Single-Use Items in Madison, WI (2026)
4 verified single-use items rules for Madison, Wisconsin, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Plastic Bag Rules
Wisconsin Act 302 (2016), codified at Wis. Stat. §66.0419, preempts any Madison ordinance regulating, banning, or charging fees on single-use plastic carryout bags, blocking the kind of policies seen in Milwaukee proposals or Minneapolis.
Madison cannot ban plastic bags
Few RestrictionsWis. Stat. §66.0419
66.0419 Local regulation of auxiliary containers. (1) In this section: (a) "Auxiliary container" means a bag, cup, bottle, can, or other packaging that is designed to be reusable or single-use; that is made of cloth, paper, plastic, cardboard, corrugated material, aluminum, glass, postconsumer recycled material, or similar material or substrates, including coated, laminated, or multi-layer subs...
Polystyrene Foam Rules
Wisconsin Act 21 (2018), codified at Wis. Stat. §66.0419(2)(a), expanded auxiliary-container preemption to expressly cover polystyrene foam, blocking Madison from banning foam takeout containers, cups, or coolers.
Foam container bans preempted
Few RestrictionsWis. Stat. §66.0419
66.0419 Local regulation of auxiliary containers. (1) In this section: (a) "Auxiliary container" means a bag, cup, bottle, can, or other packaging that is designed to be reusable or single-use; that is made of cloth, paper, plastic, cardboard, corrugated material, aluminum, glass, postconsumer recycled material, or similar material or substrates, including coated, laminated, or multi-layer subs...
Plastic Straw Rules
Madison cannot impose a straws-on-request mandate because Wis. Stat. §66.0419 preempts local container and accessory regulation; Madison restaurants may voluntarily adopt the practice but face no city requirement.
Straws-on-request not mandated
Few RestrictionsWis. Stat. §66.0419
66.0419 Local regulation of auxiliary containers. (1) In this section: (a) "Auxiliary container" means a bag, cup, bottle, can, or other packaging that is designed to be reusable or single-use; that is made of cloth, paper, plastic, cardboard, corrugated material, aluminum, glass, postconsumer recycled material, or similar material or substrates, including coated, laminated, or multi-layer subs...
Utensils-On-Request
Madison cannot mandate that restaurants provide single-use utensils only upon request, because Wis. Stat. §66.0419 preempts local rules on auxiliary food-service items, leaving the practice voluntary.
Utensils-on-request voluntary only
Few RestrictionsWis. Stat. §66.0419
66.0419 Local regulation of auxiliary containers. (1) In this section: (a) "Auxiliary container" means a bag, cup, bottle, can, or other packaging that is designed to be reusable or single-use; that is made of cloth, paper, plastic, cardboard, corrugated material, aluminum, glass, postconsumer recycled material, or similar material or substrates, including coated, laminated, or multi-layer subs...
Looking for Dane County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Madison city rules.
Single-Use Items in Dane County →