Milwaukee County, WI Ordinances (2026)

Milwaukee County has its own marijuana possession ordinance separate from state law: anyone in the county caught with 25 grams or less faces a county forfeiture capped at $1 per…

Milwaukee County's traffic ordinance bans jaywalking outright, defining it as crossing within 300 feet of a marked crosswalk, crossing against signals at a controlled intersection, or…

Milwaukee County bans smoking inside or within 30 feet of any entrance or exit of a county-owned enclosed facility, and in any vehicle owned or leased by the county, under General…

Milwaukee County bans possessing or bringing alcoholic beverages into any county park or parkway, except in areas the parks department designates with written permission or where a…

Milwaukee County bans skateboarding on sidewalks, walkways, and any park area the county board designates and posts with no-skateboarding signs.

Milwaukee County bans loitering or loafing at its airports, and anyone caught doing it can be ejected from the property on the spot.

Milwaukee County requires a public-way permit to close a county highway for a special event, but only public taxing entities may apply: a neighborhood block party on a local street…

Public meetings, religious services, assemblies, and sporting events in Milwaukee County parks all need a written permit from the parks director, filed at least ten working days ahead.

Parades and processions through Milwaukee County parks and parkways require a written permit from the parks director, filed at least ten days before the event.

Milwaukee County treats a retaining wall in the public way as a 'retainment device' requiring director approval, a recordable agreement, and a minimum six-inch setback from the…

Milwaukee County requires a permit and a recordable agreement with the director of public works before installing a fence that projects into a county public way, no closer than six…

Milwaukee County sets no neighbor fence rules. Boundary-line fences on residential land follow municipal zoning, while Wisconsin's statewide partition-fence law governs shared fences…

Milwaukee County does not license home daycare. Wisconsin's Department of Children and Families licenses providers caring for four or more children under seven, and certifies smaller…

Milwaukee County does not regulate cottage food. Selling homemade foods is governed by Wisconsin state law and DATCP, including the Wis. Stat. 97.29 'pickle bill' exemption for…

Milwaukee County bans illicit discharges into its storm sewer system and prohibits illicit connections to it, under Chapter 39 of the county code covering waste disposal on…

On named Milwaukee County trunk highway segments, vehicles may only stop briefly to load or unload while an attended, licensed driver stays with the car.

Milwaukee County normally charges a flat $50 sheriff's department fee to tow an illegally parked vehicle, but that fee is waived when the tow happens under the county's emergency…

On county-maintained highways posted with all-night parking signs, Milwaukee County bans parking between 11:00 p.m. and sunrise, with an exception only for physicians on emergency…

On-street parking in Milwaukee County is governed by each city and village and by Wisconsin Statutes, not the county. Milwaukee County's parking authority applies to roads and lots…

Under Wisconsin Statute 342.40, a vehicle left unattended without permission for the period set by the local governing body is deemed abandoned and a public nuisance. Milwaukee County…

Milwaukee County requires a director-of-public-works permit before anyone places material, equipment, sheds, fences, or other structures in a public way or sidewalk, per General…

Milwaukee County requires a special privilege from the county board plus a director-of-public-works permit before any building, structure, sign, flagpole, or retaining wall may…

Dogs on Milwaukee County-owned or leased property must be leashed to six feet or less, with a parallel rule covering county parks and parkways.

Milwaukee County outlaws feeding waterfowl, game birds, or seagulls anywhere in its county park and parkway system, with an escalating fine for repeat violations.

