A Resident's Guide to Rothschild's Local Ordinances

Rothschild, Wisconsin may not be the biggest city in the state, but it has its own set of local rules that residents need to follow. With 66 tracked ordinances across 25 categories, there is more here than you might expect.

Public Conduct

Public Marijuana Use: Rothschild bans possessing 25 grams or less of marijuana or THC anywhere in the Village, public or private, unless it came from a valid prescription. Violators face the Village's general forfeiture, and minors under 18 face a separate juvenile disposition under state law..

Also covered: Loud Party Ordinance (restrictive), Loitering Rules (moderate). See the full public conduct guide for Rothschild for details.

Curfew Laws

Juvenile Curfew: Rothschild bars minors from public places between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

Also covered: Park Curfew (moderate). See the full curfew laws guide for Rothschild for details.

Garage & Yard Sales

Frequency, Duration & Permits: Rothschild caps garage and rummage sales at three per year per property and limits each sale to 72 consecutive hours, with a mandatory 30-day gap before the next one. Sales must run between 7:00 a.m.

Landscaping Rules

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees: Removing, trimming, or altering a tree or shrub in a Rothschild public right-of-way or public area requires a Village Forester permit under § 505-8. Oak trees anywhere in the Village, public or private, need a separate permit before any disturbance from April 1 to October 1 to slow oak wilt..

Also covered: Weed Ordinances (moderate), Tree Trimming (moderate). See the full landscaping rules guide for Rothschild for details.

Business Licensing & Operations

Adult Entertainment: Rothschild confines adult-oriented businesses to the I-1 Light Industrial and I-2 Heavy Industrial districts as a conditional use only, and imposes a 1,000-foot separation from homes, schools, parks, churches and other such businesses under Village Code Section 590-33.2, added July 28, 2025..

Also covered: Tobacco Retail License (moderate). See the full business licensing & operations guide for Rothschild for details.

Public Health Rules

Rodent Control: Rothschild requires every property owner to eliminate rat harborages, store waste in ratproof containers, and ratproof buildings with hardware cloth or similar material. Anyone finding rat infestation has 10 days after extermination to fill in holes and burrows..

Trash & Recycling

Collection Schedule: Rothschild's Solid Waste chapter puts garbage collection under Village Board supervision, run day-to-day by the Public Works Administrator, and ties curbside timing to the regular pickup day: containers cannot go out before the evening beforehand and must come back inside within 24 hours under §§ 464-2 and 464-4..

Also covered: Bin Placement Rules (moderate), Recycling Requirements (moderate), Bulk Item Disposal (moderate). See the full trash & recycling guide for Rothschild for details.

Environmental Rules

Stormwater Management: New development in Rothschild must cut post-construction runoff pollution by 80 percent and control peak flows for the 2-, 10- and 100-year storm before a post-construction runoff permit issues from the Administrator of Public Works under Village Code Sections 590-51 and 590-52..

Also covered: Erosion Control (moderate), Flood Elevation Requirements (moderate). See the full environmental rules guide for Rothschild for details.

Sign Regulations

Digital Billboards: Rothschild allows electronic reader boards and changeable-message signs, exempting them from the Village's ban on flashing or moving signs. Every electronic sign still needs a Zoning Administrator permit, must be built to code, and counts toward the 100-square-foot cap on total ground or pole sign area under Village Code Chapter 590..

Also covered: Window Signs (moderate). See the full sign regulations guide for Rothschild for details.

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Encroachment Permits: Placing poles, wires, pipes, conduits or other equipment in a Rothschild street, sidewalk or other public right-of-way requires a Village permit under Code § 184-1. Owners apply on Village forms, pay a fee set by the Village Board, and must relocate facilities at their own expense whenever the Village orders it for health, safety or public-improvement reasons..

Also covered: Sidewalk Repair (moderate), Obstruction Rules (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for Rothschild for details.

Property Maintenance

Property Blight: Rothschild requires every owner to keep buildings and yards free of nuisances and hazards, and bars any structure from showing "progressive deterioration" that drags down the neighborhood; a lawn that becomes a "seriously blighting influence" or grows grass over six inches is a violation under Village Code § 437-2..

Also covered: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (moderate). See the full property maintenance guide for Rothschild for details.

Home Business

Zoning & Home Occupation Permits: Rothschild allows a home occupation as a permitted accessory use in its R-1 Single-Family Residential District, but only one that meets the Village's definitional test: customary, incidental and secondary to the dwelling, with no exterior alteration and no change to the neighborhood's residential character..

Noise Ordinances

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound: Rothschild bans transmitting or producing music by loudspeaker, amplifier, or similar device outside any building, or from inside a building or vehicle so the sound carries outside, anywhere in the Village, unless the Village Clerk or the Chief of Police issues a special permit under Code § 422-21.D..

Also covered: Quiet Hours (moderate), Construction Hours (moderate), Decibel Limits (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for Rothschild for details.

