Recently the Health Department reviewed the internet websites www.airbnb.com and www.vrbo.com and found that you are advertising a room, apartment or house for rent nightly or weekly. This type of activity may be licensable under Wisconsin State Codes: Hotel, Motel or Tourist Rooming Houses Department of Health Services Chapter 195 or Bed and Breakfast Department of Health Services Chapter 197. Your property may fall into one of these categories:

· Tourist Rooming House - all lodging places with paid sleeping accommodations including tourist cabins and cottages with 4 or less rooms that are available for tourists and transients.

· Hotel/Motel - a place where sleeping accommodations are offered for pay to transients with 5 or more rooms.

· Bed and Breakfast – a place of lodging that provides 8 or less rooms for rent to no more than a total of 20 tourist or other transients for more than 10 nights in a 12 month period, is the owner’s personal residence, is occupied by the owner at the time of rental and in which the only meal served to guests is breakfast.

Tourist or transient means a person who travels to a location away from his or her permanent address for a short period of time for vacation, pleasure, recreation, culture, business or employment.

I have attached an application and fee list for a lodging license. If a license is needed, the following are the steps to pursue licensing:

· Contact City of Madison Zoning Department to discuss zoning conditions that must be met to operate as a lodging facility. Phone Number (608) 266-4551.

· Obtain Wisconsin Seller’s Permit (if you do not already have one).

· Fill out and send attached application for a lodging license with proper payment made out to City of Madison Treasurer. The website for the most current versions of information for lodging facilities including applications and fees is located at http://www.publichealthmdc.com/licensing/hotels.cfm

· Once application and payment received, inspection can be done to determine compliance with relevant lodging codes before being allowed to operate legally as a licensable lodging facility.

· Obtaining a Room Tax Certificate from the City of Madison Treasurer. Information can be found at http://www.cityofmadison.com/clerk/documents/licensing/roomtaxpacket.pdf

Failure to obtain Health Department approval to operate and have valid lodging license can result in referral for legal prosecution and financial penalties.

Please call our office to clarify the scope of your operation and to discuss possible licensing and inspection requirements. If you are no longer providing rooms for rent to tourists or transients we kindly ask you to remove your advertisement from the internet. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and assistance.

Best Regards,

08/28/14-1036 Spaight TRH and BnB 1st letter 09032013 updated.docx