Appleton, WI

Appleton bans barbed wire, electric fences and single/double/triple-strand wire fencing citywide except in the AG agricultural and M-1/M-2 industrial districts, under Sec…

Appleton charges a permit fee for residential, commercial, and industrial fences under its building permit fee schedule, and Sec. 4-161(a) requires that fee be paid to the Director of…

Appleton limits a residential boundary fence to 6 feet, rising to 12 feet in commercial and industrial districts, under Sec. 23-44(a)(1)a. Any fence, hedge or row planting between the…

Appleton caps a boundary fence at six feet in residential districts and twelve feet in commercial and industrial districts, dropping to three feet in the front yard setback. Code…

Appleton bars putting out salt, grain, fruit or vegetable material anywhere in the city to feed whitetail deer or other wild animals, under §3-117. More than a half-gallon at a time…

Appleton requires every owner to keep an animal within their own property line under §3-15; once off the premises it must be restrained on a leash no longer than eight feet so it…

Since July 1, 2021, no pet store in Appleton may sell, barter, auction or give away a dog or cat, under §3-25(b). Stores can still host adoption showcases for shelters or rescue…

Appleton bans keeping livestock like horses, pigs, goats and sheep inside city limits under §3-52(a), but a Health Department permit lets a household keep up to six chicken hens at any…

Appleton doesn't ban dogs by breed; instead §§3-131 and 3-132 let a humane or police officer declare any individual animal 'dangerous' after an investigation, triggering registration…

Appleton classifies stand-alone pet grooming as a 'personal service,' a principal permitted use allowed by right in the C-2 General Commercial District. Grooming combined with…

Appleton requires an annual license for every dog or cat over five months old, issued under Appleton Municipal Code §§ 3-66 and 3-69. The fee is $11 for an unaltered animal or $6 for…

Appleton caps most households at six animals total, with no more than three dogs and two rabbits allowed on any one lot or dwelling unit, under Municipal Code §3-12. Newborn litters of…

Appleton does not require spaying or neutering of ordinary pets, but owners of an animal formally designated 'dangerous' must have it sterilized within 30 days and prove it with a…

Appleton bans keeping any wild animal as a pet under §3-116(d), and separately bars exhibiting one for display anywhere in the city. The definition sweeps in primates, raccoons, foxes…

Appleton zones veterinary clinics as a distinct commercial use across four business districts, but only the C-1 neighborhood mixed-use district caps how one operates: all clinic…

Wisconsin requires beekeepers to register colonies with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). State apiary inspection law applies uniformly statewide…

Appleton regulates STRs with licensing requirements. Lawrence University events and Fox Valley tourism drive demand. Wisconsin Tourist Rooming House license required for STR operators.

Outagamie County adopts the state-set fee schedule for tourist rooming house, hotel, and motel permits by reference, with any fee increase needing health committee and finance…

Appleton dedicates curb space to truck and passenger loading under § 19-95. Commercial vehicles displaying required signage may use a truck loading zone for up to thirty minutes while…

Appleton deems any motor vehicle, trailer or mobile home left unattended on public or private property for more than 48 hours without the owner's permission abandoned and a public…

Appleton allows one trailer or recreational vehicle parked outdoors per residential lot, but it cannot be lived in, hooked to utilities, or used for storage, under Sec. 23-43(e)(2)c…

When Appleton declares a snow emergency, the Mayor or Public Works Director can shut down street parking outright. Class I bans parking from 2 to 5 a.m. citywide, Class II adds…

Appleton caps a residential driveway at 40% of the lot's width or 40 feet at the front lot line, whichever is less, under Sec. 23-43(f)(3)a, and requires the entire surface, front to…

Appleton bars parking any vehicle or recreational vehicle on a City street or alley between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. without Police Department permission, or a Public Works permit for…

Appleton's Common Council sets on-street parking limits through a citywide Parking District Map kept by the Traffic Engineer, and Public Works-hired meter checkers enforce it with…

Wisconsin caps what a towing service may charge you after a nonconsensual tow from private property. Wis. Admin. Code § Trans 319.03(1) limits removal to $150 regardless of the…

