Grant County, WI Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies in
- Unincorporated Grant County, WI; not cities, villages or towns with own dog law
- Definition basis
- Conduct and known propensity; no breed named
- First offense
- $100 plus statutory court costs
- Later offenses
- $200 plus statutory court costs
- Quarantine delivery
- No later than 24 hours after the order
- Enforcers
- Sheriff's humane and law enforcement officers; Health Department Director
Summary
Grant County, Wisconsin bans keeping any vicious dog or other vicious animal under Chapter 88, Article I, enforced in unincorporated Grant County by Sheriff's Department officers and the Health Department Director. The definition turns on what an animal did or is known to do, and no breed is named. Forfeiture is $100 plus statutory court costs for a first offense and $200 plus costs after that.
VICIOUS DOG (1) Any dog that causes serious physical injury, kills or physically attacks a human being on either public or private property; or (2) Any dog that has a propensity, tendency or disposition, known to the owner thereof, to attack in a manner which may cause death or injury to another human being or which may otherwise endanger the safety of any human being; or (3) Any dog that causes serious physical injury or death to a pet dog, pet cat, or livestock. B. The term "serious physical injury" is defined as including, but not limited to, any physical injury which requires sutures to treat the injury, where the injury results in the victim sustaining a disfigurement, or where the injury results in the victim sustaining a broken bone. ... No person shall keep, possess, harbor, feed, or maintain a vicious dog or other vicious animal in Grant County. ... Any person found violating § 88-2 of this article shall be ordered to pay a forfeiture of $100 plus statutory court costs for the first offense and $200 plus statutory court costs for subsequent offenses.
Full Breakdown
The Grant County Board of Supervisors adopted Article I of Chapter 88 on 11-14-2006 by Ord. No. 49 and amended it on 6-16-2015 and 12-15-2015. Section 88-1 defines a vicious dog three ways: a dog that causes serious physical injury, kills or physically attacks a human being on public or private property; a dog with a propensity to attack that is known to its owner; or a dog that causes serious physical injury or death to a pet dog, pet cat, or livestock. No dog breed is named in these definitions. A dog is covered because of conduct, and the same three tests apply to any other animal. Serious physical injury includes an injury that requires sutures, leaves a disfigurement, or breaks a bone. Section 88-2 then prohibits anyone from keeping, possessing, harboring, feeding, or maintaining a vicious dog or other vicious animal in Grant County.
Humane officers and law enforcement officers of the Grant County Sheriff's Department, together with the Director of the Grant County Health Department, enforce the article. Under § 88-3 any of them can order a dog seized and quarantined when there is reason to believe it bit or scratched a person, has rabies, or contacted a rabid animal, and the owner must deliver the animal to the designated isolation facility no later than 24 hours after the order. Release requires vaccination, proof of a valid dog license, payment of custody and care charges, and reasonable evidence of ownership. Under § 88-4 the County, through the Corporation Counsel, can sue for a court order to kill a vicious dog. The County does not have to prove two victims, because the article imposes strict liability on owners, and two separate bites without serious injury also support the lawsuit.
Section 88-7 bars a vicious declaration where the injured person was committing or attempting a criminal violation on the owner's premises, was abusing the dog, or was making an unjustified physical attack on the owner or keeper. Section 88-6 limits the reach: the article does not apply inside any city or village in Grant County, in a town that has enacted its own dog ordinance under Wisconsin Statutes § 60.23, or to police dogs.
Violations & Fines
A violation of § 88-2 draws a citation from a humane officer, a Sheriff's Department law enforcement officer, or the Health Department Director. The forfeiture is $100 plus statutory court costs for a first offense and $200 plus statutory court costs for subsequent offenses, and the cash deposit matches those amounts. The County can also sue for an order to kill the dog and recover from the owner the isolation, veterinary examination, laboratory and euthanasia expenses listed in § 88-9.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Grant County ban specific dog breeds?
What happens after a dog bites someone in Grant County?
Can the County have a vicious dog destroyed?
Can a dog be declared vicious if the victim provoked it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Grant County
How Grant County compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·Compare Grant County to another location·View the Wisconsin animal ordinances overview
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