Business Licensing & Operations in De Pere, WI (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for De Pere, Wisconsin, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
De Pere requires a license from the city before any sexually oriented adult entertainment establishment can operate, covering adult bookstores, cabarets, adult motion picture theaters, adult massage parlors and similar businesses. Sec. 110-5 sets licensing, background-check and facility standards, with violations punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 per offense and possible license revocation.
De Pere Adult Entertainment Business License
Significant RestrictionsDe Pere Code of Ordinances § 110-5
It is the purpose of this section to regulate sexually oriented adult entertainment establishment businesses (referred to in this section as "adult establishments") to promote the health, safety, morals and general welfare of the citizens of the city, to aid in the alleviation and prevention of the adverse and deleterious effects of criminal activity and disruption of the public peace associate...
Tattoo & Body Modification
De Pere does not run its own tattoo code: City Code § 106-4(b) adopts Wisconsin's tattoo and body piercing rules, Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 221, by reference and requires every studio to hold a city license before opening. The city health department collects fees and inspects licensed shops at least once a year.
De Pere Tattoo and Body Piercing Licensing
Some RestrictionsDe Pere Code of Ordinances § 106-4(b)(2)-(3)
(2)License/permit required. No person shall operate or open for public use, such business or use as set forth in subsections (b) and (d) of this section without the proper license/permit. All license/permit fees shall be as determined by resolution of the common council, which may also include, but are not limited to, reinspection fees, late fees, penalties and fees for expedited process.(3)Age...
Tobacco Retail License
De Pere requires a city license to sell cigarettes and other tobacco products in the city, with the fee set by resolution of the common council. Sec. 8-3(c) bars retailers from selling loose cigarettes, known locally as "loosies," and from giving away cigarettes, tobacco or vapor products free of charge, adding local restrictions on top of the state law it adopts by reference.
De Pere Tobacco and Vape Retail License
Some RestrictionsDe Pere Code of Ordinances §§ 8-3(c), 110-4
No person shall:a.Sell single cigarettes (commonly referred to as looseys), whether packaged or unpackaged.b.Give away or otherwise distribute cigarettes, tobacco products, or vapor products free of charge. ... The sale and license of cigarettes in the city shall be governed pursuant to the provisions of Wis. Stats. § 134.65. The license fee for the sale of tobacco products shall be as determin...
Secondhand Dealers
Secondhand article and secondhand jewelry dealers in De Pere are licensed under the same Sec. 110-6 that covers pawnbrokers, but carry their own recordkeeping duties: a digitized photo of nearly every item bought or sold, kept at least 90 days, and a daily transaction report to police, with a two-year license for dealer malls and flea markets.
De Pere Secondhand Dealer License Rules
Some RestrictionsDe Pere Code of Ordinances § 110-6(b), (d), (e)
Secondhand article dealer means any person, other than an auctioneer, who engages in the business of purchasing or selling secondhand articles, with exceptions as stated in Wis. Stats. § 134.71(g). ... The licensee must also take a color, digitized photograph of every item pawned or sold that does not have a unique serial or identification number permanently engraved or affixed, excluding only ...
Pawnbrokers
Pawnbrokers in De Pere need a city license issued under Wis. Stat. § 134.71(7)(a), granted only after a ten-year criminal background check and, for pawnbrokers specifically, a $500 bond with at least two sureties. Sec. 110-6 sets the license terms, running each calendar year from January 1 through December 31, with the fee set by council resolution.
De Pere Pawnbroker License Requirements
Some RestrictionsDe Pere Code of Ordinances § 110-6(c)
The city clerk shall grant a license under Wis. Stats. § 134.71(7)(a) if all of the following apply:a.The applicant, including an individual, a partner, a member of a limited liability company or an officer, director or agent of any corporate applicant, has not been convicted within the preceding ten years of a felony or within the preceding ten years of a misdemeanor, statutory violation punis...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
De Pere's zoning ordinance flatly bans vehicle repair as a home occupation. Section 14-78(8)(c)5.a lists assembly, cleaning, maintenance or repair of vehicles or equipment with internal combustion engines among the uses expressly prohibited from operating out of a residence, alongside repair of large household appliances.
De Pere Bans Home Auto Repair Businesses
Heavy RestrictionsDe Pere Zoning Ordinance, Art. VII, § 14-78(8)(c)5.a
5. Prohibited Home Occupations The following uses are expressly prohibited as home occupations: a. Any type of assembly, cleaning, maintenance or repair of vehicles or equipment with internal combustion engines or of large appliances (such as washing machines, clothes dryers or refrigerators);
Towing Companies
De Pere lets a traffic officer order a vehicle towed from a street, parking facility or private property for specific violations like blocking traffic or a posted tow-away zone, and the owner gets it back by paying a reasonable towing and storage fee under Section 150-9.
De Pere Non-Consent Vehicle Towing Rules
Some RestrictionsDe Pere Code of Ordinances § 150-9(a), (g), (h)
(a)Authority to tow. Notwithstanding the provisions of Wis. Stats. § 342.40, and any other provision of this Code, whenever a traffic officer finds a motor vehicle upon any street, alley, private property or parking facility which is so situated as to constitute an emergency under subsection (b) of this section or situated in a parking facility or on private property in violation of subsection ...
Looking for Brown County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement De Pere city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Brown County →