Appleton requires at least one approved smoke alarm in every dwelling unit, with existing units held to the state Uniform Dwelling Code standard, and bars conveying a dwelling that…

Outdoor liquefied petroleum gas storage tanks over 500 pounds capacity must sit on a solid, nonflammable footing with a gravel or stone base extending at least 2 feet beyond the tank…

Appleton adopts Wisconsin's fireworks statute, Wis. Stat. § 167.10, banning consumer fireworks use citywide except under a Mayor-issued permit. Public authorities, fair associations…

Recreational fire pits, outdoor fireplaces and open cooking fires in Appleton need a Fire Department permit unless the fire is fueled by natural gas, propane or charcoal in a…

Appleton bans burning garbage, leaves or yard waste in outdoor incinerators anywhere in the city, and no waste, refuse or trash burner may operate on any property without approval from…

Wisconsin DNR designates statewide Fire Protection Areas under Wis. Stat. § 26.11 where the agency holds primary wildfire suppression authority and enforces stricter ignition rules…

Appleton requires a written permit from the committee of jurisdiction before anyone cuts, prunes, moves or removes a public tree or shrub in the right-of-way, and anyone who removes…

Appleton lets residents compost yard waste and food scraps under City Code Sec. 12-37, but bins, pits, trenches and barrels must sit in the rear yard, at least three feet from the side…

Appleton's zoning code sets exact tree-clearance numbers for landscaping near streets and sidewalks. Trees planted in a front setback, vision corner, or within ten feet of a driveway…

Appleton allows homeowners to grow native and naturalized plants, including wildflowers, ferns, grasses, shrubs and trees, in a managed landscape design under City Code Sec. 12-59(b)…

Appleton enforces a 6-inch maximum grass height. Code enforcement proactively patrols during growing season. The city maintains high community appearance standards.

Wisconsin has no statute banning rainwater harvesting. Under Wis. Stat. 145.01(10)(br)1, a rainwater gutter or downspout is expressly excluded from the legal definition of "plumbing"…

Appleton bans running power saws, drills, sanders, grinders, lawnmowers and lawn or garden tools, including leaf blowers, at night if the noise disturbs neighbors. Nighttime runs from…

Appleton caps sound at the property line using Table I of its noise code: 60 dB(A) daytime and 50 dB(A) nighttime in residential zones, 70/55 dB(A) in commercial zones, and 75/70 dB(A)…

Appleton adopts the state muffler law, bans revving, tire-squealing acceleration and gravel-throwing starts, and makes it unlawful to engage a jake brake's compression braking except…

Appleton declares it a public nuisance to keep or harbor any animal or fowl whose frequent or habitual howling, yelping, barking or crowing greatly annoys or disturbs a neighborhood…

Appleton prohibits operating a radio or similar electric sound amplification device so that it is audible 75 feet or more away, and separately limits ambient noise to 60 dB(A) daytime…

Appleton caps home occupation client traffic at ten visits a day with no more than two clients on site at once, and bars business visits or nonresident worker arrivals before 8 a.m. or…

Appleton limits a home occupation to a single non-illuminated wall sign no larger than two square feet, the only exterior sign a home-based business is allowed under the zoning code's…

Appleton requires a home occupation permit for any home business run out of an attached or detached garage, filed with the Community Development Department. Every home occupation…

Appleton allows family child care for up to eight children as a permitted use in every residential district, from AG and R-1A through R-3, without a special use hearing. The provider…

Wisconsin has only one cottage food exemption written into its statutes, and it is narrow. Wis. Stat. § 97.29(2)(b)2. lets you sell home-canned pickles and other processed fruits or…

Wisconsin has never created a microenterprise home kitchen permit, and it has no exemption that lets you cook meals in your own kitchen and sell them. Wis. Stat. § 97.30(2)(a) requires…

Appleton caps a detached shed, garage or gazebo on an R-1A, R-1B, R-1C or R-2 lot at 1,600 combined square feet, 15 feet in height and one story, under Sec. 23-43(g)(1). Detached…

