Wausau, WI Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Basis
- Behavior-based declaration, not breed-specific
- Registration
- Annual City Clerk registration plus photo
- Insurance
- $250,000 liability insurance naming the City
- Confinement
- Locked, child-proof enclosure; 4-ft leash off-property
- Penalty
- $100-$250/day forfeiture for noncompliance
Summary
Wausau has no breed-specific dog ban; instead, Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.200 lets the Chief of Police declare any individual animal "dangerous" after an unprovoked bite, attack, or menacing incident, then imposes registration, $250,000 liability insurance, warning signage, and secure-confinement rules regardless of breed.
(a)Prohibitions.(1)No person shall own, harbor, keep, or maintain within the City limits, any "dangerous animal," except as provided in subsection (d) below.(2)No person may bring into or keep within the City limits, any animal that is determined to be a "prohibited dangerous animal" under this section. ... Dangerous animal as used in this chapter means: (1)Any animal which approaches or chases any human being or domestic animal in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack, without provocation, on public or private property and after evaluation by the Chief of Police or the Chief's designee is determined to pose a threat to public safety or welfare;(2)Any animal which bites, inflicts injury, attacks, or otherwise endangers the safety of human beings or domestic animals, without provocation, on public or private property and after evaluation by the Chief of Police or the Chief's designee is determined to pose a threat to public safety or welfare; or(3)Any animal owned, harbored, or trained primarily or in part for the purpose of fighting.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
200 defines "dangerous animal" purely by behavior: an animal that menaces or chases a person or pet without provocation and is found by the Chief of Police to threaten public safety, one that bites, attacks, or injures without provocation, or one kept or trained for fighting. A more severe "prohibited dangerous animal" tier covers an animal that kills a pet off-property, injures a person, was already declared dangerous by another jurisdiction, violates its dangerous-animal conditions, has a second unprovoked incident, or is subject to destruction under Wis.
02(3). Once declared dangerous, an owner has 30 days to comply: register annually with the City Clerk with a photo and fee, carry at least $250,000 in liability insurance naming the City, post warning signs visible from the street on every side of the property, keep the animal in a locked, child-proof indoor or outdoor enclosure, and, when off the property, muzzle it and leash it to no more than four feet under an able-bodied adult's control, plus have it spayed or neutered. Owners can contest a declaration to the Public Health and Safety Committee within five days and then to circuit court.
A dangerous-animal status can be lifted after 36 months with no new incidents and proof of a completed training program, while a prohibited dangerous animal must leave the city within five days or face seizure.
Violations & Fines
Failing any dangerous-animal condition under § 8.08.200(d) draws a forfeiture of $100.00 to $250.00 per day under § 8.08.200(k)(1); violating the prohibited-dangerous-animal ban in (a)(2) carries $250.00 to $500.00 per day, and every day of noncompliance counts as a separate offense under § 8.08.200(l).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Wausau ban specific dog breeds like pit bulls?
What must I do if my dog is declared dangerous?
Can a dangerous-animal declaration be reversed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wausau
How Wausau compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·Compare Wausau to another location·View the Wisconsin animal ordinances overview
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