Animal Ordinances in Green Bay, WI (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Green Bay, Wisconsin, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Green Bay allows up to five licensed hens per parcel but bans roosters outright; owners need an annual City Clerk license and must house hens in a coop set back from neighboring homes.
Green Bay Backyard Hen Keeping Rules
Some RestrictionsGreen Bay Municipal Code § 6-3(c)-(d)
(c)Limits. Each license shall allow for a total of five hens.(d)No roosters. Roosters shall be prohibited from the City, and are not permitted to be licensed.(e)Late fees. The City Clerk shall assess and collect a late fee as provided in the City Fee Schedule from every owner of a hen 20 weeks of age or older if the owner fails to obtain a license prior to April 1 of each year, or within 30 day...
Dog Leash Laws
Green Bay bans letting any animal, including dogs, run at large off its owner's property, and requires a leash or equivalent control whenever it's off the premises, plus a five-foot buffer from sidewalks, streets, and parking lots.
Green Bay Dog Leash and Confinement Law
Some RestrictionsGreen Bay Municipal Code § 6-6(a)
(a)No person, owner, or custodian shall permit any animal (including fowl) to be at large within the City. Any animal shall be deemed to be at large when it is off the premises owned or leased by its owner or custodian unless crated, penned, or under the control of a person able to control the animal by means of a leash of sufficient strength to control the action of the animal...
Breed Restrictions
Green Bay bans possessing a dog once it's been declared dangerous under Chapter 6, with forfeitures of $500 to $1,000 and removal from the City within five days of the written order.
Green Bay Dangerous Dog Rules
Heavy RestrictionsGreen Bay Municipal Code § 6-13(b)
(b)Dangerous dogs prohibited.(1)Possession of a dangerous dog prohibited. No person shall own, keep, possess, return to, or harbor a dangerous dog within the City.(2)Penalty. Any person who owns, keeps, possesses, harbors, or returns any dangerous dog to the City... shall be subject to a forfeiture of not less than $500.00 nor more than $1,000.00.
Beekeeping
Beekeeping in Green Bay requires a permit from the Humane Officer, and any apiary within 25 feet of a property line must be screened by a six-foot flyway wall, fence, or vegetation.
Green Bay Beekeeping Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsGreen Bay Municipal Code § 6-11(b), (c)(3)
No person shall engage in beekeeping without having first obtained a permit from the Humane Officer and having paid a permit fee as provided in the City Fee Schedule. In reviewing a permit application, the Humane Officer shall consider the number of honeybees to be possessed, their location, the facilities to be used for such purpose, and the likelihood of a public or private nuisance being cre...
Exotic Pets
Green Bay bans possessing lions, bears, venomous snakes, monkeys, alligators, scorpions and dozens of other wild species inside city limits unless the owner first obtains an exotic animal permit from the City Clerk. Municipal Code § 6-4 defines the City's Prohibited Animal List by scientific order and family, with only a short list of zoos, vets, researchers, and government facilities automatically exempt.
Green Bay Exotic and Wild Animal Possession Ban
Significant RestrictionsGreen Bay Municipal Code § 6-4(b), (c), (j)
(c)Keeping of exotic animals.(1)Permit required. No person shall possess an exotic animal without first obtaining an exotic animal permit.(2)Exceptions. This subsection (c) shall not apply to institutions accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, licensed veterinary hospitals or clinics, licensed or accredited research or medical institutions, licensed or accredited educational i...
Wildlife Feeding
Green Bay adopts Wisconsin's wild-animal feeding rule, Wis. Admin. Code NR 19.60, as full City law under Section 6-14, making it a local ordinance violation to feed wildlife in violation of that rule.
Green Bay Wildlife Feeding Ban
Heavy RestrictionsGreen Bay Municipal Code § 6-14
Wis. Admin. Code § NR 19.60, as it may be amended from time to time, is hereby adopted as though fully set forth herein.
Pet Limits
Green Bay requires an excess animal permit from the Humane Officer before a household may keep more pets than the residential caps allow, with denial possible over nuisance risk or the applicant's record.
Green Bay Excess Animal Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsGreen Bay Municipal Code § 6-4(d)(2)
In determining whether a permit under this section shall be granted, the Humane Officer shall consider the number and type of animals to be possessed, the applicant's criminal record, including any animal related police calls for service, known prior history of the animals, health of the animals, whether proper licenses and vaccinations have been obtained, the condition of the applicant's resid...
Pet Store Rules
Green Bay requires an animal establishment license before anyone runs a pet shop, grooming service, breeding service, or animal shelter, per Municipal Code § 6-1. Pet shop operators must also honor the local Lemon Law: guaranteeing an animal's health at sale and reimbursing veterinary costs, up to the purchase price, if a vet finds it was sick or injured within seven days.
Green Bay Pet Shop License and Lemon Law
Some RestrictionsGreen Bay Municipal Code § 6-1(b), (g), (j)
(b)License required. Notwithstanding Wis. Stats. § 173.41, no person may operate a pet shop, grooming service, breeding service, or animal shelter without having first obtained an animal establishment license....(g)Lemon Law. A pet shop operator shall post a copy of this Lemon Law in a conspicuous location on the business premises.(1)The operator of a pet shop shall:...c.Reimburse the expense t...
Looking for Brown County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Green Bay city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Brown County →