Milwaukee does not require an owner or host to be physically present during a short-term rental stay, since Wisconsin Act 59 (2017) preempts cities from forcing primary-residence or on-site host rules for stays of six or more nights.
Under Wisconsin Act 59 (2017), codified largely in Wis. Stat. §66.1014, municipalities cannot prohibit short-term rentals of six or more consecutive nights, and the Milwaukee Code Ch. 105 license framework treats hosted and unhosted stays the same once the operator holds a tourist-rooming-house license. The city does not impose a separate host-on-premises requirement. Hosts must, however, designate a local agent reachable within a set response window, and the city retains authority over noise, nuisance, and life-safety standards inside Ch. 105 and Ch. 200 building rules.
Operating a short-term rental without the required Ch. 105 license or without a designated responsive local agent can trigger citations, license non-renewal, and abatement orders.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee requires all short-term rental operators to obtain a Tourist Rooming House License from the City Clerk and a state DATCP permit before listing on a...
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee requires a Tourist Rooming House (TRH) license from DNS for all STRs. State TRH license from Wisconsin DATCP also required. Properties with 5+ room...
See how Milwaukee's host presence rule rules stack up against other locations.
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