Racine County, WI Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

There is no Racine County ordinance that sets a maximum number of overnight guests per short-term rental in unincorporated areas. Instead, occupancy is governed by a layered set of state rules. Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 72 (Hotels, Motels, and Tourist Rooming Houses) defines a Tourist Rooming House as a lodging place with four or fewer individually keyed units; a property with five or more keyed units must obtain a hotel license rather than a TRH license. Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code under Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 321 sets minimum bedroom dimensions, ceiling heights, and egress (window and door) standards that determine how many people can lawfully sleep in a room - generally a sleeping room must have at least 70 square feet for one occupant and 50 square feet per additional occupant. Wis. Stat. §66.1014(2)(c) preserves a local government's authority to enforce reasonable health, safety, and welfare regulations on short-term rentals, including occupancy limits keyed to bedroom count or septic capacity, provided the rules do not amount to a de-facto ban on 7+ day rentals. Racine County's role in unincorporated towns is limited to zoning under Chapter 20 of the County Code and shoreland-zoning enforcement under §59.692; no specific occupancy cap appears in the county code. Towns and incorporated municipalities may set their own caps - the Village of Wind Point's 2025 STR ordinance, for example, ties maximum occupancy to bedroom count.