Sheboygan, WI Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Sheboygan regulates pet shops through the animal fancier permit in Municipal Code § 18-57. Section 18-2 defines a pet shop as any business establishment where domesticated mammals, birds or reptiles are kept for sale, and it carves kennels out of that definition. Subsection (j) then applies the permit requirement to persons operating pet shops and to holders of kennel licenses under § 18-54. A kennel licensee who pays the kennel license fee gets the permit at no charge. Nothing in § 18-57 limits which animals a shop may sell.

The permit runs on a calendar-year basis. Subsection (d) sets the permit year from January 1 to the following December 31, prints a $3.00 annual fee for a person who has no pet license because he or she owns only animals not requiring licenses, and adds a $5.00 late fee when the permit is not obtained before April 1 or within 30 days of falling under the section. Only one permit issues per dwelling unit. Subsection (g) bars anyone with a criminal conviction under ch. 951, Wis. Stats., or multiple non-criminal convictions under that chapter or Chapter 18, unless the Common Council or its designated committee finds that issuance is in the best interest of the community, that the applicant is unlikely to re-offend and that the animals will be properly taken care of.

Inspection and care standards follow. Whenever the director of planning and development or a designee requests an inspection of the interior and exterior premises, the permit holder or applicant must schedule it and finish it no later than ten days after the request. The request can be left at the residence or place of occupation, handed to a competent adult occupant, or mailed first class. Subsection (h) lists ten care standards: animals kept healthy or treated immediately if ill; clean quarters in good repair; pens large enough for freedom of movement and built of nonporous, non-corrosive materials; dogs and cats housed apart, with no more than three dogs or three cats in one enclosure once over five months old; food in rodent-proof containers; litter changed as often as necessary; feces removed at least daily and stored in tightly covered containers; premises free of pest infestations; no odor nuisance, with fresh air supplied by windows, doors, vents, exhaust fans or air conditioning; and protection from the elements.