Madison Shoulder: August Peak, February Hole, Not Monona

August is the busiest month on this Madison extract. February is the slowest. Price both like themselves. Typical Madison listings earned about $25,721 last year from 284 active rentals, AirROI trailing twelve months from August 2025 through July 2026. The average night was $226. Occupancy was 44.1 percent. Revenue per available night was $103. Year over year is minus 14.2 percent. Active supply moved plus 6.4 percent. The three strongest city months are August, September, and October. August is the busiest. February is the slowest. Occupancy is weakest in July. Most guests arrive from Chicago, then Madison. Stay is 12 nights, booked about 62 days ahead. Call Madison Zoning TRH at 608-266-4551 ext. 3. Email zoningtrh@cityofmadison.com. Zoning Counter, Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Treasury for Transient Room Tax sits at the City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Room 101. A short-term rental is the rental of any partial or whole structure for sleeping for less than 30 consecutive nights, called a Tourist Rooming House under Wisconsin law. Three permits are required before advertising or operating: a Transient Room Tax Permit from City of Madison Finance, a Dane County Hotel/Motel/Tourist Rooming House license from Public Health Madison and Dane County, and the Zoning Tourist Rooming House Permit from Zoning. Zoning will not issue ZTRHP until the other two permits are in hand. ZTRHP fees are a $300 one-time application fee and a $100 annual renewal. The ZTRHP year runs July 1 to June 30. The unit must be the host's primary dwelling while operating and for the 12 consecutive months prior. Primary residence is the true home for at least 183 days in a calendar year. Host present: no night cap. Host absent: maximum 30 nights per licensing year. Occupancy is the lesser of twice the legal bedrooms or 12 people; children under 12 do not count..

August Is the Busiest Month on This City Extract

August is the busiest month on this city extract. September and October are the other strong months. Protect August. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Madison Getaways is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026.

February Is the Slowest Revenue Month

February is the slowest revenue month. Price February like February. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. Market a Madison Stay is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus.

Occupancy Is Weakest in July, and July Is Not August

Occupancy is weakest in July. July is not the city's hole. February is. Do not treat July as a filled summer template. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Madison STR Rules is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay.

Do Not Treat a Named Weekend as a Filled Month

A named weekend is demand, not occupancy. Confirm 2026 festival dates on the primary page. Do not invent a date. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Madison Remote Stays is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay.

A 62-Day Lead Time Is Not a Filled February

A 62-day lead time is a booking window. 160 listings, 56.3 percent, set a 30-night minimum. That setting is not occupancy. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. DIY vs Hire in Madison is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay.

Isthmus Weeks Are Demand, Not Occupancy

Isthmus weeks are demand. Photograph the block you can walk. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. Monona is not the Isthmus. Who Books Madison is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown.

Protect Rate Around Named City Demand

Call Madison Zoning TRH at 608-266-4551 ext. 3. Email zoningtrh@cityofmadison.com. Zoning Counter, Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Treasury for Transient Room Tax sits at the City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Room 101. A short-term rental is the rental of any partial or whole structure for sleeping for less than 30 consecutive nights, called a Tourist Rooming House under Wisconsin law. Three permits are required before advertising or operating: a Transient Room Tax Permit from City of Madison Finance, a Dane County Hotel/Motel/Tourist Rooming House license from Public Health Madison and Dane County, and the Zoning Tourist Rooming House Permit from Zoning. Zoning will not issue ZTRHP until the other two permits are in hand. ZTRHP fees are a $300 one-time application fee and a $100 annual renewal. The ZTRHP year runs July 1 to June 30. The unit must be the host's primary dwelling while operating and for the 12 consecutive months prior. Primary residence is the true home for at least 183 days in a calendar year. Host present: no night cap. Host absent: maximum 30 nights per licensing year. Occupancy is the lesser of twice the legal bedrooms or 12 people; children under 12 do not count. The permit is host- and unit-specific and is not transferable. Display the ZTRHP number in ads. Confirm remaining Public Health license fees at the Public Health desk. Madison municipal room tax is 10 percent under Madison General Ordinance 4.21. Confirm remaining state and county sales tax at Wisconsin DOR. Confirm 2026. Do not mash Madison, Alabama. AirROI's low-regulation label and 0 licensed listings are a scrape of listings, not the town file. Protect rate around named city demand. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. Fitchburg is not downtown..

