Short-term rentals operating in the City of Racine are licensed as Tourist Rooming Houses under Chapter 22, Article XVIII and Chapter 114 of the Racine Municipal Code, and must comply with the citywide noise rules in Chapter 42 (Environment). Wisconsin Statute 66.1014 prevents Racine from banning rentals of seven days or longer but expressly preserves the city's authority to enforce noise ordinances against STR hosts and guests.
The City of Racine licenses short-term rentals as Tourist Rooming Houses through the Public Health Department's Environmental Health Division. The legal framework comes from Wisconsin Administrative Code ATCP 72 (which defines a tourist rooming house as a residence rented to visitors for fewer than 29 consecutive days), Racine Municipal Code Chapter 22 Article XVIII, and Chapter 114 (Zoning). All STR/Tourist Rooming House operations within the City of Racine must be located in the primary residence of the proprietor and must be inspected annually by the Public Health Department, Building Division and Fire Inspection before a permit will issue. The permit year runs July 1 through June 30. General noise standards are codified in Chapter 42 (Environment) of the Racine Municipal Code and are enforced citywide against owner-occupied homes and licensed tourist rooming houses on the same terms. The Environmental Health Division (262-636-9203) investigates noise complaints alongside the Racine Police Department, which separately enforces loud-music and disturbance complaints. Wisconsin Statute 66.1014, the state 'right to rent' law, prohibits Racine from prohibiting STRs of seven consecutive days or longer but expressly preserves municipal authority to apply general noise, parking and health-and-safety ordinances to short-term rental operators and their guests. Hosts operating an STR in Racine should post the city quiet-hours and noise rules in the rental's house manual, because repeated noise complaints tied to the address can be reviewed by the Public Health Department at annual license renewal under Chapter 22 Article XVIII.
Racine noise complaints are handled by the Environmental Health Division at 262-636-9203 and by the Racine Police Department through its loud-music complaint process. Citations are issued under Chapter 42 of the Racine Municipal Code and are subject to the general forfeiture schedule in the city code. Repeated noise complaints against a licensed Tourist Rooming House can also be cited at the annual Chapter 22 Article XVIII license inspection by the Public Health Department, putting the STR permit at risk of non-renewal under the joint Public Health, Building and Fire inspection process.
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