Converting a detached garage into living space is allowed under Appleton Municipal Code Sec. 23-55(f)(3) as an accessory dwelling unit conversion in the R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, R-2 and R-3…

Appleton allows one attached or detached accessory dwelling unit plus one junior ADU per lot in the R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, R-2, and R-3 districts, capped at the gross floor area of the…

Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code (Wis. Stat. ch. 101 and SPS 320-325) sets statewide construction standards for one- and two-family dwellings, including tiny homes built as permanent…

Appleton requires a building permit before installing, altering or adding a residential swimming pool, backed by a plot plan showing the lot, buildings and fences. Plumbing and…

Every private residential pool in Appleton, in-ground or aboveground, must be enclosed by a secure 48-inch fence that stops a six-inch sphere from passing through, with a self-closing…

Appleton collects residential bulky overflow, like large furniture and rugs too big for a polycart, on a separate schedule the Department of Public Works keeps on file under Section…

Appleton makes it unlawful for anyone other than authorized city employees or county recycling contractors to go through, sort or take anything from a recycling or solid waste cart set…

Appleton requires trash and recycling carts to go out no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the day before pickup and no later than 3:00 a.m. on collection day, placed at ground level next to the…

Appleton collects residential yard waste and brush separately from regular trash on a schedule set by the Department of Public Works under City Code Sec. 15-33(d)-(e). Brush must be…

Appleton's zoning code requires refuse containers and dumpster enclosures on non-residential and multifamily properties to sit in the side or rear yard, keep a 5-foot setback from lot…

Appleton issues every single-family premise a dedicated recycling polycart under Section 15-28(a) of the Municipal Code and picks it up every two weeks per Section 15-33(a), with…

Appleton bars dumping or abandoning used building or fill material on any city lot that can't be leveled, and requires any leveled material to be leveled, under Municipal Code § 10-24…

Appleton residents must place solid waste, recyclables, yard waste and brush at the curb no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before pickup and no later than 3 a.m. on collection day, per…

Appleton picks up residential solid waste once a week and recycling every two weeks on a route schedule the Director of Public Works sets, per Sec. 15-33(a). Waste must originate at…

Appleton lets residents shut peddlers out with a posted 'No Peddlers' or 'No Soliciting' sign, and bars every licensed transient merchant from selling or entering property anywhere in…

Anyone peddling, canvassing or taking orders door to door in Appleton must hold a transient merchant license before making a single sale. City Code Sec. 9-613 bars vending or…

Appleton requires all exterior lighting to use full cutoff fixtures directed downward and away from neighboring property, with a lighting plan and photometric calculations reviewed…

Appleton caps light spilling onto neighboring property at 0.20 foot-candles for residential and most institutional districts and 0.50 foot-candles for commercial and industrial…

Appleton bans off-premises billboards outright, so its sign-lighting standard governs the largest advertising displays the city does allow: on-premises ground signs and…

Anyone who wants to excavate, construct in, or otherwise occupy Appleton's public right-of-way needs a permit from the Engineering Division of the Department of Public Works before…

Appleton bans standing, sitting, lying down or otherwise occupying a street or sidewalk in a way that obstructs pedestrian or vehicle traffic, or loitering near building entrances to…

The City of Appleton participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and regulates floodplain development through its Title 23 Zoning Ordinance, in conformance with Wis…

Within Appleton's Shoreland-Wetland Zoning District, a pier, dock, walkway, observation deck or trail bridge built on pilings needs no City wetland-alteration permit, as long as…

Land-disturbing construction of an acre or more in Appleton needs an erosion and sediment control plan and permit before work starts, backed by state law authority, city inspections…

Appleton requires new and moved residential structures in the Floodfringe District to set their lowest floor at or above the flood protection elevation, which the code defines as two…

Appleton requires a post-construction runoff permit before any land-disturbing construction activity, with one- and two-family residential lots exempted. City Code Sec. 20-321 sets a…

Wisconsin's NR 115 sets minimum shoreland zoning standards along navigable waters, and the Public Trust Doctrine protects Great Lakes shores. Counties must adopt rules at least as…

Appleton requires property owners to eliminate rat harborages and feeding places, ratproof buildings and outbuildings, and exterminate rats when infestation is found, with residential…

Outagamie County doesn't post A-B-C letter grades; instead its public health division can enter any licensed food establishment during operating hours to inspect, sample, and copy…

Outagamie County's minimum housing code makes every rental dwelling owner responsible for exterminating any pest infestation, bed bugs included, inside and around the unit.

