Environmental Health Home Page

Short Term Rentals

We inspect and license all Waukesha County Short Term Rentals 

All Waukesha County 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 general public health. 

What is a Short Term Rental? 

Rental of all or part of a residence to visitors for less than a month 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.

How to Get Your Short Term Rental Licensed?

Before you can offer short-term rentals, you must get a Tourist Rooming House license from us. We must do a pre-inspection before your new license can be approved. 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 & Taxes: 

• Zoning: Find out if you need to meet Waukesha County zoning conditions by visiting the jurisdictional app otherwise contact your local municipality
• 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 Fee Schedule
• Complete the Lodging Application

Schedule an Inspection

Contact our office at 262-896-8300 and speak with the Environmental Health Inspector that handles your area or email [email protected] to schedule the pre-license inspection of your property. Your license must be approved before you can rent out sleeping accommodations. 

Duration:

• Each license issued by Waukesha County expires June 30 of each year.  
• License dates extend from July 1 of one year through June 30 of the following year.
• If a license is granted after April 1 of a license year, that license will extend to June 30 of the following year. 
• Example: If a business is licensed on April 1, 2023, then its license will expire June 30, 2024.
• Renewal fees for existing establishments shall be submitted to Waukesha County Environmental Health before June 30 each year.

Resources:

ATCP 72 Hotels, Motels and Tourist Rooming
Bed Bugs in Wisconsin QA
Emergency Assistance Card
Room Rate Card
Short Term Rental Guidance 
Tourist Rooming House Guidelines 

Want to know how your favorite food or recreational facility handles safety? You can read our inspection reports. These reports tell you the conditions we saw at the time of inspection. Reports may not reflect corrective actions the establishment made, or the current condition. 

Report a Concern:

It is our goal to provide a better and safer community for everyone. Our online form is the quickest, most efficient way to notify us of your concern. Your submission will be automatically routed to the appropriate Environmental Health Sanitarian in our Department. You may receive future communication requesting additional information as needed. If your contact information is provided, the Environmental Health Sanitarian will contact you with their findings. Please click on the button below or scan the QR code to submit your concern: