Dane County, WI Short-Term Rentals: Taxes & Fees (2026)

Chapter 46 of the Dane County Code regulates "retail food establishments, lodging establishments, public swimming pools, beaches, campgrounds, manufactured home communities, and recreational and educational camps" under sec. 33, folding tourist rooming houses, bed and breakfasts, hotels and motels into one licensing scheme. Sec. 33(4) bars any operator of a "regulated facility", tourist rooming houses included, from operating without a valid permit issued by the county health officer, who has 30 days to approve or deny a completed application; a denial can be appealed to a three-member Board of Health panel.

Sec. 34 then sets the fees. Subsection (1)(a) lets Public Health Madison and Dane County charge a transient operator already licensed by the State of Wisconsin or another Wisconsin municipality an inspection fee of $25 per day. Subsection (1)(b) adds a reinspection fee for a hotel, motel, tourist rooming house or bed and breakfast permit, set in the Public Health Madison and Dane County Fee Schedule, whenever an inspection turns up a violation. Subsection (3) imposes a separate penalty: an operator found running a tourist rooming house, bed and breakfast, hotel or motel without the required license must pay an additional fee under that same schedule, on top of obtaining the missing permit.

Late renewal carries its own charge under sec. 35(1), a late fee equal to 25% of the applicable permit fee, collected by the director of environmental health, and sec. 35(2) stops renewing lapsed permits after July 31 each year.