Madison's chronic nuisance ordinance (MGO Sec. 25.09) lets the City designate a property a chronic nuisance after three documented incidents within 12 months. STR operators face license non-renewal, abatement orders, and cost recovery for excessive police service.
Sec. 25.09 of the Madison General Ordinances authorizes the Police Chief to label a parcel a chronic nuisance once three or more enumerated incidents (loud parties, disorderly conduct, drug activity, weapons calls) occur within 12 months. Tourist rooming house operators caught in that pattern receive a notice, must submit an abatement plan, and risk license revocation under Sec. 28.131 plus billing for excess police response. The ordinance survives Wis. Act 59 because it is a public-safety standard of general applicability. Repeat violations commonly trigger neighborhood-driven appeals at license renewal.
Designation as a chronic nuisance allows the City to bill the operator for response costs, deny license renewal, and seek injunctive abatement in Dane County Circuit Court.
Madison, WI
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Madison, WI
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See how Madison's repeat violator strikes rules stack up against other locations.
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