Milwaukee cannot restrict short-term rentals to a host's primary residence. Wisconsin Act 59 (2017) and Wis. Stat. §66.1014 expressly bar municipalities from limiting rentals of six or more nights to owner-occupied or primary-residence properties.
The Wisconsin Legislature in 2017 stripped municipalities of the power to confine short-term rentals to primary residences. Milwaukee Code Ch. 105 therefore licenses tourist rooming houses without an owner-occupancy condition, although the property must meet building, zoning, and habitability standards. The city retains the right to cap rentals shorter than six nights and to require operator licensing, lodging-tax registration with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, and adherence to nuisance abatement procedures under Ch. 80 zoning and Ch. 90 health rules.
Cities attempting to enforce primary-residence-only conditions face state-law preemption challenges, while operators violating licensing or zoning rules may face Ch. 105 citations and forfeitures.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Milwaukee, WI
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See how Milwaukee's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
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