Fitchburg, WI Hotels & Lodging: Transient Occupancy Tax (2026)
Key Facts
- Tax
- Room tax on hotels, motels, STRs
- Rate
- Set annually via budget fee schedule
- Returns due
- Last day of month after quarter
- Late penalty
- 25% of tax or $5,000, less
- Interest
- 1% per month on unpaid tax
- Enforcing office
- City Treasurer
Summary
Fitchburg, Wisconsin (Dane County) taxes hotel, motel, and short-term rental stays under City Code § 10-242, a room tax charged on rooms furnished to transients by hotel keepers, motel operators, lodging marketplaces, and short-term rental operators. The rate is set annually through the city's budget fee schedule rather than fixed in the code, and lodging marketplaces must collect and remit the tax to the city treasurer.
Pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 66.0615, a tax is hereby imposed on the privilege and service of furnishing, at retail, except sales for resale, rooms or lodging to transients or occupants by hotel keepers, motel operators, lodging marketplaces, and operators of short-term rentals, and any other persons furnishing accommodations that are available to the public, irrespective of whether membership is required for the use of the accommodations. For rentals made through lodging marketplaces, the lodging marketplace shall collect and remit the tax to the city treasurer, according to the provisions of this chapter 10 article III division 4. Beginning January 1, 2017, such tax shall be as set by the annual budget appendix fee schedule. ... A forfeiture of 25 percent of the room tax due for the previous year or $5,000.00, whichever is less, of the tax imposed, is hereby established and due and owing in the event that the room tax is not paid within 30 days after the due date of return. In addition to this forfeiture, all unpaid taxes under this section shall bear interest at the rate of one percent per month from the due date of the return until the first day of the month following the month in which the tax is paid or deposited with the city treasurer.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30).
Full Breakdown
The city's room tax, authorized by Wis. 0615 and codified at City Code § 10-242, applies to the privilege of furnishing rooms or lodging to transients by hotel keepers, motel operators, lodging marketplaces, and operators of short-term rentals. Rather than stating a fixed percentage in the ordinance text, the rate has been set through the annual budget appendix fee schedule since January 1, 2017. Businesses subject to the tax file quarterly returns with the city treasurer under § 10-244, due on the last day of the month following each calendar quarter, and must also file an annual reconciling return within 90 days of the close of their elected calendar or fiscal year.
Every hotel, motel, or short-term rental operator must also hold a room tax business permit issued by the city clerk under § 10-274, separate from the short-term rental license required by § 10-284. Under § 10-245, the city's Community and Economic Development Authority (CEDA) oversees the tax: 70 percent of quarterly collections go to a contracted tourism entity for promotion and development, while CEDA retains 30 percent, and CEDA must file an annual report with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue by May 1 disclosing the rate, revenue forwarded, and tourism-entity expenditures over $1,000.
Violations & Fines
Under § 10-253, room tax not paid within 30 days of the return's due date draws a forfeiture of 25 percent of the tax due or $5,000, whichever is less, plus interest of one percent per month on the unpaid balance. Separately, § 10-254 sets a forfeiture up to $250, capped at five percent of the tax owed, for refusing an audit, failing to file a return, or operating without the § 10-274 permit; each day of continued violation is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fitchburg's room tax apply to Airbnb-style rentals?
What is the current room tax rate in Fitchburg, Wisconsin?
What happens if a hotel or STR operator doesn't pay the room tax on time?
Who administers Fitchburg's room tax?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fitchburg
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Transient Occupancy Tax in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dane County handle transient occupancy tax.