Public Conduct in Portage County, WI (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Portage County, Wisconsin.
Verified from official government sources
Loud Party Ordinance
Sec. 2.27 of the Portage County Code makes anyone who hosts or controls a gathering of three or more people where alcohol is present liable if they knowingly permit, or fail to take reasonable steps to prevent, an underage person from possessing or consuming alcohol there.
Social Host Liability in Portage County
Significant RestrictionsPortage County Code §§ 2.27.1, 2.27.2, 2.27.4
2.27.1 - Definitions. ... (2)Event or gathering means any group of three or more persons who have assembled or gathered together for a social occasion or other activity. ... 2.27.2 - Prohibited Acts. Notwithstanding Wis. Stats. ch. 125, or other provisions of this Code of Ordinances, no person may host or allow an event or gathering at any premises or public or private location under the person...
Loitering Rules
Sec. 2.12.6 of the Portage County Code bars loitering in unincorporated Portage County, meaning the towns under county zoning, whenever it occurs at an unusual time or manner that creates reasonable alarm, involves apparent law-breaking, continues on posted "NO LOITERING" property, or persists after a law enforcement officer's lawful order to move on.
Loitering Rules for Unincorporated Portage County
Some RestrictionsPortage County Code §§ 2.12.6, 2.12.8
2.12.6 - Loitering. No person shall loiter, in either a public or private place including any public way, street, highway, place, alley, sidewalk, business, or that portion of private property utilized for public use, without the consent of the owner, lessee, renter, governmental officer, or other person or entity in lawful control of said property under any of the following circumstances: (1)A...
Public Marijuana Use
Portage County makes it a violation to possess or attempt to possess marijuana (tetrahydrocannabinols) or synthetic cannabinoids anywhere in the county under Code § 2.10.3, tracking Wis. Stats. §§ 961.41(4)(t) and 961.14(4)(tb)-(ty). A conviction carries a forfeiture of $200.00 to $500.00.
Marijuana Possession Ban, Portage County
Heavy RestrictionsPortage County Code §§ 2.10.3, 2.10.4
(1)No person may possess or attempt to possess tetrahydrocannabinols included under Wis. Stats. § 961.41(4)(t), or synthetic cannabinoids included under Wis. Stats. § 961.14(4)(tb) to (ty), except as provided in Wis. Stats. § 961.41(3g)(intro.). ... 2.10.4 - Penalty. Any person who violates any provision of this section shall, upon conviction, be subject to a forfeiture of not less than $200.00...
Public Alcohol Use
Portage County bans selling or consuming alcoholic beverages anywhere on the Green Circle Trail Corridor, the county's roughly 30-mile trail linking Stevens Point, Plover, Whiting and Park Ridge. The same section bars possessing or using any illegal narcotic drug on the trail, enforced under the county's park ordinance penalties.
Alcohol Banned on Portage County Green Circle Trail
Significant RestrictionsPortage County Code § 6.2.10
6.2.10 - Alcoholic Beverages, Narcotics, and Illegal Drugs and Barbiturates.(1)No person may sell or consume alcoholic beverages within the Green Circle Trail Corridor.(2)No person shall possess or use any illegal narcotic drug within the Green Circle Trail Corridor.
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