Burlington, WI Animal Ordinances: Coyote Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Scope
- Burlington Municipal Airport property only
- Trigger
- Wildlife safety hazard (deer, geese, coyote)
- Required first
- Nonlethal mitigation attempts
- Sign-off needed
- DNR, USFWS or Chief of Police
- Firearms
- Governed by § 308-3
- Fees
- Set by Airport Committee for hunting access
Summary
Burlington's only citywide rule on coyotes, deer and other wildlife culls sits in the Airport chapter: § 93-1C(9) lets the Airport Manager authorize hunting and firearm discharge on Burlington Municipal Airport property once wildlife becomes a safety hazard, but only after nonlethal mitigation is tried first and only with sign-off from the DNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Chief of Police.
In the event the Airport Manager determines that the wildlife population (e.g., deer, geese, coyote, etc.) has reached a point on the airport property where it has become a safety hazard, the Airport Manager shall have the authority to, with the permission of the appropriate person(s) at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWL), and/or Chief of Police, allow hunting and the discharge of firearms under Chapter 308, § 308-3, of this Municipal Code. Prior to any discharge of firearms, nonlethal mitigation attempts shall first be attempted.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4997580; v29 updated 2026-07-07; through 07-07-2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 93, Airport, gives the seven-member Airport Committee oversight of Burlington Municipal Airport, and § 93-1C(9) is the City's sole ordinance addressing coyote, deer or goose population control. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and/or the Chief of Police. The ordinance requires nonlethal mitigation attempts to be tried before any lethal discharge of firearms is authorized. The Airport Committee, not the Common Council directly, is directed to adopt implementing regulations and set the fees charged to hunters granted permission to use airport property for this purpose.
Outside the airport, Burlington's general Animals chapter (Ch. 104) defines "wild animal" to include foxes and other species normally found in the wild, and bars keeping such an animal for display, but Chapter 104 contains no separate coyote-specific culling, hazing, deterrence or feeding-prohibition provision; nuisance wildlife elsewhere in the City is handled case by case rather than under a standing management ordinance.
Violations & Fines
Section 93-1C(9) does not itself set a forfeiture; discharging a firearm without the required DNR, USFWS or police sign-off would instead be enforced through Chapter 308's firearm-discharge rules and the general Code penalty at § 1-4, a forfeiture of $5 to $500 for a first offense and $10 to $1,000 for a repeat within a year, plus the costs of prosecution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Burlington have a citywide coyote management program?
Who can authorize a wildlife cull at Burlington's airport?
Must nonlethal methods be tried before hunting is allowed at the airport?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Burlington
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