Seasonal RV site agreements in Wisconsin
What Wisconsin law says about seasonal and annual RV guests, sub-metered electricity, sales tax and online signatures — and the clauses your agreement should carry because of it. Written for park owners, not lawyers.
Short version. Details, citations and sources are below.
Is a seasonal guest a tenant in Wisconsin?
As of 2025 Wisconsin Act 29 (effective August 2025), the landlord-tenant chapter (ch. 704) does not apply to an occupant or guest of a campground licensed under s. 97.67, and a person who remains on campground premises after the operator withdraws consent or tells them to leave commits criminal trespass, with law enforcement able to assist in removal on request. The Act preserves rights of people in manufactured/mobile home communities and holders of 'campground contracts' under s. 707.02(6). ATCP 79 is the health/safety licensing code: it defines a 'seasonal campsite' as one where the operator allows a camper to park a privately owned camping unit for 30 or more consecutive days, and allows the unit to be stored on site when unoccupied or when the campground is closed.
What that means for notices and removal
No court eviction is required for a campground occupant: give notice to leave per your seasonal agreement, and if they stay they are trespassing under 943.13(1m)(g) and can be removed by law enforcement. Keep the park licensed under s. 97.67 and keep units within ATCP 79 'camping unit' definitions so the exemption clearly applies.
Sub-metering electricity to RV sites in Wisconsin
Wisconsin PSC rules (PSC 113.0803) generally require utility metering of each dwelling unit in multifamily buildings and mobile home parks (with new exemptions effective December 2025), and no PSC rule specific to campground/RV site submetering was found. Campground seasonal-site metering is common in practice; bill at the utility's cost and confirm your utility's tariff on resale.
Sales and lodging tax on seasonal sites in Wisconsin
Sales tax applies to furnishing rooms or lodging to 'transients' (anyone residing for a continuous period of less than one month) by hotels, motels, tourist courts, summer camps, resort lodges and similar accommodations available to the public; the Department of Revenue treats campsite rentals the same way, so seasonal sites rented for a continuous period of one month or more are not taxable lodging. Local room taxes follow the same transient definition.
Signing agreements online in Wisconsin
Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. Electronic signatures are valid for seasonal site agreements when the guest agrees to sign electronically, intends to sign, and the record is kept in a form that can be reproduced and shown not to have changed. Seasonal Sites records the signer’s typed name, email, time, IP address and a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact text signed, and stores the signed PDF.
Clauses to include in a Wisconsin seasonal agreement
These are added on top of the eleven sections in the free template. Adjust the bracketed parts and have a local attorney read the result.
Your state association is a good second opinion on all of this: Wisconsin Association of Campground Owners (WACO).
Get the free seasonal site agreement template
Eleven plain-English sections, Word and PDF, with bracketed fields to fill in. Then paste the Wisconsin clauses above into it.
Or skip the paperwork entirely
Seasonal Sites takes this same agreement, fills in each guest’s name, site, rate and dates, emails them a link to sign on their phone, puts the installments on autopay, bills metered electric from your readings, and keeps the signed PDF with the audit record. Renewals for the whole park go out in one click. It works beside whatever reservation system you already use.
Other states
Sources
- https://law.justia.com/codes/wisconsin/chapter-704/section-704-96/
- https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/acts/2025/29.pdf
- https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/704
- https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/wisconsin/Wis-Admin-Code-SS-ATCP-79-03
- https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/wisconsin/Wis-Admin-Code-SS-ATCP-79-13
- https://www.renewwisconsin.org/psc-approves-new-multifamily-metering-rules/
- https://law.justia.com/codes/wisconsin/chapter-77/section-77-52/
- https://www.wisconsincampgrounds.com/
This page summarizes public sources as of September 2026 for park owners and is not legal or tax advice. Statutes, tariffs and tax rules change; confirm anything you rely on with the agency or an attorney licensed in Wisconsin. Found an error? Email hello@seasonalsites.com.