Wisconsin has no statewide preemption of breed-specific legislation, so municipalities may restrict breeds. The City of Milwaukee's Code 78-22 imposes special leash, handler-age…

All 19 municipalities in Milwaukee County require dogs and cats to be licensed annually, and Wisconsin law requires cats over five months old to be current on rabies vaccination…

Milwaukee County sets no countywide pet limit. In the City of Milwaukee, Code 78-5 caps a household at four dogs, cats or rabbits over five months old; a fifth is allowed in a single…

Milwaukee County has no exotic-animal ordinance; keeping is controlled municipally. The City of Milwaukee Code 78-5 broadly bars any animal, bird, insect, reptile or fish that cannot…

Milwaukee County will only dispatch pre-qualified towing vendors to freeway breakdowns, and bans towing operators from soliciting business or stopping at crash scenes on county…

Selling merchandise or services inside a Milwaukee County building or on its grounds requires written approval from the department head and tenant agency under Ch. 23: a permit rule…

There is no county-wide backyard fire pit ordinance; recreational fires on private property are governed by each city, village, or town fire code. On county parks, Ordinance 47.05(4)…

Consumer fireworks in Wisconsin are governed by Wis. Stat. 167.10 and by each city, village, or town, not the county. Sparklers under 36 inches, caps, and poppers are exempt; aerial…

Open burning in Wisconsin is regulated by the DNR under NR 429 and by each municipality, not by Milwaukee County. NR 429.04 allows only small amounts of dry rubbish, leaves, and…

Smoke detector rules in Milwaukee County come from Wisconsin state law, Wis. Stat. 101.145, not a county ordinance. Owners must install detectors in the basement, at each stairway…

Outdoor music at private venues in Milwaukee County is regulated by municipal ordinances, not the county. The county does control outdoor music in its parks: under Code Chapter 47…

Milwaukee County does not set its own vehicle-noise ordinance for streets. Loud vehicles are governed by Wisconsin's statewide muffler statute, Wis. Stat. sec. 347.39, plus each…

Milwaukee County park drives have no marked bike lanes, but county rules require cyclists to ride single file in the right-hand lane and follow set safety rules.

Milwaukee County does not issue short-term rental permits. Under Wisconsin law, a host operating more than 10 nights a year needs a state DATCP tourist rooming house license, plus any…

Milwaukee County does not require short-term rentals to be a host's primary residence. State law bars local governments from banning rentals of 7 or more days, and any residency-based…

Milwaukee County imposes no occupancy cap on short-term rentals. Guest limits, where they exist, come from the host municipality's ordinance and from state tourist rooming house safety…

Milwaukee County does not impose a room tax. Short-term stays in the county carry a 3% basic room tax through the Wisconsin Center Tax District (7% additional in the City of…

Milwaukee County does not require a host to be present during a stay. State law protects whole-home rentals of 7 or more days, so unhosted short-term rentals are allowed; any…

Milwaukee County imposes no annual limit on rental nights. State law lets a municipality cap only rentals of 6 to 30 days, and only at no fewer than 180 days a year; rentals of 7 or…

Weed control in Milwaukee County runs on Wisconsin's statewide noxious-weed law, Wis. Stat. sec. 66.0407, enforced by each municipality's weed commissioner. The county does not run a…

Milwaukee County sets no pool fence rule. Private residential pool barriers are governed by each municipality's ordinance, while state code sets a 5-foot barrier for public pools…

Milwaukee County has no shed ordinance. Detached sheds and garages are exempt from the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code, so permits, size, and setbacks come from your city or village…

Wisconsin's statewide recycling law, Wis. Stat. § 287.07, bans landfilling or burning aluminum, glass, plastic and steel containers, paper, and cardboard. Municipalities, not Milwaukee…

Wisconsin's littering statute, Wis. Stat. § 287.81, bans depositing solid waste on any public or private property, with forfeitures up to $500 (up to $1,000 for large items). Milwaukee…

Milwaukee County does not enforce maintenance of privately owned vacant lots. Weed cutting, debris removal, and securing empty parcels are handled by each city or village under…

Political signs in Milwaukee County are governed by Wisconsin state law. Under Wis. Stat. 12.04, no county or municipality may regulate the size, shape, placement, or content of a…

Milwaukee County Parks are closed daily between midnight and sunrise under General Ordinances Chapter 47.27, and no person may remain in a park during closed hours. Parks along Lake…