Animal Ordinances in Wausau, WI

Every city handles animal ordinances a little differently. In Wausau, Wisconsin, there are 11 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Chickens & Livestock

Wausau allows up to four hens per residential lot with a City Clerk permit, but bans roosters outright and restricts keeping to specific zoning districts. Coops must sit in the rear yard, at least ten feet from any lot line, and slaughter is prohibited except at a licensed processing facility. Violators face a $100 penalty under the Wausau Municipal Code.

Key details: Limit: 4 hens/pullets per lot; roosters banned. Permit: City Clerk permit, valid July 1-June 30. Zoning: SR-2/3/5/7, TF-10, MR-12/20/50 lots only. Setback: Coop 10 ft from lot line, 25 ft from house. Coop size: 3 sq ft per bird, 24 sq ft maximum.

Keeping chickens without a City Clerk permit, keeping roosters, or violating any coop, setback, or size standard is grounds for permit revocation under § 8.08.012(c). Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.270(d) sets a flat forfeiture of $100.00 plus court costs for violations of § 8.08.012, enforced by the City's Humane Officer and Building Inspection staff.

Pet Store Rules

Wausau bans pet stores from selling, bartering, or giving away any dog or cat under Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.115, a "puppy mill" ordinance adopted in 2023. Stores may still host adoption events for shelters and rescues, but each animal sold in violation triggers a separate $500 civil penalty.

Key details: Rule: Pet stores may not sell dogs or cats. Adopted: Ord. No. 61-5934, effective Jan. 10, 2023. Exception: Adoption-event space for shelters/rescues allowed. Penalty: $500 civil penalty per animal sold. Definition: Pet store = retail seller open to the public.

Each dog or cat offered, sold, or given away in violation of § 8.08.115 is a separate offense carrying a $500.00 civil penalty under § 8.08.115(d); a store found with several puppies for sale in one inspection can face stacked $500 penalties per animal, on top of any state consumer-protection exposure.

This is one of the stricter rules in Wausau's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Pet Limits

Wausau caps ordinary households at two dogs and three cats over five months old under Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.120(a), but a City Clerk "pet fancier" permit raises the ceiling to five combined animals, capped at four dogs and four cats, in single- or two-family homes that pass an inspection.

Key details: Base limit: 2 dogs and/or 3 cats per household. With permit: Up to 5 combined, max 4 dogs/4 cats. Permit: City Clerk pet fancier permit, expires Dec. 31. Penalty: $75 to $275 escalating forfeiture. Exempt: ADA service animals, WPD K-9 dogs.

Keeping more animals than the base limit without a pet fancier permit is enforced by the Wausau Humane Officer. Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.270(b) sets escalating forfeitures for § 8.08.120 violations: $75.00 for a first offense, $125.00 for a second, and $275.00 plus costs for a third or subsequent violation, on top of any pet fancier permit denial or revocation.

Coyote Management

Wausau bans feeding or baiting deer anywhere in the City under Section 8.08.255, with each day of continued feeding counted as its own violation. The only exception is feeding authorized by the Mayor to assist a program removing deer from the City; coyotes as pets are separately banned under Section 8.08.010(a)(6).

Key details: Deer feeding/baiting: Prohibited citywide. Continuing violation: Each day = separate offense. Exception: Mayor-authorized deer removal only. Citation deposit: $50.00. Coyotes as pets: Banned, Section 8.08.010(a)(6).

Feeding or baiting deer without Mayoral authorization violates Section 8.08.255(a), with each day of continued feeding constituting a separate offense. Because Section 8.08.255 is not among the enhanced-penalty sections in Section 8.08.270(b) through (d), it falls under the chapter's general penalty in Section 8.08.270(a): a forfeiture up to $200.00 plus costs of prosecution, or up to 15 days in the county jail in lieu of payment; the municipal cash deposit schedule sets the standard deposit for a feeding-deer citation at $50.00.

Compared to other cities, Wausau takes a harder line on coyote management. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Beekeeping

Wausau requires a City Clerk beekeeper permit before keeping any honey bees. Section 8.08.011(c) caps hives at two per premises, requires a minimum one-third acre lot, and sets setbacks of 25 feet from property lines and 50 feet from neighboring dwellings.

Key details: Permit required: City Clerk, before keeping bees. Hive limit: 2 per premises, max 20 cu. ft. each. Minimum lot size: One-third acre. Setbacks: 25 ft. property line, 50 ft. dwellings. Not allowed: Multi-tenant or 2+ unit lots.

Keeping bees without a permit, exceeding two hives, or placing a hive closer than 25 feet to a property line or 50 feet to a neighboring dwelling violates Section 8.08.011(c). If a violation is not corrected within 14 days of an order under Section 8.08.011(d), the City may destroy or remove the hive and charge the cost back to the property owner as a special charge under Wis. Stats. Section 66.0627, on top of a citation carrying a $100.00 deposit and a forfeiture of up to $200.00 under Section 8.08.270(a); the permit itself is subject to revocation and, once revoked, will not be reissued.

This is one of the stricter rules in Wausau's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Exotic Pets

Wausau outlaws keeping dangerous or wild animals, insects and reptiles within the City. Section 8.08.010(a) names bears, wolves and coyotes, big cats, primates, and reptiles over ten feet among a long banned list, and it is not a defense that the animal was tamed or captive-bred.

Key details: Banned examples: Bears, wolves/coyotes, big cats, primates. Reptile limit: Over 10 feet banned. Captive-bred defense: Not a defense to violation. Reptile waiver: Annual, case-by-case, City Clerk. General penalty: Up to $200 plus costs, or jail.

