter than the state baseline.

Racine County exercises county zoning authority under Wis. Stat. §59.69 over unincorporated towns that have adopted the County Zoning Ordinance (Code of Ordinances Chapter 20). ADUs are not a separate use category in the Racine County code; second living quarters generally must comply with the standards for a single-family dwelling and the accessory-use rules of the underlying district. Incorporated cities and villages (Racine, Burlington, Mount Pleasant, Caledonia, Sturtevant, Waterford, Union Grove, Rochester, etc.) regulate ADUs under their own ordinances per Wis. Stat. §62.23 and §61.35.

Residential swimming pool barriers in Racine County are governed by the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code (Wis. Admin. Code chs. SPS 320-325), which incorporates IRC Appendix G section AG105. Outdoor pools holding water more than 24 inches deep must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching gates. Permits are issued by the municipality (or by Racine County for unincorporated-town one- and two-family construction where the county is the certified UDC authority).

Racine County does not impose a general height cap on residential fences in unincorporated areas. Under Section 20-1086 of the County Zoning Ordinance, residential fences are regulated only when they obstruct traffic visibility on corner lots, are located near a navigable body of water, or fall within a shoreland-wetland or floodplain area. Section 20-1045 prohibits structures (including fences) within the 75-foot shore-yard setback from the ordinary high-water mark of navigable waters, although open fences may be allowed in the setback. Non-residential security fences require a permit. Contact Racine County Development Services at 262-886-8440.

Racine County does not adopt a county-wide decibel-based quiet-hours ordinance for unincorporated areas. Loud, boisterous, or unreasonably noisy conduct is enforced under Wisconsin's disorderly conduct statute, Wis. Stat. § 947.01, by the Racine County Sheriff's Office. Each town (Burlington, Dover, Caledonia, Mt. Pleasant, Norway, Raymond, Rochester, Waterford, Yorkville) may adopt its own public-disturbance ordinance with stricter, time-based limits. The Town of Dover, for example, restricts yelling, shouting, and amplified sound between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.

Racine County regulates dogs through Chapter 4 (Animals) of its Code of Ordinances and incorporates Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 174 by reference. Under Wis. Stat. § 174.042, a dog is 'running at large' whenever it is off the owner's premises and not under the control of the owner or another person; running-at-large dogs are subject to impoundment. All dogs five months of age or older must be licensed annually through the Racine County Treasurer with proof of current rabies vaccination, per Wis. Stat. § 174.05. Cities and villages within Racine County have their own leash and licensing ordinances.

Wis. Stat. §87.30 requires every Wisconsin city, village, town, and county with FEMA-mapped floodplain to adopt a floodplain zoning ordinance meeting Wis. Admin. Code ch. NR 116 and 44 CFR 59-72 (NFIP). Racine County participates in the NFIP and regulates floodplains along the Root River, Fox River, Pike River, and the Lake Michigan shoreline. Wisconsin's flood protection elevation is 2 feet above the regional (1% annual chance) flood elevation - a state-mandated freeboard stricter than the FEMA minimum.