Accessory Structures

Shed & Carport Rules: Rothschild limits accessory structures like sheds and detached garages under Village Code § 590-96.1: only one detached garage per lot, no pole or post-frame construction, metal buildings confined to commercial and industrial districts, and total accessory square footage capped at 80% of the primary dwelling's footprint..

Animal Ordinances

Beekeeping: Rothschild bans beekeeping outright: Village Code § 422-28 makes it unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to keep bees anywhere in the Village, with no residential-zone carve-out, hive-count limit, or hobbyist exception written into the ordinance..

Also covered: Pet Limits (moderate), Dog Leash Laws (moderate), Exotic Pets (strict). See the full animal ordinances guide for Rothschild for details.

Parking Rules

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles: Rothschild bars storing or parking commercial vehicles in residential districts, with a single exception for one pickup or van driven by the person who lives there, under § 524-11D(6). Oversized semi-tractors and trucks face a separate three-hour street parking limit under § 524-11B..

Also covered: Loading Zones (moderate), RV & Boat Parking (moderate), Snow Removal Parking Rules (moderate). See the full parking rules guide for Rothschild for details.

Fence Regulations

Retaining Walls: Rothschild does not set a retaining wall height cap, but Village Code § 590-94 requires written consent from the abutting property owner and Planning and Zoning Commission approval before any retaining wall is used to allow a grade change steeper than 3:1 within 20 feet of a property line..

Also covered: Fence Permit Requirements (moderate), Height Limits (moderate), Material Restrictions (moderate). See the full fence regulations guide for Rothschild for details.

Outdoor Lighting

Dark Sky Rules: New commercial, industrial and multifamily development in Rothschild must use dark-sky-compliant, shielded, downward-directed lighting under Village Code § 590-118F(1)(a). Parking lot pole fixtures are capped at 20 feet in residential districts, 25 feet in commercial districts and 30 feet in industrial districts..

Also covered: Light Trespass & Shielding (moderate). See the full outdoor lighting guide for Rothschild for details.

Building Setbacks & Zoning

Setback Rules: Rothschild requires every building or accessory structure, including sheds, parking structures, and fences, to sit at least 75 feet back from the ordinary high-water mark of the Wisconsin River or any other waterway in the Village. Zone-by-zone front, side and rear yard tables in Article II of the zoning chapter set further minimums for each residential and commercial district..

Also covered: Structure Height Limits (moderate). See the full building setbacks & zoning guide for Rothschild for details.

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: Rothschild imposes an 8.0% room tax on the gross receipts of hotels, motels and any other operator renting rooms or lodging to transients, effective January 1, 2017. The Village Treasurer administers collection, sales to government entities and holders of tax-exempt certificates are exempt, and unpaid tax draws forfeitures and interest under Village Code Chapter 55, Article III..

Building Safety

Building Permits: Rothschild requires a state uniform building permit before building any one- or two-family dwelling, issued through the Village and filed with the Village Clerk, under Code § 234-2. The permit automatically expires if the project is not finished within two years, and a separate Article II permit under § 234-10 covers other structures and flammable-liquid or gas storage..

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

Solicitor Permits: Peddlers, solicitors and transient merchants must register with the Village Clerk before going door to door in Rothschild under Chapter 271's direct seller ordinance. Registration takes a completed application, a police background check and a $500 cash bond, and the Village can refuse or revoke it for false statements or a disqualifying conviction..

Also covered: No-Knock Registry (moderate). See the full soliciting & door-to-door guide for Rothschild for details.

Swimming Pools & Spas

Pool Permits: Rothschild's Zoning Code lists pools among the structures needing a village permit before construction begins, and its separate Swimming Pool chapter forces every outdoor pool 18 inches deep or 48 square feet or larger to carry a fence. Skip either requirement and you risk stop-work action on the permit side and a per-day fine on the fencing side..

Also covered: Fencing & Safety Requirements (moderate). See the full swimming pools & spas guide for Rothschild for details.

Outdoor Cooking

BBQ & Propane Rules: Rothschild bans hibachis, grills and similar cooking or heating devices from balconies, overhangs and within 10 feet of any structure at multifamily buildings of three or more units, and bans storing their fuel on the balcony too, under Fire Prevention Code § 306-30..

Fire Regulations

Outdoor Burning: Open burning in Rothschild takes a District permit under Chapter 306's Article VIII, is limited to the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and is banned outright whenever wind speed tops nine miles per hour or conditions turn hazardous, regardless of whether a permit was already issued..

Also covered: Smoke Detectors (moderate), Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (moderate). See the full fire regulations guide for Rothschild for details.

What to Do With This Information

Think of this as a map of the regulatory landscape in Rothschild. For any rule that directly affects a decision you are making, click through to the full ordinance page for penalty details and exceptions, and confirm with the city if the stakes are high.