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

Section 26-344, "License application and fees," requires anyone with an ownership or contractual interest in a residential dwelling in unincorporated Walworth County to file a short-term rental license application with the Land Use and Resource Management (LURM) Department at least 30 days before the property is first offered for rent. The application must include the dwelling's address and tax key, the names and addresses of the applicant, owner, and any promoter or sponsor, a copy of the state tourist rooming house license, the designated operator's contact information, the proposed occupancy, a dimensioned floor plan, a site plan showing lot lines, parking, and garbage areas, a copy of the property rules, the refuse pickup schedule and hauler's name, and proof of adequate sanitation.

Subsection (c), the "Permit fee schedule," puts fee-setting in the hands of the Walworth County Board of Supervisors, following the fee-schedule procedures in chapter 30 of the County Code, and lets the Board revise the schedule from time to time. The fees are tied to the county's costs of processing applications, reviewing plans, conducting inspections, and documentation, rather than to a percentage of rental revenue the way a municipal room tax would work. The current fee schedule is not printed in the ordinance itself; it is kept on file for public review at the LURM Department or posted on the county website. Owners must also report any change in ownership, designated operator, or refuse hauler to the Department within ten days under § 26-344(b).