Any Appleton structure served by an elevator must keep current Certificates of Inspection and file its elevator license with the Inspection Supervisor every quarter. Skipping that…

Appleton requires automatic fire sprinkler systems in multifamily buildings of three or more units exceeding 4,800 square feet per floor, in dormitories, and in larger Educational…

Appleton requires anyone demolishing a building to erect proper fences and scaffolds protecting streets, alleys and private property. Scaffolds built over a public street or alley must…

Before and during permitted work, Appleton's Inspection Supervisor examines buildings and sites at each construction stage, and a final inspection is required within 30 days of…

Appleton requires a permit before any electrical installation begins, issued only to the licensed electrical contractor in charge of the work, and installing wiring without one triples…

Appleton requires a permit before excavating for, constructing, enlarging, altering, removing, or demolishing a structure, or changing its occupancy to a use needing greater strength…

No plumbing work may be done anywhere in Appleton without first obtaining a permit from the Inspections Supervisor and paying the required fee, and all plumbing must follow the adopted…

Appleton requires every massage therapist or bodyworker practicing in the city to hold a Wisconsin state license under Wis. Stat. Chapter 460, and bars any business from employing or…

Appleton requires every tattoo artist, body piercer and combination studio to hold a Health Department license before opening, under Municipal Code Article XVIII. The city adopts…

Appleton requires anyone operating as a secondhand article dealer, secondhand jewelry dealer, or flea-market/mall operator to hold a Common Council license before opening, built on…

Appleton pawnbrokers need a City license before opening, but Section 9-24 lets the City Clerk issue it automatically without a Common Council vote, unlike most business licenses. The…

Appleton flatly prohibits running an automobile, trailer, RV, boat, or snowmobile repair or painting business as a home occupation anywhere in the city, along with welding and paint…

Appleton allows sexually-oriented establishments only as a special use in the C-2, M-1 and M-2 districts, and only if they sit at least 500 feet from any residential zone, school…

Appleton's Police Department runs a rotating call list of eligible towing companies for accidents, disabled or illegally parked vehicles, and post-arrest tows under City Code Sec…

Wisconsin regulates electronic vaping devices under its tobacco statutes, requiring retailer licenses, age-verification, and excise taxes on vapor products, with state law preempting…

Appleton's housing code makes a dwelling unfit for human habitation if it is damaged, unsanitary, difficult to heat, vermin-infested or lacking adequate light, ventilation or sanitary…

Wis. Stat. Sec. 704.17 sets the pre-eviction notice. For nonpayment of rent on a month-to-month tenancy or a lease of one year or less, the landlord gives a 5-day notice to pay or…

Wisconsin Statute 66.0104 and Act 317 prevent municipalities from limiting landlord-tenant relationships beyond state law, including any local just-cause eviction requirement. Eviction…

Wis. Stat. Sec. 704.05(2) lets a landlord enter only on advance notice and at reasonable times to inspect, repair, or show the unit. Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.09(2) makes that…

Under Wis. Stat. Sec. 704.19, either the landlord or tenant may end a month-to-month or other periodic tenancy with at least 28 days' written notice. If rent is payable on a basis less…

Wisconsin prohibits rent control statewide. Wis. Stat. § 66.1015 bars every city, village, town, and county from regulating the amount of rent charged for a residential rental unit…

Wisconsin Statute 66.0104 bars municipalities from requiring rental registration or licensing and limits inspection programs to designated districts with blight or code problems…

Wisconsin sets no statutory cap on the amount of a residential security deposit. After a tenancy ends, the landlord must mail or deliver the deposit, less lawful deductions, within 21…

Wisconsin recognizes three adverse-possession tracks. The default under Wis. Stat. Sec. 893.25 is 20 years of uninterrupted possession with no written instrument. Sec. 893.26 shortens…

