Milwaukee County does not require short-term rentals to be a host's primary residence. State law bars local governments from banning rentals of 7 or more days, and any residency-based limit would have to come from an individual municipality within the statute's bounds.
Milwaukee County imposes no primary-residence requirement on short-term rentals, and Wisconsin law makes broad residency mandates difficult to enforce. Wis. Stat. 66.1014 provides that a political subdivision may not prohibit the rental of a residential dwelling for 7 consecutive days or longer, preventing a municipality from banning non-owner-occupied whole-home rentals of a week or more. For rentals of 6 to 30 consecutive days, the statute allows only a cap on rental days at no fewer than 180 yearly; it may not tie the right to rent to whether the property is the host's primary home. Neither the county nor its municipalities can require a short-term rental be the operator's primary residence. Hosts still need the DATCP and any municipal license.
Because no primary-residence rule exists, there is no county violation for renting a non-primary home. Enforcement risk instead arises from operating without the required DATCP or municipal license, which can bring fines and license revocation under Wis. Stat. ch. 97.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Wauwatosa, WI
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Wauwatosa, WI
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Wauwatosa, WI
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Wauwatosa, WI
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Wauwatosa, WI
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Wauwatosa, WI
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Milwaukee County.
See how Wauwatosa's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
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