Wisconsin Lease Agreement: What to Include

Wisconsin's landlord-tenant rules are shaped significantly by ATCP 134, a consumer protection regulation that adds requirements beyond the general landlord-tenant statutes — including a required check-in sheet and code violation disclosures.

Security deposits

Wisconsin has no statewide statutory cap on the deposit amount, and no requirement to pay interest. Deposits must be returned within 21 days of move-out — one of the shorter deadlines nationally — with a written statement of deductions if any amount is withheld.

The check-in sheet requirement

Under ATCP 134, Wisconsin landlords are generally required to provide tenants with a check-in sheet — a document to record the unit's condition at move-in — and to make a copy available to the tenant. This is more of a formal, regulated requirement in Wisconsin than a mere best practice.

Code violation and earnest money disclosures

Wisconsin requires disclosing any uncorrected building code or housing code violations that affect health or safety, if the landlord has notice of them. Wisconsin also has specific rules around earnest money disclosures in some rental contexts, which can be an easy detail to miss.

Entry notice

Wisconsin generally requires 12 hours' notice before entering an occupied unit for non-emergency purposes — shorter than the 24-48 hour standard common in many other states.

The bottom line

The ATCP 134 check-in sheet and code violation disclosure requirements are specific to Wisconsin and easy to miss with a generic lease template. See LeasePilot HQ's full Wisconsin landlord-tenant law summary for the complete breakdown with sources, or generate a lease with Wisconsin-specific clauses built in automatically.