Wisconsin Lease Agreement: What to Include

A Wisconsin residential lease needs to reflect this state's actual rules on security deposits, entry notice, late fees, and required disclosures — not a generic template written for a different state. The figures below come from Wisconsin's residential landlord-tenant statute; where the state sets no fixed number, that's stated plainly rather than glossed over, since "the state doesn't specify" is itself something you need to know.

Security deposit

Security deposit limit: No statewide statutory limit. Wisconsin does not require interest on held deposits. Return deadline after move-out: 21 Days.

Entry notice, late fees, and rent increases

Entry notice: 12 Hours. Late fees: No statewide fixed cap; should be reasonable and stated in lease; no statewide grace period requirement. Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies: 28 for month-to-month unless lease says otherwise days. (Entry notice citation: Wis. Stat. § 704.05 (12 hours).)

Required disclosures

A Wisconsin lease should include or accompany:

• • Federal lead-based paint
• • check-in sheet
• • code violations
• • earnest money
• • utility disclosures
• • domestic abuse protections

Eviction notice for nonpayment

For nonpayment of rent, Wisconsin: 5 or 14 depending notice/default history This is the minimum notice before you can move to the next step in the eviction process — actual court timelines run longer once a case is filed. (Eviction notice citation: Wis. Stat. § 704.17 (5 days, 14 days for repeat violation).)

What actually distinguishes Wisconsin

Wisconsin sets no statewide statutory cap on the security deposit amount — the lease itself is what controls how much you can charge, so put the amount and any pet/move-in fees in writing.

Wisconsin requires 12 hours notice before a landlord enters an occupied unit for routine, non-emergency purposes.

Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies in Wisconsin is 28 for month-to-month unless lease says otherwise days — different from the 30-day default most other states use, so don't assume the general rule applies here.

Sources and the bottom line

The figures above reflect Wisconsin's residential landlord-tenant statute as summarized on LeasePilot HQ's Wisconsin landlord-tenant law page, which lists the specific sources behind each number. Security deposit rules specifically are codified at Wis. Stat. § 704.28 (no statutory cap), with the return deadline set by Wis. Stat. § 704.28 (21 days). Primary and cross-reference sources used in compiling this page:

• • https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/security-deposits
• • https://www.justia.com/real-estate/landlord-tenant/information-for-landlords/right-of-entry/
• • https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/state-landlord-tenant-laws

State landlord-tenant law changes through legislative sessions and court decisions — treat the numbers above as a starting point, verify against Wisconsin's current statute (linked above) before relying on them for an actual lease, and see LeasePilot HQ's full Wisconsin landlord-tenant law summary for the complete breakdown, or generate a lease with Wisconsin-specific clauses built in automatically.