Madison County has adopted a new Occupancy Tax Law effective July 1, 2026, which for the first time requires a countywide registration system and ongoing administration for short‑term rental units and updated hotel occupancy tax processes. The law mandates creation and maintenance of a Short-Term Rental Unit Registry, online verification tools for booking platforms, prominent website posting, periodic data exchanges with booking services, and biannual operator registrations and renewals. The Treasurer is explicitly authorized to make rules, prescribe forms, collect and reconcile quarterly returns, manage enforcement workflows, and potentially contract with another municipality for personnel or services to facilitate registration and enforcement.The law also allows establishment of a shared multi‑county registry and contemplates technology support for data intake, storage, reporting, payment processing, compliance tracking, and secure data sharing with towns, villages, and the state. Vendors providing tax administration systems, STR compliance/monitoring platforms, e‑payment/online filing portals, or outsourced registration/enforcement services can help the County design and implement the required registry and end‑to‑end administration. The practical next conversation is with the Treasurer’s office about what systems and external support they will use to stand up the registry and associated workflows before the July 2026 effective date and beyond.

Law authorizes potential contracts with another municipality for STR registration/enforcement services and allows creation of shared or multi‑county registries, which may drive regional IT or service procurements.