When Appleton's Supervisor of Inspections finds a building unsafe or unfit for human habitation, the city can order occupants out, close the building, and post a placard prohibiting…

Appleton property owners and occupants have 36 hours after a snowfall ends to clear the full width of their abutting sidewalk, including handicap ramps, under Sec. 16-10(a). Ice must…

Appleton requires an electrical permit before any solar photovoltaic installation begins, issued by the Inspection Department under the electrical code. A licensed electrical…

Wisconsin does not merely limit what a homeowners' association may say about solar. Wis. Stat. § 236.292(2) declares that all restrictions on platted land that prevent or unduly…

Appleton assigns terrace (parkway) tree planting to the Municipal Services Committee and Parks and Recreation Committee under Code of Ordinances Sec. 21-48. New street terraces get…

Charcoal burners and open-flame grills cannot sit on a combustible balcony or within 10 feet of combustible construction in Appleton, though one- and two-family homes are exempt…

Appleton charges a 10 percent Room Tax on hotels, motels and other short-term lodging under City Code Sec. 18-67, collected by the operator and remitted quarterly to the City's…

Appleton bans drinking from, opening, or carrying an open container of fermented malt beverage or intoxicating liquor on any public highway, adjacent sidewalk, or a publicly or…

Appleton bans urinating or defecating anywhere outside a designated sanitary facility in public view, including sidewalks, streets, alleys, parking lots and ramps, parks, playgrounds…

Appleton bans skateboards, inline skates and roller skates in a defined downtown zone around Jones Park and in every City-owned parking ramp and lot. Violating the article carries up…

Appleton bans smoking or tobacco use within 20 feet of entryways to city-owned buildings, in a defined zone around the Transit Center and Public Library, in posted city parks, and…

Appleton treats possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana as a citable Code violation rather than a state crime, adopting Wis. Stat. § 66.0107(1)(bm) under Municipal Code § 10-32…

Appleton makes it unlawful for anyone, not just minors, to loiter in or upon a roadway, defined as the curbed or traveled portion of a street, under Municipal Code § 10-40. The rule is…

Riders in an Appleton bicycle lane must travel the same direction as adjacent vehicle traffic unless the Common Council has authorized two-way bike traffic, and may enter or exit the…

Appleton prohibits any company from short-term commercially renting electric scooters to the public. Section 19-201 bars the practice outright under the authority Wisconsin gives…

Wisconsin splits these two machines apart in the definitions and then treats them completely differently. A low-speed vehicle has a statewide right of the road: under Wis. Stat. s…

Appleton restaurants that want tables on the sidewalk need a Street Occupancy Permit from the Department of Public Works before setting up a sidewalk cafe, not just a food license. The…

A parade, festival or other special event in Appleton needs a license approved by the Common Council before it can go on. Sec. 9-31(d) requires a license for any special event under…

Appleton requires a City license for any special event under its Special Events Policy, with the Common Council weighing the organizer's finances, the site, and the strain a festival…

Appleton requires a permit before holding a public meeting, assembly, entertainment, tournament or speech in any city park or Special Use Area under Section 13-4(b) of the Municipal…

Appleton zones farmland under a dedicated AG Agricultural district (Sec. 23-91) that holds land for active farming ahead of eventual urban development. It sets a 10-acre minimum lot…

Wisconsin Statute 823.08 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits by neighbors, requiring courts to dismiss claims unless the farm substantially threatens…

Food trucks and other mobile food units in Appleton need a Mobile Food Service License from the Health Department before selling anywhere in the city, plus a Street Occupancy…

Appleton caps how big a sidewalk or amenity-strip food cart can be: 32 square feet of sidewalk space including the operator and any trash can, an 8-foot unit length, and a 6-foot…

Appleton caps the number of CBD street vendor permits by block and bans vending near intersections, doorways and competing storefronts: no more than two Street Occupancy Permits on…

Homes in Appleton's R-1A single-family district cannot exceed 35 feet in building height. The R-1A district, the city's large-lot single-family zone, also sets an 8,000-square-foot…

