Racine County, WI Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- County-wide pet cap
- None set
- Who decides
- Local town board
- Commercial animal raising
- Needs conditional use permit
- Applies in
- Unincorporated towns
Summary
Racine County's zoning code doesn't set a countywide cap on dogs, cats, or other household pets. Section 20-1018 hands that decision to each local town board instead.
Except for the commercial raising, propagation, boarding, or butchering of animals or foul, which are conditional uses, any restriction of the number and type of animals and pets permitted within a particular district shall be the responsibility of the local town boards. This includes beekeeping in districts zoned residential. In this section, commercial shall mean any activity conducted with the intent of realizing a profit from the sale of goods or services to others. (Ord. No. 93-183, 1-11-94; Ord. No. 2016-52, 6-14-16) Cross reference(s)—Animals generally, Ch. 4.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33).
Full Breakdown
Section 20-1018 excludes household pet numbers and types from county-level zoning standards: except for the commercial raising, propagation, boarding, or butchering of animals, which needs a conditional use permit, any restriction on the number and type of animals and pets allowed in a district is left to the local town board. That means there's no single Racine County pet-count rule, the applicable limit, if any, is whatever the town where the property sits has adopted, and residents need to check with that town rather than the county.
Violations & Fines
The county doesn't cite pet-count violations under this section; any cap comes from the town's own ordinance, so enforcement and penalties depend entirely on what that town board adopted.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many dogs or cats can I have in unincorporated Racine County?
What if I want to raise animals commercially?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Racine County
Compare Racine County to another location·View the Wisconsin animal ordinances overview
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