Middleton, WI Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Applications go to the Building Inspector and must include a dimensioned coop and site plan showing distances to lot lines and to the nearest dwelling on each abutting property, a waste-management plan, and acknowledgment of the state requirement to register the flock with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection. Permits expire December 31 each year and renew with notice of any changed information plus the fee under the Fee Schedule. Multi-tenant properties get only one coop-and-run permit, with the owner as permittee or jointly responsible co-permittee.

A property owner facing practical difficulty can seek a siting variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals using the same procedure as an ordinary zoning variance. Coops must sit in rear yards only, or a larger side yard on a corner lot, never forward of the front of the house, must stand at least twenty-five feet from the nearest dwelling on an abutting property, must be oriented to avoid reflecting noise toward neighbors, and must be kept secure from predators and weather. Every flock needs an outdoor run, and chickens must stay confined to the coop or run unless supervised and must never run at large.

Feed not actively used must be stored indoors or in weatherproof, rodent-proof containers, and coops and runs must be cleaned regularly enough that no offensive odor reaches beyond the property line.