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

012 runs July 1 through June 30, renews annually, and requires proof of registration with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection under Wis. 51; a late fee of twice the application fee applies if you acquire chickens or miss the July 1 renewal before licensing. Standards limit a premises to four hens or pullets, ban roosters entirely, and confine keeping to SR-2, SR-3, SR-5, SR-7 single-family lots, TF-10 two-flat lots, and MR-12, MR-20, MR-50 multi-family lots, with the permit issued only to a property owner who lives on site.

Chickens must stay inside a coop and attached run in the rear yard, at least ten feet from any property line and 25 feet from a neighbor's principal residential structure, and the coop-plus-run must provide at least three square feet per bird while never exceeding 24 square feet total. Coops must be moisture-resistant, raised or set on a hard surface, and predator- and rodent-proof. Commercial activity, including egg sales, is banned, and no slaughter may occur on the premises or anywhere in the city outside a licensed meat processor. The Public Health and Safety Committee reviews the ordinance a year after adoption and can revoke a permit for noncompliance.