Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates
Building Inspection is open to the public by appointment only.
For more on appointments and other services, please see the Building Inspection Coronavirus (COVID-19) page.
View all impacts to City service on the City's COVID-19 website.
Occupancy Standards
City ordinances and state codes outline occupancy standards. Occupancy is complex, and this page is only a guide.
The tables below deal only with zoning rules. In zoning, "family" means a group of related people. For example, parents, children, foster children, grandparents, aunts, etc.
Visit the assessor’s website to find the zoning district for an address.
Single-family Unit
| If the dwelling unit is a | occupancy can be | OR |
|---|---|---|
| owner-occupied unit in Madison | a family AND max four (4) unrelated roomers | max five (5) unrelated individuals? |
| single-family rental unit in Madison | a family | N/A |
|
single-family rental unit in zoning districts: SR-C1, SR-C2, SR-C3, TR-C1, TR-C2, TR-C3, TR-C4, TR-R and TR-P |
a family AND one (1) unrelated roomer | max two (2) unrelated individuals |
| single-family rental unit in all other zoning districts that allow dwelling units | a family AND max four (4) unrelated roomers | max five (5) unrelated individuals? |
NOTE: If the dwelling unit is in a building with more than one unit, it's not a single-family dwelling.
Non-single-family dwellings
For dwellings that are not single-family units, these space rules also apply:
| If the building has | units needs to provide |
|---|---|
| two or more units |
|
| three or more units |
AND
A 10 ft. by 10 ft. bedroom, with a standard eight-foot ceiling, lodges two (2) adults. The same size bedroom could lodge four (4) children. |
To find the livable area of a dwelling unit:
- Find the total square footage.
- Subtract the area of closets, hallways, bathrooms and utility rooms.
Bedrooms, dens, studies, dining rooms, and kitchens count towards the livable space.
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