Appleton's residential zoning districts each carry their own maximum lot-coverage percentage: 40% in R-1A, 50% in R-1B, 75% in R-1C, and 60% in R-2, all set in Article V of Chapter 23…

Appleton sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks by zoning district in Chapter 23. In the R-1A single-family district a house needs a 20-foot front yard (25 feet on an…

Appleton's Central Business District (CBD) zoning classification, Municipal Code Sec. 23-114, is the city's downtown design framework. It commits downtown to intense…

Along Interstate 41 and State Highway 441, Appleton lets on-premises ground signs grow well past its citywide caps. City Code § 23-529(b) allows a freeway-oriented sign to climb from…

Appleton allows digital signage only as an on-premises 'electronic message board,' not as a freestanding billboard; off-premises billboards are banned outright by City Code §…

Temporary window signs in Appleton cannot cover more than half a storefront's glass. City Code § 23-507(a)(14) caps temporary window signage at 50% of the gross window area on any…

Appleton exempts most election signs from its standard yard-sign limits under City Code § 23-507(a)(13)(e)-(f). Instead of the five-sign, 16-square-foot cap on ordinary yard signs, a…

Appleton's sign code simply does not reach holiday decorations or lawn ornaments. City Code § 23-504 defines 'sign' to require advertising copy, and it expressly lists holiday…

Appleton's zoning ordinance does not erase private HOA covenants and easements, but it does not defer to them either: Sec. 23-33 makes the zoning code control whenever it sets a…

Wisconsin has no comprehensive non-condo HOA act. Condominium associations get a statutory assessment lien under Wis. Stat. § 703.165 that is foreclosed like a mortgage. Non-condo HOAs…

Wisconsin condominiums run through an association of unit owners under Wis. Stat. § 703.15, which sets meeting-notice, proxy, and voting rules. Non-condo HOAs are governed as nonstock…

Wisconsin protects flag display through two separate statutes, and which one applies depends on whether you own a condominium unit or a lot in a covenanted subdivision. Wis. Stat. §…

Wisconsin sets no dollar cap on association fines and requires no hearing before one is imposed. For condominiums, Wis. Stat. § 703.24(2) makes a unit owner liable for any charges…

Only Wisconsin condominium associations hold a statutory collection lien. Wis. Stat. § 703.165(3) gives the association a lien for unpaid assessments if it files a statement of…

Wisconsin runs the opposite way from states that shield owners who lease. Wis. Stat. § 703.10(3) expressly authorizes condominium bylaws to carry any restriction on the use of the…

Appleton parks and Special Use Areas close to the public between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. under Section 13-6 of the Municipal Code, though trails stay open 24 hours daily. The Parks and…

Appleton bars anyone under 18 from loitering in public streets, parks, playgrounds, school grounds and licensed alcohol premises between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and…

Appleton's Historic Preservation Commission can recommend a local historic structure, site or district designation only if the property meets at least one of five statutory criteria…

When a leak develops in a privately owned water pipe in Appleton, the Water Utility follows its approved water leak policy rather than a fixed ordinance schedule. Violations of the…

Appleton's noise ordinance caps outdoor sound at 60 dB(A) daytime and 50 dB(A) nighttime in residential zones, but City Code Sec. 12-80(j)(2) exempts personal generators run in…

Appleton limits a rummage sale to three consecutive days and no more than three such sales on the same lot per calendar year, allowed in any district when it is incidental to a…

Wisconsin has no legal recreational or medical marijuana dispensary program. State law prohibits cannabis sales, so no municipality can authorize dispensary operations through zoning…

Wisconsin prohibits all marijuana cultivation, including for personal use. Growing any cannabis plant is a felony under state controlled substances law. No municipality may authorize…

Wisconsin commercial drone operators follow FAA Part 107. Wis. Stat. 114.045 sets state no-fly zones over prisons, schools, and utilities, and local governments cannot regulate flight…

Wisconsin has a partial drone framework: local governments generally cannot regulate drone flight, but Wis. Stat. 114.045 sets state no-fly zones over prisons, schools, and utilities…

Wisconsin Statute 104.001 expressly preempts cities, villages, towns, and counties from establishing a minimum wage higher than the state minimum, ensuring uniform wage rules across…

