Short-Term Rental Laws in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Per WI Stat 66.1014 the City of Milwaukee cannot ban STRs in residential zones. STRs operate under a Tourist Rooming House (TRH) license issued by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection (DATCP) plus a parallel City of Milwaukee Tourist Rooming House license. Allowed in all residential zones (RS-1 through RT-4, RM-1 through RM-7) and most mixed-use zones (LB1-LB3, NS-1, NS-2, C-9) subject to license. Multi-family buildings require landlord consent. Milwaukee Code Ch 84 governs.

Operators must hold a short-term rental permit before listing. See the official permit portal.

Two-license stack: Wisconsin DATCP Tourist Rooming House Permit (state-level, life-safety inspection) + City of Milwaukee Tourist Rooming House License. Annual renewal of both. Operating without either: administrative fines + back-tax assessment + stop-rental order. Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services + Health Department jointly enforce. The 9% Room Tax is collected monthly via the city Treasurer's portal; failure to remit triggers escalating administrative penalties. Wisconsin Act 59 prevents stricter zoning-class bans, so enforcement focuses on license + tax compliance.

Combined short-term lodging tax in Milwaukee is approximately 15.100% of gross nightly revenue (state sales + state TRT + local TRT + applicable resort/city options).

Wisconsin State sales 5% + Milwaukee County 0.5% + Milwaukee city sales 2% + Wisconsin State Stadium District 0.1% + Milwaukee Room Tax 9% + tourism assessment 0.5% — combined ~15.1% on transient lodging (city Room Tax is among WI's highest)

Verify the current combined rate via the Utah State Tax Commission before remitting — rates drift quarterly.