Animal Ordinances in Dane County, WI (2026)
9 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 4 cities in Dane County, Wisconsin.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Dane County's zoning code bars keeping livestock at all on parcels smaller than one acre, and once a lot reaches an acre, animal density is capped at one animal unit per acre under ch. 10.103(18). The standard applies wherever the county administers Chapter 10 zoning, the unincorporated towns, not inside Madison, Fitchburg, Middleton, Verona, Stoughton, Monona or Sun Prairie, which each run their own code. Structures housing livestock must also clear a 100-foot buffer from any Residential, Rural Residential or Hamlet district.
Dane County Livestock Keeping on Small Lots
Some RestrictionsDane County Code of Ordinances, ch. 10.103(18)(a)-(c)
(18) Small-scale farming. (a) Small-scale farming is considered an accessory use to a permitted or conditional principal use and is subject to the following limitations: (b) Except for domestic pets, domestic fowl and beekeeping, animal use shall not be permitted on parcels smaller than one acre. For parcels one acre or larger, animals shall be limited to one animal unit per acre. (c) Accessory...
Dog Leash Laws
Dane County Code ch. 47.17 bars owners and custodians from letting an animal run at large anywhere off the owner's premises without control, and it applies countywide in the unincorporated towns the county's animal control ordinance covers. A dog is running at large if it is off its owner's property and not under the owner's control, and violations carry escalating forfeitures.
Dane County Dogs At Large and Leash Rules
Some RestrictionsDane County Code of Ordinances, ch. 47.17(1),(2m)(a)
47.17 OWNERS OR CUSTODIANS TO CONTROL ANIMALS. (1) An owner or custodian of an animal shall not permit, whether negligently or otherwise, the animal to run at large. An animal is considered to be running at large if it is off the premises of the owner or custodian and not under the control of the owner or custodian. ... (2m)(a) The animal while off the property where kept, shall be muzzled and ...
Breed Restrictions
Dane County's Public Health Department for Madison and Dane County can formally declare any animal dangerous under Code ch. 47.18 after it bites, attacks, or menaces a person or another animal without provocation. The declaration triggers mandatory restrictions or destruction, and it only applies in unincorporated areas of the county, not inside Madison or the other cities and villages.
Dane County Dangerous Animal Declaration Rules
Significant RestrictionsDane County Code of Ordinances, ch. 47.18(1),(3),(6)(a),(8)(a)
47.18 DANGEROUS ANIMALS REGULATED. (1) Purpose and intent. It is hereby declared that regulation of dangerous animals is a matter of public interest pertaining to the health, safety and welfare of residents of Dane County. It is further declared that owning, keeping or harboring of dangerous animals is a public nuisance. ... (3) Applicability. This ordinance shall apply in the unincorporated ar...
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is permitted as an agricultural use in Dane County. Wisconsin DATCP apiary registration (Wis. Stat. §93.45) is required. County zoning (Chapter 10) classifies domestic beekeeping as a distinct land use.
Dane County Beekeeping Rules
Few RestrictionsDane County Code of Ordinances, ch. 10.103(10)(c)-(d) (Domestic fowl and beekeeping)
(c) Bees. The keeping of honeybees in the yards of single family residences or duplexes located in any zoning district shall be a permitted use, if the use complies with the following: 1. Each residential lot shall be allowed to have at least 6 hives per lot. For residential lots over 10,000 square feet, no more than one hive per 1,600 square feet of lot area is permitted. 2. A supply of water ...
Exotic Pets
Dane County outlaws live skunks outright: section 47.41 of the animal control ordinance makes it unlawful to sell, give away, trade or even possess a live skunk anywhere in the county, whether wild-caught or captive-bred.
Dane County Ban on Keeping Live Skunks
Heavy RestrictionsDane County Code of Ordinances, ch. 47.41
47.41 SALE OF SKUNKS PROHIBITED. No person shall sell, offer for sale, give away, trade, possess or assist in selling, giving or trading any live skunk in Dane County.
Wildlife Feeding
Dane County makes it unlawful to intentionally feed wild deer anywhere in the county under section 47.42, with a carve-out for standing or stored crops and for captive deer kept on licensed deer farms.
Dane County Ban on Feeding Wild Deer
Some RestrictionsDane County Code of Ordinances, ch. 47.42
47.42 FEEDING OF DEER PROHIBITED. (1) No person shall intentionally feed wild deer in Dane County. (2) This section shall not apply to standing or stored crops not intentionally made available to wild deer. This section shall also not apply to captive deer located on deer farms.
Cat Rules
Dane County does not license cats the way it licenses dogs, but ch. 47.17(3)-(4) requires cats kept in residentially zoned areas to wear an identification tag with the owner's name, address and phone number whenever they are outdoors. Cats outside a residential district, and dogs statewide, follow a separate untagged standard.
Dane County Outdoor Cat Identification Tag Rule
Light RestrictionsDane County Code of Ordinances, ch. 47.17(3)-(4)
(3) An owner of a dog or cat shall not permit, whether negligently or otherwise, the dog or cat to be untagged. A dog is untagged if a valid license tag is not attached to a collar which is kept on the dog whenever the dog is outdoors. A cat is untagged if an identification tag listing the name, address and phone number of the owner is not attached to a collar which is kept on the cat whenever ...
Microchipping
Dane County has no general pet-microchipping mandate, but ch. 47.18(9)(b) requires an owner whose animal has been declared dangerous to provide written veterinary proof that a microchip has been implanted before the animal can be kept under restrictions instead of destroyed. The microchip must carry specific warning language identifying the animal as dangerous.
Dane County Dangerous Animal Microchip Proof Rule
Significant RestrictionsDane County Code of Ordinances, ch. 47.18(9)(b)
(b) The owner must provide written proof from a licensed veterinarian that a microchip has been placed in the animal so that the animal can be easily identified. The microchip must contain the following information: 1. the name of the animal, 2. the name of the owner, and 3. the following language "Dangerous Animal, contact Public Health Madison & Dane County Animal Services at (608) 255-2345."
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Dane County's zoning code defines a veterinary clinic as an establishment for medical or surgical treatment of animals, with boarding limited to patients under active treatment. In the Rural Mixed-Use (RM-8) district, veterinary clinics are not a permitted use: they require a conditional use permit approved by the county zoning committee after a public hearing.
Dane County Veterinary Clinic Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsDane County Code of Ordinances, ch. 10.004(170); ch. 10.233(3)(q)
(170) Veterinary clinic. An establishment for the medical or surgical treatment of animals. Boarding and care is limited only to animals undergoing active treatment or observation. (a) Veterinary clinics include, but are not limited to: animal hospitals and clinics for the treatment of domestic pets or livestock and wildlife rehabilitation centers. (b) Veterinary clinics do not include: animal ...
Animal Ordinances by City in Dane County
4 cities in Dane County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Dane County ordinances
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