Price the Month the Extract Actually Named

Price the month the extract named. August, September, and October are strong. February is slow. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. We market. We do not take the lock. Madison Tourism Data is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus.

Hosts who underwrite Wisconsin capital stays should keep $25,721 on 284 city listings, call 608-266-4551 ext. 3, and leave Monona and Fitchburg on their own lines. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which months should a Madison host protect as the real peak?

August, September, and October are the three strongest months on this extract, with August the single busiest revenue month. That is the window to hold rate on and avoid discounting, since it carries the bulk of the city's $25,721 typical annual revenue across 284 listings. Treat those three months as the peak stack, not a single broad summer season.

Why is February called the hole instead of just a slow month?

February is the slowest revenue month on this extract, distinct from July, which is the weakest occupancy month. Those are two different signals: February loses on rate and demand together, while July still books but at lower rates relative to the $226 annual average night. A host pricing the calendar should treat each dip differently rather than applying one blanket discount.

Is a $226 average night the rate I should post every week?

No. The $226 figure is an annual average across 284 listings and 44.1 percent occupancy, which means peak weeks in August through October sit meaningfully above it and February sits meaningfully below it. Posting a flat rate every week either underprices the strong months or overprices the weak ones. Use the annual figure as a benchmark, not a nightly instruction.

Can a Madison host copy Monona's shoulder-season calendar?

No. Monona is a separate municipality with its own extract, showing about $68,825 across 30 listings, and its seasonal pattern is not documented as identical to Madison's on this pass. Pasting a neighbor town's peak or lull onto a Madison calendar risks mispricing both the strong months and February specifically. Cite Monona once, clearly labeled, and keep the two calendars on separate lines.

How long is a typical Madison stay, and does that affect shoulder pricing?

Typical stay length is 12 nights, booked about 62 days ahead, which is a longer booking window than a weekend-market host might expect. That lead time gives a host real room to adjust shoulder-season rates before the trip actually books, rather than reacting to last-minute demand. Price August through October ahead of that 62-day window rather than waiting to see what fills in.

Who is actually booking the shoulder months?

Chicago remains the leading origin market for Madison overall, with Madison itself as the second-largest source, and that pattern holds across the shoulder months on this extract. Superhost share is 71.5 percent and professionally managed share is 8.1 percent, suggesting an engaged independent-host base is doing most of the shoulder-season pricing work. There is no separate origin data on this pass specific to just the shoulder window.

How much did active Madison supply change, and does that affect shoulder pricing?

Active supply moved up 6.4 percent year over year even as revenue fell 14.2 percent, meaning more listings are competing for a smaller total revenue pool. That combination makes shoulder-season pricing discipline more important, not less, since undifferentiated listings in a growing-supply market are the ones most likely to get discounted into the ground. Protecting the August-through-October peak and pricing February honestly both matter more in that environment.

What should a Madison host confirm before advertising a shoulder-season rate strategy?

Confirm current permit status at Madison Zoning TRH, 608-266-4551 ext. 3, since all three required permits (Transient Room Tax, Dane County Public Health TRH, and ZTRHP) must be in hand before advertising regardless of season. A listing scrape or a low-regulation label from a third-party site is not the same as confirming with that desk. Get the permit question settled first, then build the shoulder-season pricing plan around the actual August-September-October and February figures.

Related Reading

More PLACE, STATE reading already live on Crest & Cove.

• Madison Getaways: Cite $25,721, Keep Monona Off the File

• Market a Madison Stay: Photograph the Isthmus by Name 2026

• Madison Tourism Data: the Lakes Are Walks, Not Occupancy

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