Wisconsin Statute 103.10 and 104.001 preempt local paid sick leave ordinances, blocking cities and counties from requiring private employers to provide paid time off beyond state and…

Wisconsin preempts local predictive scheduling and fair workweek ordinances under Wis. Stat. 103.007, ensuring statewide uniformity for employer scheduling practices and forbidding…

Wisconsin Statute 66.0409 broadly preempts local firearm regulation, barring cities, villages, towns, and counties from enacting ordinances stricter than state law on possession…

Wisconsin permits adults at least 18 who are not prohibited persons to openly carry firearms in public without a permit, with statewide preemption blocking local restrictions on lawful…

Wisconsin Statute 941.23 makes carrying a concealed handgun in a vehicle without a CCW license a misdemeanor, while open carry and licensed concealed carry inside vehicles are lawful…

Wisconsin requires footings and foundations to sit below the frost penetration level or at least 48 inches below adjacent grade, whichever is deeper, so 48 inches is a floor, not a…

Wisconsin's dwelling code sets minimum roof snow loads from a state zone map and does not state a ground snow load at all, which is the opposite of how most states publish the figure.

Wisconsin bans gambling as a crime, but Wis. Stat. § 563.11(1) lets bona fide religious, charitable, service, fraternal, or veterans organizations apply to the Department of…

Wisconsin's gambling code has no carve-out for private social games. Wis. Stat. § 945.01(1) defines 'bet' and lists eight exceptions, business deals, contest prizes, bingo, pari-mutuel…

Wisconsin has no commercial sportsbook law. Wis. Stat. § 945.02 makes placing any bet a Class B misdemeanor unless it fits a listed exception, and § 945.01(1)(h), added by 2025…

You will not meet an OWI checkpoint in Wisconsin. Wis. Stat. § 349.02(2)(a) forbids a police officer, sheriff, deputy sheriff, traffic officer or motor vehicle inspector from stopping…

Wisconsin is a one-party consent state. Wis. Stat. § 968.31(2)(c) makes it lawful for a person not acting under color of law to intercept a wire, electronic or oral communication when…

Wisconsin has no general stop-and-identify offense. Wis. Stat. § 968.24 lets an officer who has first identified himself or herself as law enforcement stop you in a public place, for a…

Wisconsin is unusual in codifying the grounds for a search at all. Wis. Stat. § 968.10 says a search may be made and things seized only when it is incident to a lawful arrest, with…

Wisconsin Statute 134.66 bars selling cigarettes and tobacco to anyone under 18 and vapor products to anyone under 21. The federal Tobacco 21 law independently requires all tobacco and…

Wisconsin has not enacted a statewide ban on flavored tobacco or vapor products; sales of menthol cigarettes and flavored e-cigarettes remain lawful under Wis. Stat. 134.66 subject to…

Wisconsin's rule on extra lighting is a colour rule with a count attached. Wis. Stat. § 347.07(2) bars operating any vehicle on a highway displaying a colour other than white or amber…

Wisconsin never legislated dash cams, so the governing rule is the windshield rule, and Wisconsin's version is a closed list. Wis. Admin. Code § Trans 305.34(6) bars any posters…

Wisconsin has never legislated lane splitting in either direction. The phrases "lane splitting" and "between lanes" appear nowhere in chs. 340 to 351, the whole Wisconsin Vehicle Code…

Wisconsin attacks plate covers from two directions. Wis. Stat. s. 341.61 (3) makes it an offence carrying a forfeiture of up to $500 to place any substance on a plate that hinders its…

A radar detector is lawful in a private car in Wisconsin. The phrase "radar detector" appears nowhere in the Wisconsin Statutes or the Wisconsin Administrative Code, and the equipment…

Wisconsin gives ordinary drivers no studded-tire season at all. Wis. Stat. s. 347.45 (2) bans any block, stud, flange, cleat, spike or other non-rubber protuberance that projects…

Wisconsin puts its tint numbers in the Department of Transportation's equipment rules, not in the statute book. Aftermarket film on the vent and front side windows must still pass at…