Public Health

The City of Racine Public Health Department offers its residents of and visitors to Racine a wide range of services and information to improve health and wellbeing. The Department's three Divisions, Community Health, Environmental Health, and the Laboratory, work to achieve the vision of healthy people, a healthy environment, and a healthy community.

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Lodging

Licensing and permit payments are processed with the Department of Customer Service, located in the Clerk’s Office, Racine City Hall Room 103.

Environmental Health Division office hours: Tuesday, 8 – 10am; Wednesday, 2 – 4pm; or by appointment. Call 262-636-9203 to schedule.

Lodging Facility Permitting

The City of Racine Public Health Department – Environmental Health Division protects the health and well-being of Racine’s visitors and residents by annually permitting and inspecting lodging facilities. A lodging facility is defined as a hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, or rooming house.

The links below provide information regarding the permitting requirements for all lodging facilities in the City of Racine:

Complete the required application for permit.
1. Hotel / Motel
  1. ATCP Chapter 72
  2. Municipal Code Chapter 22, Article XVIII
2. Bed and Breakfast
  1. ATCP Chapter 73
  2. Municipal Code Chapter 22, Article VI
3. Rooming House
  1. Municipal Code Chapter 22, Article XXI
  2. Review the appropriate sections of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Administrative Code and/or Racine Municipal Code for the facility type you will be operating.
Complete and submit a business plan to the Environmental Health Division.
Pay the one-time pre-inspection/application fee. This must be paid before any site visits will be conducted.
A pre-inspection of the facility must occur. Any violations found during the pre-inspection must be corrected pursuant to applicable state and local requirements prior to issuance of the permit.
Pay the permit fee at the Department of Customer Service. The permit year runs from July 1 through June 30, and the permit fee must be paid annually before July 1 to avoid penalties. An exception to this is rooming houses, for which the licensing year runs from August 1 through July 31; permits must be renewed annually before August 1.
It is the responsibility of establishment to ensure permit(s) are paid on-time.

Note: Any lodging facilities which will serve food, contain a pool/whirlpool, etc. will require additional permits.

Short Term Rentals

If you are considering renting your home, or space in your home, on a short-term basis (such as through Airbnb, VRBO, etc.), there are many important regulations and requirements.

City of Racine Tourist Rooming Houses and Short Term Rentals

Guidance for Short Term Rentals in Wisconsin