Greenfield, WI Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)

Greenfield regulates loud and disturbing noise through Chapter 10 (Public Peace and Good Order) of the City Code, with state backstop under Wis. Stat. 947.01 (disorderly conduct). Section 10.35 (Unnecessary or Excessive Noise) is the principal local noise authority and applies to short-term rental dwellings exactly as it applies to long-term residences. Greenfield's Chapter 10 uses a reasonableness/disturbance standard rather than a published city-wide A-weighted decibel chart, so officers evaluate complaints based on whether the noise unreasonably disturbs the peace, the time of day, the type of source (amplified music, party noise, mechanical equipment), and proximity to neighboring dwellings. Wis. Stat. 947.01 makes it disorderly conduct to engage in 'violent, abusive, indecent, profane, boisterous, unreasonably loud or otherwise disorderly conduct' that tends to provoke a disturbance, and the Greenfield Police Department routinely issues municipal citations under that standard. Wis. Stat. 66.1014 prevents Greenfield from outright banning short-term rentals of seven consecutive days or longer but expressly preserves municipal authority to enforce noise, parking, and health-and-safety ordinances against STR hosts and their guests. Wis. Stat. 62.23 grants Greenfield, like all Wisconsin cities, general police-power authority to adopt zoning and nuisance ordinances. Greenfield does not maintain a dedicated short-term rental ordinance, so STR operators are also subject to the statewide Tourist Rooming House licensing regime administered by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) under Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 72 for any rental listed for more than 10 nights per year. Hosts who plan amplified outdoor events should contact Greenfield Community Development for any required Outdoor Special Event permit before guests arrive.