Keeping a prohibited wild or dangerous animal, insect or reptile violates Section 8.08.010(a), and a Humane Officer or Law Enforcement Officer may impound the animal outright. Because Section 8.08.010 is not among the enhanced-penalty sections listed in Section 8.08.270(b) through (d), violators face the chapter's general penalty under Section 8.08.270(a): a forfeiture of up to $200.00 plus costs of prosecution, or up to 15 days in the county jail in lieu of payment.

This is one of the stricter rules in Wausau's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Microchipping

Wausau has no general pet microchipping law; the only microchip requirement in the Wausau Municipal Code sits inside the dangerous-animal ordinance, § 8.08.200(d)(4) and (e)(1), which orders an identification device implanted, at the owner's expense, in any animal the Chief of Police declares dangerous or prohibited dangerous.

Key details: Scope: Only declared dangerous/prohibited dangerous animals. Not general: No citywide pet microchip mandate. Cost: Device cost borne by owner or caretaker. Trigger: Chief of Police dangerous-animal order. Penalty: $100-$250 per day for noncompliance.

Failing to obtain or report the identification device is enforced as a condition of the dangerous-animal order; under § 8.08.200(k)(1), noncompliance with any (d) condition carries a forfeiture of $100.00 to $250.00 per day, and a prohibited dangerous animal may stay impounded under (h)(1) until the microchip is inserted and all costs are paid.

Dog Leash Laws

Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.190 bans letting a dog, cat, or other animal run at large in the city; an animal off its owner's property must be on a leash no longer than six feet, or 16 feet in most parks, or fall under a narrow list of exceptions like shows, 4-H events, or designated off-leash hours at three city parks.

Key details: Base rule: No dog, cat, or animal running at large. Leash limit: 6 ft general; 16 ft in most parks. Off-leash parks: Oak Island, Picnic Island, Memorial (set hours). 400 Block: Animals barred during special events, limited exceptions. Penalty: $50 to $250 escalating forfeiture (§8.08.270(c)).

A first at-large violation under § 8.08.190 draws a $50.00 forfeiture plus costs, rising to $100.00 for a second offense and $250.00 plus costs for a third or subsequent offense under the schedule in § 8.08.270(c); officers may also impound a loose animal under § 8.08.250 while the citation is pending.

Breed Restrictions

Wausau has no breed-specific dog ban; instead, Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.200 lets the Chief of Police declare any individual animal "dangerous" after an unprovoked bite, attack, or menacing incident, then imposes registration, $250,000 liability insurance, warning signage, and secure-confinement rules regardless of breed.

Key details: Basis: Behavior-based declaration, not breed-specific. Registration: Annual City Clerk registration plus photo. Insurance: $250,000 liability insurance naming the City. Confinement: Locked, child-proof enclosure; 4-ft leash off-property. Penalty: $100-$250/day forfeiture for noncompliance.

Failing any dangerous-animal condition under § 8.08.200(d) draws a forfeiture of $100.00 to $250.00 per day under § 8.08.200(k)(1); violating the prohibited-dangerous-animal ban in (a)(2) carries $250.00 to $500.00 per day, and every day of noncompliance counts as a separate offense under § 8.08.200(l).

This is one of the stricter rules in Wausau's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Cat Rules

Wausau caps most residential units at three cats and two dogs over five months old, with a City Clerk pet fancier permit allowing more. Registered feral cat colony caregivers under a trap-neuter-return program get an affirmative defense to prosecution, and Section 8.08.210 requires confining any female cat or dog in season.

Key details: Cat limit: 3 per residential unit (2 dogs). Pet fancier permit: Up to 4 cats, 5 animals combined. TNR sponsor: Community Cat Action Team, Inc.. Cats in heat: Must be confined. Over-limit forfeiture: $75 to $275.

Keeping more cats or dogs than Section 8.08.120 allows without a pet fancier permit carries an escalating forfeiture under Section 8.08.270(b): $75.00 for a first violation, $125.00 for a second, and $275.00 for a third or subsequent violation. A cat or dog in season that is not confined under Section 8.08.210 falls under the chapter's general penalty in Section 8.08.270(a), a forfeiture up to $200.00 plus costs of prosecution, with up to 15 days in the county jail in lieu of payment.

Wildlife Feeding

Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.255 bans feeding or baiting deer anywhere within city limits, a rule aimed at reducing urban deer conflicts in this Marathon County, Wisconsin city. The only lawful exception is feeding authorized by the Mayor of Wausau, and then solely to help remove deer from the city. Each day the violation continues is a separate offense.

Key details: Citation: Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.255. Prohibited act: Feeding or baiting any deer within city limits. Exception: Mayor-authorized feeding for a deer removal program only. Penalty: Forfeiture up to $200.00 plus costs (§ 8.08.270). Alternative penalty: Up to 15 days in county jail if unpaid.

Violating section 8.08.255 falls under the general Chapter 8.08 penalty in section 8.08.270(a): a forfeiture not to exceed $200.00 plus the cost of prosecution, with imprisonment in the county jail for up to 15 days if the forfeiture and costs go unpaid. Feeding deer is not one of the offenses carrying the chapter's higher tiered fines, so the maximum $200.00 count applies per day the feeding continues.

This is one of the stricter rules in Wausau's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

The Bottom Line

Wausau is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 11 rules covered here, 6 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Wausau, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

This guide is based on Wausau's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.