Wausau, WI Short-Term Rentals: Night Caps (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual limit
- 30 total rental nights per 12 months
- Max single stay
- 14 consecutive nights (non-owner)
- Occupancy cap
- 2 guests per bedroom, 8 max
- Use type
- conditional use permit required
- Enforcing agency
- Wausau Inspections and Zoning Division
Summary
Wausau caps short-term "vacation rental home" bookings at 30 total nights in any 12-month period under City Code Section 23.03.10(14)(a). Beyond that annual limit the dwelling falls outside the vacation-rental land use, and any single stay longer than 14 consecutive nights is reclassified as ordinary residential tenancy.
(14)Vacation rental home: A dwelling unit available for overnight, weekend or weekly stays by paying guests, which may or may not be owner-occupied for parts of the year. ... Where such units are available for lease for periods of time longer than 14 consecutive nights, such uses shall not be considered Vacation Rental Homes, but shall instead be considered Single Family Dwelling Units, separately described and regulated under this title. ... (a)Vacation Rental Homes shall not provide rooms for rent for more than 30 total nights during a 12-month period.(b)Occupancy shall be limited to two persons per bedroom, plus an additional two persons. At no time may the number of guests exceed eight regardless of the number bedrooms in the dwelling unit.(c)The maximum stay for any party other than the owner of the premises shall be 14 consecutive days.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
10(14), covering any dwelling unit rented to paying guests for overnight, weekend or weekly stays regardless of whether the owner also lives there part of the year. " That 30-night ceiling is the defining feature separating a lawful, lightly regulated vacation rental from a full-time short-term rental business; once a property is rented past that threshold within a rolling year, the use falls outside what Title 23 permits under this classification. 10(14). Vacation rental homes are allowed only where Title 23's land-use tables list them, commonly as a conditional use, so an owner needs conditional use approval from the Plan Commission and Common Council before renting under this category at all; the annual night cap becomes a standing condition of that approval that the City of Wausau's Inspections and Zoning Division can check against rental records or platform listings.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding 30 rental nights in a 12-month period, or booking a single stay longer than 14 consecutive nights for a non-owner party, breaches the conditions of the conditional use permit issued under Wausau Municipal Code Section 23.03.10(14); the Inspections and Zoning Division can revoke the permit and the City can pursue a municipal citation for operating outside the approved land use.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many nights a year can I rent out my Wausau vacation rental?
What happens if a guest stays longer than two weeks?
How many guests can stay at a Wausau vacation rental at once?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wausau
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