Madison imposes a 9% room tax on hotel and short-term lodging stays under MGO Ch. 4.21, on top of Wisconsin's 5.5% sales tax, for an effective tax rate of about 14.5% on hotel rooms.
Madison General Ordinance 4.21 imposes a 9% room tax on lodging stays under 30 days at hotels, motels, B&Bs, and short-term rentals operating under MGO 28.131. Wis. Stat. 66.0615 caps municipal room tax rates and requires that at least 70% of revenue support tourism promotion through the Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Monona Terrace convention center. The remaining share funds general city services. Combined with the 5.5% Wisconsin state sales tax (5% state plus 0.5% Dane County), guests pay approximately 14.5% in taxes on hotel rooms. UW-Madison football and Capitol-area tourism generate significant revenue.
Hotels and STR operators that fail to collect or remit the room tax face back taxes, monthly interest, penalties up to 25%, and potential lodging-license revocation by the city.
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See how Madison's transient occupancy tax rules stack up against other locations.
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