Madison treats short-term rentals as accessory uses to a primary residence. Operators must demonstrate that the dwelling is their principal place of habitation, typically through tax records, voter registration, or a Wisconsin driver license bearing the property address.
Madison's tourist rooming house framework under Sec. 28.131 ties STR registration to primary-residence status. The City Clerk's licensing checklist asks applicants to certify the unit is the host's principal residence and to provide supporting documents. Wisconsin Act 59 (2017) caps how aggressively the City can restrict short-term stays but does not stop Madison from defining who counts as a qualified operator. Investor-owned, non-resident STRs must instead pursue a conditional use permit, which entails neighbor notice, a public hearing, and Plan Commission discretion.
False certification of primary residence is grounds for license revocation, fines under Sec. 1.08, and referral for prosecution if the misrepresentation is material.
Madison, WI
Madison Sec. 28.131 requires that tourist rooming houses be located within an owner-occupied dwelling unless the operator obtains a separate conditional use ...
Madison, WI
Madison requires all short-term rentals to obtain a Tourist Rooming House license under MGO Chapter 32 and state DATCP. Non-owner-occupied STRs are capped at...
See how Madison's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.