Public Health Madison & Dane County

Places to Stay

Inside of a rental room.

We license and inspect bed & breakfasts, hotels, and short-term rentals (also called tourist rooming houses).

All Dane County bed & breakfasts, hotels, and short-term rentals must be licensed and inspected each year. We do this to make sure they meet all requirements of Wisconsin law related to public health.

Look up a health inspection report

  • These reports give you information on the conditions we saw at the time of inspection.
  • Our reports may not reflect actions the establishment made to correct issues, or the current condition of the business.

Health Inspections

How to Get Licensed

Bed & Breakfasts

What is a bed & breakfast?

  • A bed & breakfast is an owner-occupied personal residence with up to eight sleeping rooms for rent to visitors.
  • The home must be occupied by the owner at the time of rental, and the only meal served to guests is breakfast. There cannot be more than 20 visitors at one time.

Get a License

  • Before you can offer rooms to visitors, you must get a bed & breakfast license from us, including a pre-inspection.
  • We must do a health inspection once every licensing year to make sure you are in compliance with the law.
  • The licensing year is from July 1 to June 30 of each year. If your license is approved in April, May, or June, the license is valid until the end of the following licensing year, on June 30.

Zoning and Taxes

Zoning
Sellers Permit

Get a Wisconsin Sellers Permit.

Room Tax

Register with your local clerk if your municipality collects room taxes.

Apply for a license

Check the license fees. Complete a Lodging License Application and send it to the City Clerk’s office with payment.

Schedule an inspection

  • Call 608-242-6515 or email us to schedule a pre-inspection of your property.
  • Your license must be approved before you can rent out sleeping accommodations.
  • We want to better serve you! Fill out our 2-minute anonymous feedback survey about your health inspection.

Learn more

Hotels

What is a Hotel?

A hotel is a place where five or more sleeping accommodations are offered for pay to visitors.

Get your license

Zoning and Taxes

Zoning
  • For the City of Madison: Call City of Madison Zoning at 608-266-4551. If required, get a Conditional Use approval from the City of Madison.
  • For Dane County (outside the City of Madison): Contact your municipal or township clerk. Townships and municipalities have varying policies.
Sellers Permit

Get a Wisconsin Seller’s Permit.

Room Tax

Register with your local clerk if your municipality collects room taxes.

  • For the City of Madison: Fill out the Room Tax Registration form. Learn when Room Tax Exemptions apply to guests.
  • For Dane County (outside the City of Madison): Contact your municipal or township clerk to:
    • Find out if your municipality collects room tax
    • Get a Room Tax Certificate if required

Apply for a license

Schedule an inspection

  • Call 608-242-6515 or email us to schedule a pre-inspection of your property.
  • Your license must be approved before you can rent out sleeping accommodations.
  • We want to better serve you! Fill out our 2-minute anonymous feedback survey about your health inspection.

Learn more

ATCP 72: Hotels, Motels, and Tourist Rooming Houses, Wisconsin Administrative Code

Short-Term Rentals

What is a Short-Term Rental?

Rental of all or part of a residence to visitors for less than 60 days is commonly known as a Short-Term Rental (STR). Its legal term in Wisconsin is a Tourist Rooming House. Wisconsin allows the rental of one to four sleeping accommodations, which can be rooms of a home or an entire home or cabin.

Get your license

  • Before you can offer short-term rentals, you must get a Tourist Rooming House license from us, including a pre-inspection.
  • We must do a health inspection once every licensing year to make sure you are in compliance with the law.
  • The licensing year is from July 1 to June 30 of each year. If your license is approved in April, May, or June, the license is valid until the end of the following licensing year, on June 30.

See if you meet zoning conditions

  • For the City of Madison: Call Madison Zoning at 608-266-4551. Read the Zoning FAQ for Tourist Room Houses.
  • For Dane County (outside the City of Madison): Contact your municipal or township clerk.
  • Check other contracts and rules you may be subject to, like tenant organizations, lease agreements, or cooperative, cohousing, condominium and homeowner association rules.

Get a Wisconsin seller’s permit

  • Apply for a Wisconsin seller's permit.
  • Exception: If you are renting only through Airbnb and/or VRBO, you don’t need a seller’s permit. Write “Airbnb/VRBO only” in this field on your license application form.

Register to pay taxes

Room Tax

Register with your local clerk if your municipality collects room taxes.

Exception: Airbnb & VRBO collect and remit sales tax throughout Wisconsin and room tax within the City of Madison. If you are renting only through Airbnb &/or VRBO, there is no fee for room tax registration in the City of Madison. Check the box saying “my business is not subject to the Madison Transient Room Tax” on the room tax registration form.

Wisconsin Sales Tax
  • You must report and pay Wisconsin sales tax. Dane County is subject to 5.5% sales tax (5% state, 0.5% county).

Exceptions:

  • If your taxable sales are less than $1,000 in a calendar year, an occasional sales exemption may apply to the sales.
  • Airbnb automatically collects and submits sales tax. Sales tax payments are not necessary if you are renting only through Airbnb.

Apply for a license

For all short-term rentals in Dane County:

Schedule an inspection

After completing the prior steps:

  • Call 608-242-6515 or email us to schedule a pre-inspection of your property.
  • Your license must be approved before you can rent out sleeping accommodations.
  • We want to better serve you! Fill out our 2-minute anonymous feedback survey about your health inspection.

Learn more

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